On Your on Exercise #1

On Your Own

This activity in Reading Module 1 gives you two reading passages to practice applying the Active Reading Strategies you have learned. Directions: Complete the activity by reading each passage and answering the questions. Do not forget to spell check and proofread your work. When you have completed this activity, please upload it to the Dropbox for this week.

Reading #1: “The lie behind those gloomy national polls” by Michael Medved of USA Today.

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Source: The Week, October 19, 2007 Ask Americans how they feel about the world, said Michael Medved, and they wind up with a paradox. Using the Predicting Strategy

Read the title and first sentence. Now predict what you think the passage will be about. Your prediction about the passage:

Now read the whole paragraph:

Reading #1: “The Lie Behind Those Gloomy National Polls” by Michael Medved of USA Today. Source: The Week, October 19, 2007 Ask Americans how they feel about the world, said Michael Medved, and they wind up with a paradox.

By staggering majorities, people tell pollsters that they disapprove of both Congress and the President, and two out of three say the U. S. is headed “in the wrong direction. ” Yet when asked about their own lives, “Americans express overwhelming contentment and dazzling confidence. ” A recent Harris poll found that more than nine out of 10 people are satisfied “with the life you lead,” with 56 percent choosing the highest category “very satisfied. ” Almost everyone expects life to be better in the next five years.

Somehow, Americans feel that they personally live in a “sun-kissed, optimistic island of happiness,” while the country at large is going to hell. How can this be? It’s actually not that surprising, given that we spend, on average, 30 hours a week immersed in television. On both the news and entertainment shows, the world is presented as rife with crime, terrorism, death, sexual depravity, personal humiliation, and bitter political conflict. Self-serving politicians add to the “prevailing gloom” by emphasizing problems and exaggerating threats.

The real American story, though, is the one we live, in which people are making steady economic progress and life is mostly good—and always better than it was yesterday. Using the Questioning Strategy| As you read the paragraph:

1. Do you find any details confusing, or that you wonder about?
2. Are there words you don’t know? Which words are unfamiliar?
3. What questions do you have about any confusing sentences?

Your questions about the passage:| Using the Making Connections Strategy

As You Read the Paragraph: 

Can you make connections to anything you read about in the passage? . What previous knowledge, if any, do you have of this topic? | :Your connections to the passage:| Using the Visualizing Strategy| What is in the passage that you can visualize (see in your mind) as you read? | Your visualizations of the text:| Using the Summarizing Strategy| Write one or two sentences that summarize the passage. | Your summary of the passage:| Reading #2: Dieters Take Note Source: www. workingmother. com (Oct. 2007) Eating out can sabotage your weight-loss plan. Using the Predicting Strategy| Read the title and first sentence.

Now predict what you think the passage will be about. | Your prediction about the passage:| Now read the whole paragraph. Reading #2: Dieters Take Note Source: www. workingmother. com (Oct. 2007) Eating out can sabotage your weight-loss plan. Dieters and binge eaters ate between 226 and 253 extra calories and 10 to 16 extra grams of fat on days when they dined out, according to a new University of Texas study. Whether or not you’re on a diet, make sure you don’t overdo it the next time you’re eating out with these simple tips: Avoid fried foods and sugary drinks, especially soda.

Fill up on veggies or salad with dressing on the side before the entree comes. Get a take-home box when you get your meal and put half your food in it right away to keep it out of sight and prevent mindless overeating. Skip the rich dessert in favor of fresh fruit. Using the Questioning Strategy| As you read the paragraph:

1. Do you find any details confusing, or that you wonder about?
2. Are there words you don’t know? Which words are unfamiliar?
3. What questions do you have about any confusing sentences?

As You Read the Paragraph: 

1. Can you make connections to anything you read about in the passage?
2. What previous knowledge, if any, do you have of this topic?

Your connections to the passage:

Using the Visualizing Strategy

What is in the passage that you can visualize as you read?

Your visualizations of the text:| Using the Summarizing Strategy| Write one or two sentences that summarize the passage:

Your summary of the passage:

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