Main Body
Boost Your Brainpower
Learning Goals
In this chapter, you will learn to:
- Use pre-reading strategies
- Figure out unknown words while you read
- Build your vocabulary
- Understand the main ideas and details of a text
- Spell words with the suffixes -tion and -sion
- Use commas in a series
- Write compound sentences
- Write a descriptive paragraph
Get Ready to Read
Think about the questions below or discuss them with a partner.
- What things affect how well you learn?
- How do you deal with stress?
- How do you motivate yourself to try your best in school?
- What would your perfect classroom physically look like?
Reading Strategy
Readers check their understanding of a text while they read. When you struggle to figure out a word, don’t just skip it. Try this strategy instead. When you see a word you do not know, underline it. Go back and read the words before it. Then read the words after it. Now think of a word that would make sense in the spot that you underlined. Does it sound right? Does it make sense?
Try this strategy as you read Boost Your Brainpower.
Vocabulary
Find these words in the text. Use the context to choose the best meaning.
| calories | concentration | oxygen | priorities | fluid |
| motivate | distraction | vision | fuel |
1. _______________________ is something found in the air that is needed for life.
2. A _______________________ is something that makes it difficult to think or pay attention.
3. The ability to pay attention to one thing is called _______________________.
4. If you have _______________________, you have the ability to see.
5. _______________________ are used to measure the energy in food that gets released into the body.
6. _______________________ are the things that are most important and should be done first.
7. To _______________________ someone is to make them eager to work.
8.
9. _______________________ is used to give power to something.
Check Your Understanding
Match each detail to the main idea.
| Main Idea | Details |
|
1. Motivate yourself 2. Challenge yourself 3. Create an environment where you work well 4. Eat healthy food 5. Involve your senses 6. Drink enough water 7. Organize yourself 9. Rest |
a. Make to-do lists b. Avoid sweet fizzy drinks c. Try thinking “how fascinating” when you make a mistake d. Try new things e. Go for a walk g. Take notes in different colours h. 20% of the calories we eat are used to fuel our brain. i. Avoid exciting activities before you go to sleep. |
Spelling
A suffix is the end part of a word. Study these words ending in -tion and -sion. Arrange a date to be tested on your ability to spell these words.
|
instruction education emotion solution addition |
decision conclusion television mission passion |
One way to figure out how to spell a new word is to write down some possible spellings and see what looks right. Fill in the blanks with t or s based on what looks right.
1. deci____ion
2. emo____ion
3. pas____ion
4. instruc____ion
5. solu____ion
6. mis____i