Open and read a short passage on local history,
"Highpoints West of the Mississippi
River" is a graphic illustrating mountain
peaks in the United States west of the Mississippi
River. Text features in this chart include: title,
labels, pictures or graphics, numbers, and descriptions.
We'll complete several questions while working with
this selection, one as an example and several in
the practice section. It will help to print the
page so you can write on it.
The word steep means "sharply inclined
or slanted." Which mountain is the steepest?
Think:
What are the key words in
this question? "
steep and its definition: " sharply inclined
or slanted,"
(which, steepest)
Does the title reveal
anything about the ?
From the title you know the chart includes information
about the highpoints (mountains) on the west side of the
Mississippi River. West
is the direction going toward Washington and the Pacific
Ocean from the Mississippi River..
Are there other headings? Yes,
in the bottom corner, an additional heading tells the
mountains are arranged, "lowest to highest."
Are there pictures
to provide information?
Yes. Each mountain is a little graphic, with a different
shape. That may be important.
Are there labels to
give more information?
Yes. The mountains are labeled with name and height in
feet. The state in which the mountain is located is also
with each graphic. The numbers on the mountains indicate
height in feet because the scale on the side of the graph
is labeled "scale in feet." The numbers on the
side of the graph show the elevation level of the mountains.
The scale starts at sea level, which is also labeled,
with intervals of 2000 feet. The top elevation is 20,000
feet.
Strategies to answer this question:
Understand what the question
is asking. Understand what is meant by steep:
sharply inclined or slanted. Used this
way, sharply inclined would mean something
goes up very high in a short distance.
Think of an example of something
steep. The stairs at the football
stadium, the hill you run in PE, the first hill of
a rollercoaster ride, the dive of an eagle
to catch dinner, or the downhill
ski course in the Olympics could all be called steep.
Draw a picture of something steep.
Now look at the chart. Find
an example of a steep mountain.
Now you're ready to check
out the possible answers to the question.
Start with Answer A: Mount Rainier, Washington. Find
it on the chart. Start at the top of the page just
like you read, right to left. Follow the elevation
lines
and look for the state, Washington in this case, and
then the mountain.
Circle it when you find each mountain.
With all four mountains circled, find the one that
is the steepest. It might be the one you'd like to
climb,
because you like a challenge, or the one you'd like
to ski down, because you like to race faster than
the speed
of light. That would be the steepest mountain.
