Practice - Macmillan/McGraw-Hill

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Name
When you summarize nonfiction, you retell it briefly in your own
words. In the retelling you focus on the most important ideas or
events in the passage. The main idea of a paragraph is often
found in the first sentence. Supporting details tell you more about
a paragraph’s main idea. A summary should include important
details that describe or explain the main ideas.
Read the two paragraphs below, and then write a summary of
the passage on the lines provided. Be sure to include the most
important ideas and supporting details in your summary.
Practice
Comprehension:
Summarize
Becoming an Astronaut
Astronauts must go through diffi cult training because just about
everything is done differently in space. Astronauts must learn how to walk
and work without gravity. They must practice wearing spacesuits. They
must even learn how to eat and sleep while weightless.
Many different machines help the astronauts prepare for space travel.
Some machines are simulators, or machines that recreate some of the
conditions of outer space here on Earth. The 1/6 Gravity Chair simulates
the moon’s weaker gravity. On the moon a person weighs one-sixth of
what he or she weighs on Earth. In the Multi-Axis Trainer (MAT), astronauts
experience what it is like to be in a tumbling spacecraft. The Five Degrees
of Freedom (5DF) Chair simulates the challenges of fl oating weightlessly.
Summary:
At Home: With a parent or helper, choose a paragraph in a
book, magazine, or newspaper. Write a short summary.
Ultimate Field Trip 5: Blast Off
to Space Academy • Grade 5/Unit 1
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