SAMPLE USE OF STRATEGIES
Using Reading Connections and Printed version of News Article
News Article Strategy Focus: Summarization
Reading Level: 5
Welcome to Owl City (Grades 1-12)
Strategy:
Number
each paragraph
on printed
version.
MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota (Achieve3000,
November 3, 2009). Many people dream of making it
big in the music business. Realizing that dream,
however, usually hinges on attracting the attention of
a record company. Achieving this has been difficult
AP Photo/Craig Lassig
for many superstar hopefuls. Twenty-three-year-old
Adam Young, however, made it look easy. Young is a
singer and songwriter who performs under the name Owl City. He used the Internet
to stir up interest in his electronic dance music. Now, he has a recording contract
with a big music company. The contract has resulted in a hit single.
Reading
Connections
Strategies:
Summarize
Adam Young, a 23 year old singer and song writer who performs under the name
Owl City, used the Internet to get the attention of record companies. He was
successful and now has a contract with a big music company.
Generate
Questions
How did he come up with the name Owl City?
Young's musical journey began as a kid. That's when he would daydream about
music stardom. He began acting on that dream in his teenage years. He did this by
forming various rock bands with his friends. However, it wasn't until Young had
finished high school that he decided to seek a music career in earnest.
Summarize
Young wanted to be a rock star since he was a kid. He formed many rock bands
with friends. After high school he started to really work at his career in music.
Generate
Questions
Did other family members sing or play instruments?
Sample Use of Strategies
1/5/2010
Page 1
1
2
"I was working a job I hated, just kind of a dead-end feeling," Young remembered.
Summarize
He hated his job. That motivated him to work at his music.
Generate
Questions
What was the job that he hated?
That's when he began experimenting with music software. He started recording
songs in the basement of his parents' house in Owatonna, Minnesota. The small city
is about 60 miles south of Minneapolis. Young noticed other musicians winning
fans through social networking Web sites. He decided to share his songs on his
MySpace page. Young also made the songs available for sale on Apple's iTunes. In
2007, he released an album called Of June. He followed that up with 2008's Maybe
I'm Dreaming. It wasn't long before he had cultivated a fairly large following.
Young's MySpace page collected millions of views. He also sold about 115,000
single-song downloads on iTunes.
Summarize
Generate
Questions
Generate
Questions
4
He started recording songs in the basement of his parent's house. He shared his
songs on his MySpace page. In 2007 he released an album called Of June. He also
sold his songs on iTunes. He started to have many fans.
What does his music sound like?
The buzz surrounding the one-man band resulted in a contract with Universal
Records. The same music company signed famous artists Taylor Swift, Lil Wayne,
and Kanye West. With the backing of Universal, Adam was suddenly on his way to
turning his online popularity into money in the bank.
Summarize
3
5
His popularity on the web helped him get a record deal with Universal Records.
Now he is making money with his music.
How much money has he made?
"At the end of the day, all that online buzz means nothing if no one is buying the
Sample Use of Strategies
1/5/2010
Page 2
6
music, the T-shirts, the tickets," said Steve Bursky. Bursky is Young's manager.
"What separated Adam from many other online success stories is that [his
popularity has resulted in] commerce."
Summarize
Generate
Questions
What makes Young different from other online musicians that also have many
followers is that he has landed a record deal and is making money.
Why did the record company like his music?
The popularity of Young's music in the electro-pop world has certainly equated to
sales. His first album with Universal was released in July 2009. The album is called
Ocean Eyes. It has already sold nearly 100,000 copies. The album's hit single
"Fireflies" has been downloaded more than 190,000 times. The song reached the
top spot on Billboard magazine's Hot 100 list of the nation's bestselling songs. The
video for "Fireflies" is being shown on both VH1 and MTV.
Summarize
Young's first album with Universal Records is called Ocean Eyes and has sold
nearly 100,000. His top hit is titled Fireflies. It reached the top spot on Billboard
magazine's Hot 100 list.
"Never in a million years was this where I imagined myself going," said the young
performer. "It's been [a dream], to say the least."
Summarize
8
Young is surprised with his own success.
Young will begin an overseas tour in 2010. His recent shows in the U.S. have sold
out.
Summarize
7
9
Young also does live shows. His shows in the US have sold out. He is going on
tour overseas in 2010.
They attract fans like Aurora Simar. Aurora is a 15-year-old from St. Paul,
Minnesota. She waited excitedly outside a club before a Young show in
Minneapolis. Aurora said she started listening to Owl City about a year ago. This
would be her second time seeing him perform live.
Sample Use of Strategies
1/5/2010
Page 3
10
Summarize
Young's music attracts young fans. He has a 15-year-old fan who has seen him
twice in concert.
Generate
Questions
How old are most of his fans?
"He dances at his shows, and then he'll sing into the mike and then he dances some
more," Aurora said. "It's like, he's so silly. It just makes me like him."
Summarize
One of his fans likes the way he dances and sings.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Dictionary
album (noun)
a music record, or set of songs
commerce (noun)
the buying and selling of goods and services
contract (noun)
an agreement that is backed by law
cultivate (verb)
to develop something; to help something grow
social networking (noun)
Web site
a Web site where users list information about
themselves, talk with friends and family online, and
make new friends
Related Links:
Read more about musicians and the Internet.
Sample Use of Strategies
1/5/2010
Page 4
11
Instructions:
Select the letter of the correct answer.
Question 1:
Main Idea—Details
Question Strategies:
All three details in the boxes are examples of how Adam Young is experiencing success in the music world.
1. Read the News story
title and first paragraph.
2. Summarize the first
paragraph.
3. Compare details in
boxes to answer
options and ask: Are
the details in the boxes
examples of one of the
answer options? If yes,
the answer option is
probably the main idea.
Based on the article, which best replaces the question mark in the
diagram above?
Adam Young is experiencing success in the music world.
Millions of people have visited Adam Young's MySpace
page.
Adam Young daydreamed about music stardom when he
was a kid.
Many of Adam Young's U.S. shows have sold out.
Sample Use of Strategies
1/5/2010
Page 5
Question 2:
Which of these had not yet happened when this article was written?
Not in any paragraph In paragraph #2 In paragraph #4 In paragraph #4 Adam Young completed a second album for Universal
Records.
Adam Young formed a rock band with some of his friends.
Adam Young began experimenting with music software.
Adam Young released an album called Of June.
Strategy for questions
that ask for a negative:
1. Use process of
elimination to
identify answers that
are true and
therefore not the
correct answer.
2. Refer back to the
article to eliminate
other correct
answers.
Supporting Detail
Question Strategy:
Refer back to article and
find where the idea in
the question is either
stated or can be inferred
from story text.
Question 3:
The article states:
His recent shows in the U.S. have sold out.
Which word is the closest synonym for the word recent?
Latest
Public
Longest
Private
Vocabulary Question Strategy:
Used in 9th paragraph: His recent shows have sold out. Look for use of word in context.
Question 4:
Which statement from the article best supports the idea that Adam
Young's music is gaining popularity worldwide?
Young will begin an overseas tour in 2010.
His recent shows in the U.S. have sold out.
The video for "Fireflies" is being shown on both VH1 and
MTV.
Young also made the songs available for sale on Apple's
iTunes.
Paragraph #9 says that Young will begin an overseas tour in 2010. This suggests that he is becoming popular around the world. Sample Use of Strategies
1/5/2010
Page 6
Strategy for questions that
ask for a negative:
Question 5:
Which question is not answered by the article?
Not in any paragraph In paragraph #4 In paragraph #9 Paragraph #1 says he records electronic dance music 1. Use process of
elimination.
2. Refer back to the article.
Where was Adam Young working before he recorded
music?
When did Adam Young release the album called Of June?
When will Adam Young begin an overseas tour?
What kind of music does Adam Young record?
Question 6:
The article states:
Vocabulary Question
Strategies:
1. Consider other similar
words and their
meaning.
2. Plug each answer
choice into the
sentence and read to
see if it makes sense.
Supporting Detail
Question Strategy:
Refer back to the article
and find where words
stated in the question are
also used in the article.
Sample Use of Strategies
With the backing of Universal, Adam was suddenly on
his way to turn his online popularity into money in the
bank.
Which would be the closest synonym for the word backing?
Support
Concern
Gratitude
Presence
The back of a chair provides support. Question 7:
According to the article, why was Young able to get a record
contract from his Internet success?
Paragraph #5 says: Because people were buying downloads of his songs
Because Young had a sound like Kanye West
Because people like to watch him dance at shows
Because Young was writing electronic dance music
1/5/2010
The buzz surrounding the one‐man band resulted in a contract with Universal Records. Page 7
Fact/Opinion Question
Strategy:
Ask: Can the statement
be proved? If yes, then it
is a fact.
Note: The difference
between a fact and an
opinion is the ability to
prove or disprove the
statement. A fact
statement can be false.
Essay Question Strategies:




Underline key words
Restate the question in
your own words
Copy and paste the
“Include in Your Answer”
guidelines into the
Response window
Create an outline
Sample Use of Strategies
Question 8:
Which of these is a statement of opinion?
Owl City is a funny name for Young to use.
Young's MySpace page collected millions of views.
Owatonna is about 60 miles south of Minneapolis,
Minnesota.
Young's music in the electro-pop world equated to sales.
Consider the information in the article. What are two things
you can say about Adam Young?
Support your answer with details from the article and ideas of
your own.
Type your answer in the box below.
1/5/2010
Page 8