Skill: Determine the meanings of words using root words and other structural cues
TestSMART® Focus LinksTM for Reading, Grade 6
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A root word is the part of a larger word that carries the main meaning. If a root word is a complete word,
it is called a base word. A prefix is a word part added to the front of a root word or base word. A suffix is
a word part added behind a root word or base word. Prefixes and suffixes change or add to the meaning of a
root word. A reader can use the root word, its prefixes, and its suffixes to understand an entire word’s meaning.
Example:
-some is a suffix that means “tending to.”
Bother is a base word that means “to annoy.”
bother + some = bothersome (to be annoying)
The mosquitoes were bothersome to the campers.
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Example:
mis- is a prefix that means “bad.”
Fortune is a base word that means “luck.”
mis + fortune = misfortune (bad luck)
Karen was upset when she learned of her misfortune.
Some Common Prefixes
Some Common Suffixes
-able, -ible (is, can be)
-ment (action, process)
anti- (against)
re- (again)
-er (more, greater)
co- (with, together)
tri- (three)
dis- (away, apart)
under- (below, less than)
-ess (one who is
female)
-ship (state or
quality of)
in- (not)
uni- (one)
-ic (like, nature of)
mis- (bad)
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post- (after)
per- (completely)
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ab- (away, from)
-some (tending to, like)
-ion, -sion, -tion
(result of, state of)
-ward (in the
direction of)
-ish (like)
Directions: Use the prefixes and suffixes listed above to build a new word with root words and base words.
Write the word parts separately in the first column. Then write the new word in the second column. Write the
meaning of the new word in the third column.
New Word
Meaning
sky + ward
skyward
up; in the direction of the sky
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Word Parts
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Skill: Represent text information in different ways
TestSMART® Focus LinksTM for Reading, Grade 6
Prereading Question: Why is space travel important for humans?
Readers may understand the ideas in a passage better if they use graphic organizers. Graphic organizers
are charts that organize information and show how one idea connects to another idea.
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Example:
Jamie’s parents gave her a new puppy for her birthday.
Jamie named her puppy Gabby. Gabby is white with a
few brown spots and has long, wavy ears. Jamie took
Gabby to the veterinarian and found out that she weighs
six pounds. Gabby loves to eat, sleep, and play with her
new toys.
Gabby’s Favorite Activities
sleep
play with
toys
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eat
Where No Man Has
Gone Before
Representation of Text
1. Look at the diagram below.
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valuable
photographs
taken
Some of the unmanned satellites gathered valuable
information and measured conditions in space.
Explorer 1 discovered the magnetosphere. Ranger took
early photographs of the moon.The Soviets followed
with a similar program called Luna.
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The Americans and Soviets leapfrogged their
technology for many years. Each tried to prove that
they were better than the other. By the 1980s, Japan
and Europe had joined the effort. After several countries
worked together to launch the Hubble spacecraft, space
exploration was no longer a race. It became a simple
goal to discover what was “out there.”
Unmanned space flights have even been sent to
Mars. Spirit and Opportunity are two robots on the
surface of Mars.They have taken pictures and sent back
data about the soil and air. Since they are on unmanned
missions, the Mars robots have made these discoveries
without risking the lives of humans or animals.
the
magnetosphere
data on the air
of Mars
data on the soil
of Mars
Which of the following belongs in the empty box?
A Causes of the Space Race
B Proof of Life on Other Planets
C Discoveries Made by Explorer 1
D Information Gained from Space Flights
Root Words/Structural Cues *
2. What is the root word of valuable in this passage?
A valiant
B valid
C value
D viable
Space travel is valuable for humans. It helps us
better understand our world by allowing us to make
important discoveries.
Postreading Question: If you could travel to outer
space, which planet would you most like to visit? Why?
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This page may not be reproduced.
During the 1960s, unmanned space travel was an
enormous competition.The Soviet Union took the first
lead. It sent Sputnik into orbit around the earth. It was
the first man-made object to orbit the earth.The
United States felt the need to prove that it was better
than the Soviet Union. America soon launched Explorer
1.Thus began the race for space.
Skill: Make and explain inferences
TestSMART® Focus LinksTM for Reading, Grade 6
Prereading Question: What are some of your favorite cartoons? Why do you enjoy these particular shows?
Inference
1. From the information in the passage, the reader
can tell that Hanna and Barbera were—
A competitive
B ignorant
C persistent
D unsuccessful
William Hanna and Joseph Barbera were cartoon
powerhouses during the early 1900s. Over the course
of 60 years, they created more than 350 different
cartoon series, specials, and films.
Inference
2. From the information in the passage, the reader
can tell that Hanna and Barbera’s cartoons—
A are still popular today
B have all won Academy Awards
C were not important to cartoon history
D were more popular than Walt Disney’s
cartoons
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Their story begins in 1937, when the two men
crossed paths at MGM Studios. Hanna had come from
New Mexico with a background in journalism and
engineering. Barbera was from New York, where he’d
studied banking and had worked as a delivery boy. Both
could draw well and had started cartoon careers by
the time they met. However, neither had earned
much attention.
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Cartoon Kings
Representation of Text *
3. Look at the chart below.
Hanna-Barbera Cartoons
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When MGM closed its cartoon group, Hanna and
Barbera started their own production studio.There they
launched Huckleberry Hound, the first cartoon series to
receive an Emmy award. Since most of the show’s
viewers were adults, Hanna and Barbera later decided
to create the first ever prime-time cartoon, The
Flintstones. Like today’s The Simpsons, the show often
had famous guest stars doing off-screen voices for
cartoons of themselves.
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Though both men died in their 90s, they worked
until their last days, building a lasting legacy.Their popular
works include The Jetsons, Scooby-Doo, The Smurfs, Pound
Puppies, and Captain Planet.They received stars on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame in the mid-1970s and were
added to the Television Academy Hall of Fame in the
early 1990s. All told, they created several thousand
cartoon episodes! Some are still aired around the globe
today, in 45 different languages.
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Barbera once said he wrote to Mr.Walt Disney
seeking advice on breaking into cartoons. Mr. Disney
wrote back encouraging Barbera to choose another line
of work. Barbera decided to pursue his dream anyway,
and when he teamed up with Hanna, their first creation
received a 1940 Academy Award nomination. It was the
original Tom and Jerry episode.The dozens of Tom and
Jerry episodes that followed earned a record seven
Academy Awards.
Tom
and Jerry
Huckleberry
Hound
The
Flintstones
The
Simpsons
Which of the following does not belong in the
chart?
A The Simpsons
B Tom and Jerry
C The Flintstones
D Huckleberry Hound
Postreading Question: Why do you think Barbera
ignored the advice given by Walt Disney, one of the
most successful men in cartoon history?
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