Gathering Text Evidence for Informational Writing

Copyright © 2015 by Write Score LLC

Grade 5

Why Take Notes? It can sometimes be tricky to write

about a topic if we don’t have notes to reference.

We also want to make sure we are writing about the text in our own words.

Taking notes helps us to use text evidence, while using our own words.

Taking Notes:

•______•______•______

1. Read a chunk of text.2. Ask yourself, “What word is really important to

know here?”3. Jot the word in the box.4. Go back and reread carefully

around the word, looking for details that help us understand the importance of this word.

5. Jot these details under the box.

Sharks are the ocean’s top predators. There are over 400 different species of sharks. Sharks range in size from the dwarf lantern shark which is six inches long to the whale shark, which reaches 40 feet. Sharks belong to the group of fishes called Elasmobranchii. Elasmobranchii also includes rays, skates, and ratfish. This group is characterized by their skeletons, gills, and pectoral fins.

The

Text:

Elasmobranchii

•Group of fishes to which sharks belong•Rays, skates, and ratfish•Skeletons, gills, and pectoral fins

What word is really

important to know here?

Details

from the

text

The

Guided InstructionYou Will Need Your Graphic Organizer-

A shark’s body is designed for hunting in the water. Most sharks are shaped like a torpedo which helps them move quickly through the water. Like all fishes in the Elasmobranchii group, sharks have a cartilaginous skeleton. Cartilage is the same kind of material that makes up your ears or nose. Cartilage helps the shark to twist and move more flexibly in the water. Shark skin is covered by dermal denticles. Denticles are stronger than regular fish scales. They help to protect the shark from harm, prevent parasites, and improve their ability to move through the water.

The

•____________•____________•____________

Details

from the

text

Guided InstructionWhat word is

really important to know here?

The

Guided Instruction

Most sharks are carnivorous. Sharks find their prey by using their sense of smell and hearing. Sharks can hear a thrashing fish from over 1/3 of a mile away and can smell blood from up to a mile away! Inside the jaws of sharks are rows of teeth. The largest teeth are in the front row. If a shark loses a tooth, another tooth will move forward and take its place. A shark may use more than 20,000 teeth in its lifetime.

The

•____________•____________•____________

What word is really

important to know here?

Details

from the

text

Guided InstructionThe

Guided InstructionSome sharks, like the whale shark, don’t use teeth. These gentle giants eat plankton, a small shrimp-like ocean creature. The whale shark swims with its mouth wide open to collect the plankton. Then, it uses special “gill rakers” to separate the plankton from the water. The excess water leaves through the gills leaving the plankton.

The

•____________•____________•____________

What word is really

important to know here?

Details

from the

text

Guided InstructionThe

Independent Practice

Using evidence from the text,

write about the shark article.

The vocabulary from your

graphic organizer must be

used in your writing to

explain what you learned

about sharks.

The