Songs of the Sea

Part A: Reread the title and first two paragraphs of "songs of the Sea." What is the topic of this text?

• bad food

• hard work

• sailors in the 1800s

• sea shanties

Tags

CCSS.RI.2.2

CCSS.RI.3.2

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RL.3.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

Part B: Which clues help you figure out the topic?

Tip: When trying to figure out the topic of a text, reread the title and the most important information and ask yourself what the text is mostly about.

• "Of hard work"; "home"; "bad"; "worse"

• "Songs of the Sea"; "songs"; "sing"; "sea shanties"

• "Like in the 1800s"; "sailor's life"; "surprising places"

• "Lasted through the years"; "months"; "yourself"

Tags

CCSS.RI.2.2

CCSS.RI.3.2

CCSS.RL.2.2

CCSS.RL.3.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

Which sentence expresses the central idea?

• "But the first job of the sea shanty was to help the men work as a team." (paragraph 4)

• "Ships had sails that were controlled by a system of moving ropes." (paragraph 4)

• "When faced with such a job, the shantyman, or song leader, began a tune." (paragraph 5)

• "For many jobs, all of the sailors had to tug on the ropes at once." (paragraph 4)

Tags

CCSS.RI.2.2

CCSS.RI.3.2

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RL.2.2

CCSS.RL.3.2

Read paragraphs 5 and 6. Determine if the information expresses the topic, central idea, or support for the central idea in these paragraphs.

"Raising or lowering the anchor called for a rhythm with a slow, steady motion."

• Topic

• Central Idea

• Supporting Detail

Tags

CCSS.RI.2.2

CCSS.RI.3.2

CCSS.RL.2.2

CCSS.RL.3.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

Read paragraphs 5 and 6. Determine if the information expresses the topic, central idea, or support for the central idea in these paragraphs.

"Sea shanties helped men work as a team."

• Topic

• Central Idea

• Supporting Detail

Tags

CCSS.RI.3.2

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RL.2.2

CCSS.RL.3.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

Read paragraphs 5 and 6. Determine if the information expresses the topic, central idea, or support for the central idea in these paragraphs.

"Sea shanty jobs"

• Topic

• Central Idea

• Supporting Detail

Tags

CCSS.RI.3.2

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RL.2.2

CCSS.RL.3.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

In paragraph 3, what are two examples of sea shanties?

• Grumbling Hard Lives

• Blow the Man Down

• Johnny Let the Sailors

• Oh, Shenandoah

• Valuable Friends

Tags

CCSS.RI.3.2

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RL.2.2

CCSS.RL.3.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

Look at the heading before paragraph 7. What does it tell you about the paragraphs in that section?

• The information will be about folk stories.

• The information will be about sea shanties of the past.

• The information will be about sea shanties today.

• The information will be about treasure.

Tags

CCSS.RI.2.2

CCSS.RI.3.2

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RL.2.2

CCSS.RL.3.2

Which sentence from paragraph 7-10 supports the heading of the section?

• "Bob Dylan and Harry Belafonte, have their own versions of 'Oh, Shenandoah." (paragraph 9)

• "Where do the old shanties pop up now?" (paragraph 9)

• "In Hollywood, whanties serve as a symbol of the sea." (paragraph 10)

• "Long ago, someone came up with a memorable idea and melody." (paragraph 7)

Tags

CCSS.RI.3.2

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RL.2.2

CCSS.RL.3.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

Fill in the bubble before one sentence from paragraph 3 of the passage that shows the central idea of the paragraph.

A) Sea shanties were valuable friends to sailors. B) Some shanties, such as "Blow the Man Down," had lively words and melodies. C) They broke up the boredom of the long trips. D) They helped seafarers express longing and loneliness.

• A

• B

• C

• D

Tags

CCSS.RI.2.2

CCSS.RI.3.2

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RL.2.2

CCSS.RL.3.2