Main Idea & Details Name Date

Confronting Weeds
Read the environment essay.
Then follow the directions in the Text Marking box.

Anyone who has ever tended a garden knows that

weeds are a nuisance. Weeds are unwanted plants that

pop up where they don’t belong. Left to flourish, weeds

can crowd out the desired plants. Their roots compete for

the available water and nutrients in the soil. They can

spoil the look and health of an otherwise hardy garden.

Dandelion plant, a common weed
Worst of all, these persistent pests keep coming back!

Throughout history, gardeners have tried numerous

Text Marking
methods to eliminate weeds. The most basic approach is

to pull or dig out the weeds with their entire root systems. Find the main idea
and supporting details.
Unfortunately, this tactic can backfire. In many cases, the

weeds simply grow back. Other times, the pulling of weeds Circle the main idea
in each paragraph.
enables their seeds to spread to additional locations. If left

alone, weeds can choke out the finest plants, turning the
________ Underline two supporting
details for each main
gardener’s dream into a scraggly mess. Another common
idea.
practice has long been to spray herbicides on the intruders.

Herbicides are products designed specifically to kill

plants. Such products contain a mix of chemicals that are lethal to weeds. But potent chemicals can

have harmful side effects. Modern herbicides have been proven to pollute soil and water. Herbicide

run-off can endanger animals and even gardeners themselves.

Fortunately, gardeners can rely on natural herbicides that fight weeds without threatening the

environment. For example, some gardeners soak the rinds of oranges, lemons, and grapefruit in white

vinegar for several weeks. The stew of citrus oils and acidy vinegar is a natural and effective weed-killer.

For small patches, some gardeners pour boiling water from a kettle onto the offending weeds.

Informational Passages for Text Marking & Close Reading: Grade 6

© 2015 by Scholastic Teaching Resources
1
 Do More Name Date

Confronting Weeds
,, Answer each question. Give evidence from the essay.

1 Why would a gardener choose to use an herbicide?

tt¶ A. to encourage plants to grow taller tt¶ C. to enable plants to have larger blossoms

tt¶ B. to protect against insects and worms tt¶ D. to do away with intrusive, unwanted plants

What in the text helped you answer?_________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________

2 Which most accurately expresses the difference between plants and weeds?

tt¶ A. Plants are costly but weeds are free. tt¶ C. Plants are chosen but weeds are uninvited.
tt¶ B. Plants have roots but weeds do not. tt¶ D. Plants are beautiful but weeds are ugly.
What in the text helped you answer?_________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________

3 What prompts many gardeners not to pull or dig out weeds? __________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________

4 Summarize in your own words ways gardeners can use natural herbicides.

___________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________
Informational Passages for Text Marking & Close Reading: Grade 6
© 2015 by Scholastic Teaching Resources
2
Teaching Routine for Close Reading and Purposeful
Text Marking
Any text can become more accessible to readers who have learned to bring various
strategies, such as purposeful text marking, to the reading process. Here is one suggested
routine that may be effective in your classroom.
Preview

44 Engage prior knowledge of the topic of the piece and its genre. Help students link it
to similar topics or examples of the genre they may have read.
44 for which students will be marking the text. Distribute the
Identify the reading skill
Comprehension Skill Summary Card that applies to this passage. Go over its key ideas.

Model (for the first passage, to familiarize students with the process)

44 Display the passage, using an interactive whiteboard, document camera, or other

resource, and provide students with their own copy. Preview the text with students by
having them read the title and look at any photographs, illustrations, or other graphics.
44 Draw attention to the markings students will use to enhance their understanding of
the piece. Link the text marking box to the Comprehension Skill Summary Card
for clarification.
44 Read aloud the passage as students follow along. Guide students to think about the
skill and to note any questions they may have on sticky-notes.
44 Mark the text together.Begin by numbering the paragraphs. Then discuss the choices
you make when marking the text, demonstrating and explaining how the various text
elements support the skill. Check that students understand how to mark the text using
the various icons and graphics shown in the text marking box.
Read

44 Have students do a quick-read of the passage independently for the gist. Then they
should read it a second time, marking the text as they go.
44 Encourage students to make additional markings of their own. These might include
noting unfamiliar vocabulary, an idiom or phrase they may not understand, or an
especially interesting, unusual, or important detail they want to remember. Invite them
to use sticky-notes, colored pencils, highlighters, question marks, or check marks.
Respond

44 Have students read the passage a third time. This reading should prepare them to
discuss the piece and offer their views about it.
44 Have students answer the questions on the companion Do More page. Encourage
them to look back at their text markings and other text evidence. This will help
students provide complete and supported responses.

Informational Passages for Text Marking & Close Reading: Grade 6

© 2015 by Scholastic Teaching Resources
3
Comprehension Skill Summary Card

To help students review the reading-comprehension skill this lesson addresses and the
specific terms associated within, have them use the reproducible Comprehension Skill
Summary Card. The boldface terms on the card are the same ones students will identify
as they mark the text.
You might duplicate and distribute the Comprehension Skill Summary Card before
assigning the passage that focuses on that skill. Discuss the elements of the skill together
to ensure that students fully grasp it.

Tips and Suggestions

44 The text-marking process is versatile and adaptable. Although numbering,

boxing, circling, and underlining are the most common methods, you can
personalize the strategy for your class if it helps augment the process. You
might have students use letters to mark text; they can, for example, write MI
to indicate a main idea, D to mark a detail, or F for fact and O for opinion.
Whichever technique you use, focus on the need for consistency of marking.
44 You may wish to extend the text-marking strategy by having students identify
other aspects of writing, such as figurative language or confusing words,
expressions, or idioms. Moreover, you can invite students to write their own
notes and questions in the margins.

Comprehension Skill

Main Idea & Details

Every passage has one or more main

ideas supported by details. The main idea
answers the question, “Who (or What) is
this piece about?”

44 The main idea is the most important

point an author makes about a topic.
The main idea in most paragraphs
is stated in a topic sentence. The topic
sentence can appear anywhere in
a paragraph.

44 Supporting details are facts,

statements, examples, descriptions,
and other information that tell more
about the main idea.

Informational Passages for Text Marking & Close Reading: Grade 6

© 2015 by Scholastic Teaching Resources
4
Answer Key

Confronting Weeds (950 L) .............................. Environment Essay

. Sample Text Markings

1 Main Idea & Details Name Date

Confronting Weeds
Passage 1: Confronting Weeds
Read the environment essay.
Then follow the directions in the Text Marking box.
1. D; Sample answer: Herbicide is defined in paragraph
Anyone who has ever tended a garden knows that
3 as any product designed to kill intruding plants.
weeds are a nuisance. Weeds are unwanted plants that

pop up where they don’t belong. Left to flourish, weeds

can crowd out the desired plants. Their roots compete for
2. C; In paragraph 1, the writer explains that weeds are
the available water and nutrients in the soil. They can
unwanted plants that pop up where they don’t belong.
spoil the look and health of an otherwise hardy garden.

Worst of all, these persistent pests keep coming back!

Dandelion plant, a common weed
3. Sample answer: Although it seems like a good idea,
Throughout history, gardeners have tried numerous
Text Marking
this practice can help spread the seeds of those weeds
methods to eliminate weeds. The most basic approach is

Find the main idea

even more. That turns what seems like a quick fix into
to pull or dig out the weeds with their entire root systems.

Unfortunately, this tactic can backfire. In many cases, the

and supporting details. a greater problem later.
weeds simply grow back. Other times, the pulling of weeds Circle the main idea

enables their seeds to spread to additional locations. If left

in each paragraph.
4. Sample answer: One way people can use natural
alone, weeds can choke out the finest plants, turning the
________ Underline two supporting
details for each main
herbicides is by soaking the rinds of different citrus fruits
gardener’s dream into a scraggly mess. Another common
idea. in vinegar and then putting the vinegar on the weeds
practice has long been to spray herbicides on the intruders.

Herbicides are products designed specifically to kill

to kill them. If you have just a few weeds, you can pour
plants. Such products contain a mix of chemicals that are lethal to weeds. But potent chemicals can boiling water on them.
have harmful side effects. Modern herbicides have been proven to pollute soil and water. Herbicide

run-off can endanger animals and even gardeners themselves.

Fortunately, gardeners can rely on natural herbicides that fight weeds without threatening the

environment. For example, some gardeners soak the rinds of oranges, lemons, and grapefruit in white

vinegar for several weeks. The stew of citrus oils and acidy vinegar is a natural and effective weed-killer.

For small patches, some gardeners pour boiling water from a kettle onto the offending weeds.

Informational Passages for Text Marking & Close Reading: Grade 6

© 2015 by Scholastic Teaching Resources

Informational Passages for Text Marking & Close Reading: Grade 6

© 2015 by Scholastic Teaching Resources
5