Middle School Science Notes:

Reading Comprehension Exercise 1) Example of summary

from Paragraph 1:
A note for all of my fantastic students J
“I just don’t get this! I don’t understand what is going on here?!” P1) Anions are larger
This is often the frustrated response we as teachers get in the than atoms of the same
classroom from our kids who are struggling with reading element in its natural
comprehension in science. I have experienced this on more than one state because they have
occasion. I wanted to write up an exercise that will help you gained electrons & they
develop healthy reading skills so you can learn how to sort through also carry negative
the confusion of information being presented in our science lessons. charges.
Reading skills are important for all disciplines, but especially
science which can have domain specific terms. This lesson has been 2) Example of
designed with you, the learner, in mind. My only motivation here is definition:
that I care about you and your success as a learner. May you
achieve all you dare to dream & more! Ionization energy1 –
-Your Science Teacher energy required to
remove an electron
Specific directions to lean on – “How do I take notes?” from a gaseous atom or
Only put 3 types of facts on the page: a paragraph-summary1, contextual ion
definition2, or a synonym3. (Remember notes = facts.)

1) Take all the information into 1 paragraph and make it into 3) Example of a
something simple – a 1 sentence topic-summary. synonym:

2) Write a definition for any unknown terms. obtain2 – acquire

3) Write a synonym for any unknown terms. (This is my

favorite type of definition! Usually only 1 word is needed.)

Science Reading Example

The ionization energy1 of a nonmetal atom in Groups 5A (15), 6A (16), or
7A(17) is high. In an ionic compound, a nonmetal atom gains one or more
valence electrons to obtain2 a stable electron configuration. By gaining
electrons, a nonmetal atom forms a negatively charged ion. For example,
an atom of chlorine with seven valence electrons gains one electron to form
an octet. Because it now has 18 electrons and 17 protons in its nucleus, the
chlorine atom is no longer neutral. It is a chloride ion with an ionic charge
of 1-, which is written as Cl-, with the ‘1’ understood. A negatively charged
ion, called an anion (pronounced an-eye-on), is named by using the first
syllable of its element name followed by ide. The chloride ion is larger than
the chlorine atom because the ion has an additional electron, which
completes its outermost energy level.
Ionic Charge = Charge of protons + Charge of electrons
¯ ¯ ¯
- +
1 or (-) = (17 ) + (18-)