Mahatma Gandhi

Nelson Mandela

Level X/60

Mahatma Gandhi: A Nonviolent LifeVocabulary• Use descriptions to determine word meaning: What does the word fast mean in

this book? Let’s look for clues for the meaning of this word on page 12. (Answer: a period of going without food, Clues/Evidence: he began a fast he claimed would last until the two dominions stopped fighting or he died from hunger)

Find It! Level 1 Comprehension• Identify facts and details: Gandhi’s family decided to send him to London,

England, to . . . (study law, page 7) • Identify facts and details: When did Britain divide India into two separate

dominions? (1947, page 12)

Look Closer! Level 2 Comprehension• Identify cause and effect: Why did Gandhi feel like an outsider in London? (his

desire to be a good Hindu and not eat meat or drink alcohol made him feel different from other students, page 7)

• Identify sequence of events: Look at the second paragraph on page 11. First Gandhi convinced the INC to demand independence. Then what happened? Use a sequence of events chart for help in answering the question. (the government responded by levying a tax on salt; Gandhi organized the Salt March; he addressed thousands of Indians)

Prove It! Level 3 Comprehension• Analyze character: What clue on page 9 tells you that Gandhi would not be

afraid of personal danger in his life? (Clues/Evidence: It would be the first of many times he was attacked for his beliefs)

• Using graphic features to interpret information: What can you tell about the religious population of British colonials compared to the religious population of Muslims and Hindu in 1947 according to the circle graph on page 13? (Answer: Both Muslims and Hindu outnumbered the British, Clues/Evidence: the chart shows that 23% of the religious population was Muslim; it shows that 75% of the religious population was Hindu; it shows that only 2% of the religious population was British colonials; the numbers of Muslims and Hindu are both much higher than the number for British colonials)

he addresses thousands

Gandhi organizes March

government levies a tax

demand independence

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Take It Apart! Level 4 Comprehension• Analyze text structure and organization: The author uses sequence of events to

tell about the results of the boycott of British goods. Find the words that tell you this on page 10. (In a little over a year; after a riot; shortly after that; after two)

• Evaluate author’s purpose: Why did the author probably include the photo on page 13? (to show the size of the crowds that attended Gandhi’s funeral)

Nelson Mandela: A Man Who Fought for His Country

Vocabulary• Use synonyms to determine word meaning: What does the word regent mean in

this book? Let’s look for clues for the meaning of this word on page 19. (Answer: a person who governs, Clues/Evidence: or king)

Find It! Level 1 Comprehension• Identify facts and details: Nelson was the first member of his family to attend . . .

(school, page 17) • Identify facts and details: When did South Africa hold its first multi-racial

elections? (April 27, 1994, page 25)

Look Closer! Level 2 Comprehension• Identify stated main idea: What sentence tells the main idea for the third

paragraph on page 20? (With the ANP in place, blacks all over South Africa immediately felt the negative effects of their policies.)

• Identify cause and effect: Why did free or low-cost legal help to blacks become more important over the years? Use a cause and effect graphic organizer for help in answering the question. (the laws governing black South Africans became more and more restrictive; decent people were arrested for the simplest action, page 21)

Prove It! Level 3 Comprehension• Make inferences: What clue on page 20 tells you that Mandela will have hard

times ahead? (Clues/Evidence: He would need strength, courage, and spirit, for a terrible change was coming)

• Draw conclusions: What clues on page 25 help you conclude that Mandela and de Klerk cooperated with each other despite their differences? (Answer: Clues/Evidence: Mandela and de Klerk were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 for their unprecedented collaborations; the two men did not always agree; they were both committed to a better, more humane South Africa)

Take It Apart! Level 4 Comprehension• Evaluate author’s purpose: Why did the author probably include the map on

page 18? (to show readers where South Africa is located on the continent of Africa)

• Analyze text structure and organization: The author uses subheads to organize information in the biography. Find these. (pages 18, 19, 20, 22, 25, and 26)

Readers’ & Writers’ Genre Workshop©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC. All rights reserved. This card may be photocopied for classroom use only.Based on the Comprehension Through Deductive Reasoning Model developed by Margaret Kilgo.

legal help became

important

laws more restrictive

decent people

arrested

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