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Grade 5 · lesson 4 of 4

Identify an academic instruction

Name the command and produce the kind of response it requests. Use the stated input rather than changing the question.

About 18 minutes, plus any extended practice

Download the grade pack

Supplied materials

  • Paper and pencil, or a browser text area. All named people/events/records are fictional learning inputs.
  • Worked case: Root: bio- in biology. Guide: PHO-to-graph. Bank context: deposit money at a bank. Command: compare.
  • Primary check: Root: geo- in geology. Guide: pho-TOG-ra-phy. Bank context: sit on a river bank. Command: explain.

Learn the idea

Academic task words specify different operations. Compare relates items; explain connects reasons; summarize condenses essentials; classify organizes by a stated feature.

Name the command and produce the kind of response it requests. Use the stated input rather than changing the question.

Example to read or listen to: Root: bio- in biology. Guide: PHO-to-graph. Bank context: deposit money at a bank. Command: compare. The answer is compare similarities and differences. The relevant input states: Command: compare. This fits compare similarities and differences. Academic task words specify different operations. Compare relates items; explain connects reasons; summarize condenses essentials; classify organizes by a stated feature. A classification needs a grouping rule.

  1. Read or listen to the worked example. Say what the reading or writing task asks you to find. An adult can help with unfamiliar words.
  2. Name the command and produce the kind of response it requests. Use the stated input rather than changing the question.
  3. Check the worked solution: compare similarities and differences. The relevant input states: Command: compare. This fits compare similarities and differences. Academic task words specify different operations. Compare relates items; explain connects reasons; summarize condenses essentials; classify organizes by a stated feature. A classification needs a grouping rule.
  4. Try the question and the practice questions. Point to the words that helped you choose before checking the feedback.
Worked example

See the method in action

Root: bio- in biology. Guide: PHO-to-graph. Bank context: deposit money at a bank. Command: compare. Solved: compare similarities and differences. The relevant input states: Command: compare. This fits compare similarities and differences. Academic task words specify different operations. Compare relates items; explain connects reasons; summarize condenses essentials; classify organizes by a stated feature. A classification needs a grouping rule. Name the command and produce the kind of response it requests. Use the stated input rather than changing the question.

Your turn

Check your reasoning

Your answer is temporary and is not saved to an account. Download your current answer before leaving or reloading. Written work on paper or in another app stays in your own file.

Helpful tips
  • Summarize does not mean copy every sentence.
  • A classification needs a grouping rule.
Root: geo- in geology. Guide: pho-TOG-ra-phy. Bank context: sit on a river bank. Command: explain. What does the supplied command ask a learner to do?

Feedback appears here after you check. This is practice, not a graded school assessment.

See the answer and explanation

explain how or why

The relevant input states: Command: explain. This fits explain how or why. Academic task words specify different operations. Compare relates items; explain connects reasons; summarize condenses essentials; classify organizes by a stated feature. A classification needs a grouping rule.

Take it further

Optional extra practice: Use this supplied word: hydrology, the study of water; pronunciation hy-DROL-o-gy. Mark the root and stress. Write separate sentences for a river bank and a financial bank. Compare them by identifying the shared spelling and different meanings. Practice this lesson’s skill as you complete the task. Use this idea to check your work: Academic task words specify different operations. Compare relates items; explain connects reasons; summarize condenses essentials; classify organizes by a stated feature.

Nothing here is saved to an account or sent to a teacher. The answer download includes your current choice and any checked feedback. It does not include choices from the separate More practice section. Download that section separately.

More practice: try new cases

Choose an answer for each problem. Explain your method on paper, then use the feedback to decide what to revisit.

More practice: try new cases
1. Root: hydro- in hydrology. Guide: pho-to-GRAPH-ic. Bank context: the plane banks during a turn. Command: summarize. What does the supplied command ask a learner to do?
Need a hint?
  • Summarize does not mean copy every sentence.
  • A classification needs a grouping rule.
2. Root: chron- in chronology. Guide: com-mu-ni-CA-tion. Bank context: bank unused hours for later. Command: classify. What does the supplied command ask a learner to do?
Need a hint?
  • Summarize does not mean copy every sentence.
  • A classification needs a grouping rule.
3. Root: bio- in biography, a written life account. Guide: BI-o-sphere. Bank context: grassy bank beside a stream. Command: classify. What does the supplied command ask a learner to do?
Need a hint?
  • Summarize does not mean copy every sentence.
  • A classification needs a grouping rule.

Your choices are temporary. Feedback appears after you check all the answers.

Nothing here is saved to an account or sent to a teacher. Keep your own notes or download them before leaving. The score describes these questions; it does not certify subject mastery.

Check the subject sources

These LifeStarter passages, scenarios and exercises are authored for this Academy with AI assistance and review. External resources keep their publishers’ terms. A grade label suggests a starting level; it does not establish alignment with your school’s complete requirements.