Has your teacher ever asked you to answer a question about something you've read   

Maybe you were reading in your Social Studies book or your Science book. 
When you answer questions like these,
you want to be sure to include only  relevant information.

 Relevant Information ?

   Relevant information ...

     ...is information that is
   on topic.  ( answers the question)

    Irrelevant information ...

     ...is information that is
   not on topic.  (doesn't answer the
                                             question)

        Does this piece of information help me answer
        the question?

    Let's look at a sample question.

      How did the people of the Eastern Woodlands get food?

   Now read the following passage to get information to help
   you answer the question.

          The Eastern Woodlands was an area of wooded land east of the
 Mississippi River.  It was covered with thick forests.  The people who lived
 there used the resources found in the woodlands for food and shelter.

         Because of the abundance of trees available, they built their homes
 from trees.  The homes that they built were called longhouses.  A
 longhouse could be 200 feet long and 36 feet wide.  The longhouse had a
 wooden frame and was covered with sheets of bark.

        The people of the Eastern Woodlands also used the forest's resources
 for food.  Men and boys used bows and arrows to hunt for small game. 
 They also set traps for bear, deer, rabbits, and other animals.  The women
 and girls planted seeds to grow crops such as corn, beans, and squash. 
 They referred to these 3 crops as the "Three Sisters".

    Let's make a chart to list the information given in the passage. 
   Then decide if the information is
relevant (on topic)
or
   irrelevant (not on topic).

 Now you can use the information that is on topic to
answer the question.
 

 The people of the Eastern Woodlands got their food by using the
 resources around them.  The Eastern Woodlands were covered with
 forests.  These forests were filled with many animals that these people
 could use for food.  The men and boys used bows and arrows to hunt
 for animals.  They also set traps for bear, deer, rabbits and other
 animals. They used these animals for food.  In addition to this, the
 women and girls planted seeds to grow crops such as corn, beans, and
 squash.