Review Your Mistakes
📖 Learn
Everyone makes mistakes when learning something new. Mistakes are not bad - they help us learn! The key is to understand WHY we made a mistake so we do not make the same one again.
Common Evidence-Finding Mistakes
Mistake 1: Using your own words instead of the text's words
When asked for evidence, you should copy the exact words from the passage. Do not change them to your own words.
Wrong: "The dog was happy"
Right: The passage says "The dog wagged its tail and barked with joy."
Mistake 2: Giving your opinion instead of evidence
Evidence comes from the text, not from what you think or feel.
Wrong: "I think the boy was sad because I would be sad too."
Right: The passage says "Tears rolled down his cheeks."
Mistake 3: Finding the wrong part of the passage
Sometimes we grab words that are close but not the right answer. Read carefully!
Question: What did the girl eat?
Wrong: "Mom made soup" (This tells what Mom made, not what the girl ate)
Right: "The girl ate her sandwich."
Mistake 4: Not finding enough evidence
Sometimes you need more than one piece of evidence. Look for all the clues!
Question: How do you know it was winter?
Not enough: "snow"
Better: "Snow covered the ground. The children wore heavy coats."
How to Review Your Mistakes
- Look at the question again. What did it ask for?
- Look at your answer. Does it match what the question asked?
- Look at the correct answer. Where in the passage was it?
- Ask yourself: "Why did I pick the wrong answer?"
- Try a similar question to make sure you understand.
💡 Examples
Look at these mistakes and see how to fix them.
Passage:
The rabbit hopped across the green grass. It stopped to nibble on a carrot. Then it ran into its burrow to hide from a hawk flying above.
Question: What did the rabbit eat?
Student's Answer: "The rabbit ate vegetables."
What went wrong: The student used their own words instead of the passage's words.
Correct Answer: The passage says the rabbit "nibble on a carrot."
Question: Why did the rabbit run into its burrow?
Student's Answer: "Because it was tired."
What went wrong: The student guessed instead of finding evidence.
Correct Answer: The passage says it ran "to hide from a hawk flying above."
Question: What color was the grass?
Student's Answer: "The rabbit hopped."
What went wrong: The student found the wrong part. The question asked about the grass color.
Correct Answer: The passage says "green grass."
✏️ Practice
For each problem below, a student made a mistake. Find what went wrong and write the correct answer.
Passage 1:
The ice cream cone had two scoops. One was chocolate and one was strawberry. It started to melt in the hot sun.
Question: What flavors were on the cone?
Student's Wrong Answer: "It had two flavors."
Your Job: Why is this wrong? What is the right answer?
Passage 2:
Lily put on her ballet shoes. She stretched her arms high. The music started and she began to dance.
Question: What kind of shoes did Lily wear?
Student's Wrong Answer: "She wore pretty shoes for dancing."
Your Job: What mistake did the student make? Fix it.
Passage 3:
The farmer woke up early. He fed the chickens and milked the cow. Then he planted seeds in the field.
Question: What animals did the farmer take care of?
Student's Wrong Answer: "He planted seeds."
Your Job: The student found the wrong information. What is correct?
Passage 4:
The thunder was loud. Lightning flashed in the sky. The dog hid under the bed because it was scared.
Question: How do you know there was a storm?
Student's Wrong Answer: "thunder"
Your Job: This answer is incomplete. Find more evidence.
Passage 5:
Ben's room was very messy. Toys were on the floor. Clothes were on the chair. Books were under the bed.
Question: How do you know Ben's room was messy?
Student's Wrong Answer: "Because he does not clean up."
Your Job: The student gave an opinion, not evidence. Find the real proof.
Passage 6:
Maria made a card for her mom. She drew red hearts on it. She wrote "I love you" inside.
Question: What did Maria draw?
Student's Wrong Answer: "Maria drew pictures because she loves her mom."
Your Job: What exact words from the passage answer the question?
Passage 7:
The clock showed 8 o'clock. Dad said, "Time for bed!" Jamie brushed his teeth and put on pajamas.
Question: What time was it?
Student's Wrong Answer: "Bedtime."
Your Job: The student gave a general answer. What exact time does the passage say?
Passage 8:
The caterpillar was green and fuzzy. It crawled slowly on a leaf. Soon it would become a butterfly.
Question: What did the caterpillar look like?
Student's Wrong Answer: "It will be a beautiful butterfly."
Your Job: The student found information about the future, not what it looks like now. Fix this.
Passage 9:
The team scored three goals. Everyone cheered. The coach smiled and gave high fives.
Question: How do you know the team did well?
Student's Wrong Answer: "scored three goals"
Your Job: This is one piece of evidence. Find at least two more clues that show the team did well.
Passage 10:
Grandma lives in a small white house. It has a red door and a big garden. Flowers grow all around it.
Question: What does Grandma's house look like?
Student's Wrong Answer: "Grandma has a house with a garden."
Your Job: The student missed details. What colors and size does the passage mention?
✅ Check Your Understanding
Answer these questions about reviewing mistakes.
1. Why is it helpful to review your mistakes?
2. What should you do if your answer uses your own words instead of the passage's words?
3. What is the difference between giving an opinion and giving evidence?
4. What are three steps you can take to review a mistake?
🚀 Next Steps
- Keep a list of mistakes you make and what you learned from them
- When you get an answer wrong, always ask "Why?"
- Practice similar problems until you feel confident
- Move on to the Mixed Practice Set to put all your skills together