Remember: Helpful details are signal. Extra details are noise. Class words: Remove the noise.

The story

Rami wanted to buy a gift for his cousin Lina’s birthday. He chose a puzzle with a picture of the ocean and wrapped it in silver paper with a blue ribbon. He also baked chocolate cupcakes with white frosting and put them in a box with a sticker of a star. On Saturday he asked his uncle for a ride to Lina’s house on Maple Avenue, the house with the tall tree in front. When they knocked, nobody answered at first. Then Lina’s mother opened the door looking confused. The birthday party was on Sunday, not Saturday. Rami had written the wrong day in his notebook after the invitation arrived by text.

What is not important

These details are noise. You can delete them and still understand the story:

• Ocean puzzle gift
• Silver paper and blue ribbon
• Chocolate cupcakes with white frosting / star sticker
• Uncle gave him a ride
• Maple Avenue / tall tree in front

What is important

These details are signal. Keep them — they tell us what really happened:

• Rami went to Lina’s birthday party on Saturday
• The party was on Sunday
• Rami wrote the wrong day in his notebook

Remove the noise — what happened?

One sentence only: Rami came on the wrong day because he wrote Sunday’s party as Saturday in his notebook.

Talk about it

1. What happened? — say it in one sentence.
2. Noise or signal? — pick one detail from the story and explain your choice.
3. Why remove the noise? — so the listener hears the main point fast.