character

To understand the characters in a story, read to figure out what the characters are like. What do they look like? How old are they? What do they do and say? How do they interact with other people? Think about their feelings, actions, and emotions.

setting

The setting is the time and place in which the story takes place. Think how important the setting is and how it influences the characters and the events that take place. How would the characters and events be different if the setting changed?

plot

The plot is the chain of events. To understand the plot, think about what has happened and what will happen next. How would the story be different if one of the events was left out or changed?

problem/

solution

The problem in a story is something that must be solved, a challenge to overcome, or a goal to be accomplished. Think about how the events helped solve the problem, and what action is taken to bring about a solution. Would solving the problem a different way change the events or the solution?

point of view

Point of view is the author’s choice of who is telling the story. It also helps to think why the author chose to write from this point of view. How would the story be different if it was told from another point of view?

Point of View

Definition

Key Word Pronouns

First-Person

I am in the story. I tell the story.

I, me, my, we, us, our

Third-Person

Someone outside of the story tells the story from what he/she knows.

he, she, they, them

Omniscient

(All-Knowing)

Someone outside of the story tells the story, but knows what everyone sees, feels, and thinks.

he, she, they, them

theme

The theme is the overall message the author is telling. To figure out the theme, look at the lessons the character learned, or look at the lesson the student learned. The title usually gives a clue to help figure out the theme of the story.

infer from text

Sometimes a story can tell something just by including clues to let the reader know. When the reader knows something, yet it isn’t directly stated anywhere, it is an inference. To understand inferences, think about the clues in the story, and use your experiences or knowledge to figure out what is happening. Examples:

• You read, "Joe's heavy coat, scarf, and mittens were not enough, and he wondered when the bus would arrive." You would infer that Joe is hoping the bus will hurry because he is so cold. The text doesn't say it was cold outside, but there are plenty of clues to let you know!

• You read, "Janet blew out the candles, then she opened her presents." The text doesn't come right out and say so, but you can infer that it is likely Janet's birthday!

predict from the text

To predict what will happen or what a character will do next, or in the future, read clues and use what you know to figure it out. To write a response to a prediction question, it is always important to support your prediction using the text from the story that gave the clues or ideas for the prediction.

compare and contrast

To analyze a story, it is important to compare and contrast. Think about how the characteristics or descriptions of two or more things are alike and different. To write a response to a compare and contrast question, write a balanced answer of both 1)how they are the same, and 2)how they are different.

fact and opinion

If you are reading something that can be proven by evidence, it is a fact. If you are reading something that is a personal belief that tells how someone feels or thinks, it is an opinion.

summarize

To summarize a story means to tell the overall meaning and main idea of the story in your own words without giving details.

cause and effect

When reading, it is important to think about what happened (the effect), and the reason why it happened (the cause).

 ___(effect)_______ happened because _______(cause)_______.

author choices

To understand why an author makes the choices (s)he does in writing a story, it is important to think about how and why the story was written. There are four basic purposes (reasons why) an author creates a work.

Author’s Purpose:                Clues that tell you so:

1. to entertain

interesting words and images, entertaining topics, and/or suspense

2. to express opinions

facts, details, and opinions

3. to inform

full of facts and details, usually nonfiction

4. to persuade

trying to convince the reader using facts, details, and opinions

To write a response to an author’s choice/purpose question, it is important to:

 o Consider what type of writing it is

 o Figure out why the author is writing it.

 o Write your response, supporting your decision with proof from the selection.

figurative language

Figurative language is a tool that an author uses to help the reader picture what is happening in a story or poem and to make the story, words, or characters more interesting. Some common types of figurative language are: simile, metaphor, idioms, hyperbole, personification, alliteration, and onomatopoeia.

§      simile – a comparison using the words “like” or “as”. For example, “He was as quiet as a mouse.” Or “Her eyes sparkled like diamonds as she opened her gift.”

§      metaphor – a comparison that does not use the words “like” or “as”. For example, “He’s a tiger when it comes to getting through that yard work!

§      idioms – figures of speech that don’t literally mean what the words say. For example, “It’s raining cats and dogs.” (It’s really raining hard.) Or “That was a piece of cake!” (That was easy.)

§      hyperbole - Hyperbole is a figure of speech which is an exaggeration. For example, “I nearly died laughing.” Or “I tried a million times to get that lid off!”

§      personification - Personification is giving human qualities, feelings, action, or characteristics to inanimate objects. For example, “The trees whispered threats that the storm may be coming this way.” While you can definitely hear the wind in the trees, trees do not “whisper” – a human quality.

§      alliteration - Alliteration is the repetition of initial consonant sounds in neighboring words. For example, “The sweet sound of songbirds signaled spring’s arrival.”

context

Context Clues. Authors often include other words or phrases that can help with the understanding of a new word. These words or phrases are referred to as context clues. Context Clues are words in the text that help you figure out what a new, unfamiliar word might mean. The definition of the word you don’t know may be right there in the text!

synonyms

Synonyms are words that have the same, or almost the same meaning.
The words stones and rocks are synonyms. The words fast and quick are synonyms.

antonyms

Antonyms are words that have opposite meanings. The words happy and sad are antonyms. The words hot and cold are antonyms.

homonyms

Homonyms are words with one spelling, one pronunciation, but two unrelated meanings. The word bear is a homonym. (The bear is a large animal. I cannot bear to hear a baby cry.) The word left is a homonym. (I left my keys in the door. I use my left hand to write.)

Homophones are words that sound alike but are different in spelling, meaning or origin. An example of a pair of homophones is blew and blue. Another example is to, too and two.

Homographs are words that have one spelling but two pronunciations and two distinct meanings or usages. The word wind is a homograph. (The wind is blowing the leaves. I need to wind up the toy.) The word saw is a homograph. (I saw the bike fall over. The man can saw the wood.)
 

connotation

denotation

Connotation is the set of associations implied by a word in addition to its literal meaning. Connotations can be negative, neutral, or positive.

negative

a) She is a penny-pincher.

neutral

a) She is someone who pays attention to the cost of things.

positive

a) She is thrifty.

Denotation is a literal meaning of a word (the dictionary definition).

word origin

Knowing a word's origin means knowing how that word got started in the first place. Some dictionaries give the word origin after the part of speech. Others give it at the end of the entry. It is usually set off by brackets. The abbreviations and symbols inside the brackets tell how the word came into English. The abbreviations and symbols are explained, usually, at the front of the dictionary. For example:

glo.ry (glôr' E) n. pl. -ries {<OFr. <L. gloria}

The example shows that glory came from

Old French, which took it from Latin.

In Latin it was spelled gloria.

A fancy name for word origin would be etymology.

root word

A root word is a word that has nothing added at the beginning or the end. It stands on its own as a word, it has a meaning. New words can be made from root words by adding beginnings (prefixes) and endings (suffixes).

abbreviations

Abbreviations are shortened forms of words, followed by a period (except for state abbreviations).

Examples:

• ounces = oz.
• inches = in.
• feet = ft.
• centimeters = cm.
• January = Jan.
• Sunday = Sun.
• Ohio = OH
• Ave. = avenue
• U. S. A. = United States of America
• Rd. = Road

purpose for reading

What you decide to read -- and how you read it -- depends on why you are reading. You might ask yourself these questions.

• Are you reading to find out information on a topic?
• Are you reading to understand or interpret an idea or concept?
• Are you trying to solve a problem?
• Are you reading for your own enjoyment?

Information reference

Text reference

Almanac – An annual publication including calendars with weather forecasts, astronomical information, tide tables, and other related tabular information.

Atlas – A book of maps.

Encyclopedias - A book or set of books of informative articles usually arranged in alphabetical order.

We use a dictionary to find a word's spelling, pronunciation, definitions, origin, forms, and part of speech (noun, verb, etc.). Each word in a dictionary is considered an entry word. The words are listed in alphabetical order, and guide words at the top of the page help you determine if the word you are looking for is on that page.  Online dictionaries are usually used by typing the word in a search box. Words often have a sound icon by them so that you can actually hear the word's pronunciation.

The dictionary is not the only type of reference tool we can use to get details about words or text:

• dictionary - a book or site containing the words of a language with their meanings, and sometimes also their pronunciation, grammatical labels, inflections, etymologies, etc.
• footnotes - comments at the bottom of a page, often preceded by a numbered mark or asterisk, etc., which relates the comment to a particular part of the main text
• glossaries - often found at the back of a book, this is a list of words used in that text and a short explanation of the word's meaning
• sidebars - extra information about an article's subject matter that is given importance by means of a separate box or panel
• thesaurus - a book which lists words and their synonyms, and sometimes their antonyms, too.

genres

There are two main types of reading material: fiction and non-fiction. Both types may be further divided into genres (a fancy name for a group of books which share a similar style, form, or content).

NON-FICTION GENRES

All of the information in a non-fiction book is based on the known true facts.

• Biography - A biography is the story of a real person's life, written or told by someone else.
• Autobiography - An autobiography is the story of a real person's life, written or told by that person.
• How-to-Books
• Science Books
• History Books
• ...and so on.

FICTION GENRES

Fictional stories may be based on actual events or people or may be based entirely on the author's imagination, but fictional stories all contain elements that are made up or created by the author.

• Realistic Fiction stories take place in modern time, and the characters are involved in events that could really happen.
• Mystery is a story about a puzzling event that is not solved until the end, keeping the reader in suspense.
• Fantasy is a make-believe story that includes elements that are impossible, such as talking animals or magical powers. Fairy tales are fantasy stories that were often created to teach children behavior in an entertaining way.
• Science Fiction stories include futuristic technology -- a blend of scientific fact and fictional elements.
• Historical Fiction stories take place in a particular time period in the past. Often the basic setting is real, but the characters are fictional.
• Folk Tales are stories with no known creator. The stories were originally passed down by word of mouth. Tall tales are generally folk tales in which the main character is bigger than life in some way (like Paul Bunyan).
• Poetry is verse written to inspire thought or create a response of feeling from the reader. It often uses rhythm and rhyme to help convey its meaning.

graphic organizers for main ideas

A reader can focus on the main ideas and information supplied in supporting details by using graphic organizers to organize their thoughts. Some examples of graphic organizers include:

• Outlines
• Beginning, Middle, End
• Cause and Effect
• Chronological Narrative
• Descriptive Paragraph
• K-W-L
• Main Idea & Supporting Details
• QAD
• Spider Maps
• SQ3R
• Story Map
• Summary
• Venn Diagrams
• Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How?