Random Reading Information
Why is it important to look at the text features?
The author gives information about the topic in the text features.
What ALWAYS goes after a transition word or phrase?
A comma!
What is another term for main idea?
Central Idea! They mean the same exact thing. Central idea IS main idea
Name at least two parts of story structure (we REALLY talked about this with Esperanza)
Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, Resolution
If you want to go on the guided tour, you need to be punctual. The tour guides begin the tour at 9:00, and not a minute later!
What does the word punctual most likely mean?
On time
When you are answering an Extended Response or Short Answer what should you ALWAYS start with?
RESTATE THE QUESTION!
In ALL subjects!
What goes in an introduction paragraph? Remember the THREE letter word I taught you to remember...
H- Hook
O- Opinion statement
T- Thesis Statement
How can you figure out the main idea?
Look at the first sentence of the passage/paragraph, repeated words, subheadings, title, pictures, captions, think of what the paragraph/passage is MOSTLY about.
What is theme?
The message of the story, the lesson of the story, a lesson a character in the story learns, the moral of the story.
When a question asks you to analyze something, what does it want you to do? (what does analyze mean?)
Analyze means to look closely at something, to pay close attention to the details.
Pieces of information from the text that support the central idea, theme, or claim are...
Text evidence or supporting details
What are some examples of transition words you can use in your essay? Give three to get the points.
First, Second, Next, Last, Finally, As you can see, In conclusion, Also, For example, What I mean is, etc.
What is the text structure of the following paragraph?:
Spending too much time in the sun can lead to sunburn, dehydration, and even sun cancer. One way to prevent these problems is to make sure you wear sunscreen when you are outside. It is also a good idea to avoid being outside during the hottest part of the day, between 11:00am and 2:00pm.
Problem and Solution
Problem: spending too much time in the sun can cause sunburn, dehydration, and possibly skin cancer.
Solution: wear sunscreen and avoid being outside between 11:00am and 2:00pm.
What character trait would you use to describe Joey?
Instead of getting started on his work, Joey started off into space for awhile tapping his pencil on the desk. He dropped his pencil and, instead of picking it up himself, he asked his friend to get it for him. When his teacher walked by and asked him to get to work he just pretended to start writing.
Lazy, unfocused
Maria was reluctant to try the new food, even though her friends said it was delicious.
What does the word reluctant most nearly mean?
A. excited
B. unsure
C. eager
D. proud
B. unsure
What is an inference? What TWO things do you need to make an inference?
An inference is an educated guess someone makes. You need schema (background knowledge) and text evidence.
An inference is something YOU guess after reading... not something that is clearly stated in the text.
What is a thesis statement/what goes into your thesis statement?
A thesis statement tells your reader what your three reasons are. "I think this because (reason 1), (reason 2), (reason 3).
Identify the central idea of the following passage:
The Titantic was a massive ship that sunk on its maiden (first) voyage in April 1912. The ship was said to be unsinkable, but when it struck an iceberg, part of the ship's hull had holes torn into it. The passengers on board had very little time to exit the ship, and many people died. The Titantic sank two hours after it struck the iceberg. The sinking of the ship is still remembered and taught to this day.
The central idea is that the Titantic was thought to be an unsinkable ship, but sunk on its first voyage.
What is the theme of this passage?
James was a person everyone seemed to love. He went out of his way to help anyone that needed help. If someone dropped their books, he was there to help pick them up. If a new kid came to school, he made sure to include them at recess. Then one day, James was playing soccer and broke his leg. He came to school in crutches but it was hard to carry his backpack and band instrument everywhere. He quickly learned that, that no matter where he went, everyone wanted to help.
Be kind to everyone, help others when you can, always show kindness to everyone, "the kindness boomerang" that Mrs. Roberts teaches.
It is easy to see my dad's disdain when my favorite show comes on TV. When he finds me watching it, he starts to grumble and leaves the room.
What does the word disdain mean as it is used in the passage?
A: fear of something
B: strong dislike of something
C: to listen carefully
D: excitement
B. strong dislike of something
How do you properly set up text evidence in an essay, short answer, or extended response question?
In the text it says, "...."
According to the passage it says, "..."
Page 67 says, "..."
Always put quotes before and after your text evidence!
Make a writing planning sheet
Does it have a space for your opinion statement?
Does it have the transition words ALREADY added?
Does it have space to plan the BODY paragraphs?
Does it have the conclusion?
(100 points for each thing that the plan has- 500 points for having everything)
What are the 6 text structures?
sequence/chronological, cause and effect, problem and solution, compare and contrast, description, main idea
Can you explain what ONE of the following story structures are?
Circular Story Structure
Linear Story Structure
Nonlinear Story Structure
Circular: a story that seems to go in a circle and repeats itself. Think of the book "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie" or "There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Bell"
Linear: The story seems to go in a straight LINE (linear), the story continues to move forward.
Nonlinear: The story has "flashbacks" where the character remembers something from the past and the story seems to jump back and forth. Esperanza did that with her memories from Aguascalientes and Papa.
What does "author's claim" mean? For example: "What piece of text evidence best supports the authors claim?"
The author's claim is a statement from the passage that the author has made. If a question asks you this, you are finding text evidence to support what the author says.