Story Elements
What is a summary?
A summary is a quick way to share the main ideas of something in your own words.
Someone against phone rules claims, "You think we should all just throw away our phones!"
Strawman
What is the purpose of a Works Cited page?
To give credit to the sources where the author found information while writing their article/essay.
Is this example punctuated properly?
"This won't do at all!" said Thorin. "If we don't get blown off or drowned, or struck by lightning, we shall be picked up by some giant and kicked sky-high for a football."
Yes, it's a direct quote from "The Hobbit."
What is a topic?
The topic is what the writing is about.
What is a theme?
A theme is a universal lesson the author intends for the reader to take away from their story.
Inside Out: Joy fears Sadness will ruin all memories and Riley’s life if she touches one memory.
Slippery Slope
.org
.gov
.edu
Generally reliable sourcs.
Is the following example punctuated correctly?
With one sweep of my arm, I push her behind me "I volunteer" I gasp "I volunteer as tribute"
No, it's missing the period in the first sentence, a comma after "volunteer," and a period after tribute.
The example is an improperly copied quote from "The Hunger Games."
What is a synonym?
A word that shares a similar meaning with another word.
What is a context clue?
Something within the writing that helps the reader determine the meaning of a word they may be unfamiliar with.
A student avoids discussing their missed homework by saying, "But I always help clean up after class!"
Red Herring
Wikipedia
Generally less reliable, but can be a good starting point to discover basic info and more reliable sources.
What is wrong with the punctuation in this example?
"And what have you got?," Myra's father asked Elya.
"A heart full of love," said Elya.
"I'd rather have a fat pig," said Myra's father.
There's an extra comma in the first line of dialogue, after the question mark.
The quote is from "Holes."
What is a metaphor?
Figurative language directly comparing something to something else.
What is an antonym?
A word that means the opposite of another word.
I saw one spider in the living room, so the whole house must be infested with spiders.
Hasty Generalization
What is plagiarism?
Using someone else's words or ideas without giving them credit.
What's wrong with the punctuation in this example?
"We have to go, Fitz said," bursting through the doors of Everglen's upstairs guest room.
The second quotation mark is in the wrong place, making it look like the tagline is part of what is being spoken.
The quote is from Book Four of "The Keeper of the Lost Cities."
What should a good hook do for the reader?
Engage the reader and provide some context for what you will be writing about.
What is figurative language?
When an author uses language that is not literal, but helps the reader to better understand the point they are trying to convey.
"Learning algebra is just like learning a TikTok dance—it’s all about memorizing steps."
False Analogy
What is paraphrasing?
Using information you found elsewhere, but putting it in your own words while still saying where you found the initial information.
What's wrong with the punctuation in this example?
(Speaking to Grover) "You haven't failed Grover," Mr. Brunner said kindly. "I should have seen her for what she was. Now let's just worry about keeping Percy alive until next fall--"
The example is missing the comma between failed and Grover. This makes it seem that the the person Mr. Brunner is speaking with hasn't failed Grover rather than showing that the person Mr. Brunner is speaking with is Grover, who hasn't failed.
This quote is from "The Lightning Thief."
What does it mean to write in an active voice instead of a passive voice?
To say that someone did something rather than that something was done.
Ex: "I want chocolate." vs "Chocolate is wanted by me."