Unit 1: Foundational Skills
What are at least 3 purposes for writing?
Entertain, express/reflect, inform/explain, evaluate/judge, inquire/explore, analyze/interpret, take a stand/propose a solution
What is the difference between a personality trait and an emotional trait?
A personality trait describes a character all/most of the time, while an emotional trait describes how a character is feeling at one moment in time because of something that happened to them
What is the difference between a life topic and a theme statement?
A life topic is only one or two words, while a theme statement is a full sentence
What should an informational paragraph start with, and what should it end with?
Topic sentence, wrap-up sentence
What are the 5 ways to add sensory details?
Add sight, smell, touch, taste, or sound details
What are at least 3 ways that you can generate ideas for an original story?
Write about things that you love/hate, nouns that describe you, things that you do often, make a topic-focused list, imagine life without something you can't live without
What does STEAL stand for?
Speech, Thoughts, Effect on others, Actions, Looks
What are at least 3 strategies for finding theme?
Theme through character change, theme through conflict, theme through life topics, theme through signposts
What are at least 5 text features?
Titles, subtitles, headings, subheadings, bylines, photographs, captions, charts, diagrams, sidebars, bolded words, maps, etc.
How is third person different from first person?
A story written in 3rd person is told by a narrator and uses pronouns such as he, she, his, hers, they, their, they're, and names. A story written in first person is told by the main character and includes pronouns such as I, me, my, I'm, and our.
What are the 5 parts of a plot pyramid in order?
Exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution
How do you correctly format a citation for a quote? (Including punctuation)
In parentheses you put the author's last name and page number. The period goes after the parentheses.
What are the 3 parts of an introduction paragraph in an analysis essay? (in order)
Hook, background, thesis
What is the job of a rebuttal?
To prove the counterclaim wrong and prove how you are right
What are at least 5 types of figurative language?
Hyperbole, metaphor, simile, onomatopoeia, alliteration, irony, personification, idiom
What are the 6 types of conflict?
Man vs man, man vs self, man vs nature, man vs supernatural, man vs society, man vs technology
Why is it unusual for flat characters to be considered dynamic as well?
Flat characters only have one trait, so it would not change throughout the story
What are the 3 parts of a conclusion paragraph in an analysis essay? (in order)
Restate, recap, reflect
What are the 5 text structures?
Description, chronological/sequence, cause/effect, compare/contrast, problem/solution
How is 3rd person limited different from 3rd person omniscient?
3rd person limited gives the reader only one character's perspective (thoughts/feelings), while 3rd person omniscient gives the reader multiple character's perspectives (thoughts/feelings)
What are the 6 fiction signposts?
Again and again, memory moment, contrasts/contradictions, ah-ha moment, words of the wiser, tough questions/tough situation
What are at least 2 things you can note about a character when analyzing L (looks) in STEAL to identify a personality trait?
Facial expressions, body language, grooming, clothes
How do you correctly format a quote that has dialogue in it?
You have to change the dialogue quotation marks into single quotation marks, and then put quotation marks around the whole quote to show it is from a book
What are the 5 nonfiction signposts?
Quoted words, contrast/contradictions, numbers/statistics, word gaps, and extreme/absolute language
What are 3 rules for writing/punctuating dialogue?
Skip to the next line when there is a new speaker, include a speaker tag to show who is talking when needed, use a comma to separate the dialogue from the speaker tag unless it ends in an ! or ?