Reading Literature
What is setting? Why does it matter in fiction?
Setting is the location and time period of a story. Characters' actions, wants, and needs often depend on the environment, or the setting of a story.
What is the difference between compare and contrast and cause and effect?
A comparison text structure describes how two or more things are similar and different. For example, "This test was easy compared with the last one."
A cause and effect structure connects events that happen (effects) with why they happen (causes). For example, "I ate tons of junk food, so now I feel sick."
What are the five sensory details we can use to build imagery or description in our writing?
Sight, Sound, Touch, Taste and Smell
What's the difference between tone and mood?
Tone an author's attitude toward a topic or idea, whereas mood is how the reader feels.
What is the difference between plot and theme?
Plot is the sequence of events that make up the story, whereas theme is the central message, universal truth, or lesson.
What does sequence mean?
Sequence is how an author arranges ideas. In fiction, this is usually the beginning, middle and end. In nonfiction, the order of events, or sequence, is typically strategic to help a reader understand key concepts. For example, a nonfiction writer may first define a term before providing detailed examples. Other common sequences are listing steps to complete a task or using chronological order to explain a timeline.
What is the difference between metaphor and simile? Why do we use this type of figurative language?
A metaphor compares two unlike things using "is" or "are," for example, My mother is a bear. A simile uses "like" or "as" in the comparison. For example, Her shirt was red like the sunset. We use metaphors and similes to compare and contrast ideas and images to help our readers understand. Writing is more descriptive, persuasive, poetic, and purposeful when metaphors and similes are used.
What is the central, or main idea, of a text. How does this differ from author's purpose?
The main idea is the subject of a text. The purpose is what the author hopes to get out of a piece of writing. Are they trying to entertain, persuade, or inform? Why?
What 4 traits can we consider when we think about characterization or character analysis?
To analyze a character, we must consider how they look, act, and speak, as well as how other characters perceive them. Through these details we can see how a character changes and how their actions or inactions affect the plot and theme.
Readers should consider all the features of a text, not just the words in the body of a passage. For example, reading footnotes is an important text feature. Name 2 other text features to consider while reading.
Title; Background; Table of contents; Section Headings; Captions; Photos/Illustrations; Graphs/Charts; Glossary; Annotations; Appendices
Name and define 4 kinds of figurative language that authors often use to engage their readers and convey a point.
(1) Alliteration; (2) Hyperbole (3) Idiom (4) Onomatopoeia (5) Personification (6) Metaphor (7) Simile
A semi-colon is used to combine two independent phrases. Use this advanced grammatical skill to improve the example sentences.
(1.) The race would be postponed. The winds were already dangerously gusty.
(2) My heart sank. Anna still hadn’t come into view.
1. The race would be postponed; the winds were already dangerously gusty.
2. My heart sank; Anna still hadn’t come into view.
What is point-of-view? What are 3 different types?
Point-of-view is the “eye” or narrative voice through which a story is told.
1st person point-of -view is when one of the characters is narrating the story. This is generally revealed by use of the “I” sentence construction.
2nd person point -of -view is structured around the “you” pronoun, and is less common, yet it is an effective way to draw the reader in and make them feel like they’re part of the action.
3rd person point -of -view is when the author is narrating a story about the characters and refers to them with the pronouns “he/she/it/they."
Authors elaborate and organize their writing using various methods of development. Can you name and define three?
(1) Descriptive (2) Problem/Solution; (3) Chronological (4) Cause and Effect (5) Sequence (6) Compare and Contrast (7) Narration
Sometimes to develop a point authors will make a brief reference to another literary work, time period, or famous person, place or event. What is this called?
Allusion
What are the two best ways to understand unknown words?
(1) Use context clues surrounding the word and make inferences based on the parts of the text you can understand.
(2) Look at the word parts such as prefix, root and suffix. What sections of the word do you already know? What inferences can you make?
Layering means looking at a text on multiple levels. Typically readers layer in this order: (1) the literal level; (2) mood; (3) tone; (4) purpose. What do each of these layers mean?
(1) The literal level considers words at face value, their actual definition.
(2) Mood is how we as readers feel. What feelings are evoked?
(3) Tone is the author or narrator's attitude. What inferences can we make about their feelings or opinions?
(4) Author’s purpose is the reason or intent of a writing, such as to amuse or entertain; to persuade; or to inform.
There are three main rhetorical appeals authors use to build arguments. What are they? Explain.
(1) Ethos is what an author says to build their own trust or credibility; (2) Pathos is how an author appeals someone's emotions in order to persuade; (3) Logos is how an author uses logic--evidence, examples and common sense-- to support a claim.
Make this sentence better by fixing the structure so it is parallel. Mary likes hiking, swimming, and to ride a bicycle.
Mary likes hiking, swimming, and riding a bicycle.
A colon is often used to set apart lists, as well as to further define terms. Use the colon correctly in the example sentences.
1. The scientists experimented with many lab animals. They used mice, cats, fruit flies, and alligators.
2. The colon is a crafty piece of punctuation that can be confused with the semicolon.
1. The scientists studied many lab animals: mice, cats, fruit flies, and alligators.
2. The colon: a crafty piece of punctuation that can be confused with the semicolon