Theme
Dictionary Skills
Author's Purpose
Text Structure
Figurative Language
100
All Victor ever wanted to do with his life was be a singer. He didn't pay attention in school and he spent all of his time at home watching music videos online and impersonating his idols. His mother tried to teach him the value of getting an education and having a backup plan, but Victor would respond the same way every time, "Mom, I won't need to know any of that boring old stuff when I'm famous. You'll see." But there was one major problem with Victor's plan: he wasn't any good at singing. Victor wanted to be a singer so badly, that he didn't notice the pained look on the faces of those who endured his singing. Because he wanted to be a singer so badly, when honest people told him to find something else to do with his life, he accused them of being "jealous haters" and ignored their advice. After Victor dropped out of high school to focus on his music career, the years passed and the doors never opened.
have a back up plan, don't put all of your eggs in one basket, sometimes you should listen to other's advice, etc.
100
amorous
What is showing or expressing love.
100
A pamphlet urging people not to eat animals or use products made from animals or animal suffering because the author thinks that is cruel and unnecessary
To Persuade
100
Dinosaurs existed about 250 million years ago to 65 million years ago. This era is broken up into three periods known as the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. The Triassic Period lasted for 35 million years from 250-205 million years ago. Planet Earth was a very different place back then. All the continents were united to form one huge land mass known as Pangaea. The Jurassic Period was the second phase. The continents began shifting apart. The time scale for this famous period is from 205 to 138 million years ago. The Cretaceous Period was the last period of the dinosaurs. It spanned a time from 138 million to about 65 million years ago. In this period the continents fully separated. However, Australia and Antarctica were still united.
What is chronological order
100
The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas, The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor,
What is a metaphor
200
Kyle liked Lucy more than any other girl in the school, but he had an odd way of showing it. When she walked ahead of him in line, he kicked at her shoe. When she passed him on the school yard, he called her "lame Lucy." He even wrote a mean word on her homework during the bus ride to school. But what puzzled Lucy the most was receiving an invitation to Kyle's birthday party. Figuring that he was just planning a mean trick on her, Lucy decided not to go, and while Kyle eagerly awaited Lucy's arrival, Lucy talked on the phone to Jacob. When Kyle finally realized that Lucy was not coming to his party, he was crushed.
Share your true feelings, if you like someone then tell them, every action has a reaction, etc.
200
berserk
Wild, crazed, deranged
200
A cook book containing recipes for making cakes, cookies, and other desserts.
To Inform
200
The Cretaceous Period was filled with dangerous predators, but two of the most feared hunters were the tyrannosaurs rex and the velociraptor. The tyrannosaurs rex was one of the largest carnivores to ever walk the Earth. He was 20 feet tall and weighed seven tons. His jaws could crush down with 3,000 lbs. of force, enough to smash the bones of his prey. The velociraptor was very small compared to rex. Raptors only stood three feet tall and were seven feet long, weighing merely 35 pounds. But the velociraptor was fast. Scientists think that raptors could run 24 miles per hour and turn on a dime. Both dinosaurs used their jaws to kill prey, but the raptor had a secret weapon: a retractable toe claw that he pulled out like a knife to slash at his prey. Both dinosaurs had eyes on the front of their heads, which helped them track prey. If these two dinosaurs had fought, it would be difficult to say which would win; however since raptors died over ten million years before the first tyrannosaurs was born, scientists don't believe such a fight ever occurred.
What is compare and contrast
200
I do not care to talk to you although / Your speech evokes a thousand sympathies,
What is hyperbole
300
The little grey mouse that lived in my wall prospered for many days on nibbles of my lunch. I'd pack a meal before bed and, while I slept, he would take small bites of my lunch, which I left on the counter. He'd take a cracker crumble here, and a bread crumb there, but he wouldn't take too much and he'd always clean up after himself. Things were going quite well for him and I didn't even know he existed, until he got sloppy. One night while I slept, he ate all of my chips and left behind a big mess. When I awoke to this sight, I knew what had happened to my chips. So the next night when he returned for another snack, he found a nice, delicious piece of cheese... lightly balanced on a mouse trap. Now I don't have to share my chips anymore.
You can sheer a sheep many times but you can only skin it once, don't be greedy, don't be sloppy, clean up after yourself, etc.
300
centripetal
What is directed toward the center.
300
The story of a young woman who, after the death of her grandfather, quit her job in the business world and returned home to help her aging grandmother
To Entertain
300
It's important to think critically about the information that you receive, or else you may be led astray. For example, the brontosaurus is a type of dinosaur that never really existed. Many people still believe in the brontosaurus today, but the "brontosaurus" is actually the body of an apatosaurus with the head of a camarasaurus. This concocted creature was made from two mismatched fossils. Had more people thought critically about these findings, analyzing the components that were presented, entire generations of school children may not have been misinformed; therefore, think critically about the information that people tell you, even if it's information you find on a book or in a worksheet. Keep these problems in mind when conducting your studies.
What is problem and solution
300
By the lakes that thus outspread / Their lone waters, lone and dead / Their sad waters, sad and chilly
What is personification
400
Barry liked playing board games, but he hated losing. He hated losing so much that he would do whatever it took to win, even bending or breaking the rules. He'd steal money from the bank and hide it under the couch cushions. He'd skip spaces while he was moving around the board. He'd shortchange others money that they were owed and argue with them about it. Barry's techniques were effective. He did win most of the games that he played, but the people whom he played with were his friends and family, and it didn't take too long until they caught on to Barry's tricks. They tried to tell Barry to stop cheating. They said that the game wasn't any fun when he cheated, but he didn't listen. He continued with his treacherous style of gameplay, until nobody would play with him anymore. Barry may have won a lot of games, but at what cost?
What is Winning isn't everything; cheaters never prosper.
400
frivolous
What is lack of seriousness or sense.
400
A poem about a "packrat," a person who refuses to throw things away, even things that most people would consider garbage
To Entertain
400
One day Dino the Dinosaur decided to go for a walk to the watering hole. It was a sunny day and the sky was blue and clear. Dino was thinking about his girlfriend Dina when he saw a pack of wild lizards and animals running through the plains in a frenzy. Dino tried to ask the critters why they were running, but they just kept running. Dino scratched his dinosaur head and continued walking toward the watering hole. Soon after, Dino heard a loud thumping noise like the slow beat of a drum. The earth shook and fruit fell from the trees, but Dino was so deep in thought over his girl Dina that he didn't even notice. The thumping grew louder and louder as Timmy the Tyrannosaurs Rex approached Dino. Dino kept thinking about his girl Dina until the moment Timmy ate him.
What is chronological order
400
By the lakes that thus outspread / Their lone waters, lone and dead / Their sad waters, sad and chilly
What is a simile
500
It was Sean's first day at a new high school. Most of the students had been nice to him, until he got into gym class. The coach had assigned two captains, Mike and Malik, and they were picking teams from the boys in Sean's class. As Mike and Malik made their picks, it became pretty clear to Sean who was popular and who was not. Since Sean was short for his age, Mike and Malik just assumed that Sean could not play basketball. As Mike and Malik's choices dwindled, Sean still remained amongst an ever-slimming pool of struggling athletes. Now there were only two students left: Sean and another kid who seemed nice but was reading a book. Mike and Malik joked about who was going to get stuck with whom, and then Mike made his last pick. It was not Sean. Sean sighed and reluctantly joined Malik's team. As soon as the game began, Mike became aware of the error that he had made. Sean quickly stole the ball from him and ran it back for a layup. "The new kid got lucky," Mike remarked, but it soon became clear that Sean had more going for him than luck. What Sean lacked in height, he made up for in speed, and he continued to dominate the action on the court for the remainder of the game. With Sean's blazing speed and crazy crossovers, Malik's team devastated Mike's, and that was the only time that Sean would be last pick at that high school.
Do not judge a book by its cover; appearances can be deceiving; size isn't everything.
500
tenacity
Persistence
500
A politician's speech about how health insurance should be provided to all families
To Persuade
500
You'd think that making a frozen pizza would be as easy as rolling out some dough, dropping some ingredients on it, and freezing it, but it's actually a lot more complicated than that. Some of the challenges in creating a good frozen pizza include the sauce combining with the dough and the crust becoming rigid after it is frozen and reheated. To prevent the sauce from combining with the crust, you can use a layer of modified cornstarch as a moisture barrier between the sauce and the crust. This will prevent the crust from absorbing the sauce. Additionally, partially baking the dough and other ingredients will keep the dough from becoming too rigid after it is frozen and reheated. On second thought, you're probably better off not trying this at home.
What is problem and solution
500
Carven cathedrals, on a sky Of faintest colour, where the gothic spires fly And sway like masts, against a shifting breeze.
What is a simile
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