Text Detectives
The central point or message of the text.
What is the main idea?
This is what we are looking for when we look at a text to understand why the author wrote the text, such as to inform, entertain, persuade, or express.
What is find the author's purpose?
These are three of the common types of text structures in informational texts.
What are chronological, cause and effect, sequence, problem and solution, compare and contrast, or description?
This is what context clues are.
What are hints within the text that help the reader figure out the meaning of unknown words?
"Her eyes were the blue of ocean waves on a sunny day," is an example of this type of figurative language.
What is a metaphor?
These all help you identify the supporting details in a passage.
What are facts, examples, and explanations that back up the main idea?
This is how tone affects the interpretation of the text.
What is by influencing how the reader feels about the subject (a serious tone,can create a different impression than a humorous one)?
This type of text structure presents events in the order they occurred, often using time markers.
What is chronological?
These are some things to look at to help you determine the meaning of an unfamiliar word in a text (3 things).
What are the surrounding words, sentences, or paragraphs?
"She ran as fast as a cheetah to win the race," is an example of this type of figurative language.
What is a simile?
This shows how a character grows and changes throughout a text and can impact the plot and themes of a story.
What is character development?
This is how setting influences plot in a story.
What is by providing context, creating conflict, and shaping characters' actions and decisions?
This type of text structure uses words like "because" or as a result of" to transition the reader through the text.
What is cause and effect?
This is what a synonym is and how they can help us with understanding vocabulary.
What is a word that has a similar meaning to another word and can help to clarify or enrich our understanding of vocabulary?
"Time is a thief," is a metaphor, but more specifically is this type of figurative language.
What is personification?
Looking for main ideas, noting key details, and restating them in your own words are all part of using this strategy effectively.
What is summarizing?
These are the elements you need to consider when evaluating an argument in a text (4 things).
What are the claim, the evidence, the reasoning, and the credibility of sources?
This is the way the structure of narrative text differs from persuasive texts.
What is narrative tells a story (with plot and characters) while persuasive focuses on arguing a point (with evidence)?
This is the difference between a word's denotation and a word's connotation.
What is the dictionary, or literal definition, versus the emotional or cultural meanings attached to a word?
"I have so much homework, my backpack must weigh a ton," is an example of this type of figurative language.
What is hyperbole?
Themes in a text reflect an author's perspective or societal issues by doing this.
What is addressing universal themes (such as love, conflict, or identity, prompting readers to consider deeper meanings.)?
This is why point of view is so important in a narrative (4 things).
What is it impacts the narrative by shaping the readers' understanding of events, character motivations, and the overall theme of the text.?
This is how foreshadowing in a text in a text affects the reader's expectations and understanding of the plot.
What is by building suspense and preparing the reader for future events?
This is how word choice can impact the meaning of a sentence (3 things).
What is by conveying specific emotions, creating imagery, or influencing tone?
"It's raining cats and dogs," is an example of this type of figurative language that is specific to a culture or group of people that understand it does not mean what it literally says.
What is an idiom?