Comprehend Informational Text
Comprehend Literature
Vocabulary
Reading Strategies
Language
100
I am found underneath a photograph or illustration, this short sentence explains what is happening in the picture.
What is a caption?
100
This general term refers to the sequence of events that make up a story, having a beginning, a middle, and an end.
What is the plot?
100
Words that have the same or very similar meanings, such as "happy" and "joyful," or "start" and "begin."
What are synonyms?
100
This specific type of connection happens when something in a book reminds you of a personal experience in your own life.
What is Text-to-Self?
100
"I could not believe my eyes when I walked into the classroom. My desk was covered in bright blue glitter, and I knew exactly who had done it."
Because the narrator uses keywords like "I," "me," and "my," the story above is written in this point of view.
What is First Person?
200
This is the very first paragraph of an essay. It includes a "hook" to grab the reader's attention and tells them what the essay will be about.
What is an introduction?
200
In a poem, this is a group of lines arranged together, similar to how sentences are grouped into a paragraph in a story.
What is a stanza?
200
In the words rewrite, replay, and redo, this prefix changes the meaning of the base word to mean "again."
What is re-?
200
Before you turn the page, you use clues from the text and illustrations to make a logical guess about what will happen next.
What is making a prediction?
200
"The wind howled through the trees during the storm."
This specific type of figurative language gives human qualities (like howling) to non-human things (like the wind).
What is personification?
300
A statement that expresses a person's feelings or beliefs and cannot be proven true or false, such as "Broccoli is the most delicious vegetable."
What is an opinion?
300
Looking at the "Plot Mountain," this is the turning point of the story. It is usually the most exciting part where the character faces the main problem head-on.
What is the climax?
300
"The room was in complete chaos, with papers thrown everywhere, chairs knocked over, and people shouting loudly."
Based on the context clues in the sentence above, this is what the word chaos means.
What is disorder (or confusion / a mess)?
300
This strategy involves retelling the most important parts of a story (usually the Beginning, Middle, and End) in your own words, while leaving out the small details.
What is summarizing?
300
Sentence A: The thrifty shopper saved money by using coupons. Sentence B: The cheap shopper refused to tip the waiter.
Both words mean "saving money," but the word cheap in Sentence B has a negative feeling or emotional meaning. This emotional meaning is known as this term
What is connotation (or connotative meaning)?
400
These are the specific pieces of evidence, facts, or examples that support and prove the main idea of a paragraph.
What are key details (or supporting details)?
400
This is the specific struggle or problem that drives the plot forward. It can be internal (within a character) or external (like a character fighting a storm).
What is conflict?
400
If you wanted to find a better word for "said" to make your writing more interesting, but you did not need a definition, you would look in this specific reference book.
What is a thesaurus?
400
As shown in the image above, this strategy is "reading between the lines"—combining what the author says with what you already know to understand something that isn't explicitly stated.
What is making an inference?
400
"Marcus saw that the new student was sitting alone at lunch. He walked over, introduced himself, and asked if he could sit down."
Based on the evidence in the text, you could identify Marcus's character trait as this.
What is friendly (or kind / welcoming)?
500
Found at the very back of a non-fiction book, this section acts like a mini-dictionary that gives the definitions of difficult words found in the text.
What is the glossary?
500
This is the underlying message, moral, or lesson about life that the author wants the reader to take away from the story (e.g., "Honesty is the best policy"), distinct from the main idea.
What is the theme?
500
"Strolling," "walking," and "marching" all describe moving on foot, but "marching" implies a steady, rhythmic beat. Understanding the small differences between these similar words is understanding this concept.
What are shades of meaning (or nuance)?
500
This strategy is similar to making an inference, but it usually happens at the end of a passage. You look at multiple pieces of evidence or facts to make a final judgment or decision about the topic.
What is drawing a conclusion?
500
"If you want the whitest teeth, you must buy 'Sparkle-Bright' toothpaste! It is the only toothpaste recommended by 9 out of 10 dentists. Don't wait—buy it today!"
The author wrote this passage mainly to do this specific action.
What is to persuade?