Literary Elements
It used to be really hard to get me up in the morning. When my alarm clock rang, I'd fling my arm across the bed without realizing it and turn off the alarm. Then, unfortunately, I'd go right back to sleeping like a baby. My mom shook me and shouted my name. But getting me to wake up was like pulling teeth. Then I devised a plan. Now, every morning my mom opens my door and lets May, our Velociraptor, into my room. May leaps onto my bed and starts licking my face. There's just no way to sleep through that!
What is the problem and solution of the story?
Problem- I wouldn't get up in the morning.
Solution- My mom sends the Velociraptor in to wake me up by licking my face.
I'm Ally Saurus. In third grade, I came in second place in the class spelling bee. In fourth grade, I came in second, and in fifth grade I came in second. All three years, I lost to Teri Ceratops. The next year, I was determined to win! I printed lists of words and had my little brother quiz me every night. On the day of the spelling bee, I felt like a spelling superhero. I slew words like dragons. Finally, it was down to just Teri and me. He got the word pterodactyl, and he left out the second t. Then it was my turn, and I spelled it like a c-h-a-m-p.
What is the theme of this text?
Hard work pays off or never give up on your dreams
Allie's family was moving to a new house. Allie had just one burning question: Who would get the bigger bedroom? Allie and her sister, Iris, share a room, but in the new house they would each get their own room. Iris said she should get the bigger room because she was older. But Allie thought that was unfair. It wasn't her fault she was born two years after Iris. She thought she should get it because Iris was domineering and always got her way. When Allie finally saw the new house, she breathed a sigh of relief. The two bedrooms were exactly the same size!
What point of view is this story told in?
Third person
Lights flashed. Ding, ding, ding, went the bells on dozens of games played by dozens of kids. Rodrick pushed the button again and again as fast as he could. The dinosaur on his screen jumped over a toadstool and crawled under a rainbow. Ring, ring, ring, went his machine. Rodrick had just scored one million points, a new high score! The machine spit out a long strip of tickets. Bursting with pride, Rodrick ambled over to a prize counter. "What can I buy with these?" asked Rodrick. "For all those tickets, you can get either a dinosaur sticker or a pencil eraser," responded the man at the counter.
Which sentence from the text shows an example of personification?
The machine spit out a long strip of tickets.
All the visitors had gone home for the day. That's when a painting called "Bronti Saurus" got the fun started. During regular hours, she was a somber portrait of a smiling dinosaur. Now she crossed her eyes and shouted, "Party time!"
What is the meaning of the word somber as used in this paragraph?
serious
When Megan was in fourth grade, she read The Adventures of Dino the Rock. The tedious book was about a boring rock named Dino. All Dino did was sit there for 128 long pages. Megan had a hard time finishing the book because it always put her to sleep. Now, Megan was in the twelfth grade. She had a big test tomorrow, and she just couldn't get to sleep. But Megan had an idea: She found the old rock book. Then she got into bed and started reading. Very quickly, she dozed off. The next day, she woke up well-rested and ready to take on the world...or at least the big test.
What is the cause-effect relationship in this story?
Cause- Reading the book The Adventures of Dino the Rock
Effect- It makes Megan sleepy
It was Michael's birthday, and he was so excited to open his gifts. He started with the biggest box, of course! Inside was a giant stegosaurus pillow! What a massive disappointment! Next, he opened a tiny box to which he hadn't paid any mind. It contained a slip of paper with numbers: 15-33-17. Turns out, it was the combination to a lock. Yes, locked up in front of Michael's house was a brand new bike with a big red ribbon on it. It was the best gift ever!
What is the theme of the story?
Great things come in small packages.
I traded a piece of gum for a marble. I played with the marble for a while, then I traded it for a comic book. I had read the entire comic book, so I traded it for a Tyrannosaurus Rex action figure. I enjoyed the action figure for a while, then I traded it for a bike. I rode the bike around for a few hours, then I traded it for two pieces of gum. That might sound like an absurd trade, but here's how I figure it. I'll chew one piece of gum. I'll trade the other piece and start working my way back to another bike.
What point of view is this story told in and how do I know?
Point of view- first person
The narrator is a part of the story and it uses the key word I.
I'm Ally Saurus. In third grade, I came in second place in the class spelling bee. In fourth grade, I came in second, and in fifth grade I came in second. All three years, I lost to Teri Ceratops. The next year, I was determined to win! I printed lists of words and had my little brother quiz me every night. On the day of the spelling bee, I felt like a spelling superhero. I slew words like dragons. Finally, it was down to just Teri and me. He got the word pterodactyl, and he left out the second t. The it was my turn, and I spelled it like a c-h-a-m-p.
What does the simile "I slew words like dragons" mean?
I spelled words well
Lights flashed. Ding, ding, ding, went the bells on dozens of games played by dozens of kids. Rodrick pushed the button again and again as fast as he could. The dinosaur on his screen jumped over a toadstool and crawled under a rainbow. Ring, ring, ring, went his machine. Rodrick had just scored one million points, a new high score! The machine spit out a long strip of tickets. Bursting with pride, Rodrick ambled over to a prize counter. "What can I buy with these?" asked Rodrick. "For all those tickets, you can get either a dinosaur sticker or a pencil eraser," responded the man at the counter.
What is the meaning of the word "ambled"?
walked slowly
When Megan was in fourth grade, she read The Adventures of Dino the Rock. The tedious book was about a boring rock named Dino. All Dino did was sit there for 128 long pages. Megan had a hard time finishing the book because it always put her to sleep. Now, Megan was in the twelfth grade. She had a big test tomorrow, and she just couldn't get to sleep. But Megan had an idea: She found the old rock book. Then she got into bed and started reading. Very quickly, she dozed off. The next day, she woke up well-rested and ready to take on the world...or at least the big test.
How would the story have changed if instead of reading the boring book, Megan read an exciting thriller?
She would not have been able to fall asleep and she wouldn't have been well rested for her test.
The first time Jose blew into his clarinet, it made an awful sound. His clarinet sounded like an old hound dog howling at the moon. The next day, he tried again. There wasn't much improvement. Now, Jose's clarinet sounded like a car screeching to a halt. He thought about giving up. But he decided to keep practicing. The next day, he sounded a little better. The day after that, he sounded better still. One day, after a few months of practice, he picked up his clarinet and blew into it. Wow! Now Jose's clarinet sounded, well, perfect. Maybe he'd even join the school band.
What is the theme of the story?
Practice makes perfect
"Braces!" Suki screamed. "My life is over!" Fourth grade was hard enough, she thought. The last thing she needed was a mouthful of metal. Her mom thought Suke was making a mountain out of a molehill. She remembered when she had braces when she was a girl. After the first couple of weeks, she'd forgotten all about them. "Just think of the perfectly straight teeth you'll have in two years," she told Suki. "TWO YEARS??" Suki wailed. Suki's best friend, Ben, thought Suki's reaction was perfectly reasonable. He knew exactly how she felt. Exactly. That's because he just found out that he needed braces, too!
How is Suki's perspective different from her mom's perspective?
Suki thinks braces are horrible and her mom thinks they are no big deal.
"Braces!" Suki screamed. "My life is over!" Fourth grade was hard enough, she thought. The last thing she needed was a mouthful of metal. Her mom thought Suke was making a mountain out of a molehill. She remembered when she had braces when she was a girl. After the first couple of weeks, she'd forgotten all about them. "Just think of the perfectly straight teeth you'll have in two years," she told Suki. "TWO YEARS??" Suki wailed. Suki's best friend, Ben, thought Suki's reaction was perfectly reasonable. He knew exactly how she felt. Exactly. That's because he just found out that he needed braces, too!
What does the idiom "making a mountain out of a molehill" mean?
creating a great exaggeration; making something worse than it needs to be
I traded a piece of gum for a marble. I played with the marble for a while, then I traded it for a dinosaur comic book. I had read the entire comic book, so I traded it for a Tyrannosaurus Rex action figure. I enjoyed the action figure for a while, then I traded it for a bike. I rode the bike around for a few hours, then I traded it for two pieces of gum. That might sound like an absurd trade, but here's how I figure it. I'll chew one piece of gum. I'll trade the other piece and start working my way back to another bike.
What does the word absurd mean as used in this passage?
silly
Frog Girl could jump high. Tiger Lady could run fast. But Banana Peel Boy was not much of a superhero. He wore a slippery yellow suit and sat around Superhero Headquarters all day reading dinosaur comic books. But then, an evil villain named Cheetah Man came to town to cause trouble. Cheetah Man was so fast that even Tiger Lady couldn't catch him. Finally, Banana Peel Boy took action. He lay down on the sidewalk and waited for Cheetah Man to run by. Slip... Klunk! Cheetah Man fell down and was carted off to jail. At long last, Banana Peel Boy was a superhero.
How does Banana Peel Boy change throughout the story?
He goes from being not much of a superhero to saving the day.
Michael and AJ were having lunch at a new restaurant, The T-Rex Cafe. Michael ordered a regular hamburger. "A plain burger? That is so boring!" scoffed AJ. Then AJ ordered the Extreme Dino Burger. It had four beef patties, mushrooms, onions, bacon, and pineapples. The whole thing was covered in sour cream, hot mustard, and secret sauce. When the Extreme Dino Burger arrived, it was as big as a spaceship. AJ took a bite. Yuck! It tasted ghastly! So Michael offered AJ half of his burger. AJ gladly accepted. Mmmmm. A plain old hamburger never tasted better.
What is the theme of this story?
Fancy isn't always better.
"We need a volunteer from the audience," the magician loudly bellowed. Guess whose hand shot up. Mine- I'm Melvin Gelby. In a flash, I was up on the stage. The truth is, I'd always wanted to be in a magic act. I wanted to think of a secret number, and then have the magician guess what it was. In fact, I had a number ready: 10,654,982,773. It would have to be a pretty good magician to figure out that one! But the magician didn't ask me to think of a number. Instead, he told the audience that he was going to saw me in half. Gulp!
How did Melvin's perspective change from the beginning to the end of the story?
At the beginning, Melvin was excited. At the end, he was nervous.
After Ms. Mondie handed back the spelling tests, most of the fourth graders were upset. The whole class had done poorly. All except for Brian, who got an A+. Brian always got good grades, and he made sure everyone knew it. "That test was a piece of cake!" he bragged to Carla as they walked to the cafeteria. "And you know what's really funny? I didn't even study! I was too busy playing basketball. Did you hear I made four baskets? We won because of me!" Brian was so busy talking that he didn't notice Carla had walked away.
What is the meaning of the idiom "a piece of cake"?
Something is very easy
Today's my first day of summer break. I played some basketball. I watched the new Jurassic Park movie. I got a new dinosaur poster for my room. I drank a cherry slush. It gave me the most intense brain freeze ever.
What is a synonym for the word intense as used in this passage?
extreme
For the first time, Miguel was spending the night at his grandmother's. She lived in a dark, old house on a lonely hill. That evening, in his room, Miguel heard this sound! Creak! Someone was on the stairs. He was pretty sure his grandmother had gone to bed. So who- or what- was it? The doorknob started to turn back and forth. Miguel's hair stood on end. Then the old door swung open. Screeeeech. A shadowy figure stood there. "Hello, Miguel," said the shadowy figure. "I couldn't sleep, so I baked you some sugar cookies." It was just Grandma! And her cookies were scrumptious.
How does Miguel's character change throughout the story?
He goes from being scared to realizing it was his grandmother and enjoying her cookies.
Misty and Suzanne were best friends. They didn't hang around with the popular kids, but they always had a blast. But one day Alex, the most popular girl in school, invited Misty to Dinosaur World. Misty felt special, so she cancelled her plans with Suzanne and went with Alex instead. For the next few weeks, Misty and Alex were inseparable, and Misty had no time for Suzanne. But before long, Alex picked a new "best friend" and dumped Misty completely. By that time, Suzanne had started hanging out with the new girl in school, Candie. Poor Misty, she really ruined a good thing.
What is the theme of this story?
Always be loyal to your true friends.
Brrring! goes my lousy alarm clock. Time to get up. Did I mention that I detest Mondays? First, I get dressed. Man, these clothes are uncomfortable. Next, my mom tells me to brush my teeth. How can a toothbrush be so bristly? Then I eat breakfast. Yuck! The cornflakes are soggy. Now, I'm on the bus. The view out the window is always the same: boring! Now, I'm walking into my school. Why are other kids so noisy? Now, I'm sitting at my desk. The chair is too low. Here comes my teacher handing back papers. Hmmmm, I got an A. Okay, that is .... totally spectacular! I guess Mondays can be pretty awesome after all.
How does the character's perspective change from the beginning to the end of the story?
At the beginning, he hated Mondays. By the end, he thought Mondays were awesome.
Frog Girl could jump high. Tiger Lady could run fast. But Banana Peel Boy was not much of a superhero. He wore a slippery yellow suit and sat around Superhero Headquarters all day reading comic books. But then, an evil villain named Cheetah Man came to town to cause trouble. Cheetah Man was so fast that even Tiger Lady couldn't catch him. Finally, Banana Peel Boy took action. He lay down on the sidewalk and waited for Cheetah Man to run by. Slip... Klunk! Cheetah Man fell down and was carted off to jail. At long last, Banana Peel Boy was a superhero.
Why does the author include onomatopoeia in this text?
To demonstrate the sound Cheetah Man made when he fell.
"We need a volunteer from the audience," the magician loudly bellowed. Guess whose hand shot up. Mine- I'm Melvin Gelby. In a flash, I was up on the stage. The truth is, I'd always wanted to be in a magic act. I wanted to think of a secret number, and then have the magician guess what it was. In fact, I had a number ready: 10,654,982,773. It would have to be a pretty good magician to figure out that one! But the magician didn't ask me to think of a number. Instead, he told the audience that he was going to saw me in half. Gulp!
What is an antonym for the word bellowed?
whispered