Author's Purpose & POV
Averie was not happy one little bit. Her brother, Bentley was making honor roll... again! Their parents would let him do anything he wanted to do. Averie was not making honor roll this time and she was not going to be allowed to do all the things she wanted to do. Poor Averie! She decided she would just have to study harder and get back on the honor roll. She’d show them!
What is the author's purpose of this writing?
A. persuade the reader to study and get on the honor roll
B. inform the reader of the dangers of not studying
C. entertain the reader with a story about a girl who learned a life lesson
D. describe how to get on the honor roll
C) entertain the reader with a story about a girl who learned a life lesson
Many people wear black as a sign of mourning. In China the color for death is white. People in Turkey wear purple. But everywhere, people follow special customs when someone dies.
In this paragraph mourning means:
A. seeing dawn
B. feeling sick
C. showing joy
D. showing sadness
D. showing sadness
In her sophomore year of high school, Jackie tried out for the varsity basketball team at Lake Highlands High School. But at five feet and four inches tall, the coach believed that Jackie was too short to play at that level, so she was cut from the team. Jackie didn’t let this obstacle defeat her. In fact, it pushed her to work even harder. She trained vigorously, practicing every day at the playground. When she finally made the varsity squad, Jackie averaged 25 points a game and was the star player.
What is the theme of this story?
A. If things get too hard, just quit.
B. You need to be short to be successful.
C. Jackie is an inspiration to all.
D. Never give up because persistence pays off.
D. Never give up because persistence pays off.
Wren looks through the window at the city far below. The light comes on, informing all those on board to fasten their seat belts.
Where is Wren?
In an airplane
What kind of figurative language gives a human-like quality to a non-human thing?
Personification
Which point of view is this story written in, and what specific words or phrases tell you that?
"I grabbed my backpack and ran toward the bus stop, hoping I wouldn't be late for the first day of school. My heart was pounding, and I could feel my palms starting to sweat. I really hoped I would make a new friend today."
1st Person
I, my
England has been ruled by monarchs for hundreds of years. The youngest was Henry VI, who became king at age one. Queen Victoria ruled the longest.
In this paragraph a synonym for monarch would be:
A. a type of butterfly
B. rulers
C. a queen
D. children
B. rulers
Sophia and Hannah were both students in Mrs. Farah's reading class. Mrs. Farah wasn’t too strict about deadlines, and Hannah took advantage of that. She did all of her homework in her other classes but never bothered to complete Mrs. Farah's reading assignments, figuring that she could complete them later. Sophia, on the other hand, completed each assignment Mrs. Farah assigned the night that she assigned it. She had to stay up a little later, but she didn’t want to get a penalty for turning in her reading work late. When the end of the quarter came, Hannah and Sophia had both planned on going to the Taylor Swift movie, but Mrs. Farah called their mother, and she grounded Hannah until she turned in all of her work. That weekend was horrible for Hannah. She stayed up until 2:00 AM each night and still couldn’t complete all of the assignments. The whole while, Sophia had a great time eating popcorn and singing her heart out at the movie. At the end of the quarter, Hannah was lucky to squeak by with a “C” minus in reading, while Sophia earned an “A.”
What is the theme of this story?
A. Play first, work last.
B. Trying your best is a waste of time.
C. It is better to do things right the first time.
D. Teachers are unfair.
C. It is better to do things right the first time.
Zani throws the yellow ball above her head and whacks it with the racket. The ball lands in the middle of the net. "Fault," says the umpire.
What is Zani doing?
Playing tennis
What kind of figurative language compares two things using the words "like" or "as"?
Simile
The Missing Pencil
Thomas was ready to do his homework. "I am going to ace my math test," he said. Thomas opened up his math book and grabbed his notebook. "Uh oh," he said as he looked in his pencil case. His pencil was not there. "Where is my pencil?" Thomas asked. "I need my pencil to do my homework." He looked in his book bag. His pencil was not there. He looked around his desk. He did not see his pencil. He looked at the floor. His pencil was nowhere to be found! "Mom, I cannot find my pencil," Thomas yelled. His mom walked into his room and pointed to the mirror. She said, "Look over there." "What? My pencil is not over there," Thomas said. But when he looked in the mirror, he blushed. His pencil was behind his ear!
Was the author's purpose to:
A. inform the reader on how to sharpen one's pencil
B. persuade the reader to buy mechanical pencils
C. entertain the reader with a story about a boy who lost his pencil
C. entertain the reader with a story about a boy who lost his pencil
Once, a man checked out a book from a library. He neglected to return it. The book was finally returned by his great-grandson 145 years later. Although the fine came to $2,264, the great grandson did not have to pay it.
In this paragraph neglected means:
A. failed
B. hurried
C. borrowed
D. remembered
Double the value: What part of speech is the word neglected?
A. failed
verb
Flynn was spending a summer at his aunt and uncle's Tennessee farm so that he could experience something different from his urban life. The first chore his aunt assigned to him was to sprinkle organic grains in front of the chicken coop at 6 A.M. every morning. He would much rather stay in bed. On his first day of chores, he decided to ignore his alarm and sleep in. When he finally woke up at noon and went outside, the chickens were squawking like crazy and had woken up all of the neighbors. On top of everyone being mad at him for the noise, he was also very behind on his list of chores and had to spend the rest of the day catching up. He made sure to never do that again.
"Somebody" wanted _____, but _____. So, _____. Then, _____.
Brooks woke up early on Saturday morning and looked outside the window. The sun was out, and it was hot. His sister Estelle called to him and said, “It is a perfect day. Don’t forget to bring a towel!” Brooks grabbed a towel, and they left the house.
Where do you think Brooks and Estelle were going?
The pool
What kind of figurative language is this?
Rob took all of his not-thoughts and stuffed them deep down in his mental suitcase.
Metaphor
What point of view is where the narrator is a character IN the story?
1st person
Mustard doesn't originate in a jar. It starts out as tiny seeds. They are inside the leaves of the mustard plant. The seeds are dried and made into powder. The powder is mixed with water and spices. This makes a spread for sandwiches.
In this paragraph originate means:
A. end
B. continue
C. begin
D. heal
Double the value: What part of speech is the word originate?
C. begin
verb
What is the part of the plot called that HAS to be included in a summary? Hint: it's the turning point of the story.
climax
Corey carefully examined the bug sitting on the leaf. He noticed that it had six legs and a hard shell. He had never seen a bug like this before. He grabbed his magnifying glass and camera.
What do you know about Corey?
A. He is helpful.
B. He is afraid of bugs.
C. He is very curious.
D. He likes to play soccer.
C. He is very curious.
What kind of figurative language is this?
Fog was hugging the ground.
Personification
Is this story written in the first-person or third-person point of view? How can you tell based on the pronouns and the way the narrator describes the characters?
"Sarah stood at the edge of the diving board, taking a deep breath to steady her nerves. Below, the water looked incredibly blue and much farther away than it had from the ground. Her brother, Leo, shouted encouragement from the side of the pool, waving his arms excitedly."
3rd person
She, her, his
Purple dye was rare long ago. Since it was hard to get, it costs a lot. As a result, purple became the imperial color. It was only used by kings and queens.
In this paragraph imperial means:
A. royal
B. special
C. inside
D. best
Double the value: What part of speech is the word imperial?
A. royal
adjective
What is the part of the plot called where the character has solved his/her problem and the loose ends are tied up?
resolution
Camila has her backpack on her bed. She is packing for a trip. She lays out a waterproof jacket and rain hat, extra socks, a flashlight, compass, binoculars, and water bottle. She hunts for extra batteries and decides to bring her camera. She checks on her sleeping bag and helps her parents bring out the tent.
Where are Camila and her parents going?
Camping
What kind of figurative language is this?
Rhader was as quiet as a mouse.
Simile