Fictional Characters
Violence is not this character's style.
Monkeyman
The place and time in which a story happens.
Setting
Turning a question into a statement.
Restate
“Weird...something happens when you smile at people. They smile back.”
Smile
by Raina Telgemeier
A conclusion reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning.
Inference
Don't go to the movies with this character. The Society Council Inspectors are looking for him.
John (Johnny) Doe
The problem your main character is facing. This might be an internal problem (a difficult decision) or an external problem (an enemy or a dangerous situation).
Conflict
An opening statement that grabs the audience's attention so that they want to continue reading.
Hook
"I have inherited her name, but I don't want to inherit her place by the window."
The House on Mango Street
by Sandra Cisneros
Words and phrases that provide a connection between ideas, sentences, and paragraphs.
Transition Words
In a "perfect" world, this title character dared to be different...and died trying.
Harrison Bergeron
A person or thing that creates trouble for the main character.
Antagonist
Elaborating on text evidence to make connections.
Explain
"Because for something to make you feel tough, you gotta be a little bit scared of it at first. Then you gotta beat it."
Ghost
by Jason Reynolds
Punctuation mark used to indicate possession or the omission of letters.
Apostrophe
People who live in glass houses (or in small villages) should not throw stones at this character.
Tessie Hutchinson
The main idea or message of a story.
Theme
The process of sharing work with a classmate to receive constructive feedback.
Peer Review
“Let me just say for the record that I think middle school is the dumbest idea ever invented. You got kids like me who haven't hit growth spurt yet mixed in with these gorillas who need to shave twice a day.”
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
by Jeff Kinney
Statement of your main argument for or against a topic.
Claim
There was nothing honorable about the killing of this character's mother.
Lakshman
Objects, words, or places that are connected to a deeper meaning.
Symbols
Rewording of something written or spoken by someone else.
Paraphrase
"However, this mirror will give us neither knowledge or truth. Men have wasted away before it, entranced by what they have seen, or been driven mad, not knowing if what it shows is real or even possible."
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
by J. K. Rowling
An account of a person's life written by that person.
Autobiography