Theme & Central Idea
This is the message or lesson about life that the author wants readers to understand.
What is theme?
A comparison using “like” or “as.”
What is a simile?
This structure tells events in time order.
What is chronological order?
This is the author’s position or opinion on a topic.
What is a claim?
Using hints in a sentence to figure out the meaning of a word is called this.
What are context clues?
This is the main idea of a nonfiction text, supported by key details.
What is central idea?
A comparison that says one thing IS another.
What is a metaphor?
This structure explains why something happened and what happened because of it.
What is cause and effect?
Facts, statistics, quotes, and examples that support a claim are called this.
What is evidence?
If the sentence defines the word directly, it uses this type of context clue.
What is a definition clue?
If a story shows a character learning that lying causes harm, the theme might be this.
What is honesty is important?
Giving human qualities to nonhuman things.
What is personification?
This structure shows similarities and differences.
What is compare and contrast?
This explains how the evidence supports the claim.
What is reasoning (or commentary)?
If the sentence gives examples to explain the word, it uses this clue type.
What is an example clue?
Theme is different from this because this is what the story is mostly about in one sentence.
What is summary?
“The wind whispered through the trees” is an example of this.
What is personification?
Signal words like “because,” “since,” and “as a result” usually indicate this structure.
What is cause and effect?
A trustworthy source is described as this.
What is credible?
If a sentence contrasts a word using “however” or “unlike,” it uses this clue type.
What is a contrast clue?
A theme should not be written as one word like “friendship.” It should be written as this.
What is a complete sentence?
“I’m so hungry I could eat a horse” is an example of this exaggeration.
What is hyperbole?
If an article explains a problem and then offers solutions, it uses this structure.
What is problem and solution?
If more than 25% of your paragraph is direct quotes, your use of evidence is likely this.
What is weak or ineffective?
The dictionary meaning of a word is this.
What is denotation?