Fiction Unit

Context Clues

100

The doll’s small feet wore miniscule shoes. What does miniscule mean?

Tiny

200

After her car accident, we visited my aunt in the hospital. She is a bit verbose, fond of using twenty words where two would do. What does verbose mean in this selection? A. angry B. wordy C. distant D. cheerful

Wordy

300

Elle grabbed the pile of clothes that were sitting on her pool-side lounge chair. She giggled as she held them in her arms and jumped into the pool. Her brother was getting out of the pool and saw Elle dunking his clothes in the water. "What are you doing?" he yelled over Elle's laughing fits. He yanked his clothes from her grasp and tried to wring the water out of them. When he untwisted his clothes, they were a little drier, but very wrinkled. He put his clothes back on the chair. Then, he grabbed Elle's towel and tossed it into the pool. In paragraph 2, the word wring means to: soak dry twist iron

twist

400

Arthur Fry learned about a new adhesive developed by a scientist at 3M. The adhesive was designed so that it would stick to paper. When it stuck, it created a temporary bond that was not strong enough to damage the surfaces that it stuck to. Fry thought it would be the perfect adhesive to help the page markers stick in his hymnal to help him easily find hymns while he sang in his church choir. What does the word adhesive mean? A special liquid A type of paper A sticky substance A strong tape

a sticky substance

500

The frigid air seemed to suck his breathe away as he attempted to finish his first snowman of the season. The word FRIGID probably means: deficient cold silly thick

cold

Elements of Fiction

100

Who is telling the story is called?

Point of view

200

What is a life lesson learned by reading the story called?

Theme

300

What does the main character have to work to solve?

problem

400

What are the people, animals, or things that do things in called?

Characters

500

What is it called when the characters solve the problem?

Resolution, solution

Inferences

100

Go away, Stickeen! Stay at camp!" Muir commanded. Stickeen only wagged his bushy tail. The dog always followed Muir, even though he belonged to another man in the team of explorers. 4 "You never could obey an order," Muir sighed. It had begun to rain harder, and he knew crossing the glacier would be a dangerous hike. He also knew that no matter what he did, Stickeen would follow him. Anxious to explore the glacier, he gave up the fight. The reader can tell that Stickeen was — A tough and determined B mean and fierce C old and weak D well behaved and shy

tough and determined

200

Go away, Stickeen! Stay at camp!" Muir commanded. Stickeen only wagged his bushy tail. The dog always followed Muir, even though he belonged to another man in the team of explorers. 4 "You never could obey an order," Muir sighed. It had begun to rain harder, and he knew crossing the glacier would be a dangerous hike. He also knew that no matter what he did, Stickeen would follow him. Anxious to explore the glacier, he gave up the fight. Muir did not want Stickeen to follow him because he — F didn't like the little dog G knew it would be a difficult hike H wanted to camp on the glacier all night J didn't want to share his bread

knew it would be a difficult hike

300

It was early in the morning when John Muir stepped out of his tent into the rain. The other men were still asleep. Muir slipped some bread into his pocket and made his way toward the large glacier. He had come to Alaska to study these giant mountains of ice, which can be miles wide. The author's description of the Alaskan wilderness helps the reader understand — F how crevasses and cracks are formed in glaciers G why Stickeen liked to follow Muir on hikes H why Muir went out while the other men were asleep J how dangerous Muir and Stickeen's situation was

how dangerous Muir and Stickeen's situation was

400

ong ago, the Earth was covered in darkness. None of the creatures living there knew what daylight looked like. One day, all of the animals of the forest gathered together in a clearing. They wondered if it would be better to remain in darkness, or if it would be better to also have light. Deer, Chipmunk, Raccoon, Wolf, Bear, and many other creatures climbed to the top of the highest mountain. The mountain stood so tall that there were no trees on its top, and it was covered only with rocks. Millions of stars blinked in the dark sky overhead. The biggest and most powerful animal in the forest was the bear, and he was the first to reach the mountaintop. Bear stood on the highest peak, looked out over the forest below, and argued for remaining in darkness. He said that the creatures of the forest would be able to sleep better in darkness because there would be no light to keep them awake. Most of the other animals were afraid, and they agreed with Bear. How do you think bear will react if he doesn't get his way?

He will be angry.

500

As darkness approached, Muir and Stickeen started back toward camp. Suddenly they came to a huge crevasse that was too wide to jump over. Muir looked down and saw a narrow bridge of ice about 25 feet below where they stood. It was too late in the day to find another way back to camp. Muir knew that the icy bridge was the only way across. If they didn't make it back to the campsite, they might not survive the cold of night. The temperature would drop so low, they would surely freeze to death. Why was it important that Muir and Stickeen get back to camp quickly? A It would get even colder after dark. B It would be hard to see the crevasses at night. C Muir wanted to share his findings with other explorers. D Muir wanted to treat Stickeen's feet.

It would get even colder after dark.

Characters

100

Many of Sete’s friends were not interested in learning about the drums. They thought other ways of communicating were better. Sete was different, though. Many of his people still used the drums, and Sete wanted to know what the messages said. What can we tell about Sete based on this selection?

He is curious.

200

Many of Sete’s friends were not interested in learning about the drums. They thought other ways of communicating were better. Sete was different, though. Many of his people still used the drums, and Sete wanted to know what the messages said. How is Sete different from his friends?

He wants to learn about drum communication.

300

Today our class visited the Field Museum of Natural History. We went to see the new dinosaur exhibit. At first I wasn't interested in seeing an old pile of bones. Why would anyone want to learn about something that isn't even around anymore? How does Lisa feel when she first gets to the museum? F She is anxious to see Dinosaur Sue. G She wants to see how long a T. rex tooth is. H She is sad that dinosaurs are no longer alive. J She doesn't want to learn about dinosaurs.

She doesn't want to learn about dinosaurs.

400

First we walked into a big room. I looked up- and up and up. I was staring at the bones of a giant beast! It almost filled the room. Two huge dark holes in it's skull stared back at me. The reader can tell that Lisa is — A surprised by the size of the skeleton B afraid Dinosaur Sue will fall apart C glad that Dinosaur Sue has a room of her own D confused because the skeleton stares at her

surprised by the size of the skeleton

500

The biggest and most powerful animal in the forest was the bear, and he was the first to reach the mountaintop. Bear stood on the highest peak, looked out over the forest below, and argued for remaining in darkness. He said that the creatures of the forest would be able to sleep better in darkness because there would be no light to keep them awake. Most of the other animals were afraid, and they agreed with Bear. What is Bear like? He is a good listener. He is used to getting his way. He is unsure about what he wants. He is well liked by the other animals.

He is used to getting his way.

Elements of Fiction 2

100

Where the story takes place.

setting

200

Sete searched the thick forest for a good bamboo stem. “Ah,” he said at last, “this one is perfect.” The piece of dried wood was about as big around as his leg. Sete needed the bamboo to make a practice drum. Later that day Sete would begin learning “drum talk.” Drums had been used by Sete’s people to send messages from one village to another for hundreds of years. Where does this story take place?

a thick forest

300

But one animal did stand up to Bear. Chipmunk, the smallest of the animals, argued that it would be better to have both light and dark. Chipmunk was very clever. As Bear continued to argue for darkness, she made many good arguments for light. Slowly, the night passed. Bear grew tired of talking, but Chipmunk chattered on and on, as if she had all of the energy in the world. As the other animals dropped off to sleep, one by one, Chipmunk kept arguing. Finally, the first sunrise ever seen by the animals appeared over the top of the mountain. They woke up and were amazed by what they saw. What happened after Chipmunk's argument with Bear? The animals saw their first sunrise ever. Bear was happy that he got his way. The animals continued to live in darkness. Chipmunk fell asleep.

The animals saw their first sunrise ever.

400

ong ago, the Earth was covered in darkness. None of the creatures living there knew what daylight looked like. One day, all of the animals of the forest gathered together in a clearing. They wondered if it would be better to remain in darkness, or if it would be better to also have light. Deer, Chipmunk, Raccoon, Wolf, Bear, and many other creatures climbed to the top of the highest mountain. The mountain stood so tall that there were no trees on its top, and it was covered only with rocks. Millions of stars blinked in the dark sky overhead. The biggest and most powerful animal in the forest was the bear, and he was the first to reach the mountaintop. Bear stood on the highest peak, looked out over the forest below, and argued for remaining in darkness. He said that the creatures of the forest would be able to sleep better in darkness because there would be no light to keep them awake. Most of the other animals were afraid, and they agreed with Bear. What problem are the characters in this story facing?

No one wants to argue with bear about the light.

500

Erik rang his grandparents’ doorbell and silently wished the next four hours would go by quickly. He didn’t want to give up his entire Saturday afternoon at his grandparents’ house where there were no kids in the neighborhood What elements of fiction can you find in this paragraph? was the only way across. If they didn't make it back to the campsite, they might not survive the cold of night. The temperature would drop so low, they would surely freeze to death.

Setting, character, problem