Nonfiction Text Structures
The Middle Ages, The Renaissance, The Scientific Revolution, The American Revolution, The French Revolution, The Industrial Revolution, World War I, Interwar Years, World War II, Cold War, Vietnam War.
What is Chronological (sequential) Order?
Where and when an event takes place in a short story.
What is the setting?
The reason why an author writes.
What is the author's purpose?
A sign or warning of what's going to happen next or in the future.
What is foreshadowing?
The repeated use of the same constant at the beginning of words. For example, "Sally sells seashells on the seashore."
What is alliteration?
Medicine has a history spanning many thousands of years and specialized establishments for treating the sick have also existed for eons. Despite the fact that the function of hospitals have not changed much during the last century, technological and scientific progress has made possible treatment approaches that could not have been implemented a hundred years ago and made a large contribution to health care. The main differences between hospitals today and a century ago are improved surgical techniques, the safer use of anesthesia, and safer childbirth procedures.
What is compare and contrast?
The most intense or exciting high point of a short story.
What is the climax?
When you do not know the definition and you have to look around the word.
What are context clues?
Visually descriptive or figurative language.
What is imagery?
Extreme exaggeration.
What is hyperbole?
The soft fur of the dog felt like silk against my skin and her black coloring glistened as it absorbed the sunlight, reflecting it back as a perfect, deep, dark mirror.
What is descriptive?
The events that take place in a story.
What is the plot?
The feeling or atmosphere that the author creates for the reader.
What is the mood?
Using prior knowledge and what you read to determine what is happening.
What is inferencing?
A direct comparison of two different things.
What is a metaphor?
Headaches can have several causes. Many people think that the major cause of headache is nervous tension, but there is strong evidence that suggests diet and environment as possible factors. Some people get headaches because they are dependent on caffeine. Other people may be allergic to salt, or they may have low blood sugar. Still other people are allergic to household chemicals including polishes, waxes, bug killers, and paint. If they can manage to avoid these substances, their headaches tend to go away. When a person has recurring headaches, it is worthwhile to look for the underlying cause, especially if the result of that search is freedom from pain.
What is cause and effect?
The lesson or moral of the story.
What is the theme?
The attitude the author conveys to the audience about a subject.
What is the tone?
A description of the distinctive nature or features of someone or something.
What is characterization?
Giving a nonhuman human characteristics
What is personification?
Last week we installed a kitty door so that our cat could come and go as she pleases. Unfortunately, we ran into a problem. Our cat was afraid to use the kitty door. We tried pushing her through, and that caused her to be even more afraid. The kitty door was dark, and she couldn’t see what was on the other side. The first step we took in solving this problem was taping the kitty door open. After a couple of days, she was confidently coming and going through the open door. However, when we removed the tape and closed the door, once again, she would not go through. They say you catch more bees with honey, so we decided to use food as bait. We would sit next to the kitty door with a can of wet food and click the top of the can. When kitty came through the closed door, we would open the can and feed her. It took five days of doing this to make her unafraid of using the kitty door. Now we have just one last problem; our kitty controls our lives!
What is problem/solution?
The perspective from which the story takes place.
What is the point of view?
The main problem or struggle the character faces.
What is the conflict?
A story about make-believe, talking animals, or magic. Usually involves and princess and prince overcoming challenges.
What is a fairy tale?
The use of words that sound like what they mean, such as "hiss," "buzz," "slam," and "boom."
What is onomatopeia?