Theme
Central Idea
Vocabulary
Mystery Box
100

Theme is the _______ or lesson the author is trying to convey.

moral

100

The central idea is what the ______ is about.

text or story

100

The sequence of important events in a story.

Plot

100

A text written to inform the reader about a real person's life.

Biography

200

A story can have more than one theme. True or false?

True

200

What is the difference between theme and central idea?

Theme is the moral or lesson, central idea is the topic of the story.

200

A conclusion that is formed based on known facts or evidence.

Inference

200

A short, fictional story that teaches a lesson.

Fable

300

Who was Aesop?

A Greek storyteller who wrote fables.

300

What is the central idea of "Aesop's Life"?

Who Aesop was and what he did during his lifetime.

300

Language that helps readers imagine how something looks, sounds, smells, feels, or tastes.

Imagery

300

Analyzing a text by focusing on the elements that contribute to its meaning.

Close reading

400

What is the theme of "The Stone"?

Be grateful for what you have, don't be greedy, don't be selfish, change and growth is important.

400

You might have heard of Toys R Us, the massive kid’s toy chain store. Toys R Us opened its doors in the 1950s and became extremely popular by the 1990s. But from now on, children around the world will be purchasing their toys elsewhere. Toys R Us has officially closed all of its U.S. stores. It is out of business. Toys R Us closed because it had a lot of debt. This means that the store had borrowed money and was having trouble paying it back. They owed 5 billion dollars.

Toys R Us used to be very popular, but now it is out of business.

400

A shade of meaning in a word or phrase that makes it different from other words or phrases with similar meanings. Can be positive, negative, or neutral.

Connotation

400

The dictionary meaning of a word or phrase.

Denotation

500

What is the theme of "The Magic Prison"?

Don't be selfish, think of others.

500

Advances in technology and meteorology have led to more accurate forecasting of hurricanes days in advance of landfall. Those forecasts have likely saved countless lives, as people are able to prepare or evacuate. Unfortunately, those forecasts were not available to the victims of the 1900 Galveston Hurricane. Four days before the storm hit Galveston, Texas, the National Weather Service sent out an alert that a tropical storm had hit Cuba, but there were no real concerns about it making landfall in Galveston. The storm made landfall on September 8th, and because people were not prepared, it caused massive amounts of destruction.

People did not have the technology to prepare for the Galveston hurricane in 1900, and therefore, it caused a great deal of damage.

500

Specific text that supports inferences, claims, or assertions.

Textual Evidence

500

A usually brief story related to a topic being discussed or written about. They are often used to make people laugh or reminisce about the past.

Anecdote