Story Skills
What does the setting tell the reader?
Where and when the story takes place
Why do authors use descriptive language?
To help readers picture events and understand impact
If something is miniature, what is it like?
Very small
What is the main idea?
What the text is mostly about
A strong main idea usually has more than one supporting detail.
TRUE OR FALSE
TRUE
How can the setting affect events in a story?
It can create problems or challenges
What is author’s purpose?
The reason the author wrote the text
Happy is to sad as full is to ______.
Hungry
What do supporting details do?
Explain or prove the main idea
Descriptive language is only used to make writing longer.
TRUE OR FALSE
FALSE
What is the difference between a problem and a solution?
The problem is what goes wrong; the solution is how it is fixed
Why might an author describe something in detail?
To support an important idea (NOT just to introduce characters)
In the word creative, what does the suffix "-ive" mean?
Having the quality of / tending to
What does cause and effect explain?
Why something happens and what happens because of it
How can you tell if a detail is strong evidence?
It clearly supports the idea and comes from the text
Why do authors include challenges for characters?
To move the story forward or show growth
Can two readers choose different evidence and both be correct? Why?
Yes, if both pieces support the same idea
The word active describes someone who—
Moves a lot / has energy
Why do authors include charts or graphs?
To show information clearly and quickly
One correct answer always means there is only one correct piece of evidence.
FALSE
Can a story have more than one problem? Explain.
Yes — some problems lead to others or smaller problems exist
What does strong text evidence usually come from?
Details taken directly from the text
If you see a word you don’t know on a test, what should you do FIRST?
Look for clues like prefixes, suffixes, or context
Who is responsible for solving problems explained in informational texts?
Everyone (not just experts or authors)
What question can you ask yourself when you see a word ending in -ive?
HINT: Think of words ending in '-ive' and what that suffix is doing to the ROOT word.
“What quality does this describe?”