What is a noun?
A person, place, or thing.
What are the two main genres?
Fiction and nonfiction.
The message of the story
The theme
In ancient Egypt, when wealthy or important people died, their bodies were turned into mummies. Making a mummy required first removing most of the organs from inside the body. Next, the organs were allowed to dry and were placed into special jars. The body was then covered with salt to dry out further. Finally, it was wrapped with strips of cloth and placed into a special body-shaped box, or sarcophagus. The body was buried with the jars of organs. Ancient Egyptians believed making mummies allowed people to use their bodies in the afterlife, after death.
What is the text structure?
Sequence
When I reunited with my dog after he was lost, I was so happy!
What does reunite mean as it is used in the sentence?
To be connected or brought back together again after being apart.
What is a verb?
An action word.
What is this text feature?
A map
What the story is mostly about
Main idea
The word onomatopoeia is easier to explain than to spell! An onomatopoeia is a special type of word. It's a word that imitates the sound of something, like buzz. Many onomatopoeias are animal sounds, such as meow, tweet, and baa. Others are words for sounds that people make, including groan and grunt. Still others are nature sounds, as when we say water splish-splashes and thunder rumbles. Onomatopoeias are part of rich, strong writing.
What is the text structure?
Description
I was not looking forward to transferring schools when I moved.
What does transferring mean as it is used in the sentence?
To change
What is an adjective?
A describing word for a noun.

What is this text feature called?
A photograph with labels
Jackie did not study for the test that she knew was coming for a week because she would rather play on her computer. On the night before the test, she decided she should probably look over the math, but realized she does not know how to solve any of the problems! She ended up staying up all night to study and was too tired to even focus on the test. She did not get a good grade on the test.
What is the theme of this paragraph?
It is important to not procrastinate.
You should always study.
You should put your schoolwork first.
Experts say that too much television can be bad for you. Watching hours of TV results in too much sitting and not enough exercise. Exercise often makes people healthier. TV also takes away from the time kids might spend reading or doing their homework. This means that they might fall behind in school. Some people don't even get enough sleep because they stay up too late watching TV.
What is the text structure?
Cause and effect
The sun progressively got darker as the eclipse happened.
What does the word progressively mean as it is used in the sentence?
Increasingly or more and more.
What is the difference between a proper and common noun?
A proper noun is a specific person, place, or thing and is capitalized. A common noun is a general person, place or thing and is not capitalized.

What is this text feature?
A graph
Recycling things like paper, plastic, and metal helps the Earth by cutting down on trash. Yet many people throw away their newspapers, bottles, and cans instead of recycling them. The question, then, is how to encourage more people to recycle. One way that works is to put recycling containers in more places. Seeing more recycling bins helps people remember to use them. Another way is to teach people why recycling is important. If we make recycling easier and teach people why it matters, more people will join in.
We can get more people to recycle by putting out more bins and teaching people the importance of recycling.
During World War II, the United States needed a way to get messages to soldiers. They wanted a code that the enemy could not understand. One system they used came from the Navajo language. The military asked Navajo soldiers to develop a code based on their language. By remembering a complicated code, the soldiers could send messages that only other U.S. soldiers would understand. Their work helped save lives and win victories.
What is the text structure used here?
Problem solution
I am so sorry, I did not interpret your message correctly last night and I went to the wrong place.
What does the word interpret mean as it is used in the sentence?
To understand or translate.
Give an example of each of the following:
- noun
-verb
-adjective
- any person, place, or thing (can be common or proper) (dog, Pittsburgh, Mickey)
- any action word (jump, run, swim)
- any describing word (brown, fast, happy)

What is this text feature that is used here?
Diagram
Sloths are the slowest mammals on earth. It takes a full minute for a sloth to move 6 feet across the ground. You probably couldn’t move that slowly if you tried! The sloth’s body is about 2 feet long. It has long legs, and curved claws that are 3 to 4 inches long. Their claws and their long legs help them climb trees and hang from tree branches. They spend almost their entire lives hanging from tree branches. The life of a sloth is not very exciting.
What is the main idea of this paragraph?
Sloths move very slow and spend most of their time in trees.
People have lived in the southwestern part of the United States for many thousands of years. The Navajo and the Zuni are both important Native American tribes in this area. They have things in common, such as their tradition of farming. But there are important differences, too, including language. The Navajo language comes from the Athabascan language family. It is related to native languages spoken in Alaska and Canada. However, the Zuni language is not related to any other known language.
What is the text structure used here?
Compare and contrast
We moved to a rural house. I was not used to all of the land!
What does the word rural mean as it is used in the sentence?
To be in the country or characterized by the country.