Text structure
POV
GRAMMAR
THEME
Inferences
100

All matter, all things can be changed in two ways: chemically and physically. Both chemical and physical changes affect the state of matter. Physical changes are those that do not change the make-up or identity of the matter. For example, clay will bend or flatten if squeezed, but it will still be clay. Changing the shape of clay is a physical change, and does not change the matter’s identity. Chemical changes turn the matter into a new kind of matter with different properties. For example, when paper is burnt, it becomes ash and will never be paper again. The difference between them is that physical changes are temporary or only last for a little while, and chemical changes are permanent, which means they last forever. Physical and chemical changes both affect the state of matter. 


What is the text structure of this paragraph?

What is compare and contrast?

100

What is point of view?

Point of view is who is telling the story 

100

Words that mean the same thing

What is a synonym? 

100
What is the theme of a story?

The lesson that the author wants you to learn from it

100

What does it mean to draw an inference from a text?

Make an educated guess about something the text doesn't state based off of details in the text

200

When I got home from school after a long boring day, I took out the peanut butter, jelly, and bread. After taking the lid off of the jars, I spread the peanut butter on one side of the bread and the jelly on the other, and then I put the two pieces of bread together. After that, I enjoyed it while watching “Cops” on the TV. I swear, that was the best peanut butter and jelly sandwich I ever ate. 


What is the text structure of this paragraph?

What is chronology?

200

The birds were chirping and the sun was shining. Kevin and Juno were sitting on a park bench together. Neither of them was smiling. After a long period of silence, Kevin said, "This isn't going to work. I mean, you're a dog person and I'm a cat person." Juno nodded. A tear rolled down her face. Kevin went on, "If we got married and bought a house, what kind of pet would we get? Some kind of cat-dog? Somebody's going to be unhappy." Juno began sobbing and said, "Ok, let's just end it now. Have fun with your slobbery dogs." She jumped off the bench and ran into the woods.


What is the POV of this paragraph? 

What is 3rd person?
200

sam first met pam while camping in tampa, Florida.


Correct the sentences mistakes, if there are any.

Sam first met Pam while camping in Tampa, Florida.

200

What are synonyms for the word theme?

Message, lesson, moral

200

Every day after work Paul took his muddy boots off on the steps of the front porch.  Alice would have a fit if the boots made it so far as the welcome mat.  He then took off his dusty overalls and threw them into a plastic garbage bag; Alice left a new garbage bag tied to the porch railing for him every morning.  On his way in the house, he dropped the garbage bag off at the washing machine and went straight up the stairs to the shower as he was instructed.  He would eat dinner with her after he was “presentable,” as Alice had often said. 

What type of job does Paul do? Explain why you think this.

DAILY DOUBLEEEEEEEE

Paul works at some type of job where his clothes get dirty because they are muddy every day. 

300

Robert James Fischer was born in Chicago but unlocked the secrets of chess in a Brooklyn apartment right above a candy store. At the age of six he taught himself to play by following the instruction booklet that came with his chess board. After spending much of his childhood in chess clubs, Fischer said that, “One day, I just got good.” That may be a bit of an understatement. At the age of 13 he won the U.S. Junior Chess Championship, becoming the youngest Junior Champion ever. At the age of 14 he won the U.S. Championship and became the youngest U.S. Champion in history. Fischer would go on to become the World Champion of chess, but he would also grow to become his own worst enemy. Instead of defending the title, he forfeited it to the next challenger without even making a move, and the rise of a chess superstar ended with a fizzle. 


What is the text structure of this paragraph?

What is chronology?

300

The dew on the grass made my running shoes damp. It didn't bother me. The sound of my feet hitting the street formed a rhythm, a steady pattern of light thumps. I timed my breathing with the rhythm. These sounds filled my head. I thought of nothing other than the next step and keeping my tempo. I soared over the sidewalks like concrete clouds. 


What is the POV of this paragraph?

What is 1st person?

300

John was so hungry he didn't leave a single particle of the muffin on the plate. 


What does particle mean as it is used in the sentence?

Piece

300

When Katie Clean invited Messy Missy to her house to work on their biology project, she had no idea what a visit from Messy Missy entailed. First of all, it was raining and Messy Missy neither bothered to take her boots off nor thoroughly wiped them on the doormat. Then Messy Missy ate a bag of hot chips on Katie Clean’s white bedspread without asking. Messy Missy is a sloppy eater too, so hot chip powder got all over the bedspread. Katie Clean tried to be polite and ignore Messy Missy’s sloppy behavior. But then Messy Missy threw her chip wrapper on the floor. Offended, Katie Clean pretended that she was sick and asked Messy Missy to leave. The next day Katie Clean asked the teacher if she could work by herself. After Katie explained the situation, the teacher allowed Katie to work alone. Messy Missy almost finished the assignment alone, but she spilled grape soda all over it and quit. 

What is the theme of this paragraph?

Respect other peoples' property/Choose your partners carefully

300

Crack!  Thunder struck and rain poured.  Max stared blankly out the window, trying to contain his emotions that raged like the weather.  He was beginning to lose it.  Dropping the kite from his hand, Max broke out into full sobs.  His mother comforted him, “There, there, Max.  We’ll just find something else to do.”  She began to unpack the picnic basket that was on the counter and offered him a sandwich.  Max snapped, “I don’t wanna sand-mich!”  A flash from the sky lit up the living room.  Boom!  Mom sighed.


Why is Max upset?

It is raining and he cannot go outside and play.

400

Dr. Miller doesn’t want the tigers to vanish. These majestic beasts are disappearing at an alarming rate. Dr. Miller thinks that we should write to our congress people. If we let them know that we demand the preservation of this species, maybe we can make a difference. Dr. Miller also thinks that we should donate to Save the Tigers. Our donations will help to support and empower those who are fighting the hardest to preserve the tigers. We owe it to our grandchildren to do something. 


What is the text structure of this paragraph?

What is problem and solution?

400

April opened the escape hatch. She was afraid to jump, but she realized that the airship was sinking. She looked at Vince, who was strapping on his parachute. Vince locked eyes with her and then he realized the error in his conduct. "I'm sorry, April. That was ungentlemanly of me. Let me help you with yours." He proceeded to attach the other parachute to April's back. This made him feel a little better. 


What POV is this paragraph??

What is 3rd person?

400

Cassie took her time when she wrote cursive, slowly making each word out of an elegant series of arcs and loops. 


What does elegant mean as it is used in the sentence?

graceful/stylish in appearance 

400

Money Mark was born rich. He never had to work a day in his life and he got everything handed to him on a silver platter. When he was six, Money Mark wanted to go to a basketball game. His father paid the starting five of the Bulls and Celtics to play a private game of Nerf-ball in Money Mark’s bedroom. When Money Mark turned thirteen, he wanted to start a band. His father hired the Mountain Boys to play with him every Saturday at the family’s private concert hall, though his family was never there. By the time he was twenty-one, Money Mark was bored with life. He was surrounded by a bunch of possessions that he didn’t appreciate. Nothing was new or exciting to him. Despite his vast wealth, Money Mark never found happiness. Penny Petal was born poor. Her family hardly had anything to eat, but they loved each other. Penny Petal appreciated every thing she got. When she was six, her father walked her around the United Center before the Bulls played the Celtics. She was excited by the crazy fans and feeling in the air. She looked forward to the day that she could see a real game. When she was thirteen, she learned to play the buckets. She was an extremely talented musician, a natural percussionist. Everyone on the block loved the rhythms that poured from her palms. By the time she was twenty-one, Penny was a successful businesswoman. Soon she had everything that she had ever dreamed of having. She loved to share her wealth and happiness with her family, who had supported her through the hard times.

What is the theme of this paragraph?

Money doesn't buy happiness

You don't appreciate the things for which you don't work

400

Kyle ran into his house, slamming the door behind him.  He threw his book bag on the floor and plopped onto the couch.  After six hours of playing Grand Larceny VII, he ate some pizza and fell asleep with a slice on his stomach and his feet on his book bag. When Kyle came home from school the next day, he was noticeably distraught.  He balled up his report card and placed it inside a soup can in the garbage. He then flipped the soup can upside down in the garbage can and arranged loose pieces of trash over it.  As he plopped down on the couch, he let out a sigh and picked up his controller.


Why is Kyle distraught (or upset)?

He probably got bad grades.

500

Many people are confused about why our economy went to shambles in 2008. The crisis was actually the result of a combination of many complex factors. First, easy credit conditions allowed people who were high-risk or unworthy of credit to borrow, and even people who had no income were eligible for large loans. Second, banks would bundle these toxic loans and sell them as packages on the financial market. Third, large insurance firms backed these packages, misrepresenting these high-risk loans as safe investments. Fourth, because of the ease of acquiring credit and the rapid growth in the housing market, people were buying two or three houses, intending to sell them for more than they paid. All of these factors created bubbles of speculation. These bubbles burst, sending the whole market into a downward spiral, causing employers to lose capital and lay off employees. Consumer spending then plummeted and most businesses suffered. The economy is like a big boat, and once it gets moving quickly in the wrong direction, it’s hard to turn it around. 


What is the text structure of this paragraph?

What is cause and effect?

500

The stars were burning brightly in the night sky. The evening breeze felt cool on my skin. It was the last night of summer break and I was calm, oddly calm. It's not that I was excited to go back to school. I wasn't. School is a lot of work for me. But I was excited to see my friends again, and I knew that she would be there. 


What is the POV of this paragraph?

What is 1st person?

500

The triceratops filled his belly with the cool water from the stream. 


What is the pronoun in this sentence? What is the antecedent to which the pronoun refers?

Pronoun- his

antecedent- triceratops 

500

Tammy and Sammy were both students in Mr. Morton’s reading class. Mr. Morton wasn’t too strict about deadlines, and Sammy took advantage of that. Sammy did all his homework in his other classes. But he never bothered to complete Mr. Morton’s reading assignments. He figured that he could complete them later. Tammy, on the other hand, completed each assignment Mr. Morton had assigned every night. She had to stay up a little later, but she knew that reading was the most important subject. She knew that if she learned to read well, then she could teach herself anything. So she always worked hard in her reading class. When the end of the quarter came, Tammy and Sammy had both planned on going to the Magic Castle amusement park. They were both so excited. But then Mr. Morton called Sammy’s mother to report Sammy's grade. She grounded Sammy and that weekend was horrible for him. He stayed up until 2:00 AM each night, yet he still couldn’t complete all the assignments. Meanwhile, Tammy had a great time eating pizza at Enchanted Castle. After that she stayed up late and watched movies. She enjoyed her weekend free of stress and pressure. At the end of the quarter, Sammy was lucky to squeak by with a C minus. Tammy earned an A. Yet, Sammy still hasn’t learned his lesson. He may not complete this activity either.

What is the theme of this paragraph?

It is better to do things right the first time

Work hard, play hard 

500

Cassie rolled over in her bed as she felt the sunlight hit her face.  The beams were warming the back of her neck when she slowly realized that it was a Thursday, and she felt a little too good for a Thursday.  Struggling to open her eyes, she looked up at the clock. “9:48,” she shouted, “Holy cow!”  Cassie jumped out of bed, threw on the first outfit that she grabbed, brushed her teeth in two swipes, threw her books into her backpack, and then ran out the door. 

Where is Cassie going?

Cassie is going to school.