Context Clues
She considered that Byron's latest efforts in the classroom might signify his desire to make a positive change.
Definition of the word signify?
What clues led you to this definition?
Signify: to show or indicate something; to be a sign of something
Byron is showing signs that he is trying to improve himself
Coach Ruggeri put a great team together but most of them were seniors and now that they’re all graduating, he’ll have to build a new team from scratch.
What is the meaning of this idiom?
To make, build, or do something from scratch means to start at the beginning of a process or to use only the most rudimentary elements in the production of something
Your little voice
Over the wires came leaping and I felt suddenly dizzy
What is being personified?
Which human trait or quality is given?
Your voice is personified.
It is given the ability to leap.
Fiction: science fiction, historical fiction, and realistic fiction
Nonfiction: autobiographies, biographies, informational writing, and essays Folklore: myth, fairytale, legend, tall tale, and fable
Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules Verne
The story of a German professor who believes there are volcanic tubes going toward the center of the Earth. He, his nephew Axel, and their guide Hans climb down a crater and have many wild adventures, encountering dinosaurs and prehistoric man. They eventually return to surface again in southern Italy.
Genre?
Subgenre?
Explain your answer.
Genre: Fiction
Subgenre: Science fiction
This is a made-up story with futuristic technology
Being a clown isn't all fun and games. Rodeo clowns expose themselves to great danger every time they perform. When cowboys dismount or bulls buck them off, rodeo clowns jump in front of the bulls and motion wildly to get their attention. In this way rodeo clowns provide an alternate target, and in doing so protect the rider. Of course, this is a very dangerous thing to do. So you see, sometimes clowning around can be serious business.
Summarize this paragraph in one sentence. Be specific and clearly explain the main idea.
Rodeo clowns protect cowboys by putting themselves in danger.
Dexter wanted to take honors math, but the course load was too laborious alongside his football practices.
What is the definition of the word laborious?
What clues led you to this definition?
Laborious: something that is a lot of work; a task requiring lots of effort over a long period of time
Readers can conclude that the honors math course is a lot of work
Mom drew a line in the sand about using our phones at the dinner table and now we talk a lot more as a family during dinner.
What is the meaning of this idiom?
To draw a line in the sand is to make a rule or set a position and to fight passionately to maintain it
I was full after eating the mile high ice cream cone.
What figurative language is being used? Explain your answer
Hyperbole
Extreme exaggeration is used to describe the ice cream
Fiction: science fiction, historical fiction, and realistic fiction
Nonfiction: autobiographies, biographies, informational writing, and essays Folklore: myth, fairytale, legend, tall tale, and fable
The Reign of Attila the Hun by Ed Reaves
Attila the Hun was the scourge of both the Eastern and Western Roman Empires in the 440s and 450s. . He invaded and conquered territory in what would now be considered France and Italy, terrorizing the countryside along the way. This text tells the story of Attila's life.
Genre?
Subgenre?
Explain your answer.
Genre: Nonfiction
Subgenre: Biography
This text tells the true story of Atilla the Hun's life and someone else writes it.
Before you put on that skeleton costume and rove door-to-door pandering for candy, take a minute to reflect on this tradition. Halloween is believed to have come from an ancient Celtic festival dating back some 2,000 years. November 1st was the Celtic New Year and marked the end of summer to the Celts. They celebrated on its eve by wearing costumes made of animal skins and dancing around bon fires. Over the next two millennia, this primitive celebration grew to be the candy fueled costume ball that we know today.
Summarize this paragraph in one sentence. Be specific and clearly explain the main idea.
This paragraph is about the origins of Halloween
After Mom found the devoured cake, the dog crouched furtively behind the couch..
What is the definition of the word furtively?
What clues led you to this definition?
Furtively: done in a way that is sneaky or suggests guilt
Readers can conclude that the dog probably ate the cake
I appreciate the pleasantries but as the crow flies, I’d like to know the reason that you are calling me at this hour.
What is the meaning of this idiom?
As the crow flies means to get to the point or to travel in a straight direction. This expression probably refers to how a bird would travel in a line rather than going over and around obstacles in the terrain
The fire swallowed the house before the firefighters arrived.
What figurative language is being used? Explain your answer
Personification
Human qualities were given to the fire
Fiction: science fiction, historical fiction, and realistic fiction
Nonfiction: autobiographies, biographies, informational writing, and essays Folklore: myth, fairytale, legend, tall tale, and fable
The Fox and the Grapes retold by Aesop
One day a fox came upon a grape orchard and found a bunch of beautiful grapes hanging from a high branch. "Boy those sure would be tasty," he thought to himself. He backed up and took a running start, and jumped. He did not get high enough. He went back to his starting spot and tried again. He almost got high enough this time, but he still could not reach the grapes. He tried again and again, but he just couldn't get high enough to reach the grapes. Finally, he gave up. As he walked away, he put his nose in the air and said: "I am sure those grapes are sour anyway." It is easy to hate what you cannot have.
Genre?
Subgenre?
Explain your answer.
Genre: Folklore
Subgenre: Fable
This is a very short story with a moral and someone retells it.
When one hears the term "reality" applied to a show, one might expect that the events portrayed occurred naturally or, at the least, were not scripted. This is not always the case. Many reality shows occur in unreal environments, like rented mansions occupied by film crews. Such living environments do not reflect what most people understand to be "reality." Worse, there have been accusations that events not captured on film were later restaged by producers. Worse still, some involved in the production of "reality" television claim that the participants were urged to act out story lines premeditated by producers. With such accusations floating around, it's no wonder many people take reality TV to be about as real as the sitcom.
Summarize this paragraph in one sentence. Be specific and clearly explain the main idea.
This paragraph is about how reality television isn't always real.
When I saw that she was making a special Valentine's Day card just for Kevin, I knew that she was smitten with him.
What is the definition of the word smitten?
What clues led you to this definition?
Smitten: to feel a strong attachment or love for someone
She is making a special card just for Kevin because she likes him.
If a company wants to bring a new product to the overcrowded tech aisles, they better be ready to duke it out.
What is the meaning of this idiom?
To duke it out means to fight ferociously. Dukes have been used as a synonym for fists for a long time, such as in the expression "put up your dukes.
We'll never make it into this dinosaur you call a car.
What figurative language is being used? Explain your answer
Metaphor
Comparison made without using like or as
Fiction: science fiction, historical fiction, and realistic fiction
Nonfiction: autobiographies, biographies, informational writing, and essays Folklore: myth, fairytale, legend, tall tale, and fable
The Reading Times published by the Mortini Group
This periodical contains strategies for teachers and students to improve reading comprehension skills.
Genre?
Subgenre?
Explain your answer.
Genre: Nonfiction
Subgenre: Informational writing
This text provides readers with information about becoming better at reading
Sir Isaac Newton was contemplating the universe in his garden one day in 1665 when he noticed an apple fall from a tree. Newton wondered to himself, “Why should the apple always fall to the ground? Why does it not go sideways or upwards but directly toward the Earth’s center?” After much contemplation Newton concluded that objects are pulled to the Earth through a force that he called gravity, which means heaviness in Latin. On July 5th, 1687 Newton formally expressed his law of universal gravitation in series of books called The Principia.
Summarize this paragraph in one sentence. Be specific and clearly explain the main idea.
Appropriate title?
A falling apple inspired Newton to think about gravity.
Appropriate title: Look Out Below
I became indignant after the hostess seated another group of people that arrived at the restaurant after we did.
What is the definition of the word indignant?
What clues led you to this definition?
Indignant: angry about being treated unfairly
The speaker is mad that the hostess has skipped them at least twice.
The mystery novelist decided at the last minute to include an ex-convict, who would later prove to be innocent, as a suspect in her story; she was using this new character as a red herring.
What is the meaning of this idiom?
A red herring is a distraction or an attempt to misdirect attention to something that is not important. It may refer to the idea of a criminal using a red herring or fish to mislead bloodhounds.
The stars winked at me as I searched for the constellations.
What figurative language is being used? Explain your answer
Personification
Human qualities were given to the stars
Fiction: science fiction, historical fiction, and realistic fiction
Nonfiction: autobiographies, biographies, informational writing, and essays Folklore: myth, fairytale, legend, tall tale, and fable
The Rising by Lindsay Logan
When Sheila moves to a new school in California, she has some trouble fitting in with the other kids. She cannot afford the expensive clothing that the other kids wear and she does not have the newest cell phone, but she does have a good heart. Will a chance run-in with a celebrity whom Sheila admires give Sheila the confidence she needs to adapt to her new environment?
Genre?
Subgenre?
Explain your answer.
Genre: Fiction
Subgenre: Realistic fiction
This is a made-up story that can actually happen.
Galileo Galilei was an influential scientist and one of the early developers of the refracting telescope. In 1632 Galileo published a book called Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, in which he compared the Copernican view of a heliocentric universe, one where the sun is at the center, with the geocentric view, one in which the Earth is at the center. The Church took offense as to how Galileo portrayed the geocentric view using a character named Simplicio, which has undertones of simpleton in the Italian language, and he was put on trial before the Roman Inquisition. The Inquisition ordered Galileo to recant his ideas, his book was banned, he was forbidden from publishing anything else, and he was sentenced to house arrest for the rest of his life. I guess it’s not just what you say that’s important but how you say it.
Summarize this paragraph in one sentence. Be specific and clearly explain the main idea.
Appropriate title?
Galileo was punished severely by the Church for the tone that he took in a book.
An appropriate title: The Star Gazer's Fate