Literary Elements
The term for the time and place in which a story occurs
What is the setting?
A text that shows how things are alike and different
What is compare and contrast?
when an author hints at future events in a story
What is foreshadowing?
A story that includes magical elements and takes place in an imaginary world
What is fantasy?
What you should do before answering any question on the STAAR reading test
What is read the question and annotate the passage?
the two main parts of a short-constructed response
What are a clear answer (claim) and text evidence?
the difference between active and passive voice
What is active voice has the subject doing the action; passive voice has the action done to the subject.
The struggle between opposing forces in a story
What is conflict?
describes events in the order they happened
What is chronological order?
refers to a writer’s word choice
What is diction?
a story set in the past that includes real historical events or people
What is historical fiction?
What you should look for if a question asks for the best summary
What is the central idea, main ideas, & a beginning, middle, and end?
How many pieces of text evidence you should include in a short-constructed response for full credit
What are at least two pieces of strong evidence?
Identify the voice: “The cookies were eaten by the students.”
What is passive voice?
If the narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of all characters, it is this point of view
What is third-person omniscient?
explains why something happened and what happened as a result
What is cause and effect?
When an author uses exaggeration for effect
What is hyperbole?
A short story that teaches a lesson, often using animals as characters
What is a fable?
How to determine the meaning of an unknown word in a passage
What is use context clues?
Prompt:
“Explain how the main character in a story changes from the beginning to the end. Use evidence from the text to support your response.”
What students should do:
Write a clear thesis stating how the character changes
Support with 2+ pieces of textual evidence
Explain how the evidence shows the change
Conclude by reflecting on the character’s growth or lesson learned
Which sentence shows correct pronoun-antecedent agreement?
A. Everyone must bring their pencil.
B. Each student must bring their pencil.
C. Each student must bring his or her pencil.
What is C. Each student must bring his or her pencil?
A character who changes significantly throughout the story
What is a dynamic character?
A passage that gives a problem and one or more solutions
What is problem and solution?
A contrast between what is expected and what actually happens
What is situational irony?
gives directions or explains how to do something
What is procedural text?
What you should do if two answer choices seem correct
What is go back to the text for evidence?
two strategies to explain how your text evidence supports your answer.
What are elaboration techniques like paraphrasing, commentary, or connecting to the thesis?
Where should a comma go in this sentence?
"Before we leave the game we need to clean up the bleachers."
What is after “game” – “Before we leave the game, we need to clean up the bleachers.”
literary device used when an object represents an idea or concept beyond itself
What is symbolism?
explains a topic by breaking it into parts and giving details
What is description?
A reference to a well-known person, event, or work of literature
What is an allusion?
A literary work that is meant to be performed on stage
What is drama?
What you call the process of explaining how the evidence supports your answer
What is justification or reasoning?
Read this ECR prompt:
“Write a multi-paragraph response analyzing how the author uses figurative language to develop the theme of hope.”
What should be included in each paragraph to fully answer this prompt?
What is a clear topic sentence, at least one piece of text evidence, explanation of how the figurative language reveals hope, and a conclusion that ties back to the theme?
Fix the error in this sentence:
"Neither Maria nor her brothers brought their book to class."
What is change “their” to “his or her” (or “his” if Maria is the only subject) – The correct sentence: “Neither Maria nor her brothers brought their books to class.”