Story Elements
The events that happen before the climax
What is the rising action?
A person is pacing around, opening drawers, looking under beds and has a worried look on their face. You can infer that they
Have lost something important
The most important point the writer is trying to make
What is the central idea?
What questions do you ask when writing a summary?
Who? What? When? Where? and How?
What are character traits?
The character's personality
The beginning of the story where the characters and setting are introduced
What is the exposition?
When someone says they are as white as a ghost, you can infer that they
Are afraid
Facts, examples or reasons that expand the central idea
What are supporting details?
What is the difference between summary and main idea?
Summary tells us what the story is about using details. The main idea tells the point of the story.
How do you find character traits?
Look for what the character does and says
The most exciting part of the story and the turning point for the character
What is the climax?
When children are trick-or-treating, you can infer that it is
Niagara Falls is one of the most beautiful sights in North America. It is on the Niagara River between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. The Falls are 167 feet high on the American side and 161 feet high on the Canadian side. What is the main idea of the paragraph?
Niagara Falls is one of the most beautiful sights in North America.
After you have written your summary, what should you make sure you have included?
The beginning, middle, end, main characters and the conflict.
What key words will tell you it is a character trait question?
Describe, kind of person, gives character's names
Where the problem is solved
What is the resolution
When someone is dressed in a jacket, ski hat, gloves and a scarf, you can infer that the weather is
cold
The Statue of Liberty is visited by thousands of people every year. It is a 151 foot statue of a woman holding a torch. It is located on an island in New York harbor. It was a gift from France and has become the universal symbol of freedom. What is the main idea of the paragraph?
The Statue of Liberty is visited by thousands of people every year.
What should you not include in a summary?
Opinions/judgements
What should you do first when answering a character trait question?
a. read the passage
b. look at the question
B
The events that take place after the climax
What is the falling action?
A conclusion based on what you know and evidence from a text
What is an inference?
Kangaroos eat grass, leaves and roots. The joey lives in its mother's pouch for nine months. They only like green grass. What is the main idea of the paragraph?
Kangaroos eat grasses, leaves and roots.
Which of the following is NOT true about a summary?
a. The summary is what the text is mostly about.
b. The summary is what all or most the sentences are about.
c. The summary is one small part in a sentence.
C
What part of the story is the turning point for a character?
The climax