Main Idea

We are going to start discussing how to find the main idea of a passage and how to support our evaluation of main idea with supporting details from the text. Watch the below video to get a better understanding of main idea.

yo main Idea

Characterization and Inferences

This week, we will discuss, in more detail, how to make inferences while reading. In addition, we will also discuss characterization.  We will read the story, Eleven and see how the writer, Sandra Cisneros, reveals a character's personality through actions and thoughts. Please watch the below videos and prepare to read our story.

Take a look at the below pictures. Write a paragraph describing each character. Are they a villain or a hero? How do you know? In the picture, do they look happy, sad, mad? How do you know?

How does the writer use characterization to differentiate between the 3 little pigs?

Figurative Language

Please see the below definitions for the figurative language we will go over in class. I've included some videos that will help you commit these examples of figurative language to memory.

Simile - The comparison of two unlike things using the words like or as

Metaphor - The direct comparison of two unlike things

Analogy - Drawing a comparison in order to show similarity

Personification - Giving human characteristics to nonhuman things

Idiom - A figure of speech known by an entire culture of people (Break a leg.) 

Alliteration - The repeated use of an initial consonant sound

Hyperbole - A statement that is an exaggeration 

Summarizing

How do you summarize?

Summarizing is a continued focus in our Reading and Writing Classroom. In a fiction and nonfiction piece of text, you can use the same strategies to come up with a great summary after you finish reading.

Summarizing a story means you are telling the most important parts of the story in your own words. Watch the below video to get an overview of the steps you take to summarize a story.

The below video gives you a strategy that you can use to help you write a summary and it also helps you understand the difference between retelling and summarizing.

Could you write a summary of your favorite movie or song? See my example of a summary for Justin Bieber's song, Right Here.

Who: Justin Bieber and Drake

What: Trying to convince a girl that he is interested in that all she needs is him and he promises not to hurt her.

When and Where: Setting has not been established.

Why: The girl in the song has been hurt and appears to be reluctant to date Justin.

Summary: Justin Bieber, with the help of Drake, are trying to convince a girl Justin is interested in that all she needs is him and he promises not to hurt her. The setting of the song is not established. The girl in the song has been hurt and appears to be reluctant to date Justin. 

Can you summarize these songs?

Setting, Plot and Theme

Unit 1 Short Stories

During this unit, we will focus on theme, or the lessons we learn about life from reading.

Setting and Plot are the two major concepts we are learning in our class. We will determine the meaning of plot and setting, then apply our knowledge of these terms to summarize the plot of short stories and describe the setting of each story.

Elements of Setting

Elements of Plot

This is an example of a plot diagram worksheet that we will fill after reading a story. 

Theme is an idea about life that characters, actions and images express.

What is the common theme of the songs below?