character the person or animal that the story

character the person or animal that the story is about What does the character say? How do they act?

character the person or animal that the story is about

setting when and where the story takes place WHEN did the story happen? WHERE did the story take place?

setting when and where the story takes place WHEN did the story happen? WHERE did the story take place?

plot what happens in a story (beginning, middle, end), including the problem & solution

problem an obstacle, or trouble that needs to be solved in the story

solution how the problem in the story was solved

main idea what the story or text is MOSTLY about

details other important sentences or ideas from the story that help explain the main idea

sequence the order of the events in a story, or the order of directions, or steps (first, next, then, last)

cause WHY something happens in a story The little boy was really sleepy.

effect WHAT happens in a story He went to bed early.

compare when you tell how 2 different things are ALIKE or SIMILAR Baseball and basketball are ALIKE because both sports need teams and have rules.

contrast when you tell how 2 or more things are DIFFERENT Baseball and basketball are DIFFERENT because both sports have different sized balls.

author‘s purpose Why did the author write this story?

persuade Was the author trying to get you to do something or change your mind? posters, letters, commercials

inform Was the author trying to teach you or give you information about something? directions, recipes, how-to books

entertain Was the author trying to make you laugh or smile? fairy tales, joke books, mysteries

fantasy events from a story that are UNREAL, or could NOT really happen

reality events from a story that are REAL, or COULD really happen X

rhyme words that end with the same sound cat, mat, rat, bat, sat, hat fin, grin, pin, bin, win

simile comparing two unlike things using the words “like” or “as” I was as hungry as a lion. She swam like a dolphin.

alliteration words in a sentence whose beginning sounds repeat Sally saw seven seashells by the sea. Bobby built big buildings.

onomatopoeia words that seem to make a sound BOOM crash splat crunch

context clues using clues from the sentence to help figure out the meaning of unknown words The school was enormous. It was so huge, that it would be easy to get lost.

antonyms words that have opposite meanings HOT COLD

synonyms words that have similar meanings HOT WARM FIERY FLAMING BOILING SCORCHING STEAMY

homophone words that are pronounced the same, but have different s meanings We won our soccer game! There is one girl playing.

comparatives comparing TWO things �� -er The little girl is tall. Her brother is taller.

superlatives comparing THREE OR MORE things�� -est taller tallest

compound words putting together two words with different meanings to lady make a new word ladybug

root words a basic word playful unhappy retake smiling friendly cheerful

prefix a word beginning unhappy retake disagree pretest defrost semicircle

suffix a word ending playful friendly joyous smiling fearless boxes