Transcript Intensive Reading Semester Exam Review

Intensive Reading
Semester Exam Review
Literary elements
• Antagonist – A major character who opposes
the main character, or protagonist, of a story.
Usually, but not always, the “bad guy”.
• Dynamic character – A character who changes
because of actions or experiences.
• Setting – The time and place in which events
of a story occur. The setting can oftentimes be
very important to the plot.
Literary elements con’t
• Point of view – The position from which the events of a
story seem to be observed and told.
• A first person POV tells the story through what the narrator
knows, experiences, concludes, or can find out by talking to
other characters. A first person POV narrator will use the
words I, we, us, etc.
• A third person POV may be omniscient, giving the narrator
unlimited knowledge of things, events, and characters,
including characters’ hidden thoughts and feelings. Or it
may be limited to what one or a few characters know and
experience. A third person POV narrator will use the words
he, she, they, characters names, etc.
Literary Elements con’t
• The author’s purpose is his or her reason for writing. An author may write
to inform, entertain, inspire, reflect, or persuade.
• The author’s tone is the author’s attitude toward the topic and characters.
• The author’s attitude is expressed through the words and details he or she
selects.
• For example, textbooks are usually written with an objective tone which
includes facts and reasonable explanations. The objective tone is matterof-fact and neutral. The details are mostly facts. On the other hand, fiction
and personal essays are usually written with a subjective tone. A
subjective tone uses words that describe feelings, judgments, or opinions.
The details are likely to include experiences, senses, feelings, and
thoughts.
• Objective tone is impartial. It does not show any feelings for or against a
topic; therefore, it is unbiased or neutral. Often objective tone uses higher
level words and avoids pronouns such as I and you, creating a formal tone.
• Subjective tone is personal, biased, emotional, and often informal.
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Literary Elements con’t
• Symbol – A symbol is a person, place, event, or object
that represents something else. For example, a tiger
might represent strength or power. A symbol can have
more than one meaning and its meaning might change
throughout the story.
• Theme – The theme of a story is a message or lesson
about life in the story. To discover the theme, look for
clues in the title of the story. Also think about the
characters, their thoughts, and their conflicts. Authors
do not usually come right out and explain the theme of
a story; they want readers to put clues together to
arrive at the message about life or human nature.
Literary Elements con’t
• Style: The manner of expression of a particular writer,
produced by choice of words, grammatical structures,
use of literary devices, and all the possible parts of
language use. Some general styles might include
scientific, ornate, plain, and emotive. Most writers
have their own particular styles.
• Diction: An author’s choice of words. Since words have
specific meanings, and since one’s choice of words can
affect feelings, a writer’s choice of words can have
great impact in a literary work.
Context Clues
• Text book writers usually know when they
must use a word that will be new to their
student readers. So they often include other
words or phrases to help with the
understanding of the new word. These words
or phrases are referred to as context clues.
They are built into the sentences around the
difficult word.
Context Clues con’t
• Definitions: Authors sometimes includes a word’s
definition in the text to clarify the word’s
meaning. This kind of context clue is often set off
by a comma or parentheses.
• By using PVC (polyvinyl chloride) pipe, the team
built a robot that was not only cheaper, but
better.
• Comparison: Comparison context clues are often
synonyms.
• The dinner I cooked was delectable, similar to the
delicious meal my mom made the night before.
Context Clues con’t
• Contrast: Contrast context clues are often
antonyms.
• The price of the meal was exorbitant, but the
same meal at a different restaurant was much
cheaper.
• Examples: Authors sometimes include an
example of the unknown word as a context clue.
• The kitchen store sells gadgets, such as bottle
openers, measuring cups, and bowls.
Reading Strategies
• Pre-reading – Preview the text, set a purpose for reading,
make predictions, monitor comprehension, confirm or
adjust predictions, reread for clarification of ideas and/or
vocabulary.
• Clarify ideas – 1. Note confusion. Stop reading when the
selection is unclear or confusing to you. 2. Go back and
reread to see whether you missed something important.
Read slowly. 3. Keep reading. The author may give more
information. 4. Use what you know to link ideas and clarify
the meaning.
• Clarify vocabulary – 1. Look for familiar word parts. 2.
Look for clues in the sentence to help you find the meaning
of the word. 3. Look for parts they may have in common
as well as how the words are used in the sentence.
Reading Strategies con’t
• Determine Importance – Main ideas: Section
heads are words set off by themselves in large
type. They usually divide an article according
to its main idea to show what each part is
mostly about. The main ideas are supported
by details that provide additional information.
Locate main ideas to locate important ideas.
Reading Strategies con’t
• Determine Importance – Summarize: Stories
include all kinds of details such as dates,
names and events. To focus on the big
picture, you can summarize, or tell only the
main ideas of a text. When you make a
summary, you restate the most important
ideas.
Reading Strategies con’t
• Determine Importance – What is important to
you: Authors give you clues about which
details they think are the most important, but
only you can decide which details are
important to you personally. 1. Write down
what the selection is mainly about. 2. Write
down the ideas and information you think are
important to remember. 3. Write down what
has personal meaning and explain why.
Reading Strategies con’t
• Making Inferences: An inference is a
reasonable conclusion. When you make
inferences, you read between the lines of a
story. You use important clues and details to
figure out what the author suggests, but does
not say directly. You can use what you know
about the world to make inferences about
characters and events in stories.
Reading Strategies con’t
• Making Inferences:
• 1. As you read, jot down details in the text that help you
understand characters and their relationships.
• 2. Use your knowledge about people and their
relationships as you read to make sense of the story.
• 3. As you read, ask yourself how the details from the story
connect to what you already know. What do you think
these details suggest about the story’s characters and their
relationships.
• 4. As you read, notice what the characters wonder, guess.
And discover about each other. Their inferences can help
you see how real people understand and misunderstand
each other.
Words to Know
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Judge (v.)/Pre-judge
Admire/Admiration
Demography
Familiarity
Credible
Abstract
Acknowledgement
Subdued
Desolately