Name:_____________________________________ Pd:________ Date:___________________

6th Language Arts

Mrs. Nichols

Unit Two/Three Study Guide- Fiction and Non-Fiction

Main Idea- the purpose of the paragraph, text, poem, or passage; all of the information presented in the text

should connect with the main idea. It is the biggest idea in the text! Ask yourself, "What is the text mostly

about?" Hint: Many times, tests ask, "Another good title for this passage would be...." It's just another way of

asking for the main idea!

Supporting Details- details of the main idea that support an argument or author's purpose for writing; usually

tells who, what, when, where, and why. The supporting details prove the value of the main idea.

Author's Organizational Patterns a.k.a. Text Structures- how writers organize the text and the information

to fit a specific mode or topic.

- A Long Walk to Water: It was organized in chronological order, however, the author also compared and

contrasted Salva's life to Nya's. Remember the text features that let us know the date and who the speaker

was? In addition, that novel also dealt with cause and effect. The war caused Salva to be displaced and

separated from his family. Salva dealt with many problems in the novel, but one problem that he solved was

bringing water to the villages in Sudan.

- Love That Dog: It was organized in chronological order. We could watch Jack's progression as a character

throughout the school year.

Examples of Text Structures:

- Description- the author provides several details of something to give the reader a mental picture; has many

adjectives, characteristics, examples all while answering questions such as what, where, why, and how.

Key Words: characteristics, such as, looks like, an example, for instance

Class example: Descriptive Love Letters to Favorite Food

- Compare and Contrast- the author discusses similarities and differences between people, things, concepts, or

ideas; likenesses and differences are discussed.

Key Words: similar, same, alike, both, as well as, unlike, as opposed to, on the other hand, in contrast,

instead

- Chronological Order and Sequence- the author provides readers with chronological events and dates or a list

of steps in a procedure; events are in order, there are instructions, step by step. Text features, such as dates and

times, clue you in to chronological order!

Key words: first, second, third, next, finally, in the beginning, specific dates

Class example: A Long Walk to Water and Love That Dog were written in chronological order.

- Cause and Effect- the author describes an event or several events (cause) and the events that follow (effect)

Key words: cause, because, effect, as a result, due to, reason

Class example: 1) Because Salva's school was ambushed, he ran away from his village and became a

refugee in Ethiopia and Kenya. 2) Jack's dog Sky was hit by a speeding blue car, and as a result, his dog

passed away. 3) Due to pollution of plastics in the watersheds, marine life such as dolphins and whales

are washing up on the shores of Iceland, Ireland, and Scotland.

- Problem and Solution- the author gives information about a problem and explains one or more solutions; a

problem is solved or needs solving. Do not confuse it with cause and effect. It will be clearly presented as a

problem.

Key words: problem, solution, solve, I propose

Class example: Tackling Plastic PBL- There are plastics in waterways, how do we solve this problem?

Our four groups that submitted their solutions to National Geographic proposed recycling the plastic to

make toys instead, using the plastic bags to make soccer balls, using the plastic bags to make pillows

and beds, and recycling the plastic for multi-use cups. Those are four very different solutions to the

problem of plastics in the Sudan waterway.

Book Clubs:

Characterization- when the writer makes statements about a character's personality and tells what the character

is like directly. Sometimes, an author reveals information about a character through that character's thoughts,

words, and actions. In addition, sometimes how other characters respond to that character will give us insight,

or information, about that main character. This technique is implied or indirect information, where we, as the

readers, have to infer information about the character. Think about how Jack's character changed and

transformed in Love That Dog and also think about how Salva's character changed over time and events in A

Long Walk to Water.

Setting- How does the setting of a story impact the plot? How does the setting of a story impact the characters?

Think about the setting of your book club novel. Does your character change as the setting changes? Does the

plot move forward because of the setting?

Example: Book Club Novel Refugee

There are three main characters in this book, in three different settings, in three different time periods.

Because of this, each character is different and fighting/facing a different conflict, or problem, in the

story. Hint: If need be, make a plot diagram! Remember that from the beginning of the year? Setting is

in the exposition.

Inferencing- Using what I already know as the reader to make predictions and draw conclusions in the text.

This is known as reading between the lines. We use clues from the author, including words from the text, we

use dialog, descriptive language, and figurative language to make inferences about what we are reading and

what the author is trying to say.

Example: Highlighting text features, writing in the margins, asking questions, making predictions,

highlighting key words and vocabulary, drawing my own conclusions about the characters and using

textual evidence to back up my answers. You use inferencing skills in fiction AND non-fiction.

Poetry:

Figurative Language- Language that is not literal! It is used by the author to make a point, be descriptive, or

engage the reader. It can be used in poetry, fiction, AND non-fiction.

Examples:

simile- a comparison of two things using the words like or as. What is the simile in the following poem?

Sometimes

When you are trying

Not to think about something

it keeps popping back

into your head

you can't help it

you think about it

and

think about it

and

think about it

and

think about it

until your brain feels like

a squashed pea.

- Jack, Love That Dog

metaphor- a direct comparison of two things. It does NOT use like or as (Juliet is the sun).

repetition- repeats the same phrase or idea multiple times for emphasis or to make something clearer;

Sky's tail was wag-wag-wagging and he was slob-slob-slobbering; from the poem:

"I love that dog

like a bird loves to fly,

I said I love that dog

like a bird loves to fly."

onomatopoeia- a word that sounds like the sound it names (Squeak, Bam, Oink).

hyperbole- an extreme exaggeration (I have asked you to clean your room a million times!).

personification- when an object is given human qualities (The wind whistled throughout the storm).

alliteration- repeated sounds at the beginning of words (She sells sea shells at the sea shore; Peter

Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers).

idiom- a common saying with a meaning completely different from its dictionary meaning or literal

translation (raining cats and dogs; that test was a piece of cake).

assonance- repetition of a vowel sound INSIDE of a word (like lake and fade).

consonance- repetition of consonant sounds (like wish, shush, and cushion).

Poetic Elements- Read each line in order to understand, then analyze. Write down the lines of the poem, then

count the stanzas. Remember, stanzas are a poem's paragraphs. Look for figurative language, descriptive

language, sensory language, and rhyme scheme.

rhyme scheme- what a poet uses to rhyme the last word in a line of a poem. (AABB, ABAB, ABCB,

etc).

rhythm- the beat and pace of a poem, usually because of syllables placed in specific spots. Rhythm can

help strengthen the meaning of words and ideas in a poem.

Poetic Forms- This is the way that a poem is organized, or structured.

free verse- there is no pattern in rhyme scheme or rhythm; it may use figurative language such as

repetition, to prove a point for the reader. Jack, from Love That Dog, often wrote in free verse.

haiku- a 3 line poem; the first line usually has 5 syllables, the second line has 7 syllables, and the third

line has 5 syllables. Haikus are often about nature.

rhyming poem- simply a poem that rhymes, or has the poetic element of a rhyme scheme.

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening BY ROBERT FROST

Whose woods these are I think I know. A Notice the rhyme scheme of this poem.

His house is in the village though; A I have labeled it for you!

He will not see me stopping here B

To watch his woods fill up with snow. A

My little horse must think it queer B

To stop without a farmhouse near B

Between the woods and frozen lake C

The darkest evening of the year. B

He gives his harness bells a shake C

To ask if there is some mistake. C

The only other sound’s the sweep D

Of easy wind and downy flake. C

The woods are lovely, dark and deep, D

But I have promises to keep, D

And miles to go before I sleep, D

And miles to go before I sleep. D

sonnet- a poem of 14 lines, where the last two lines- called a couplet- rhyme.

theme- the message or an idea that the author reveals in the text; it may be an underlying idea that has to be

inferred. Sherlock Holmes has a theme of mystery and crime; Love That Dog has a theme of love, loss, hope,

and the connection of a boy to his dog; A Long Walk to Water has a theme of perseverance, never giving up,

never losing hope, and always continuing to work towards goals.