Main Idea

D: What is main idea?

• Main idea is the big idea in a nonfiction text.

P: How do I find main idea?

1. Read the text. 
2. Check your understanding. Reread.
3. Find the repeating idea.
4. Find the idea that connects everything together.

C: When/why do I find main idea?

• Good readers use main idea to learn from nonfiction texts.

Theme

D: What is theme?

• Theme is the life lesson (moral) in a work of fiction.

P: How do I find theme?

• Find the character who changed.
• Ask, "How did the character change?"
• Ask, "What does this tell me about life?"

C: When/why do I find theme?

• I find theme during/after reading.
• I find theme because it helps me apply the story to my own life.

Elements of Procedural Genre

D: What is the procedural genre?

• Procedural texts are "how-to" text. They teach you how to do something.
• Written with steps in sequential order
• Nonfiction

P: How do I read a procedural text?

• Read the whole text once to get the gist of the task/recipe/game/instructions.
• Pay attention to the steps and focus on the order.

C: When/why do read procedural texts?

• We read procedural texts to learn how to do something.

(13)  Reading/Comprehension of Informational Text/Procedural Texts. Students understand how to glean and use information in procedural texts and documents. Students are expected to:

(A)  interpret details from procedural text to complete a task, solve a problem, or perform procedures; and

Elements of Persuasive Genre

D: What is persuasive writing?

• Persuasive writing is texts that try to convince you to buy something, do something, or believe something.

P: How do I read a persuasive text?

• I look for the AAA!
• I look out for exaggerations (bigger than reality).

C: Why do we read persuasive texts?

• Decide who to vote for
• Look for commercial deals
• Challenge our beliefs

(A)  identify the author's viewpoint or position and explain the basic relationships among ideas (e.g., parallelism, comparison, causality) in the argument; and

(B)  recognize exaggerated, contradictory, or misleading statements in text.

Inferencing

D: What is an inference?

• An inference is a conclusion (idea) you make by connecting what you read to what you know.

P: How do I make an inference?

1. I can retell what I read accurately.
2. I connect what I read to what I know.

Do this: 

Not this:

And definitely not:

C: When/Why do I make inferences?

• I make inferences during/after reading.
• I make inferences because it brings me to a deeper understanding of the text. 

Elements of Biography: PDAS

D: What is a biography?

A biography is the story of someone's life.

• Nonfiction
• Sequential text structure

P: How do we read biographies?

Look for P.D.A.S.!

People: Who are the important in his/her life?

Dates: When did this person live?

Accomplishments: What is he/she famous for?

Struggles: What problem did he/she have?

C: When/why do we read biographies?

• We read biographies to inform ourselves about other people and how they helped make the world a better place.
• We read biographies because we want to be inspired. 

(7)  Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Literary Nonfiction. Students understand, make inferences and draw conclusions about the varied structural patterns and features of literary nonfiction and provide evidence from text to support their understanding. Students are expected to identify the literary language and devices used in biographies and autobiographies, including how authors present major events in a person's life.

Dialogue & Quotation Marks

D: What is dialogue?

• Dialogue is when characters talk.
• Dialogue uses quotation marks to mark itself.
• Dialogue is a sentence that has two parts: dialogue and dialogue tag.

"I want nachos," Ramon whined.

Ramon whined, "I want nachos."

P: How do I write dialogue?

1. Use quotation marks around the dialogue.
2. Follow these punctuation models.

"___________," said Ramon.

Ramon said, " ____________."

"__________?" asked Ramon.

Ramon asked, "__________?"

"__________!" shouted Ramon.

Ramon shouted, "_________!"

C: When/why do I use dialogue or quotes?

•I use dialogue when writing narratives.
•I use quotes when doing research.