The central or main idea of a nonfiction text is the point the author is making about a topic. For instance, the main idea of an anti-smoking commercial may be that smoking is harmful to the health of the smoker and those around the smoker.
The central or main idea of a nonfiction text is not always stated, but hints at the main idea can be found in the title, the topic sentence of each paragraph, or the conclusion sentence of each paragraph. HINT: Underline the topic (usually the first sentence in a paragraph) sentence and conclusion sentence (usually the last sentence in a paragraph) of EVERY paragraph in a text to help you find the main idea of the ENTIRE text.
The central or main idea of a nonfiction text is not the same as the topic. A topic is usually a single word or phrase. A main idea is the point the author is making about a topic. For example, cheetahs can be the topic of a documentary. The main or central idea would be that cheetahs run fast.
The point of view of a story tells us about the narrator. 1st person is being told by a character from within the story. 3rd person is coming from outside the story.
First person key words: I, me, my, us, ours, we, mine... Remember, we never look INSIDE of quotes for key words. ONLY use keywords found outside of quotation marks!!!
Third person key words: He, she, it, they, them, hers, his, their, and always calling the main character by their first name. Don t forget, if it is a tie between first and third person words, because BOTH are used, FIRST WINS!
The difference between third person omniscient and third person limited is that in third person limited, the narrator only knows the thoughts of ONE character. HINT* Omniscient means all-knowing. Third person omniscient means that our narrator knows everyone in the story s thoughts and feelings.
The ways we can learn about a character s traits are: 1. Words of the character 2. Words of other characters 3. Actions of the character 4. Actions of other characters 5. Author s description We need to analyze these events when asked to find a character s traits.
Summaries of nonfiction texts should include main ideas and important details, but should not contain personal opinions. HINT* When asked to write a summary, first find and restate the main idea (use clues from title, first sentence, and last sentence) in your own words and then add only important details without mentioning your personal thoughts about the topic.
The reason an author writes is called the author s purpose. Think about if the author is trying to persuade you, inform you of a historical or scientific event, or express emotion.
When we summarize fictional texts, we should include important details and avoid personal opinions. Remember fictional means it is a FAKE story! Nonfiction means it is real.
When we summarize fictional texts, we should include the plot. An easy way to remember this is to use the tool: Somewhere Somebody Wanted But So Then Use this tool when asked to summarize a fictional text and you will most likely include all the important details.
Somewhere- the time or place of a story
Somebody- the main character of a story
Wanted- what the main character wants
But- the main conflict throughout the story
So- what the main character does to try to solve the conflict.
Then- how the conflict was finally solved.
Compare means to explain the similarities. Contrast means to explain the differences.
To discover the theme of a story: 1. Look at the problem or challenges the character faces 2. Look at how the main character reacts to the conflict or main problem 3. Think about how the main character changes throughout the story. 4. Describe the big messages the wants you to remember or the lesson you should learn.
Connotation is a word s emotional meaning. Denotation is a word s dictionary definition.
The three charges are: positive + neutral ~ negative - Remember we used thumbs up, thumbs down, and mas o menos! =)