English / Language Arts Review of Commonly Tested Skills

1. English / Language Arts Review of Commonly Tested Skills Education Access Network (EAN) Linda Coleman & Kristie English Website:http://www.EducationAccessNetwork.org

2. Reading Comprehension Listening Inferential Thinking Vocabulary Grammar Literature Poetry Functional Texts Graphic Organizers Nonfiction Comparing & Contrasting Writing Process Essay Writing What will we talk about?

3. Reading Comprehension: Why is it important? Academic Subjects: Math, Science, History, Social Studies, and English classes all require us to read well. Testing: PSAT, SAT I, ACT, WASL, etc. Writing: Reading helps writing. College Admissions “Personal Statement” Essay

4. Important Details Summarizing Reading Comprehension Main Idea Author’s Purpose

5. Main IdeaWhat is the author saying about the topic? TOPIC FREEDOM Freedom always comes with a price. MAIN IDEA Freedom is a recurring theme in American literature. Freedom is the most precious gift of all. 2 Ws Who: Subject What: Action

6. ? Author’s Purpose(Fiction)“Why?” Questions • Why was he/she chosen to be the main character? • Why does he/she act and speak this way? • Why here? (setting chosen) • Why now? (time period chosen) Investigate!

7. What does the author want me to know about this topic? Why is it important that I know this? What does the author want me to do with this knowledge? Possible Purposes: To Inform To Persuade To Change Your Opinion Author’s Purpose(Nonfiction)Questions to Ask

8. Fiction (implicit) Does the main character change in some important way? Does s/he learn anything important? How would I explain this story to another person? Nonfiction (explicit) What has the author demonstrated or proved? Often this is located at the end of the writing piece. The Message

9. Important Details!Showing, not Telling Nonfiction • Nonfiction: Details SUPPORT the main idea • Fiction: Details ILLUSTRATE or bring to LIFE the main idea Unimportant Details: May be interesting, but don’t provide examples or offer proof. • Add Interest and Color to the Story Fiction

10. Summarizing • Identify the main idea. • Include details that support the main idea. • Use your own words. • Keep it short and to the point. Writing Summaries – Tips to Remember

11. Listening • Active Listening helps you take notes in class. • Why is it so difficult to listen actively? • Visual Reliance (T.V., video games, etc.) • Continuous Attention Span Required • Society is used to multi-tasking, switching from one idea to the next, quickly and frequently • “Big Picture” is lost in the Details

12. When is Listening Critical? Communicating with Friends Taking Notes in Class Listening Tips: • Listen for SEQUENCE • Can’t reread for clarification • Order of Events, Mental Outline • Note Actual Chronology (time), not Order of Narration (as told) • Listen for DETAILS • Important details may not always be “interesting” to you.

13. Thought & Focus Questions What am I listening to? Lecture? Joke? Directions? Why am I listening to it? Collect facts? Follow an argument? Follow a character through a story’s plot? What am I supposed to do with it? Hmmm…

14. Inferential Thinking • Definition: Educated guesses or assumptions based on evidence; “Reading between the lines” of text • Types of Inferences • General Inference (figure out what’s left unsaid or undone) • Prediction (what will happen next) • Conclusion (figure out larger meaning of what we’ve read) • Cause and Effect (why certain events happen)

15. General Inferences (4 Types) 1) Tone Clue: Its feeling or mood. Use descriptions of sights, sounds, smells, and other sense images. 2) Point of View Clue: Voice of story. Personal point of view (“I”) is called first person. 3) What is NOT Said Clue: What does the character want to say, but does not say? 4) What is NOT Done Clue: What does the character want to do, but does not do?

16. Predicting • Fictional Story Clues ~ Know the character! How do they typically act? Nonfiction Passage Clues ~ Facts and arguments. Imagine the effect of some condition, action, or trend. * Often used in persuasive writing, editorial columns

17. Conclusion What message can be drawn from the story’s events? • If Fictional: What lesson or moral was learned? • If Essay or Article: What is the final argument or position on the issue?

18. Cause and Effect

19. VOCABULARY Don’t dread it. Use it to your advantage! VOCABULARY

20. Vocabulary • Word Parts (prefix, suffix, root) • Context (positive, negative, angry, happy, etc.) • Multiple Meanings of Words (Which one is appropriate for this situation?)

21. Derivations / The Word’s HistoryDictionary – Tender (1st meaning) ten·der 1  Pronunciation (…) adj.ten·der·er,ten·der·est 1) a) Easily crushed or bruised; fragile: a tender petal. b) Easily chewed or cut: tender beef. 2) Young and vulnerable: of tender age. 3) Frail; delicate. 4) Sensitive to frost or severe cold; not hardy: tender green shoots. 5) a) Easily hurt; sensitive: tender skin. b) Painful; sore: a tender tooth. 6) a) Considerate and protective; solicitous: a tender mother; his tender concern. b) Characterized by or expressing gentle emotions; loving: a tender glance; a tender ballad. c) Given to sympathy or sentimentality; soft: a tender heart. 7)Nautical. Likely to heel easily under sail; crank.

22. Dictionary – Tender (2nd meaning) ten·der 2   pronunciation (…) 1) A formal offer, as: a) Law. An offer of money or service in payment of an obligation. b) A written offer to contract goods or services at a specified cost or rate; a bid. 2) Something, especially money, offered in payment. tr.v.ten·dered,ten·der·ing,ten·ders • To offer formally: tender a letter of resignation. See Synonyms at offer. [From French tendre, to offer, from Old French, from Latin tendere, to hold forth, extend. See ten- in Indo-European Roots.]

23. Dictionary – Tender (3rd meaning) tend·er 3Pronunciation (… ) n. 1) One who tends something: a lathe tender. 2)Nautical. A vessel attendant on other vessels, especially one that ferries supplies between ship and shore. 3) A railroad car attached to the rear of a locomotive and designed to carry fuel and water.

24. Grammar & Writing Mechanics • Parts of Speech • Subject – Verb Agreement • Fragments and Run-Ons • Capitalization and Punctuation

25. Folktales(types) Myths Answer How and Why ?s Legends Exaggerated stories about, real, historical figures Fairy Tales Heroic adventures Fables Teach moral lessons Fiction(several genres or categories) Historical Fiction Biographical Fiction Science Fiction Mystery Romance Tragedy Comedy Satire Literary Texts~ Types of Stories ~

26. Literary Devices • Setting & Tone • Voice • Symbolism • Other Devices • Foreshadowing • Flashbacks

27. Author’s Purpose ~ Forms of Literature ~ • Short Story Evoke emotional response. Snapshot, slice of life. • Novel Create rich, detailed characters and complex, fictional world. • Drama Rich, expressive dialogue.

28. How Story’s Work~ The Basic Structure ~ CLIMAX COMPLICATIONS RESOLUTION SUSPENSE (RISING ACTION) THEME EXPOSITION

29. Poetic Texts • What makes Poetry different from Prose (non-poetry)? • Written in verse, sets the rhythm (similar to song lyrics) • May be written in… • Classical Metered Verse • Blank Verse • Free Verse

30. Metaphor Simile Metonymy Onomatopoeia Personification Hyperbole Alliteration Think About… Why doesn’t the poet use more direct language? Poetry communicates a series of sensory associations or feelings, not so much facts and dates. Poetry Devices

31. Structure & Poetry • In poetry, the STRUCTURE is as essential as the text’s meaning • Poets consider meanings of words and sounds and rhythms. • Types of Poetry / Styles • Sonnets • Odes • Villanelles • Haiku • Epic Poems • Lyric Poems • Limericks

32. Advertisements Outlines (table of contents, indexes) Instructions Maps Charts & Graphs Glossaries Recipes Phone Books Application Forms Functional Texts Provide efficient facts, info, or instructions.Tend to use bullet points, subheadings, and graphics Types

33. Graphic Organizers • Venn Diagrams • Sequence Charts • Webs

34. Venn Diagram~ Compare & Contrast ~

35. Sequence Charts~ Cause & Effect ~

36. Webs~ Brainstorming ~

37. Nonfiction Categories / Types of Nonfiction: • Informational • Biographical & Autobiographical • Editorial • Oral (speeches)

38. 1) Know Your Audience 2) Find Your Rhythm 3) Support Your Arguments 4) Maintain Your Focus Address Your Audience What Do They Already Know? Make Writing Flow (Transitions) Enough Support, and Too Much Arrange Details by: - Importance - Time - Location Basic Writing

39. Definition Description Narration Compare & Contrast Process Classification Cause & Effect Persuasion Provide an explanation Illustrate a scene or idea Tell a story Find similarities or differences Explain how task is completed Place items into categories Link events to their causes or explain effects of event Argue position or point of view Essay WritingEssay Topic Categories help determine the paper’s organization, info to include, and how to effectively use that info.