English / Language Arts Review of Commonly Tested Skills

Education Access Network (EAN)

Linda Coleman & Kristie EnglishWebsite: http://www.EducationAccessNetwork.org

What will we talk about?

Reading Comprehension

Listening Inferential Thinking Vocabulary Grammar Literature Poetry

Functional Texts Graphic Organizers Nonfiction Comparing &

Contrasting Writing Process Essay Writing

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

Reading Comprehension

Author’s PurposeMain Idea

SummarizingImportant Details

Main IdeaWhat is the author saying about the topic?

TOPIC FREEDOM

Freedom always comes with a price.

Freedom is the most

precious gift of

all.

Freedom is a

recurring theme

in America

n literature

.

MAIN IDEA

2 WsWho: SubjectWhat: Action

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!

Author’s Purpose(Nonfiction)

Questions to Ask

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

The Message

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.

Important Details!Showing, not Telling

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

Nonfiction

Fiction

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

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

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.

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…

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)

General Inferences (4 Types)

1) ToneClue: Its feeling or mood. Use descriptions of sights, sounds, smells, and other sense images.

2) Point of ViewClue: Voice of story. Personal point of view (“I”) is called first person.

3) What is NOT SaidClue: What does the character want to say, but does not

say?

4) What is NOT DoneClue: What does the character want to do, but does not do?

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

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?

Cause and Effect

VOCABULARY

VOCABULARY

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

Vocabulary

Word Parts (prefix, suffix, root)

Context (positive, negative, angry, happy, etc.)

Multiple Meanings of Words (Which one is appropriate for this situation?)

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.

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.]

Dictionary – Tender (3rd meaning)

tend·er 3  Pronunciation (… ) 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.

Grammar & Writing Mechanics

Parts of Speech

Subject – Verb Agreement

Fragments and Run-Ons

Capitalization and Punctuation

Literary Texts~ Types of Stories ~

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 Devices

Setting & Tone

Voice

Symbolism

Other Devices Foreshadowing Flashbacks

Author’s Purpose ~ Forms of Literature ~

Short StoryEvoke emotional response. Snapshot, slice of life.

NovelCreate rich, detailed characters and complex, fictional world.

DramaRich, expressive dialogue.

How Story’s Work~ The Basic Structure ~

EXPOSITION

SUSPENSE

(RIS

ING

ACTIO

N)COM

PLICATIO

NS CLIMAX

RE

SOL

UT

ION

THEME

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

Poetry Devices

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.

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

Functional Texts

Advertisements Outlines

(table of contents, indexes)

Instructions Maps

Charts & Graphs Glossaries Recipes Phone Books Application Forms

Provide efficient facts, info, or instructions.Tend to use bullet points, subheadings, and graphics

Types

Graphic Organizers

Venn Diagrams

Sequence Charts

Webs

Venn Diagram~ Compare & Contrast ~

Sequence Charts~ Cause & Effect ~

Webs~ Brainstorming ~

Nonfiction

Categories / Types of Nonfiction:

Informational

Biographical & Autobiographical

Editorial

Oral (speeches)

Basic Writing

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

Essay WritingEssay Topic Categories help determine the paper’s organization, info to include, and how to effectively use that info.

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