Springboard Unit Two STUDY GUIDE 6th Grade

This study guide contains the major concepts we have studied. The test will cover these, but you will not need to memorize this information. Instead, you will be given new passages to read, and you will be asked questions applying what you know. DO NOT MEMORIZE THIS!

Term / Definition / Example
Plot / The sequence of events that make up a story or a novel (The plot is what happens, the action of the story.) / The term plot includes exposition, rising action, climax, falling action,and resolution.
Exposition / Events that give the reader background information needed to understand the story / In the short story “Eleven”: Rachel wishes she wasn’t eleven at the beginning of the story.
Rising Action / Major events that develop the plot and lead to the climax / In the short story “Eleven”: Mrs. Price puts the sweater on Rachel’s desk.
Climax / The turning point or high point of the story / In the short story “Eleven”: A girl named Phyllis remembers that the red sweater actually belongs to her.
Falling Action / Events after the climax but before the resolution / In the short story “Eleven”: Mrs. Price acts like everything is okay.
Resolution / The outcome of the conflict, when loose ends are wrapped up / In the short story “Eleven”: Rachel will go home and celebrate her eleventh birthday even though it has been ruined.
Internal conflict / The character struggles with his or her own needs, desires, or emotions (person vs. self) / In the short story "Eleven": Rachel is struggling with her feelings about the ugly red sweater. It is ruining her birthday. This conflict is "person vs. self."
External conflict / A character struggles with an outside force, such as another character or something in nature (person vs. person, person vs. society, person vs. nature) / In the short story "Eleven": Rachel has conflict with the teacher, Mrs. Price. Rachel tries to tell her the sweater is not hers, but Mrs. Price doesn't believe her. This conflict is "person vs. person."
Indirect Characterization / The methods a writer uses to develop a character through actions and dialogue. The reader must infer what is revealed about the character. / In the short story "Thank You Ma'am": The woman gives Roger the $10.00 and tells him to buy himself some blue suede shoes. (The reader can infer that the woman is forgiving and generous.)
Direct Characterization / The methods a writer uses to develop a character directly. The author names specific details about a character’s appearance or personality. / In the short story “Thank You M’am”: “She was a large woman with a large purse.” (The reader clearly learns that the woman is large and she carries a large purse.)
Hyperbole / Extreme exaggeration used for emphasis, often used for comic effect. / In the short story “Thank You, M’am,” : “…a large purse that had everything in it but a hammer and nails.” This is a hyperbole because it is definitely exaggerated; the woman does not literally have everything else in that purse besides hammer and nails.
Dialogue / Conversation between characters
*To write dialogue: Place quotation marks at the beginning and end of a character's exact spoken words; indent each time the speaker changes; use a comma, question mark, or exclamation point to separate the speaker's words from the dialogue tag; place the punctuation mark before the closing quotation mark. / In the novel excerpt Flipped:
"Julianna Baker. I live right over there," she says, pointing with her unoccupied hand.
"Well, I see you've met my son," my mom says, still grinning away.
Alliteration / The repetition of consonant sounds at the beginnings of words that are close together / In “The Southpaw,” alliteration is used in the closing lines -“Your former friend,” (the beginning “f” sound is repeated.)
Context clues / Information in words or phrases surrounding an unfamiliar word that hint at the meaning of the unfamiliar word / In the novel excerpt Flipped: “Not a very sophisticated ditch, but hey, I was only seven.” Sophisticated means "reflecting educated taste"; the context clue is "I was only seven" so obviously not very educated or mature yet.
Purpose / The reason a writer or character tells a story / The purpose of the short story “Eleven” is to narrate or entertain using the traditional elements of a fiction plot diagram.
Theme / A universal truth about life revealed in literature; the author’s message or moral / Here is an example of a possible theme for “Thank You M’am”: The short story “Thank You Ma’am” by Langston Hughes is about forgiveness and reveals that everyone can be compassionate and forgiving even with those who don’t seem to deserve it. Evidence from the text: “Now here, take this ten dollars and buy yourself some blue suede shoes. And next time, do not make the mistake of latching onto my pocketbook nor nobody else’s…” Ms. Jones shows that she forgives the boy; she has opened her home, heart, and wallet to him even after he tried to steal from her.
Figurative Language / Words or phrases that depart from everyday literal language for the sake of comparison, emphasis, clarity, or freshness.
The term “figurative language” is often substituted with “figure of speech,” “literary device,” and “poetic device.”
Figurative language makes an author’s writing more appealing, descriptive, and meaningful. / The most common types of figurative languageare:simile, metaphor, personification, and hyperbole.
Simile / A literary device that compares two unlike things using the words like or as / In the short story “Eleven”: “…the red sweater’s still sitting there like a big red mountain.” (compares sweater to a mountain using the word like)
Hard news story / A story that deals with formal or serious topics and events; it is time- sensitive. / On Channel One News: segment about a volcano in Indonesia killing 16 people.
Feature (soft news) story / A human-interest story that is usually not related to a major event; it is not as time-sensitive as hard news. / On Channel One News: segment on the Bizzident toothbrush invention
Open-ended questions / Good interview questions that cannot be answered with a simple “yes,” “no,” or other one word response. / In “The Gathering of the Wild Animals” folktale, an open-ended question for Porcupine could be: How did you feel when larger animals ignored you at first?