PSSA
SCAVENGER HUNT
STUDY GUIDE PACKET
*KEEP THIS STUDY GUIDE IN YOUR FOLDER ALL YEAR LONG!
CONTENTS
(WITH PAGE NUMBER)
FICTION- 3
NONFICTION-3
TYPES OF FICTION-4
TYPES OF NONFICTION-5
NARRATIVE WRITING-3
POETIC WRITING-3
INFORMATIONAL WRITING-3
EXPOSITORY WRITING-3
PERSUASIVE WRITING-3
INSTRUCTIONAL WRITING-3
STORY ELEMENTS-6
CHARACTERS-6
PROTAGONIST-6
ANTAGONIST-6
SETTING-7
PLOT-7
THEME-7
AUTHOR’S PURPOSE-8
AUTHOR’S POINT OF VIEW-8, 9
FIRST PERSON POINT OF VIEW-8, 9
SECOND PERSON POINT OF VIEW-8, 9
THIRD PERSON POINT OF VIEW-8, 9
SYNONYMS-10
ANTONYMS-10
HOMOPHONES/HOMOGRAPHS-11
DENOTATION-11
CONNOTATION-11
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE-12
SIMILE-12
METAPHOR-12
PERSONIFICATION-12
ALLITERATION-13
HYPERBOLE-13
IMAGERY-13
IDIOMS/IDIOMATIC LANGUAGE-13
CLICHES-13
AFFIXES-14
PREFIXES-14
SUFFIXES-14
INFERENCES-15
GENERALIZATIONS-15
DRAWING CONCLUSIONS-15
MAIN IDEAS AND DETAILS-16
COMPARE/CONTRAST-17
CAUSE AND EFFECT-17
SEQUENCE-17
PROBLEM/SOLUTION-17
FACT-18, 19
OPINION-18, 19
PROPAGANDA-20
BIAS-20
GLOSSARY OF PSSA TERMS- 21-29
NAME______PERIOD______DATE______
FICTION/NONFICTION STUDY GUIDE
*Two major classifications of literature:
FICTION – literature that is not real…at least one of the elements comes from the author’s imagination. (Standards A.1)
NONFICTION – literature that is real, true or based on fact (Standards A.2)
Brainpop-Types of Writing
Narrative / Poetic / Informational(also called Expository) / Persuasive / Instructional
A piece of writing with character and events. It has a beginning, a middle and an end. / A piece of writing set in groups of lines called stanzas. The lines may be parts of sentences and they may rhyme.
Brainpop-Poetry / A piece of writing that is not made up. It is intended to inform or explain. / A piece of writing that is intended to persuade someone to do or believe something. / A piece of writing that teaches or instructs. (how to)
Different Types of Text-(fiction/nonfiction)
Types of FICTION:
Realistic / Has life like charactersIs set in a real place or a place that seems real
Has a plot that could happen
Contemporary realistic fiction is set in the present time
Historical / Set in the past in a real historical time (World War II, Civil War, Titanic’s sinking)
Usually about imaginary characters whose experiences fit in with real historical events
Fantasy / Includes some events, characters, or places that are purely imaginary and could not exist in the ‘real world’.
Laws of time and space may be broken
Characters may have powers, can fly, can do magic
Biographical Fiction / About the life of a real person
Includes events that the author makes up to explain the actual historical period of that person
Science Fiction / Usually set in the future
Often includes space travel
Uses scientific discoveries to explain what the world of the future is like
Folktales / Simple, traditional tales of a particular place or people (Native Americans)
Passed down orally from generation to generation
Simple, one-dimensional characters (have one main quality/trait
Fables / Short stories in which the characters are animals that think, speak and act like people (personification)
Usually tell about the way people behave
Ends with a ‘moral’ or ‘lesson’
Myths / Ancient stories passed down to tell how the world came into being or to explain something in nature
Gods and Goddesses with supernatural powers as well as mortals
Legends / Set in an earlier time and told by those who live much later
Adventures of a hero (King Arthur)
May be based on a true account of someone’s heroic deeds that were exaggerated and over dramatized in many retellings
TYPES OF NONFICTION
Biography / Autobiography / Personal Narrative / Instructional / Informational (also called expository)An account of someone’s life written by another person / An account that someone writes about his/her own life / Like an autobiographybut it accounts for only a few incidents that the person has experienced rather than about the person’s entire life. / A piece of writing that teaches or instructs. (how to) / A piece of writing that is not made up. It is intended to inform or explain.
Additional Brainpop videos:
Reading Skills
Reading a Newspaper
Book Report
Test Taking Skills
NAME______PERIOD______DATE______
STORY ELEMENTS STUDY GUIDE
B.1.1 Identify, interpret, compare, describe, and analyze components of fiction and literary nonfiction. (character, setting, plot, theme)
CHARACTERS:
Characters are the people or animals in a piece of literature.
It is important to identify the major characters in a selection and the role they play.
In addition, the author will provide you with important physical traits and may give you personality traits of the character…sometimes you must infer that information.
- Protagonist – the central character or hero in a narrative or drama-usually, the one with whom the audience identifies with.
- Antagonist – the principal character in opposition to the protagonist. Sometimes, not a person, but an obstacle such as a force of nature, society or inner conflict.
A writer reveals what a character is like and how the character changes throughout the story.
Two primary methods of characterization:
Direct- writer tells what the character is like
Indirect- writer shows what a character is like by describing what the character looks like, by telling what the character says and does, and by what other characters say about and do in response to the character.
Factors in Analyzing Characters
Physical appearance of character
Personality
Background/personal history
Motivation
Relationships
Conflict
Does character change?
SETTING
The setting of a novel is the time(when) and place(where) of the events.
When? (ex.) during the Civil War, during the Great Depression, at the height of the Roman Empire, in the year 1945…
Where? (ex.) on a deserted island, in New York City, on a slave ship, on the planet Mars…
PLOT
- The plot is the ‘action’ of a story…the sequence of events.
- There is usually a problem/conflict or a goal that has to be reached.
- There is usually a resolution/solution (to some of the problems)
Techniques of plot:
Suspense- excitement or tension
Foreshadowing- hint or clue about what will happen in story
Flashback- interrupts the normal sequence of events to tell about something that happened in the past
Surprise Ending- conclusion that reader does not expect
THEME
A central message, concern, or insight into life expressed through a literary work
Can be expressed by one or two sentence statement about human beings or about life
May be stated directly or implied
Interpretation uncovers the theme
NAME______PERIOD______DATE______
AUTHOR’S PURPOSE/POINT OF VIEW STUDY GUIDE
AUTHOR’S PURPOSE (WHY DID THE AUTHOR WRITE IT?)
A.1.6.1 and A.2.6.1 Identify the author’s intended purpose of text. (in fiction and nonfiction text)
A.1.6.2 and A.2.6.2 Identify, explain, and/or describe examples of text that support the author’s intended purpose.
The author’s intent…
- To inform/teach (teaching Science, English, Reading, Social Studies, Math, Health, current events…)
- To entertain (fiction novels, magazines, songs….
- To Persuade/convince their audience (letter to the editor, announcements, books….)
Brainpop: Mood and Tone
TONE
- The attitude of the author toward the audience and characters (ex-serious or humorous)
VOICE
- The fluency, rhythm and liveliness in writing that makes it unique to the writer.
Brainpop: Point of View
AUTHOR’S POINT OF VIEW
B.2.2.1 Identify, explain, and/or describe the point of view of the narrator as first person or third person point of view.
B.2.2.2 Explain, interpret, and/or describe the effectiveness of the point of view used by the author
The point of view is the perspective of the story
The way in which an author reveals characters, events and ideas in telling a story.
Point of View / Definition / Example:First Person / Passage told from the personal (I,we, us)point of view / We went to the concert, but I missed the last half.
Second Person / Passage directed to the reader using the “you” perspective / Sometimes you have to do something you would rather not.
Third Person / Passage told from the point of view of someone not in the story. The narrator is not a character in the story. / Kelly was hopeful she would win the contest. Still, she felt weak when the judge took the microphone.
First Person:
*Many stories are told (in 1st person point of view) by theprotagonist
Third Person Limited:
The narrator focuses his or her attention through one character, so the reader not only sees what is going on with the characters, but also knows what one particular character is thinking and feeling.
Third Person Omniscient:
The narrative perspective from which a literary work is presented to the reader from a "godlike" perspective, unrestricted by time or place, from which to see actions and look into the minds of characters. This allows the author to comment openly on characters and events in the work.
NAME______PERIOD______DATE______
VOCABULARY AND CONTEXT CLUES STUDY GUIDE
Fiction:
A.1.1.1 Identify and/or apply meaning of multiple-meaning words used in text.
A.1.1.2 Identify and/or apply a synonym or antonym of a word used in text. (fiction)
A.1.2.1 Identify how the meaning of a word is changed when an affix is added; identify the meaning of a word from the text with an affix.
A.1.2.2 Define and/or apply how the meaning of words or phrases changes when using context clues given in explanatory sentences.
Nonfiction:
A.2.1.1 Identify and apply meaning of multiple-meaning words used in text.
A.2.1.2 Identify and apply meaning of content- specific words used in text.
A.2.2.1 Identify and apply how the meaning of a word is changed when an affix is added; identify and apply the meaning of a word from the text with an affix
A.2.2.2 Define and/or apply how the meaning of words or phrases changes when using context clues given in explanatory sentences.
SYNONYMS
Brainpop- Antonyms, Synonyms and Homonyms
Synonym- One of two or more words in a language that have highly similar meanings.
Thesaurus, Dictionary
Brainpop- Dictionary and Thesaurus
word / synonym / synonymtalk / speak / jabber
win / triumph / prevail
think / ponder / ruminate
ANTONYMS
Antonym- A word that is the opposite meaning of another word (ex.-intelligent and ignorant)(obedient and disobedient)
word / antonymtrivial / important
win / lose
love / hate
cruel / Kind
arrive / depart
Brainpop- They’re, Their and There
HOMOPHONES
One of two or more words pronounced alike, but different in spelling or meaning
Hair – hare
Scale (fish)/scale (musical)
MULTIPLE MEANING WORDS (ALSO CALLED HOMOGRAPHS)
- There are many words that have the same spelling, but have totally different meanings
WORD / Meaning #1 / Meaning #2
can / Is able / Metal container
match / Go together / Used to produce a flame
rose / Type of flower / Got up
tear / rip / Drop secreted from eye
treat / To give medical attention to / A goodie
DENOTATION AND CONNOTATION OF WORDS
Denotation is the literal dictionary meaning of a word.
Connotation is the attitudes and feelings associated with a word verses its dictionary meaning (denotation).
word / Connotation #1 / Connotation #2clean / Unsoiled-not dirty / Immaculate-extremely clean; pure
thin / Scrawny- too thin;unhealthy looking / Fit-thin in a healthy way
NAME______PERIOD______DATE______
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE STUDY GUIDE
GRADE 6
R6.B.2.1.1 Identify, explain, interpret, and/or describe examples of personification in text.
R6.B.2.1.2 Identify, explain, interpret, and/or describe examples of similes in text.
R6.B.2.1.3 Identify, explain, interpret, and/or describe examples of alliteration in text when its use is presumed intentional.
R6.B.2.1.4 Identify, explain, interpret, and/or describe examples of metaphors in text.
GRADE 7,8
R7.B.2.1.1 Identify, explain, interpret, and/or describe examples of personification, simile, alliteration, metaphor, hyperbole and imagery in text. (grade 8 does not include alliteration)
R7.B.2.1.2 Identify, interpret, describe and/or analyze the author’s purpose for and effectiveness at using figurative language.
The opposite of literal language (language that means exactly what is said) is figurative language. Figurative language is language that means more than what it says on the surface.
It usually gives us a feeling about its subject.
Poets use figurative language almost as frequently as literal language. When you read poetry, you must be conscious of the difference. Otherwise, a poem may make no sense at all.
Brainpop- Similes and Metaphors
SIMILE
A figure of speech that uses the words “like” , “as” or “resembles” to make a comparison
(ex.)1. When Harry tripped in the cafeteria, his face was as red as an apple.
(ex.)2. The twisting light from Ron’s wand enveloped Malfoy’s arm like a snake.
METAPHOR
A figure of speech that makes a strong comparison between two things (takes on the identity of OR uses a form of the verb “be”)
(ex.)1.The lump in the back of the classroom did not do his homework again. (boy compared to lump)
(ex.)2. Hermionewas a walking dictionary.
(ex.)3. Ginny’s eyesweresparkling pools of blue water
PERSONIFICATION
Personification is a figure of speech in which an object or idea is described as if it were a person with human characteristics. Animals, elements of nature, and abstract ideas may be given human qualities.
Examples:
The hungry waves grabbed our sand castle and pulled it into the foamy sea.
The graying barn sagged and moaned under its burden of snow.
The stars smiled down on us.
An angry wind slashed its way across the island.
ALLITERATION
The repetition of initial consonant sounds in neighboring words.(tongue twisters)
“Silly Sam sipped soda and got sick.”
“Sally sells seashells by the seashore.”
“Captain Crunch”
“Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes”
HYPERBOLE
An exaggeration or overstatement
Ex.-I was so embarrassed I could have died!
Ex.- I am so hungry..I can eat a horse!
Ex. – My suitcase weighs a ton!
IMAGERY
Language that appeals to the senses. Descriptions of people or objects stated in terms of our senses.
Hearing
Sight
Touch
Taste
Smell
IDIOMS OR IDIOMATIC LANGUAGE
*An expression peculiar to itself grammatically or that cannot be understood if taken literally
-“Let’s get on the ball”
-“You drive me up the wall”
-“Hit the road”
Brainpop- Idioms and Cliches
ALLUSION
An implied or indirect reference in literature to a familiar person, place or event.
-“He is strong like Superman!”
-“It sounds like World War II in this classroom!”
NAME ______PERIOD______DATE______
AFFIX STUDY GUIDE
A.1.2 (F), A.2.2(NF) Identify and apply word recognition skills. (in fiction and nonfiction)
*A prefix is a word part added to the beginning of a root word.
*A prefix changes the meaning of a word.
Brainpop- roots, prefixes and suffixes
PREFIXES
PRE-
/ Before, in front (preview)DIS- / Not (displease)
MIS- / Wrong (misread)
NON- / Not (nonstop)
INTER- / Between , among (interdependent)
EXTRA- / Outside, beyond (extracurricular)
POST- / After (postdate)
SUPER- / Above, over, upon (superman)
SUB- / Under (subway)
*A suffix is a word part added to the end of a root word.
*A suffix also changes the meaning of a word.
SUFFIXES
-LESS / Without (toothless)-BLE/IBLE / Able to (visible)
-LY / In the manner of (lovely)
-OR / One who does something (actor)
-NESS / State of being (friendliness)
-MENT / Action or process (payment)
-ER / One who does something (baker)
-SHIP / Office or skill (championship)
-TION / Act, process of (education)
-EN / Having nature of (golden)
NAME______PERIOD______DATE______
MAKING CONNECTIONS STUDY GUIDE
A.1.3.1 /A.2.3.1 Make inferences and/or draw conclusions based on information from text. (in fiction and nonfiction)
A.1.3.2/A.2.3.2 Cite evidence from text to support generalizations.
B.1.2.1 Identify, explain, interpret, compare, describe, and/or analyze connections between texts.
INFERENCES
Sometimes information in literature and in real life is not “spoon-fed” to you…you have to ‘figure it out’ by examining clues given to you.
What I read + What I know = inferences
What I read + What I know …..and so….
GENERALIZATIONS
A generalization is a broad statement that applies to many different situations.
Generalizations are made about people and things.
Since a generalization is a broad statement, it is not always based on facts.
Rarely does something apply to all things.
Look at this example: Sixth grade students always leave a mess on their lunch tables.
This is a generalization. Why?
- It applies to all sixth grade students.
- It may be true for some students.
- It is impossible to say that all sixth grade students always leave a mess.
*Words Commonly Used in Generalizations:always, generally, never, everyone, no one
Remember:
Generalizations are typically overly positive or overly negative.
Generalizations are misleading because they appear as factual statements.
Generalizations are based on unproven assumptions or claims.
There are always exceptions to prove a generalization is untrue.
DRAWING CONCLUSIONS
A conclusion is a decision a reader makes after considering all the information.
A writer might think……
What clues, facts, and details has the writer given me?
How can I use these clues to make a decision about what the writer is telling me?
NAME______PERIOD______DATE______
MAIN IDEAS/DETAILS STUDY GUIDE
A.1.4.1 Identify and/or explain stated or implied main ideas and relevant supporting details from text. (fiction)
A.2.4.1 Identify and/or explain stated or implied main ideas and relevant supporting details from text. (nonfiction)
Brainpop- Main Idea
**A paragraph has two essentialcomponents:
1) The main idea expressed in topicsentence.
2)Additional sentences providing supporting details.
The main idea of a text or passage is the author’s basic message. It is the thing the passage is mostly about.
Also known as “The Big Idea.”
Supporting details are pieces of information that relate to, and support, the main idea.
When you have to find the main idea, you may be asked any of these questions…
“What is the main idea of this story?”
“What is this story mostly about?”
“What is the main topic of this story?”
“What is the best title for the story?”
All of the above questions mean…
What is the main idea???
NAME______PERIOD______DATE______
TEXT ORGANIZATION STUDY GUIDE
B.3.3.1 Identify, explain, and/or interpret text organization, including sequence, question/answer, comparison/contrast, cause/effect, or problem/solution.
B.3.3.2 Use headings to locate information in a passage, or identify content that would best fit in a specific section of text. (CLASSIFY)
B.3.3.3 Interpret graphics and charts and/or make connections between text and content of graphics and charts.