1 st Quarter Review Reading 7 th & 8 th Grades Mrs. Terri Stevison

1. What is fiction? Stories that are made up and written in prose. Prose is ordinary writing.

2. Forms of Fiction short stories novellas novels

3. Realistic Fiction A story about situations that could happen in real life, with familiar types of characters and settings.

4. Historical Fiction A fictional story based on real events from the past; characters’ beliefs and dialogue are true to the period.

5. Science Fiction Set in a future time or world in which scientific advances have changed society in important ways.

6. Mystery A story in which characters try to answer questions about secrets, with complex plots involving suspense, danger, and intrigue. Foreshadowing and flashbacks are common elements.

7. Fantasy An imaginative story in which characters and settings are different from those in the real world. It often deals with magic. It sometimes portrays heroic battles between good and evil.

8. Fable The story teaches about human nature; fables are intended to teach people a lesson. The characters are usually animals who behave like people. The lesson taught by a fable is called a moral. The Tortoise and the Hare

9. Parable The story teaches about human nature by showing the results of different ways of acting and thinking. The characters are people. The Good Samaritan

10. Folktale The story is handed down from generation to generation by word of mouth. It reveals the values and beliefs of the culture that produced it. It often involves magic or great heroes. The Three Little Pigs

11. Myth A very old story told to explain something about nature or human behavior. It often contains Greek or Roman gods and heroes.

12. Legend An old story that is told as if it really happened, but is unlikely to be true. It is usually focused on an extraordinary person. The Tale of Robin Hood

13. What is nonfiction? Depicts actual people, places, things, events, and ideas. Presents facts, details and other true information.

14. Essays Short nonfiction works that describe, discuss, or analyze a single topic

15. Biography The true story of someone’s life written by another person.

16. Autobiography The life story of the author.

17. Article A text written to give general or in- depth information about a particular subject, such as history, science, or culture.

18. Interview A series of questions asked by the author and answered by the subject.

19. Journal or Letter A personal account of life experiences.

20. Historical Document or Speech An official statement that records the social and political beliefs of groups of people and individuals in history and exposes readers to language and attitudes of the time. I Have A Dream

21. Newspaper A collection of simple, unbiased reports of current events.

22. Poetry The artful arrangement of language, often used to illustrate an idea. Poems are usually divided into lines and stanzas. Lines are rows of words. Stanzas are the “paragraphs” of the poem. Meter is the rhythmic structure of the poem. Rhyme is the repetition of sounds at the ends of words. The pattern of rhyming lines is called rhyme scheme.

23. Drama Writing that is intended to be performed by actors for an audience. It can take the form of a film, a television or radio program, a skit, or a stage play. Most of the story is told through dialogue. Dialogue is the words the characters say to each other. Stage directions are statements that are not read to the audience, but that tell the actors what to do or how to speak. Plays are divided into scenes and acts. Scenes are limited to what happens in a specific time and place in the story. Acts are groups of scenes.

24. Author’s Point of View The narrator’s relationship to the story or perspective from which a story is told.  First-person: a character in the story is telling the story  Third-person: the narrator is not a character in the story, but an outsider telling the story.

25. Setting When and where the story takes place or the time and place of the action.

26. Historical Context The actual political and social events and trends of the time—can explain why characters act and think the way they do. Look for factual details that link the text to a specific place and time period.

Historical Context-cont. Example: It was a long day of traveling. It was time to stop and rest for the night. The horses were tired and needed fresh water. The children were already fast asleep in the warmth and comfort of the family’s covered wagon. Darkness was everywhere except for the multitude of stars and full yellow moon that lit up the night sky.

27. Imagery Using language that creates an image in your mind by engaging one or more of your five senses.  sight  smell  hearing  touch  taste Ex. The crashing, clanging, knocking, and hammering quickly drew a crowd.

28. Mood The feeling a reader gets from a story.

29. Tone The writer’s attitude toward his or her subject and characters. The tone can often be described by a single adjective, such as formal, informal, playful, or respectful.

30. Flashback Occurs when the author interrupts the forward motion of the story to tell the reader something that happened in the past.

31. Foreshadowing An author’s use of hints or clues to suggest events to come in the story.

32. Theme The central idea or lesson about life that an author conveys in a story. A fable’s theme is stated at the end of the story as a moral. It is better to give than to receive.

33. Characterization The development of the characters in a story.

34. Plot The sequence of events in a story, novel, or play. 1. Exposition- the introduction of the setting, the characters, and the basic situation. 2. Rising Action- develops the conflict or problem; builds suspense or increases tension 3. Climax- describes the moment of greatest suspense, emotion, or interest 4. Falling Action- events that follow the climax 5. Resolution- the final outcome and completes the falling action; when the reader learns how the conflict is resolved.

35. Conflict The problem in a story.  Internal- character vs. himself  External- character vs. outside forces

Context Clues Hints from the words within sentences to help the reader figure out the meaning of an unknown word.