theme the main message an author wants readers to understand Must be inferred from a character’s words, thoughts, and actions

the person telling the story narrator the person telling the story

the perspective form which the author is telling a story point of view the perspective form which the author is telling a story Through whose eyes does the author tell his/her story?

first person point of view the narrator is a character in the story

third person point of view the narrator is outside of the story

dialogue talk between two or more people in a story

illustrations pictures in a story

figurative language a way to use language in which the meaning is different from its literal meaning

simile phrase that compares two things using the word like or as

metaphor phrase that compares two things without using the word like or as

text features parts of the text, such as titles, headings, or captions

graphic features visual organizers, such as charts, maps, photos or diagrams

text structure how a text is organized

domain specific vocabulary a set of words that belong to an area of knowledge or specific topic

author’s purpose the author’s main goal: to explain, describe, persuade, or entertain

context clues unknown words that surround an unfamiliar word or phrases that readers can use to figure out the meaning of an unknown word or phrase

text type (genre) a category of literature informational biography autobiography manuals advertisements recipe

Evidence facts that make a point plain or clear.

stanza a clearly defined group of lines in a poem

tone words that are used to create feeling in a story