 Identify Story critical Characters, settings, and objects  Use specific rather than general details

 This story is about exploring a mysterious cave. Inside I discover a talking dragon. The dragon gives me a magical stone to take home with me.

 A space alien knocked on my door. He captured me and took me in his spacecraft. At a stop on an unusual planet I overpowered him, took over the controls and landed at home.

 I took a trip to a beautiful rain forest, I met a most unusual creature there. It shared a piece of amazing tropical fruit with me.

 One Autumn day I strolled along a country road collecting colorful fallen leaves.

 I baked some delicious chocolate chip cookies with my grandmother in her cozy kitchen.

 I put on my nice red jacket and started up the mountainside. The grass was green and they sky was blue. After about an hour of steady hiking I paused and looked behind me. The view from the mountain was unbelievable! I was certainly far from the places I usually explored! I took a deep breath and continued to climb. Thank goodness for my brown leather hiking boots! Just then I saw the opening to a cave. I took out my gray metal binoculars and took a look. It would be cool to go in there, I thought. I crept inside and turned on my red plastic flashlight. The cave was spooky! But, what was that in the corner? It was a skeleton next to a big trunk. The skeleton seemed to be moving.

 She wore a really pretty fancy cape.  A cape of purple velvet trimmed in soft white fur covered her shoulders.  The dog had a luxurious reddish coat, long silky ears, and alert black eyes.  It was a nice, awesome dog that looked so cute.

 The cake looked really good and delicious to eat.  The double chocolate cake dripped in thick white frosting.  A cute little bird perched there on the brown branch of the tree.  A small, green bird with bluish wings and a delicate yellow beak perched on a branch.

 The couch was brown and squat with a pile of cushions covered in graying lace at the far end. A matching brown chair with worn arms slumped at the opposite side of the room. Gray lace curtains hung at the single window between them, and beside the window was a black table supporting an old-time TV set with rabbit ears.  The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson

 Sitting behind a small table beneath a sign was a burly, ill-shaven man dressed in a wrinkled uniform of a ship’s low-ranked office. His cap was perched high on his bald head. An unlit cigar dangled from his mouth.  Beyond the Western Sea by Avi

 But I did find one item from the basket that they’d overlooked and left behind: a small polished flute with three small holes toward one end and one toward the other. It looked to have been fashioned from a naturally hollow bone. Probably it was made from an eagle’s wingbone.  Kokopelli’s Flute by Will Hobbs

 How tall/big was this character?  How old was the character?  What color hair/eyes?  What kind/color of hair did he/she have?  What kind of marks, scars, or distinguishing characteristics?  How did this character make you feel?  Who or what did this character remind you of?

 What was the temperature/weather like?  What kinds of trees/plants grew there?  How did the air feel?  What kinds of animals were there?  What kinds of buildings were there?  What kinds of objects were around?  What kind of sounds did your hear?  How did you feel about being there?  What did you smell?

 What color was it?  What did it feel like?  What was its shape?  What size was it?  How old was it?  What was it made of?  What did it smell like?  What kind of sound did it make?  How heavy was it?  Who did it belong to?  Where di it come from?  What did it remind you of?

 How big/Small?  What was he wearing?  What kind/color of hair?  What kind/color of eyes?

 See  Hear  Smell  Taste  Feel

 Shape  Color  Texture  Reminds me of..  I felt…