1. Reading SOL Review

2. Narrative Elements (SOL 4.4)
The most important elements of a story are characters, setting, and plot. The narrative elements of a story work together. Changing one narrative element causes changes in the others. This results in a different story.
Setting: when and where the story takes place
Tip: Look for words such as in, on, or at that tell where the story takes place. Also, look for words that tell when the story takes place (time of day, season, etc.)
Characters: the people or animals in the story
Tip: Find the names of the most important characters in the story. Who does the talking and performs the action in the story?
Plot: what happens in the story--the sequence of actions or events
(A plot usually contains a conflict, or problem, and a resolution, or the way the problem is solved.) The solution of a story's problem comes at the end of the story.

3. Internet Activities: Narrative Elements

4. Video Clip: Narrative Elements

5. Drawing Conclusions/ Inferences (SOLs 4.4 & 4.5)
Drawing conclusions or making inferences helps you understand information the author does not state directly. You can draw conclusions or make inferences using story information and your own knowledge. You might draw conclusions about the story setting, the character's traits, actions of the characters, and why the characters act as they do.
EXAMPLE:
Judd likes the color blue.
He says it gives him a peaceful feeling.
Judd bought paint for his living room.
What color paint do you think he bought?
Since it doesn’t SAY EXACTLY which color he bought, we have to make an INFERENCE or DRAW A CONCLUSION based on the information that we’ve been given. The clues include Judd’s favorite color and how it makes him feel. We can now INFER that Judd PROBABLY chose BLUE!

6. Internet Activities: Drawing Conclusions/ Inferences/ Predictions

7. Video Clip: Inferences

8. Figurative Language (SOL 4.4)
A simile compares two things using words like or as.
A metaphor suggests a similarity between two unlike things without using like or as.
Sometimes an author describes animals or objects as if they have feelings or can do things that people can do. This is called personification.
Example: Wild sunflowers turned bright faces to the east, and occasional dust devils went spiraling off across the plain in merry abandon. The author has given the sunflowers and dust devils human qualities to show that this will be a happy place.
An idiom is an expression whose meaning is different from the meaning of the individual words.
Example:
Ramon lost his temper when he missed the bus.
Janna's performance stole the spotlight.
I made the cake from scratch.
A hyperbole is a statement of exaggeration.
The snow was piled in mountain-high drifts.

9. Internet Activities: Figurative Language

10. Video Clip: Figurative Language Simile, Metaphor, Hyperbole

11. Video Clip: Figurative Language Simile, Alliteration, Repetition

12. Word Relationships (SOL 4.3)
Synonyms are words that have similar, or almost the same meaning. Example: closed and shut
Antonyms have opposite meanings. Example: in and out
Homophones are words that sound the same but have different spellings and meanings.
Example: see ("to look") and sea ("the ocean")
Homographs are words that have the same spelling but different meanings and pronunciations.
Example: close (Jane and Mark are close friends.)
close (Please close the door.)
Multiple-meaning words are spelled the same way, but have more than one meaning and sometimes different pronunciations.
Use context clues to figure out which meaning is being used. The context (the way the word is used in a sentence) tells which meaning or pronunciation is being used.
Example: trunk ("elephant's nose") and trunk ("square storage case")
Knowing how words are related can help you figure out unfamiliar words. Many words are related to other words. Related words may share a prefix, suffix, or root word.

13. Internet Activities: Word Relationships

14. Video Clip: Homophones

15. Fact and Opinion (SOL 4.5) A fact is a statement that can be proven.
Facts tell what is happening or what has happened. In non-fiction, a fact describes something that can be seen or that really occurred.
An opinion tells how someone feels and cannot be proven.
Opinions tell how the writer or speaker thinks or feels about something. Opinions may include words such as:
Should, must, and ought, or phrases such as "in my opinion", "I think", or "I believe." An opinion may also contain adjectives such as worst or best. A newspaper editorial, written to persuade, is nonfiction and mostly opinion. If an opinion seems to be right, that doesn't make it a fact. Even if many people agree with the author, the statement is still an opinion.

16. Fact & Opinion Video Clip:

17. Internet Activities: Fact and Opinion

18. Cause and Effect (SOL 4.5) A cause is why something happens.
An effect is what happens because of another event, or as a result of a cause.
Sometimes a signal word helps you to see the cause-and-effect relationship. Some signal words are: so, because, if, and then.
Example:
I got a new bike because I outgrew my old one.
(EFFECT) (CAUSE)
I outgrew my old bike, so I got a new one.
(CAUSE) (EFFECT)
Both sentences say THE SAME THING! Sometimes the cause is stated first and sometimes the effect is stated before the cause.

19. Internet Activities: Cause & Effect

20. Summarize (SOLs 4.4, 4.5, 4.6)
To summarize, you need to briefly retell the main idea and most important details of a selection. Use your own words and retell the events in the order in which they happened.
Remember, the main idea is the most important idea in a paragraph, passage, or selection.
Details tell more about the main idea. Details are pieces of information that tell more about the main idea. They answer questions such as who, where, when, what, and how.

21. Video Clip: Summarizing

22. Nonfiction Text Structure/ Locating Information (SOL 4.5)
Nonfiction books are factual. Your science and social studies books are nonfiction. Weekly Readers are also nonfiction.
Tables. graphs, charts, cutaways, labels, headings, venn diagrams, captions, indexes, glossaries, table of contents, and other graphic aids can help you better understand important nonfiction material. Please review these important nonfiction conventions:
Label: Identifies parts of something.
Heading: Title of a section, page, or chapter.
Cutaway: Part of an illustration moved so you can see the inside.
Graph: Picture type diagram of data.
Caption: Words located under a picture describing what it’s about.
Index: Alphabetical list of topics at the back of a book with page numbers.
Glossary: List of terms and definitions at the back of a book.
Table of Contents: The part of a book that lists the chapters and the page number where the chapters begin.
Venn Diagram: Two interlocking circles that is used to help us see how two things are alike and different.
Table/Chart: A set of data in a box-like format that can be read to learn about facts, numbers, etc…

23. Internet Activities: Nonfiction Text Structure/ Locating Information

24. Nonfiction Powerpoint

25. Video Clip: Fiction Vs. Nonfiction

26. Video Clip: Parts of a Book

27. Compare/Contrast (SOL 4.4, 4.5)
Compare= tell how things are alike
Contrast= tell how things are different
To compare, look for clues that tell how things are alike. This means to look for similarities, or what two things have in common.
To contrast, look for clues that tell how things are different, or differences.
When writers compare things, they may use words such as also, both, and too.
Venn Diagrams are very useful tools for comparing and contrasting.
When writers contrast things, they may use words such as but, instead, and although.

28. Internet Activities: Compare/Contrast
(click on compare and contrast links)

29. Venn Diagram Video Clip

30. Sequence (SOLs 4.4 & 4.5)
The sequence of events tells what happens first, next, and last in a story.
Sequence is the order in which events happen.
An author may use signal words such as first, next, then, finally, afternoon, later, or tomorrow to show sequence.
Sometimes other words or phrases tell about time. Dates can also help readers understand time.
Keep track of the sequence of events to help you understand what you read. Sometimes the clues to a sequence of events are not stated, but you can use your knowledge to identify the order.

31. Internet Activities: Sequence

32. Sequence and Story Elements Video Clip

33. Main Idea (SOLs 4.4 &4.5)
The main idea is the most important idea in a paragraph, passage, or selection. The main idea of a selection is what it is mostly about. Sometimes the main idea is stated at the end or it may not be stated at all. If a main idea is not stated in a sentence or title, a reader must look for details such as clues to figure out the main idea.
Details tell more about the main idea. Details are pieces of information that tell more about the main idea. They answer questions such as who, where, when, what, and how. The details give information to explain and support the main idea.

34. Internet Activities: Main Idea

35. Video Clip: Main Idea

36. Video Clip: Main Idea

37. Author’s Purpose (SOL 4.4)
Every author has a reason, or purpose, for writing.
Author's purpose= to entertain, to inform, to persuade, to give instructions
An author may have more than one purpose.
A paragraph’s title should reflect the author’s purpose.
3 main reasons:
Entertain- tell a story; to give readers enjoyment or amusement
An author who wants to entertain will often use sequence to tell the story events in order.
Inform- to explain or give information
An author who wants to inform may use main idea and details to tell the information.
Persuade- convince readers to do or believe something
An author who wants to persuade usually will give reasons and details to support his or her opinion.

38. Internet Activities: Author’s Purpose

39. Video Clip: Author’s Purpose

40. Prefixes and Suffixes (SOL 4.3)
Prefixes are word parts that come before a word that change the meaning of the word.
in- not
re- again
over- too much
un- not
dis- opposite
non- not
mis- wrong
pre- before
Suffixes are word parts at the end of a word that change the meaning of the word.
-ful full of
-ment state of
-able able to
–ly in a way that is
-ous full of
-ness the act of
-less without
-er one who does

41. Video Clip: Prefixes & Suffixes

42. Internet Activities:

43. Research Skills (SOL 4.6)
Knowing which source is best to consult when researching a topic is very important. You should be able to recognize the following sources of information:
Dictionary: a book arranged alphabetically that gives definitions, pronunciations, and parts of speech
Thesaurus: a book arranged alphabetically that gives synonyms and sometimes antonyms for words.
Atlas/Globe: a book of maps or a round representation of the Earth.
Almanac: A book of facts, charts, weather information, famous people, etc…
Encyclopedia: A set of books in volumes arranged alphabetically that provide information on a wide range of topics.
Internet/Online Sources: Websites on every topic imaginable are available on the internet. Internet safety is extremely important. Search engines such as Google help you find web-sites that will help you with your research. Always check several sources to make sure you get the right information.

44. Video Clip: Reference Guides

45. (8) Context Clues (SOL 4.3)
You can often figure out the meaning of unfamiliar words by looking for context clues in a sentence or a group of sentences.
Read the following:
One day when Louis was only three, he grabbed his father’s awl. The boy tried to use the awl to punch a hole in some leather.
You can use context clues to figure out the meaning of awl. The word grabbed is a context clue. It tells you that an awl can be held. Now look at the phrase punch a hole. It suggests that an awl is a tool that someone uses to punch holes in leather.
Look for:
Words related to the word
Words that mean the same
Words that mean the opposite
The location or the setting
What the word is used for
What the word is like or not like

46. Context Clues Tips: Look for words that mean the same
Look for the location or setting
Look for what the word is used for
Look for what the word is not like
Look for what the word is like
Look for words that mean the opposite
Look for words related to the word
Look for how something is done
Look for what kind of thing the word is

47. Video Clip: Context Clues

48. Internet Activities

49. GENRES (Types of Stories)
Realistic Fiction: fictional story that is made up with characters and plot that could be real, but aren’t.
Historical Fiction: fictional story that has some tie to a historical period. It may have some real characters, but there are some elements of the story that are made-up.
Fairy Tale: usually involves good vs. evil, a princess who gets rescued, a knight in shining armor, and other imaginary plots.
Fable: short, tale that often has a moral or lesson to teach.
Fantasy: imaginary stories, that deals with unrealistic events such as talking animals or unicorns.
Tall Tale: a fictional story of characters who do larger than life things with exaggeration and dialect.
Biography: a nonfiction book giving an account of a real person’s life written by another person.
Autobiography: a nonfiction book giving an account of a real person’s life written by that person him/herself.
Science Fiction: an imaginary story set usually in the future that deals with space, robots, and/or futuristic activities.
Folk Tale: a story from another country or culture. They often try to explain why things happen in nature, and can sometimes try to teach a lesson.
Nonfiction: factual writing. Science, history, biographies, and textbooks are all types of nonfiction.
Mystery: fictional stories that solve a crime or lead the reader in suspense to a conclusion.
Poetry: sensory writing to express feelings and thoughts, sometimes rhyming but other times in free verse.

50. Review of many skills: