We find the main idea but thinking about what we have read and deciding what the story was mostly about! Sometimes, we also need to know what the main idea is of a certain part of the story. Don’t forget about the details when you answer! Turn to your partner. You will have 30 seconds each to think of a main idea question for our story of the week. Be prepared to share your neighbor’s answer! You may begin when I say go!

Chronological order means to put things in order from beginning to end. A plot always has a beginning, middle and end. We need to keep them in order! Why? Understanding chronological order can help you with many other reading skills like summarizing, main idea, and basic comprehension. Turn to your partner. You are going to retell the events of this weeks story in order. Each partner will take a turn telling the events in order back and forth until I say stop! Make sure you listen to your partner!

Features are things we can find within a text such as captions, diagrams, charts and the organizational pattern of a story. Making sure we pay attention to all of these features can help us comprehend what we read and can help with all of our skills. Don’t get it confused with Text Structure! Shoulder partners, you are going to flip through your reading books and find an example of a helpful text feature and talk about how it can help you.

Sometimes an author will compare two or more things in a story. You need to be able to see the similarities and differences between things. Sometimes, the author will ask you to compare something from their story to your life. Some clue words: same, different, on the other hand. What are some other clue words? Turn to your shoulder partner. Go back and forth and mention 5 things you have in common and 5 things that are different.

Sometimes an author will compare two or more things in a story. You need to be able to see the similarities and differences between things. Sometimes, the author will ask you to compare something from their story to your life. Some clue words: same, different, on the other hand. What are some other clue words? Turn to your shoulder partner. Go back and forth and mention 5 things you have in common and 5 things that are different.

Sometimes when you read you may come across a word that you just don’t know or have forgotten the definition of. This is where you become the detective! Search for clues around the word that is stumping you to find what the meaning of it is. Before I went out to play I put on my zerplat. I zipped up my zerplat and went outside. Create your own sentence using a nonsense word and put clue words around it to tell the meaning. Share with your neighbors.

Figurative language can be used in many ways. Some ways are to make the story more creative, help you visualize what you are reading better, and to help make the story entertaining. Similes, Personification, Metaphors, Onomatopoeia and Hyperboles are just some types of figurative language. Can you think of any others? Whoosh, the wave crashed into me. When it knocked me over and was going back into the ocean it said, “Sorry Ms. Rohmeyer! Are you ok? I didn’t mean to knock you over!.” Your turn! With your shoulder partner, create one or two sentences using two types of figurative language.

Text structure refers to how an author puts together their story. This also depends on if it is fiction or non-fiction. Fiction - Plot, Characters, Setting, Problem and Solution. Non – Fiction - Cause and Effect, Sequence, Problem/Solution, Description and Compare and Contrast. One shoulder partner is going to look through your book to find a FICTION story. How is the story structured? The other partner is going to look for a NON-FICTION story. What structure did the author use for it?

When you make an inference, you come up with the idea on your own based on your background knowledge and what you have read. You won’t be able to find the answer to an inference question in the story. It has to come from your mind! Think about the most important details in the story (Main Idea!) and develop your own answer. Create an inference of your own with your shoulder partner. Be ready to share!