ELA Terms to Recognize

ELA Terms to Recognize

Author's Purpose

Why the author is writing

The author will write for one of three reasons.

Persuade Inform Entertain (PIE)

• Persuade- examples: advertisement, letter, campaign speeches

• Inform- examples: articles, biography, text book

• Entertain- examples: poetry, fiction, fairtale, script

Multiple Choice

A biography tells about a persons life. What is the author's purpose in writing a biography?

• Persuade

• Inform

• Entertain

Multiple Choice

Dav Pilkey is the author of Dogman books. What is Mr. Pilkey's purpose in writing the graphic novels?

• Persuade

• Inform

• Entertain

Multiple Choice

Commercials can be funny. Sometimes they try really hard to get your attention and try to get you to buy a certain product. What is the purpose of this type of commercial?

• Persuade

• Inform

• Entertain

Order of Events

Sequence of Events

Events of a story in order from first to last.

Sequencing refers to the order of the story: beginning, middle, and end.

Multiple Choice

Read the passage then choose the correct order of events.

• *The tortoise challenges the hare to a race.

  *The hare takes off but then stops to take a nap.

  *The tortoise does not stop and wins the race.

• *The tortoise gets angry about the hare's bragging.

  *The tortoise stops to sleep along the way.

  *The hare wins the race.

• *The hare stops to sleep.

  *The tortoise challenges. the hare to a race.

  *All the animals watch.

Point of View

Who is telling or narrating a story.

A story can be told from the first person or third person point of view.

First Person Point of View

• One of the characters tells the story.

• Uses words such as I, me, my

Third Person Point of View

• The narrator is not a character in the story.

• Tells the story of a character.

• Uses words such as he/she, his/hers, him/her

Multiple Choice

Read the following short story and then choose the correct answer.

"Yesterday I went to the grocery store. When I was checking out, a huge pink unicorn got in line behind me. I thought that it was very strange to see such as sight in the store. When I asked the unicorn why she was in the store she replied, "How am I supposed to get a candy bar if I don't go to the store?"

• This story is written in first person because the story is being told by one of the characters and uses I and me.

• This story is written in third person because the person telling the story is not a character in the story.

Theme

• The lesson or moral of the story.

• What does the author want the reader to learn?

• 
  

Multiple Choice

Read the "Tortoise and the Hare" and then choose the theme of the story.

• Treat others like you want to be treated.

• If you are slow, you can never win a race

• Slow and steady wins the race.

• Practice makes perfect.

Main Idea

• What the story is mostly about.

• (Not the same as theme- it is not a lesson)

Multiple Choice

Read the passage and then choose the main idea of the passage.

• Being a rodeo clown is fun

• Always be prepared

• Rodeo clowns distract bulls

• Being a rodeo clown is dangerous

Character traits

• Words that describe the character's personality.

• Qualities that make the character whot they are.

Multiple Choice

Read the fable then choose the character traits that bests describes the boy.

• trustworthy

• mischeivious

• selfish

• angry

Setting

• When and where the story takes place.

• 
  

Multiple Choice

Read the passage and then determine the best choice for the setting of the story.

• a horse stable in the present time

• a barn in the present time

• a horse stable sometime in the past

• a castle a long time ago