Every day after work Paul took his muddy boots off on the steps of the front porch.  Alice would have a fit if the boots made it so far as the welcome mat.  He then took off his dusty overalls and threw them into a plastic garbage bag; Alice left a new garbage bag tied to the porch railing for him every morning.  On his way in the house, he dropped the garbage bag off at the washing machine and went straight up the stairs to the shower as he was instructed.  He would eat dinner with her after he was "presentable," as Alice had often said.  
Based on the text, how do you know Paul works in construction?

Every day after work Paul took his muddy boots off on the steps of the front porch.  Alice would have a fit if the boots made it so far as the welcome mat.  He then took off his dusty overalls and threw them into a plastic garbage bag; Alice left a new garbage bag tied to the porch railing for him every morning.  On his way in the house, he dropped the garbage bag off at the washing machine and went straight up the stairs to the shower as he was instructed.  He would eat dinner with her after he was "presentable," as Alice had often said.  
What type of relationship do Paul and Alice have?

Crack!  Thunder struck and rain poured.  Max stared blankly out the window, trying to contain his emotions that raged like the weather.  He was beginning to lose it.  Dropping the kite from his hand, Max broke out into full sob.  His mother comforted him, "There, there, Max.  We'll just find something else to do."  She began to unpack the picnic basket that was on the counter and offered him a sandwich.  Max snapped, "I don't wanna sand-mich!"  A flash from the sky lit up the living room.  Boom!  Mom sighed.
Why is Max upset?

Crack!  Thunder struck and rain poured.  Max stared blankly out the window, trying to contain his emotions that raged like the weather.  He was beginning to lose it.  Dropping the kite from his hand, Max broke out into full sob.  His mother comforted him, "There, there, Max.  We'll just find something else to do."  She began to unpack the picnic basket that was on the counter and offered him a sandwich.  Max snapped, "I don't wanna sand-mich!"  A flash from the sky lit up the living room.  Boom!  Mom sighed.
What line in the text tell you that Max is upset it is raining?

Crack!  Thunder struck and rain poured.  Max stared blankly out the window, trying to contain his emotions that raged like the weather.  He was beginning to lose it.  Dropping the kite from his hand, Max broke out into full sob.  His mother comforted him, "There, there, Max.  We'll just find something else to do."  She began to unpack the picnic basket that was on the counter and offered him a sandwich.  Max snapped, "I don't wanna sand-mich!"  A flash from the sky lit up the living room.  Boom!  Mom sighed.
What was Mom planning on doing with Max today?

Crack!  Thunder struck and rain poured.  Max stared blankly out the window, trying to contain his emotions that raged like the weather.  He was beginning to lose it.  Dropping the kite from his hand, Max broke out into full sob.  His mother comforted him, "There, there, Max.  We'll just find something else to do."  She began to unpack the picnic basket that was on the counter and offered him a sandwich.  Max snapped, "I don't wanna sand-mich!"  A flash from the sky lit up the living room.  Boom!  Mom sighed.
What lines from the text support the idea that Mom and Max were going to go on a picnic?

Rubin dug frantically through his backpack. It has to be here, he thought. How many times had his mother told him not to take his iPod to school. He searched his locker again without much hope. He knew he was in trouble. What inference can you make about Rubin?

As I walked in the door, I was amazed at the beautiful colors and smells. I knew it would be hard to decide what I would buy with my $3. The chocolate truffles looked delicious, but they were expensive. The jelly beans were not only cheaper, but so colorful! With so much to choose from, I knew I would be here a long time. Where am I?

Mrs. Lance is my favorite teacher, but something is not right today. Mrs. Lance is sitting down at her desk more than usual, and she asked us to read a story silently and just answer the questions in the book. I glance back at her, and she is blowing her nose. A little while later, I see that her cheeks are kind-of red, and she is drinking a lot of water and eating some cough drops. After a little while, Mr. Dean, another teacher, comes into our classroom. Mrs. Lance takes her purse and leaves, while Mr. Dean stays. What is wrong with Mrs. Lance?

As we entered, a huge blast of water hit the windshield. Huge flopping sponges slapped the hood of the car as we slowly moved forward. Soon there were suds spilling over the sides. I am glad the windows were rolled up! Where are we?

I finally got used to being weightless. It was an amazing sight to be able to see Earth from this view. I was afraid at the launch, but now I am just amazed. Reentering the Earth's atmosphere will be scary.
What is my job?  

The students were listening as I was explaining multiplication. I was standing in front of the class when John asked me what 265 times 876 was. I had to stop and do the math on the board. 
Who am I? 

I watched the car run right through the stop sign. The driver was not wearing her seat belt. I turned on the sirens and followed the car. It pulled over to the side of the road and I got out of my car. 
Who am I? 

After sitting all morning, I was ready to be able to play. My brain was tired from thinking about math problems. I was looking forward to talking to my friends and running! Finally, the clock showed it was time and we lined up. 
Where am I going? 

Jake had spent the entire weekend outside riding his skateboard. Now that he was crawling into bed, he could feel the weekend wearing on him - instead of feeling refreshed and ready to go back to school, his bones were aching, his face burned, and the band aids on his knees felt stiff under his pajamas. He began to think he should just give up - no matter how hard he tried, maybe skateboarding just wasn't the right hobby for him. 
What can you infer about Jake's day skateboarding? 

Macey's mom noticed that she was squinting as she read her book, which was only a few inches away from her face. She scheduled a doctor's appointment for the next week, and when the doctor said Macey needed glasses, she tried on every single pair in the office. After spending an hour looking at glasses, mom suggested that perhaps she should sleep on it and come back and decide in the morning. Macey agreed, but she kept talking about the pros and cons of each pair all night long. 
What can you infer about Macey?

Diamine was rushing around so that she didn't miss the bus. She threw everything into her backpack, even her lunchbox, and ran out the door just in time. When she got home a few minutes later, she sat down at the kitchen table to do her homework. As she pulled her folder out of her backpack, it was soaking wet. Diamine dug deeper and realized that EVERYTHING was soaked!
What can you infer about what happened to the backpack?

As the teacher lectured the class about how important it was to pay attention, Brian found himself staring out the window again. Suddenly, a little boy came up to the window and peeked in. The boy blew a bubble with his gum and it exploded all over his face and the window. Brian began laughing so hard he fell out of his seat. The rest of the class silently stared at him as the teacher walked to his desk. 
What can you infer about how the teacher will react?

Ava walked into the kitchen as mom was pulling the chicken out of the fridge. "Chicken for dinner AGAIN?" she asked. Mom rolled her eyes and put the chicken in the oven. An hour later, Ava smelled smoke coming from the kitchen and ran downstairs. She saw mom sleeping on the couch and woke her up. Mom couldn't believe that she had fallen asleep while she was cooking dinner! She gathered up her keys, asked Ava to watch her little sister, and got into the car. 
What can you infer about mom's solution to the problem?

Ryland was looking forward to moving away from Iowa to Texas! She had been born in Florida, and ever since moving to Iowa, she had dreamed of going back to a warmer climate. As soon as her plane landed, she could already feel the heat that she loved so much!
What can you infer about Iowa?

Willem looked at the sky and kept on biking. He knew he would have to stop soon to put on his jacket, but he wasn't going to turn around just yet. As the wheels spun quickly beneath him and his heart rate increased, he began to feel drops of water on his head. He reached up to wipe the moisture away and checked the sky once more. No rain yet. He pushed on. 
What can you infer about the setting?

Brandon loved that his new house was surrounded by tall oak trees, but he loved the deer in his backyard even more. In the morning, he would sit in the warm sun on his deck and watch hummingbirds eat off the bird feeder. This is what dreams were made of!
What can you infer about Brandon's dreams?

Caylin stomped her feet, spun around, and ran back upstairs. She couldn't believe that her mom wouldn't let her go to the party! Yes, Mary had been mean to her before, but her party was going to be the biggest party of the whole year. All of her best friends would be there! As she slouched against the wall, Caylin mumbled, "this isn't fair!"
What can you infer about why Caylin's mom won't let her go to the party?

Izzie looked at the clock and put her head in her hands. Three hours had passed, and she had only written a page. She would never finish her book report by tomorrow. Now that it was 10:30, she was really regretting waiting until the night before to finish her work. If only she had taken her teacher's advice...
What can you infer about the advice Izzie wishes she would have taken?

Mom had been late picking up the kids from school because she had to get gas on the way home from work. The gas station was in the opposite direction of the grocery store, she she didn't have anything to cook for dinner, either. As the kids argued in the back seat, mom looked at the clock and knew it was way past dinner time. She came to the stop light and eyed the Pizza Hut down the street. 
How might mom solve the problem she faces?

Wyatt's dog was very picky about his food, but he was determined to get him to eat only dog food. No more scraps from the table, and no more fancy wet dog food mixed in with the dry dog food. For days and days, Wyatt gave the dog only dog food, and the dog just barely nibbled on it. Wyatt became concerned, so he knew he had to do something. When the dog wasn't looking, Wyatt buried a piece of crispy bacon in the bottom of the food dish and set it down. The dog went crazy sniffing and whining for the bacon. Suddenly, he realized that the only way to get to the bacon was to eat the dog food...
What can you infer about the success of Wyatt's solution?

I can't wait until this weekend! We’re going to my grandparents’ house and my entire family will be there. I will spend most of my time playing games with my cousins. We always have such a good time together! The day goes by so fast, and by the end we are all exhausted... but we still don’t want to leave!
What is the main idea?

If you are feeling sad, you can make yourself feel better by doing a few simple things. You can take a walk (or get another form of exercise), you can talk to a friend, or you can write down your feelings. Writing down the good things in your life will help too. Doing something good for someone else will also help you feel better. If you still feel a little sad, act happy. It works like magic to make you feel better!
What is the main idea?

Mark wanted to be a great skater. But he didn't want to spend the hours practicing. He wished he could just do the tricks easily. Mark's dream was to have everyone stop and stare when he entered the skate park. He  wanted them to say, "Mark is the best skater in the whole world."
What is the main idea?

Mary has a new pet.  Her pet is a baby kitten.  It is soft and cuddly.  The kitten likes to sleep a lot.  Mary put a soft blanket in a box for its bed.  Mary plays with her kitten when it is awake.  She never forgets to feed her kitten.
What is the main idea?

Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Brown are bakers.  They work at a store called Bake Goods to Go.  Mrs. Jones works nights.  She bakes cakes, cookies, and pies.  Mrs. Brown works in the daytime.  She bakes bread and rolls.  Both Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Brown are very good bakers.
What is the main idea?

Soccer players learn many skills when playing soccer.  Soccer players learn how to dribble and pass the ball.  They also learn how to control the ball so they can eventually score.  Most importantly, soccer players learn how to work together with their teammates.
What is the main idea?

Floods can cause tremendous damage.  They can ruin houses, roads and buildings. Floods can take down trees and cause mudslides. It often leaves mud, sand and debris behind.  It can take months to clean up after a flood.

The earth's surface is constantly changing.  All over the world everyday there are earthquakes, floods and volcanoes that quickly change our world. Some changes are too small to see.  Others cause tremendous damage and costs millions of dollars to clean up.

Scientists can measure the intensity of an earthquake. They use an instrument called the Richter scale. The Richter scale compares the strength of different earthquakes. Earthquakes  below 2.0 usually can’t be felt. Earthquakes over 5.0 on the scale can cause damage. A magnitude 7.0 is a major earthquake and can cause tremendous damage.

Earthquakes are caused when the plates of the Earth's crust move. Earthquakes happen along "fault lines" in the earth’s crust. When the plates in the Earth suddenly shift, the Earth will begin to shift, shake or tremble.

Most of the world's volcanoes are part of the "The Ring of Fire." This is a ring of volcanoes that form a circle around the Pacific Ocean. Thousands of volcanoes make up "The Ring of Fire." These volcanoes formed the sea floor and many underwater mountains.

Benjamin Franklin invented many things that made life easier in the late 1700’s.  He invented the lightning rod that saved many homes from fires.  He also invented the Franklin stove.  The stove could heat a room better than a fireplace and saved people a lot of fuel.  He also invented a special kind of glasses called bifocals.  This new kind of glasses helped people to read better.

What is the best question to ask yourself when you are trying to find the main idea?

Shanna had never seen so many fish before. She looked around at the huge tanks and could see hundreds of fish, crabs, shrimp, and all other amazing creatures completely surrounding her. She never thought she could feel like she was completely underwater, yet still be completely dry.
Where is Shanna?

A bat can fly at night or even with its eyes closed.  But if you cover its ears, it can't fly very well.  Bats make sounds that people can't hear.  The bats find their way by listening to these sounds as they echo off things.  Bats even locate insects to eat by following the sounds that bounce off the bugs.  People use their eyes, but bats use their ears to know where they're going.  This paragraph mainly tells:

Some people say that the White House has ghosts.  The most famous ghost is Abraham Lincoln.  He is often seen standing in his room looking out the window.  Even Eleanor Roosevelt said that she saw him.  There is a legend that old Abe walks back and forth all night before something terrible is about to happen.  This paragraph mainly tells:

Dolphins are very smart animals.  They even have their own language.   They talk to each other with clicks, whistles, and grunts.  Scientists have been studying this dolphin language.  They hope that in the future, people and dolphins will be able to talk to each other.This paragraph mainly tells:

Last summer, my family and I camped by the Mississippi river.

Which answer shows the correct way to write the sentence?

Sentence Combining:
Which of these is the correct way to join two sentences:

What is the best change we can make to this sentence: 

After a few more questions and a breif pause, the quiz continued.

What is the best change we can make to this sentence: 

When I opened my present I let out a yell.

Which words correctly complete this sentence:
____ important to the robot to repair ____ circuits.

What is the best change we can make to this sentence: 

"It's to bad you were late to class," he said, "because I brought candy."

What is the best change we can make to this sentence: 

After I went to the store I went shoe shopping with my friends.

What is the best change we can make to this sentence: 
"First you do your homework, than you can play on your phone," the exasperated mother replied.

Which sentence uses commas correctly?

Choose the word that best completes this sentence:
The championship games continued ___________ the bad weather.

Choose the sentence that is written correctly.

Which sentence uses commas correctly?

Everything in the office has ____ own place.

If a student wants to succeed on the grammar quiz, ______ need(s) to do well on this practice.

Weather reporters have to give out a lot of information. That's why they use pictures. The pictures help them tell us about the weather without using so many words. Weather reporters need to know where the cold air is. They need to know where the warm air is. They have to know where it is raining and what types of clouds are in the area. Their reports need to be correct, but they also need to be short. The pictures help weather reporters get the information out in a fast way.
Which sentence best describes the main idea of the paragraph?

Seated on his throne, King Midas wore a golden crown. He had golden rings on each finger and held a golden scepter. His vest was embroidered with golden thread and even his shoes had golden ornaments. He had a golden box filled with gold coins. He named his daughter Marigold.
What is the main idea of this paragraph?

Some people say that the White House has ghosts.  The most famous ghost is Abraham Lincoln.  He is often seen standing in his room looking out the window.  Even Eleanor Roosevelt said that she saw him.  There is a legend that old Abe walks back and forth all night before something terrible is about to happen.  This paragraph mainly tells:

Jenny visited her grandmother in the hospital.  She saw how kind and helpful the nurses were to her grandmother.  Now she wants to be a nurse when she grows up.  She wants to help sick people get well. 
What is the main idea?

Dolphins are very smart animals.  They even have their own language.   They talk to each other with clicks, whistles, and grunts.  Scientists have been studying this dolphin language.  They hope that in the future, people and dolphins will be able to talk to each other.This paragraph mainly tells:

Most of the world's volcanoes are part of the "The Ring of Fire." This is a ring of volcanoes that form a circle around the Pacific Ocean. Thousands of volcanoes make up "The Ring of Fire." These volcanoes formed the sea floor and many underwater mountains.

I can't wait until this weekend! We’re going to my grandparents’ house and my entire family will be there. I will spend most of my time playing games with my cousins. We always have such a good time together! The day goes by so fast, and by the end we are all exhausted... but we still don’t want to leave!
What is the main idea?

The earth's surface is constantly changing.  All over the world everyday there are earthquakes, floods and volcanoes that quickly change our world. Some changes are too small to see.  Others cause tremendous damage and costs millions of dollars to clean up.
What is the main idea?

"Leslie sat in front of Paul. She had two long, brown pigtails that reached all the way down to her waist. Paul saw those pigtails, and a terrible urge came over him. He wanted to pull a pigtail. He wanted to wrap his fist around it, feel the hair between his fingers, and just yank." Sideways Stories From Wayside School, Louis Sachar

“It all began when Ms. Frizzle showed our class a film strip about the human body.  We knew trouble was about to start, because we knew Ms. Frizzle was the strangest teacher in the school.” The Magic School Bus: Inside the Human Body, Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen

“Life is where you sleep and what you see when you wake up in the morning, and who you tell about your weird dream, and what you eat for breakfast and who you eat it with. Life isn’t something that happens to you. It’s something you make yourself, all the time.”
― Rebecca Stead, Goodbye Stranger

The girl stopped and looked as if she might pull back in surprise, but instead stood regarding Montag with eyes so dark and shining that he felt he had said something quite wonderful.  But he knew his mouth had only moved to say hello.  "Do you mind if I ask? How long've you worked at being a fireman?" the girl asked.  "Since I was twenty, ten years ago," said Montag. They walked farther and the girl said, "Is it true that long ago firemen put fires out instead of going to start them?" "No," Montag replied, "houses have always been fireproof, take my word for it," but the girl knew this was not true. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

“The next morning, Mr. Sir marched the boys to another section of the lake, and each boy dug his own hole, five feet deep and five feet wide. Stanley was glad to be away from the big hole.  At least now he knew just how much he had to dig for the day.  And it was a relief not to have other shovels swinging past his face, or the Warden hanging around.” Holes by Louis Sachar

“Ozma took the arm of her hostess, but Dorothy lagged behind.  When at last she rejoined Glinda and Ozma in the hall, she found them talking earnestly about the condition of the people, and how to make them more happy and contented– although they were already the happiest and most contented folks in all the world.  This interested Ozma, of course, but it didn’t interest Dorothy very much, so the little girl ran over to the big table on which was lying open Glinda’s Great Book of Records.” Ozma of Oz by Frank L. Baum

In real life, an ambulance comes to a woman's house to take her to the hospital, hopefully to save her life.  On the way to the hospital the ambulance is hit by a semi truck and everyone on board the ambulance is killed.

A movie you are watching shows a woman jogging in the woods.  The next scene shows a mountain lion lying in wait down the path where the woman is jogging.

In your history book, you read about a young man in the Revolutionary War who kills a British soldier.  That soldier who was killed turns out to be his favorite cousin.

Which of the following is an example of situational irony?

Romeo arrives at the Capulet family tomb to find his love, Juliet supposedly dead. However, we the audience know that Juliet is not really dead, she merely took a potion to make it look like she was dead for her own motives. When the audience of a story knows more than the characters involved, what type of irony is employed?

Which of the following is NOT an example of verbal irony?

Which of the following is an example of dramatic irony?

The son of the police chief is arrested for attempted burglary.

The student in class who had the highest grades in middle school drops out of high school. This is an example of which type of irony?

Any instance in which the narrator or a character says one thing but means something else is

Exclaiming “Oh great!” after failing an exam

In the movie, "Toy Story", human characters are not aware that the toys speak and move but the audience is.

In horror movies, the audience is aware that there is a killer in the house, but the character does not and they proceed to enter.

A man looked out of the window to see the storm intensify. He turned to his friend and said “Wonderful weather we’re having!”

A hungry cook

Type of Irony: A girl standing at a bus stop in the pouring rain says, "Isn't this great?" 

What is verbal irony?

What is situational irony?

What is dramatic Irony?

A robbery at a police station would be an example of which type of irony? 

How does this photo show dramatic irony?

What is true about thematic statements?

The best definition of theme is...

One summer's day, a merry Grasshopper was dancing, singing and playing his violin with all his heart. He saw an Ant passing by working hard to store food for the winter. “Come and sing with me instead of working so hard,” said the Grasshopper “Let’s have fun together.” “I must store food for the winter,” said the Ant,“ and I advise you to do the same.” “Don’t worry about winter, it’s still very far away,” said the Grasshopper, laughing at him. But the Ant wouldn’t listen and continued to work. When winter came, the starving Grasshopper went to the Ant’s house and humbly begged for something to eat. “If you had listened to my advice in the summer you would not now be in need,” said the Ant. “I’m afraid you will have to go without supper,” and he closed the door.
What is the theme?

Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower; 
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf,
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day
Nothing gold can stay. 
What is the central theme of this poem?

You can often infer the theme of a piece of literature by ...

What is the main difference between THEME and MAIN IDEA. 

In a spell of dry weather, when the Birds could find very little to drink, a thirsty Crow found a pitcher with a little water in it. But the pitcher was high and had a narrow neck, and no matter how he tried, the Crow could not reach the water. The poor thing felt as if he would die of thirst. Then an idea came to him. Picking up some small pebbles, he dropped them into the pitcher one by one. With each pebble the water rose a little higher until at last it was near enough so he could drink.
What is the theme?

A Dog, to whom the butcher had thrown a bone, was hurrying home with his prize as fast as he could go. As he crossed a narrow bridge, he looked down and saw his reflection in the quiet water as if in a mirror. But the greedy Dog thought he saw a real Dog carrying a bone much bigger than his own. If he had stopped to think he would have known better. But instead of thinking, he dropped his bone and sprang at the Dog in the river, only to find himself swimming for dear life to reach the shore. At last he managed to scramble out, and as he stood sadly thinking about the good bone he had lost, he realized what a foolish Dog he had been.
What is the theme?

A look back to an earlier event...

Often times provides background information 

Interrupts the chronological order of the story