A group of words arranged in a row.

After Dan climbed the steep hill, his legs were rubber.

What type of figurative language is used?

What does this mean?

When my great uncles drives, he is as slow as a turtle.

What's the meaning of this simile?

"My mom can be as fiery as a volcano when I don't do my chores on time."

There are many fun things to do at the beach. Swimming is one thing that can be done at the beach. Snorkeling is another thing that can be enjoyed. Playing beach volleyball can be a lot of fun. It is also fun to look for shells. Some people simply like to sunbathe.

What is the main idea?

Due to their incredible force and unpredictability, 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.

Based on what you have read, you can INFER that:

Making ice-cream is not easy. Cream and sugar have to first be mixed in a frozen container. Ingredients may be added at this point, if desired. The mixture must be stirred and whipped until the cream and sugar mixture is frozen. Depending on the equipment, this may take as long as an hour. After the ice-cream is prepared, it must be kept frozen until it is ready to be enjoyed. Making ice-cream is difficult, but most people would agree that it is worth the trouble.

What is the purpose of text features?

A eight grade student has been assigned a project where she must highlight the major events in her life over the past three years that have shaped her identity today. Which text feature would be most efficient in organizing this information?

Which of the following statements is true of nonfiction texts?

Read the passage and determine its text structure!

You may think it’s bad to forget your homework, but what if you forgot who you were? Amnesia is a condition where a person loses some of their memories, like details about their personal identity, but still may remember how to do things, like play a piano. One type of Amnesia is called post-traumatic amnesia. Post-traumatic amnesia is usually due to a head injury (like a serious fall or knock on the head). The degree of memory loss may be related to the force of the injury. A simple whiplash may cause a person to forget the moments before the accident, but a more severe injury may cause a greater loss. For example, the victim may not remember who certain people are or may forget details about their own identities.

Read the passage and determine its text structure!

Ansel Bourne was a preacher, carpenter, and most likely an inspiration for the name “Bourne” in the movie and novel series, The Bourne Identity. Up until 1857, Bourne had been a carpenter, until he was called to religion. After 1858, he worked as an evangelical preacher, until 1887. He set up shop in Norristown, Pennsylvania, as a candy maker using the name A.J. Brown. Three months later, he woke up not knowing where he was, with no memory of the previous months. The case of Mr. Bourne has fascinated psychologists, and some film makers, for years.

Read the passage and determine its text structure!

The term Amnesia refers to complete or partial memory loss. Almost all of us will experience some form of Amnesia in our lives, even if it’s just a simple case of verbal amnesia, like forgetting someone’s name. Fortunately, there are things that you can do to prevent amnesia. Here is a list of foods that you can eat to improve your memory: almonds, walnuts, bananas, honey, apples, and black pepper. Though these foods may not reverse post-traumatic amnesia, they should improve your memory in daily life if you eat them regularly enough.

Read the passage and determine its text structure!

What do Finding Nemo and Robocop have in common? Not much, except that they both feature characters who suffer amnesia. Amnesia is a common plot device in movies and TV shows, but how accurate are these depictions? In television and movies, memory loss caused by a knock to the head (post-traumatic amnesia) is shown as fairly common, when it is actually quite rare. Unlike in movies and television shows that feature amnesia, most knocks to the head will not produce memory loss. In reality, memory loss or amnesia is much more likely to occur as the result of a stroke, brain infection, or brain surgery. So while amnesia causes people or characters to lose memories in both film and reality, characters are usually “fixed” by taking another knock to the head. In reality, people are not cured so simply.

Stella was born in Poland. She lived with her family in a small house near the Oder River. Both Stella's parents are teachers. Stella's friend Tim was born in Mexico. He likes to play soccer. Tim lived in a big house by the Rio Grande River. Tim's parents are doctors.

What is different about Stella and Tim?

Frogs and toads can live in the water and on the land. They both catch food with long, sticky tongues. They eat insects and small animals. You can tell them apart by their bodies. Frogs have long, strong back legs and thin, moist skin. Toads have shorter back legs and drier skin.

Name something the same about the two animals.

I rode my bicycle up a steep hill. I was very

hot and exhausted. It was a long race, but I

was in lead. I raced down the other side as

fast as I could. It began to rain a little and I

could feel the cold wetness on my face.

What point of view is this written in?

It was a hot day and the bicycle racers

were off to a great start. Shane quickly

went ahead of the others. His face was

red hot and he began to sweat as he went

up the steep hill. It started to rain as he

began down the other side of the hill.

What point of view is this written in?

It was a hot day and the racers were off to a

great start. Shane quickly pulled ahead of the other

racers to take the lead. He was excited as he

approached the top of the steep hill. He was hot and

exhausted, but barely cared. As it began to rain he

raced down the hill. The cool raindrops were cooling

him down.

What point of view is this written in?

Farming allowed Native American

people to grow more food. However,

they had to stay in one place to tend

their gardens. As a result, people began

living in larger, permanent villages.

Populations grew and developed more

complicated governments. Because

they lived in large groups, people could

also develop more specific skills.

What is the main idea of this passage?

There are about 60 million cells in your

body. There are several hundred types

of cells, each with its own job. Nerve

cells send signals through your body.

Sensory cells help you see, hear, touch,

taste, and smell the world around you.

Blood cells carry oxygen and fight

infections. Without these many cells,

your body would not work.

What is the main idea of this passage?

When you’re scribbling a note with a pencil, do you ever wonder what this handy tool is made from? To get right to the point, a pencil is made of a number of materials. The inside is made of graphite that is made stronger with clay. Its wooden outside comes from cedar trees. The yellow paint on the wood is made from minerals, while the metal brand at one end is aluminum. Should you make a mistake while writing, use the eraser. Is main materials are soybean oil and latex.

The Authors main purpose for writing this passage is to...

You know that Mr. is short for mister, but do you know what CEO means? It stands for chief executive officer. Not all abbreviations stand for people. For example, Pk. means park, Rd. stands for road, and Mt. represents mountain. The abbreviation Dr. stands for two different words-doctor and drive. Units of measure also have abbreviations. Teaspoon is often shortened to tsp. and gal. stands for gallon. The

Author’s main purpose for writing this passage is to

Suppose you lived thousands of years ago in Ancient Egypt. What would you have eaten? Like all Ancient Egyptians, you would eat bread with every meal. Garlic bread, raisin bread, and nut-bread were three favorites. Egyptians also ate a lot of fruit including figs, dates, and pomegranates. Vegetables were also part of their diet. Lettuce, beans, onions, cucumbers, and leeks were all popular. How do you think you’d like your Egyptian meal?

What is the author’s purpose for writing this passage?

When the cat wants inside, he will paw at the door.

What is the meaning of the underlined word used in the text.

The Farmer added a final post to the fence.

What is the meaning of the underlined word based on the text.

Gabe had to track his math facts progress.

What is the meaning of the word based on the text.