• IMPORTANT READING CONCEPTS

     
     
    Character
     
    A character is a person or animal in a story.  Identifying characters in a story helps the reader have a better understanding of the text.
     
     
     
     
    COMPARE & CONTRAST
     
    Compare and contrast means to tell how things are alike and different.
    Good readers look for clues to tell how things are alike and how they are different.
     
     
    Classify and Categorize
     
    Classify and categorize means to put things into groups that belong together because they are like each other in some way.
     
     
    Cause and Effect
     
    Cause and effect is knowing what happens (effect) and why those things happen (cause).
     
     
    Draw Conclusions
     
    When you draw conclusions you use clues found when reading and looking at pictures.  You use these clues with what you already know in real life to help you figure out something that is not written in a story.
     
    Main Idea
     
    The main idea is what the story is mostly about.  It is the most important thing the author wants to talk about.
     
    Plot
     
    All stories have a beginning, middle and end.  We call things that happen in the beginning, middle and at the end of a story the plot.
     
    Realism and Fantasy
     
    Understanding realism and fantasy helps a reader determine if what they are reading is real or make-believe.  A realistic story tells about something that could happen in real life.  A fantasy in make-believe.
     
    Setting
     
    The setting of a story is where it happens and when it happens.  A setting can be a real place or an imaginary
    (make-believe) one.
     
     
    Sequence
     
    Sequence is the order in which things happen.  Clue words like  first, next and last, help a reader to determine the sequence of a story. Good readers need to pay attention to the sequence of events in a story, this helps them keep track of what happens.