Realistic Fiction
Big Idea
Everyone has a story to tell.
Essential Question
How do you persuade people to support your ideas?
Target Vocabulary
issue - a subject or problem that people think and talk about
deteriorating - becoming worse; falling apart
dependent - relying on others
exception - something that does not fit into a general rule
granted - given in an official way
effective - successful and achieves desired results
urge - to try to persuade strongly
violations - acts that show disrespect or break the rules
ordinance - a law or rule made by authorities
minimum - the very least
Comprehension
Target Skill
Persuasion - the author of a persuasive text might state a goal and give reasons whey the goal is important. The author might also give facts and examples to support each reason.
Target Strategy
Summarize - to briefly tell the important parts of a text in your own words. Summarizing an argument helps readers understand how the author's reasons support the goal.
Fluency
Stress - good readers make text meaningful by stressing, or emphasizing, certain words. Knowing which words to stress in a sentence helps readers understand the overall meaning of a text. With practice, you will improve reading fluency and comprehension of a selection by learning to stress the correct words.
Decoding
More Common Suffixes - there are often spelling changes to a word when a suffix is added. In the word argument, the final e of a base word is dropped. Other spelling changes include changing the finaly to i, or doubling the final consonant. Adding a suffix often adds a syllable to a word. Common suffixes include -ly, -ment, -less, -ness, -ion, and -er.
Vocabulary Strategies
Greek and Latin Suffixes -ism, -st, -able, -ible - a suffix is affix attached to the end of a base word or root that changes the meaning of the word. Two common Greek suffixes are -ism (belief in something) and -ist (one who is or does). Common Latin suffixes include -able and -ible (capable or worthy of an action).
Grammar
More Kinds of Pronouns - an indefinite pronoun refers to a person or thing that is not identified. A possessive pronoun replaces a possessive noun and shows ownership. Words such as my, your, his, her,its, our, their, mine, yours, and theirs are possessive pronouns. An interrogative pronoun begins questions. The words who, what, and which are interrogative pronouns.
Writing
Write to Narrate
Focus Trait: Ideas - writers present ideas in a way that helps readers understand why the writer feels a certain way. An idea presented in a personal narrative may be a main idea or it may be part of a descriptive detail in the narrative. Ideas in both of these places help the reader better understand the author's thoughts and feelings.