Figurative Language is when the use of words to convey meaning outside of their exact or dictionary definitions.

Examples:

• "Her smile lit up the room like the sun."

• "He ran as fast as the wind."

• "Her tears were a river running down her cheeks."

We often use the connotation (emotional connections) of words to create these layers of meaning.

A summary presents an objective overview of a text, capturing the central or main idea.

A summary answers these questions:

• What is the subject of the text?

• What does the author want the readers to know about the subject?

• What details or key points does the author provide to learn about the subject?

A summary also includes key ideas and important supporting details from the text.

Ordering Ideas

Authors sequence or order their ideas intentionally to prove their point. There are several ways that an author might do this.

Connecting Ideas

Authors unfold their ideas by making intentional choices about how to connect these ideas throughout the text. These choices can apply to small sections of text, such as sentences and single paragraphs, or to larger sections of text with multiple paragraphs.

To determine the effectiveness of an argument (how good an argument is), readers must carefully examine the evidence presented to determine relevance and sufficiency. 

Relevant evidence is closely connected to the claim or fits the topic.
Sufficient evidence is enough, and convincingly supports the claim.

When evaluating the relevance and sufficiency of evidence in a text, consider the following:

• Does the evidence fit with the topic?

• Is the evidence distracting or unrelated to the claim?

• Does the author use multiple types of evidence or rely on one type of evidence?

• Does the evidence fully support the claim or is the reader left with questions?

Keep in mind that a summary:

• briefly retells the story's most important parts in a few sentences.

• includes only the key information.

• leaves out minor details.

• is in your own words and is opinion free.

Exposition

Exposition sets the stage for the story by establishing the setting and introducing the characters.

Rising Action
Rising action describes the events that build tension and conflict.

Climax
The climax is the turning point or moment of highest tension.

Falling Action
Falling action relieves the tension or main conflict(s).

Resolution

Resolution resolves the main conflict(s). 

There are two types of conflict that may appear in a fictional story:

1. external conflict between characters

2. internal conflict within a character

Notice that internal conflict relates to a character's motivations because it reflects a character's struggle with their own opposing beliefs or desires. Internal conflicts are often about important decisions and help make characters more believable and complex.

When summarizing fiction, think of the following questions to capture the key ideas of the text:

• What is the setting?

• What is the conflict?

• Who are the main characters involved in the conflict?

• How was the conflict resolved?

• How did this resolution impact the main characters?

• What did they learn?

When you craft your research question, consider the following characteristics of an effective research question:

• It should be answerable. Questions based on opinions don't always have a single answer based on facts. The answer is more than a yes or no.

• It should be clear. There should be no uncertainty about what it is asking.

• It should be complex. If a question is too simple, it may not require research to answer it. Complex questions may have more than one answer.

• It should be concise. Research questions do not contain extra information, reasons, or answers to the questions.

• It should be focused. The question should focus on a narrow, specific part of a problem or topic. If it is too broad, then it may be too difficult to find a quality answer.