Genre- the types or categories of literature; the main categories are:
Fiction (historical, realistic, fantasy, fairytale, folktale, myth, legend, short story)
Drama
Poetry
Nonfiction (autobiography, biography, news, journals, factual reports, etc.)

Story Elements
Plot, characters, setting, theme, conflict, point of view, dialogue, suspense, voice

1. Setting- time, place and atmosphere in which events occur; the author uses descriptions to appeal to our senses (what we see, smell, touch, hear and taste through the author's words)

2. Conflict -The action of a plot is usually set in motion by a central conflict, or struggle between opposing forces.
External conflict - a character's struggle against an outside force: another character, a physical obstacle, nature, or society
Internal conflict - a struggle within a character

3. Plot Outline - the series of events in a story. Exposition ( setting, characters, conflict introduced), Rising Action ( complications to central conflict), Climax (the turning point where the central conflict is about to be resolved), Denouement ( the
falling action and resolution of central conflict).

4. Characterization

Author's Purpose- A writer has a reason or combination of reasons for writing. Four main reasons are:
1. To entertain
2. to explain or inform
3. to express an opinion
4. to persuade
What do you think were the purposes of the stories by Gary Soto and Langston Hughes?

Theme- The theme is the author's message and or philosophy

Teleplay- is a play written for T.V. The stage directions include directions for the camera. Camera directions direct the focus of a shot and tell the camera person when to fade in or out of a scene.
Pay attention to these directions as you read, so you can visualize what the drama looks like on T.V.

Figures of Speech

Personification- giving person-like qualities to animals or non-living things. For example: The frog yelled at the fish for splashing him as he slept.

Reading Non-fiction
Its purpose is usually to inform. We read non-fiction differently than fiction. We read more carefully. We read and reread.
To find the facts, we ask:
Who?
What?
Where?
When?
How?
Why?

Autobiography is a true story written by the person who lived it. It is a primary source. (It is as close to fact as you can get).

Skill: Summarizing: When you summarize a story, you write a short version in your own words. To write a summary,list the main idea and facts/details. Then rewrite them in your own words.