Name: _________________________________________________ Date: _________________

Collection Two: Perception and Reality Study Guide

Academic Vocabulary Abnormal: not typical, usual, or regular; not normal Feature: a prominent or distinctive part, quality, or characteristic Focus: to direct toward a specific point or purpose Perceive: to become aware of something directly through the senses Task: an assignment or work done as part of one’s duties

Drama Vocabulary Drama: a form of literature that is meant to be performed (a play) Stage Directions: unspoken directions about how the drama is to be performed Cast of Characters: a list of all the characters in a play Dialogue: the words spoken by the characters in a story or drama

Story Elements Plot: a series of related events Exposition: the first part of the plot; an introduction to the story that gives basic information about the characters and conflict Conflict: the struggle between opposing forces Setting: the time and place of the events in a story Suspense: the feeling of growing tension and excitement felt by readers and viewers of a play Inference: an idea or conclusion that’s drawn from textual evidence and prior knowledge Symbol: a person, place, an object, or activity that stands for something beyond itself (e.g., a dove symbolizes peace; a picture of a heart symbolizes love).

Informational Texts: Patterns of Organization There are four common patterns of organization informational text: 

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Main Ideas and Supporting Details: A pattern of organization in which a main idea of a topic is stated (usually at the beginning of the paragraph, and is supported by words, phrases and sentences that tell more about the main idea). o (Each day, we are surrounded by technology and computerized devices. We sit at our computers for hours for all kinds of purposes—writing and researching topics for our assignments, watching movies, and posting messages on social networks. We also tweet, listen to music, text message, and more.) Chronological Order: The arrangement of events in the order in which they happen (time order). o (During its life, the butterfly goes through different growth stages. At first, the butterfly is a single, slimy egg. In the second stage, the caterpillar spends most of its time eating and growing.) Cause-Effect: A pattern of organization that shows the relationship between events, ideas, and trends. (“If I spend a little time every night this week studying for this Language Arts unit test, then I will receive a high grade.”)

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Compare-and-Contrast: A pattern of organization that provides a way to look at the similarities and differences in two or more subjects. o Today’s space shuttle crews have both a flight deck and lower crew-quarters deck in which to move around (similarities). However, the Apollo crews from the 1960s were typically confined to their metallic flight couches, with little stretching room and space to move about (differences).

Informational Texts: Memoir—A form of autobiographical writing in which the writer shares his/her experiences, observations, thoughts, and feelings.

Capitalization Rules   

Begin every sentence and the first word of a quotation with a capital letter. Capitalize proper nouns (Burlington Township Middle School) and proper adjectives (Italian food, Chinese checkers). Capitalize the first, last, and all important words in the titles of books, poems, and stories (The Hunger Games, “’Twas the Night Before Christmas”).

Complete Sentences/Fragments  

A complete sentence has a subject and predicate, and expresses a complete thought (Even though it embarrassed him, Jeffrey still wore the shirt his grandmother gave him). A sentence fragment has a subject and predicate, but does not express a complete thought (Even though it embarrassed him).