Fairytales

A fairytale is a classic piece of children's literature about the adventures of imaginary beings in a faraway land. Characters in a fairytale may include fairies, dragons, elves, giants, princes, princesses, and talking animals. They usually begin with "once upon a time", and contain magical elements with an enchanting setting. Fairytales have a conflict of good vs. evil, and the good side ultimately triumphs the story of a prince trying to save his princess from an evil creature. Fairytales are often traditional, and passed down through generations. They are designed to teach a lesson about good character through the challenges the hero of the story has to face.

Some fairytales you may have heard of as a child:
Cinderella, Snow White, Little Red Riding Hood, The Princess and the Pea

Vocabulary

Classic- (noun) A work of art with recognized value.

Imaginary- (adjective) Existing only in one's mind. 

Enchanting- (adjective) Very charming or attractive.

Conflict- (noun) A serious disagreement.

Triumph- (noun) A great victory or achievement.

Traditional- (adjective) An inherited or custom pattern of thought, action, or behavior.

Generation- (noun) A group of people born and living during the same time. 

Character- (noun) Qualities in a person that make them different.

Hero- (noun) A person who is admired for his or her courage.

Face- (verb) To confront or deal with.

Vocabulary Activity

Please unscramble the following words from our vocabulary list:

1. Crcatehra

2. roHe

3. inGoatneer

4. aecF

5. igrIanmya

6. Cailcss

7. nnniEgchat

8. oltainTardi

9. upihTmr

10. lnofCcit

Grammar Point

Character and Face are both considered to be homophones. A homophone is two or more words that have the same pronunciation but different meanings. We used character in this post to describe the qualities in a person, but we also know that character could be a person or animal in a novel. We used face in this post to describe what a hero in a story has to confront or deal with, but we know that face also means the front of a persons head. Knowing this, please list 5 other homophones. 

Fantasy

Fantasy is a literary genre in which the plot cannot occur in the real world. We grow up reading and listening to fantasies, and these tales are meant to increase the power of our imagination and passion for adventure. With this being said, people like to read fantasies because they relate to our deepest desires and dreams. The plot usually involves magic taking place on an unknown world. It also involves witches, sorcerers, mythical and animal creatures who can talk like humans. People like to read fantasy novels because it allows them to escape from an ordinary and sometimes predictable world, to a supernatural world filled with magical powers and mythical creatures. Reading this genre of literature brings about excitement and broadens the mind of an audience. 

 
Harry Potter is a very popular fantasy novel. It's a series about the life of a young wizard named Harry Potter, and his friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. They attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and experience many thrilling adventures together.

Vocabulary

Plot- (noun) The main events of a novel

Imagination- (noun) The power of forming a mental image of something not present.

Passion- (noun) A strong excitement to do something

Desire- (noun) The feeling of wishing or wanting something.

Predictable- (adjective) The ability to tell what is going to happen.

Supernatural- (adjective) Being above or beyond what is natural. 

Mythical- (adjective) Existing only in the imagination.

Broaden- (verb) To add to or expand.

Vocabulary Activity

Please fill in the blanks with the Vocabulary words.

1. The child has a big _________, he comes up with many different stories or things that aren't present.

2. The _____ of the story of Rainbow Fish was when he refuses to share his beauty with the other fish but realizes the importance and the happiness it brings to share with others. 

3. Learning about different cultures _____ my mind and my knowledge.

4. I have a _____ to impact a student's life.

5. The _____ creatures were all not real, they were only in a fantasy book.

6. The movie was ______, I was able to tell what was going to happen as soon as it started.

7. He has the _____ to graduate high school.

8. The story was ______ because it went beyond the natural world.

Grammar Point

When a number of adjectives are used together in a sentence, the order depends on the function of the adjectives. The order is:

Quantity, value/opinion, size, temperature, age, shape, color, origin, material.

For example: She is selling her beautiful 2 year old silver Italian car for an affordable price.

Please write three sentences using adjectives in the proper order.

Biographies

A biography is a narrative of a person's life, meaning that it's a true story about a real person. It is important to note that a biography is the story of a person's life that is composed by someone else. On the other hand, an autobiography tells the history of a person's life written or told by that person. Both biographies and autobiographies are common genres in nonfiction. A biography includes facts in chronological order, such as date and place of birth, childhood, education, career, relationships, and life achievements. It also must include a detailed description of what makes the person significant. A biography can contain almost anything about a person, but the facts should be both relevant and interesting to the audience. You can find biographies written about artists, musicians, athletes, and past presidents. 

Vocabulary
Narrative- (noun) The retelling of a story.
Composed-(verb) To write or create.
History-(noun) The study of past events.
Common- (adjective) Occuring many times.
Chronological- (adjective) Starting with the earliest to the most recent.
Achievements- (noun) Something done successfully.
Description- (noun) A spoken or written representation of a person or object.
Significant- (adjective) Very important.
Relevant- (adjective) Closely connected.



Across                                                                          
3. Closely connected.                                                
4. Very important.                                                    
6. Starting with the earliest to most recent.        
8. Occuring many times.                                         
9. To write or create.

Down
1. The retelling of a story.
2. Something done successfully.
5. A spoken or written representation.
7. The study of past events.

Grammar Point: Adjectives are words we use when we are describing. They make a sentence more interesting by giving more details. One sentence that I used that included an adjective was: "Both biographies and autobiographies are common genres in nonfiction." In this sentence, common is the adjective and gives more detail to the noun "genre". Please expand these five sentences by adding an adjective in front of a noun.

1. The boy is holding a book.
2. The puppies are playing in the grass.
3. The store is closed.
4. The clothes in the closet.
5. The books at the library. 

                                                 

Nonfiction

Another major genre of literature is Nonfiction. Nonfiction is writing that is based on facts, real events, and real people. This means that nonfiction books are true stories , unlike realistic fiction. The people, events, places, and ideas are all real and not invented. It has a clear purpose, which may be to inform, to persuade, to honor, or to entertain an audience. The narrator of this type of literature is the author, and he or she may express his or her own attitude and perspective about the subject. Newspaper stories, journal articles, textbooks, and legal documents are all nonfiction. Biographies and any historical texts are also nonfiction. Books that are based on real life stories are good to read when you want to learn about a specific topic. Topics I usually like to learn about by reading a factual book include how to cook and places to travel. 


Here are a few Nonfiction books that I would be interested in reading:




Vocabulary to know:
Facts- (noun) Something known to exist or to have happened.
Invent- (verb) To create or design.
Purpose- (noun) The reason for which something is done or created.
Persuade- (verb) To make someone do or believe something by giving good reason.
Audience- (noun) The people reading a book.
Narrator- (noun) A person who tells a story. 
Express- (verb) To say what one thinks or means.
Attitude- (noun) The way you think and feel about someone or something.
Perspective- (noun) A point of view.

Vocabulary Activity: Please find and circle the vocabulary words in the word search.

E S O P R U P E V L U R E P D 
Q D K F A H X Z M J A D S E V 
C T J Z N P R A U Q U Q T R K 
J F N J R E H X B T X E C S S 
A X N E J H V G I Y K V A U W 
Y U S S V X I T B H P I F A F 
T S D I K N T I Z Z P T L D X 
V J O I O A I W L Y S C W E I 
U Z A J E O H Q J K K E H I X 
A G L A R N V L D G K P Z U Q 
L N E N V J C D S J S S K H T 
K A L N Q B H E K Y O R Z A J 
N A R R A T O R T D N E E N M 
V M B S W I V R F X W P T U B 
B M C D Z J M X W F T Y R K V 

Attitude           Audience
Express           Facts
Invent             Narrator
Perspective    Persuade
Purpose

Grammar Point: There are a couple of verbs in our vocabulary list. A verb is a word used to describe an action (run, walk, sing), state (to be, to exist), or occurrence (to happen, to become). The verbs in our vocabulary words are to invent, to persuade, and to express. Please write 10 sentences that include at least one verb. 

Realistic Fiction

One type of literature you may be interested in reading is called realistic fiction. Realistic fiction is a genre that tells a story about characters that act like real people in situations that can happen in real life. The characters in the story experience real-life situations, making the story very relatable to the reader. Even though a realistic fiction novel is about real life issues, it is not a true story. The person who writes a novel is called an author. Realistic fiction often deals with many complex problems and situations in regards to people, their problems, and the challenges they go through. Some common topics within a realistic fiction novel include: bullying, family issues, friendship, growing up, and love. They can also contain humor, a sense of adventure, and danger. Some people choose to read realistic fiction to help them work through their own personal problems, or because they want to explore how people who are different from them may think or feel. Realistic fiction novels have always been one of my favorite genres to read because of how true to life they are.

Some of my favorite Realistic Fiction novels are:

  Vocabulary:
  Literature- (noun) Written work. (e.g., poems, plays, novels)
  Genre- (noun) A class or category of literature.
  Character- (noun) A person in a story.
  Relatable- (adjective) The ability to connect with someone or something.
  Issue- (noun) An important topic or problem.
  Author- (noun) The writer of a book.
  Novel- (noun) Another word for book.
  Complex- (adjective) Consisting of many different parts.
  Topic- (noun) A subject of conversation, the meaning. 

Vocabulary Exercise: Please unscramble the vocabulary words below.
  1. Iuess
  2. cCerhtaar
  3. laealbtRe
  4. Ltiratreue
  5. cTpoi
  6. polmxeC
  7. erGne
  8. Nvleo
  9. hortuA

Grammar Point: Most of the vocabulary words I used are nouns. A noun is the name of a person, place, or thing. Often, a noun will be the name of something we can touch (e.g., dog, book, boy), but sometimes a noun can also name things we cannot touch (e.g., joy, laughter, evaporation). Please list 10 nouns that you can or cannot touch that are a person, place or thing.