Learning terms and definitions by themselves doesn’t provide much value to kids, but they need to know, and be able to use, certain terms in order to discuss and understand what they read about literature – story elements, types of figurative language, vocabulary terms, etc. What other categories of terms do you teach to your middle grade students throughout the year? And how do you group them?
Here is the list of terms that I’ve chosen to include in my Literary Terms slide presentation. It’s a long PowerPoint that I’ve recently posted in my TPT store with the idea that teachers could pull it out throughout the year as they introduce various literature topics.
Genres
poetry
drama
speech
novel
graphic novel
short story
essay
article
Fiction
realistic fiction
historical fiction
mysteries
science fiction
myth
legend
fable
folktales
fairy tales
tall tale
Story Elements
character
setting
plot
conflict
theme
Plot Elements
exposition
initiating event
rising action
climax
falling action
resolution
prologue
epilogue
Characters
characterization
protagonist
antagonist
stock character
dialog
narrator
dynamic character
static character
flat character
rounded character
Conflicts
internal conflict
external conflict
person vs person
person vs nature
person vs society
person vs technology
person vs the supernatural
Point of View
first person
third person
limited
omniscient
Figurative Language
simile
metaphor
personification
hyperbole
imagery
Literary Devices
irony
flashback
foreshadowing
suspense
symbol
symbolism
Non-Fiction
biography
autobiography
narrative non-fiction
informational text
how-to article
Vocabulary
synonyms
antonyms
connotations, denotations
analogy
alliteration
onomatopoeia
Text Features and Text Structures
text features
text structures
Voice and Tone
voice
tone
If you could use a copy of just the list, you can download a free copy here:
Literary Terms – list
In the PowerPoint, most terms are introduced one per slide with definitions and good examples. I chose the examples from a variety of sources – most of them literature, of varied types, that kids will recognize. At the end of the presentation, there is also a full list of the terms with definitions ready to print out for your kids.
The second slide presentation, Poetry Terms focused on things like types of poems, sound elements, and figurative language that apply especially to teaching poetry.
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