Session 2: Reading
Comprehension and Literary
Response
 Test-Taking Tips #2
 Talk to the Text Review: Owning
What You Read
 Reading Comprehension Strategies
 Reading Informational Texts
 Reading and Analyzing Literature
Test-Taking Tips 2
Read all directions carefully before answering
any questions.
Breath! Relax! The test is untimed, so there is
no reason to rush.
Believe that you will pass the test. See
yourself opening up the envelope of test results
and receiving a passing score. You will pass if
you believe you can.
Reading on the CAHSEE
7 Vocabulary Questions
18 Reading Comprehension Questions (read a
passage and answer questions)
today
20 Literary Response Questions
(read literature and answer questions)
today
Talking to the Text (TtT) Review
Talking to the Text (TttT) means “talking”
with your pencil on a text. It helps you “own”
what you read!
You can write down whatever helps you,
including
underline important phrases or sentences
write your questions, clarifications, summaries,
connections, predictions, or visualizations in the
margins
even mark places you are confused or don't
understand something.
Other reading strategies to use:
See p. 65
 Analyze- break down the information to examine the
individual ideas
 Infer- make educated guesses based on the evidence
in the text and what you already know
 Predict- guess what will happen based on what you
know.
 Main ideas/Details- analyze how the author
organizes information using main ideas and details.
A new reading strategy: Chunking
Chunking
Chunking is exactly what it sounds like.
You break down a tough word, sentence, or
paragraph into easier-to-read chunks.
Chunk in a way that is clear to you, either by
circling pieces of text or using dashes (/) to
separate chunks.
You wouldn’t eat a whole cake in one meal, so
why try to digest an entire text at once?
Chunking Example
Distinguishing Between Different types
of Texts on the CAHSEE
Question to ask: What type (genre) of text is
this?
Literary Text (something you may see in an English class)
• Poem
• Play
• Short Story
Informational Text (something you would see in the real world)
•
•
•
•
•
Job Application?
Brochure?
Business Letter?
History/science/biographical text?
Etc.
Reading Informational Texts
 These types of texts are ones you read to find out
information, not for pleasure
 Usually, they are laid out so that you find information
fast
 The structural features like headings, bullets,
graphics, and numbers are there to help you find the
information you need.
 Most times, they have already chunked the text for
you with these features. Use them!
Reading Consumer Documents
see p. 39
 What type of text is a consumer document?
Informational document
 Consumer Document-document made for a consumer
(person who buys products), and include:
Warranties
Contracts
Product Information
Instructional Manuals
Features of Consumer Documents
see p. 39
Some of these features are found in other
instructional/nonfiction documents
 Headings
 Numbers
 Bullets
 Graphics
 Special Type Treatment: boldface, italic, underlined,
colored
(More) features of consumer
documents
see p. 39
Table of contents
Indexes
Glossaries
Works Cited
Bibliographies
Workplace Documents
see p. 45
Include texts you may see on the job..
 Procedure manuals
 Job applications
 Memos
 Guides to health benefits
 Email messages
 Organizational charts
 Instructions for operating machinery
Literary Response and Analysis
20 Multiple Choice Questions
These types of texts include
Poetry
Plays
Fiction
Essays
The Literary Response and Analysis section of the
CAHSEE asks you to read literature and answer
questions about it.
Genre
Genre is a French word
meaning “kind” or “type”.
The major genres in literature are
•poetry
•fiction
•drama
•essays
It can also refer to more specific types of literature
such as
comedy, drama, tragedy, epic poetry or science
fiction.
Character
see p. 95
Characters: The different people in the
story
There are 2 main types of characters:
Protagonist - Main character; usually the
“good guy”
Antagonist – The character who opposes the
main character in some way; the “opponent”
Protagonist/Antagonist Example
see p.95
 On The Simpsons, Bart Simpson is the protagonist
and Principal Skinner is one of the antagonists.
Conflict
see p. 95
A main problem in the story that the main character
faces.
Can be internal or external.
Internal Conflict: A character “at war” with him or
herself (exp: Ariel has to decide whether she should
leave the ocean)
External Conflict: One character versus society,
nature, or another character (exp: protagonist vs.
antagonist)
Types of External Conflict
Man Vs. Nature- Main character fights against nature.
exp: A story of a man caught in a snowstorm trying to
fight his way out.
Man Vs. Man-Main character fights against another
character.
exp: In The Little Mermaid, the main conflict was
between Ariel and the Sea Witch.
Man Vs. Society-Character fights against the rules of
his/her society.
exp: In The Little Mermaid, Ariel must fight against the
rules of her family and underwater society in order to
marry the prince.
Plot
see p. 107
Plot: The pattern of action of a story; the series of
linked events that make up the story
Usually starts with a problem or conflict that has to be
resolved.
Exp: In Little Mermaid, the plot begins with the
conflict between Ariel and her protective father.
Plot Structure
see p. 107
A. Exposition: Introduces characters and setting
B. Introduction of conflict: The major problem/conflict of the story is
introduced.
(Rising Action: Builds the conflict and helps develop characters)
C. Climax: Highest or most exciting point in the action
(Falling Action: After the climax, plot slows and moves towards resolution)
D. Resolution: The conclusion to the story in which the major conflicts are
solved.
Flashback
see p. 107
A look at a past event. The author stops the
action of the story to go back to an event that
happened at an earlier time.
What movies or books have flashbacks in them?
see p. 131
Irony
is a literary device for conveying meaning by
saying the exact opposite of
what is really meant.
Sarcasm is one kind of irony. It is praise which
is really an insult.
Sarcasm generally involves cruelty, the desire to
put someone down, for example
“This is my brilliant son who failed
out of college.”
Life is filled with ironies.
Here are a few examples…
1. All you want is an Escalade. You work hard for
years to buy one. The first day you buy it, you
park it at the supermarket and go inside. While
you are inside, someone steals your Escalade.
When you come out with your groceries, the thief
runs you over with your own car, breaking both
your legs, and takes off in your brand new
Escalade.
2. A girl lies to her boyfriend and says she has to
baby-sit, but really goes to the movies with her
friends. While buying popcorn, she sees her
boyfriend there with another date.
Types of Irony
Verbal Irony:
occurs when someone says the opposite
of what the person means.
Exp: A person is having a horrible day and says, “I’ve never
been so happy in my life.”
Situational Irony: occurs when what happens is the
opposite of what you expect to happen.
Exp: Escalade story, boyfriend at the movies story
Dramatic Irony: occurs when you, the reader or the
viewer, knows something crucial that the main character does
not know. This is the most important type for the CAHSEE
Exp: In Romeo and Juliet, the audience knows Juliet is not really
dead and has faked her death, but Romeo does not.
Dramatic Irony
Dramatic Irony: occurs when you, the
reader or the viewer, knows something crucial
that the main character does not know. This is
the most important type for the CAHSEE
With your class, brainstorm examples of
dramatic irony in books, stories, movies, or
television shows.
Literary Terms
Theme
Tone
Mood
Drama
Symbolism
Theme
see p. 101
A theme is the lesson learned in the story.
Also described as observation about life or
human nature.
A universal theme can be found in the
literature of m any different cultures and
from many different times.
Exp: The theme of Cinderella is “the best
things come to those who wait”
see p. 167
Tone
Tone is way words are used to convey a writer’s
attitude towards a subject.
Think of when someone says, “Don’t use that
tone with me, young lady!” The tone of
writing shows the writer’s attitude, and can
change the meaning of what is being said or
written.
Mood
see p. 125
Mood is the feeling created by a piece of
literature. Another way to think about it is
the way you feel when you read it.
Some literature makes you feel sad, others
joyful or anxious.
see p. 90
Drama
•Drama, or dramatic literature is another word for
play.
•Plays/dramas are when characters tell a story in a
theater performance.
•Characters in a play speak in dialogue, the words
characters speak on stage.
•Stage directions are directions in play scripts that
tell actors what to do and how to say their lines
(Usually in parentheses and italics)
Dramatic Monologue
see p. 90
•Dramatic says that it could be acted out on a stage,
and is a form of drama (theater)
• Monologue is a long speech that one person makes,
either to themselves or to another character.
• A dramatic monologue is written to reveal both the
situation in the play and the character’s thoughts.
•A soliloquy is just like a dramatic monologue, but it is
spoken to the audience and is part of a longer play.
Symbolism
see pg. 101
 A symbol is a person, place, or thing that stands for
an idea or concept.
Exps:
Object
Idea
Rose
Love
Sunshine
Happiness
Dove
Peace
Hawk
War
Sometimes the symbols are not as clear as the examples above, because sometimes
authors create their own symbolism within a story.
Poetry
Complete pages 117-118 together
Remember to use our reading strategies
Chunking
TtT
Inference
Prediction
Etc.
Drama
Complete pages 143-146 together
Remember our literary terms
Dialogue
Dramatic Monologue
Stage Directions
Homework Due Next Session

42-47; 58-64; 75-77; 92-94 (Jeff
Story); 98-100; 104-106; 117-118;
Measuring Up


Remember to TtT and chunk!
Vocabulary Flashcards for all
bolded words p. 39-152

Use directions in student packet, page
3