Priming the Text

Types of Questions

Part of being a good reader and writer is asking questions. Look at the chart below and think about the different types of questions.

• We ask formal questions when writing research reports, speeches, and formal presentations.
• We ask informal questions when conducting surveys, taking polls, and browsing.

When reading a book, you often ask informal questions to gather information. These questions help you focus your reading.

Characters

Have you had a dream you remembered? If you have, you might have a personal experience that can help you understand this book.

• Look at the title: Just a Dream.
• Look at the boy on the bed. His name is Walter. He is a character in the story.

You will meet other characters as well.

Elements of a Narrative

A narrative text is a story that has characters, a setting, and a plot with a beginning, middle, and end.

• Characters are people and animals. Setting is time and place.
• The plot is the series of events that make up a story.
• At the beginning of a story, you meet the characters in their world.
• In the middle of a story, the characters face a problem.
• At the end of a story, the characters solve the problem.

Just a Dream is a narrative text.

Add the bolded words and their definitions to your Writer’s Notebook for Day 2, if you haven’t already.