Because of Winn-Dixie

By Kate DiCamilloIllustrated by Kevin Hawkes

Visit the Author

Study Skills• Genre: Realistic Fiction• Comprehension Skill:

Sequence• Comprehension Strategy:

Summarize• Comprehension Review Skill:Author’s purpose• Vocabulary: Suffixes

Genre: Realistic Fiction• In Realistic Fiction the characters

speak and act like real people.• The story describes real-life problems

and events.• The outcome, or problem resolution,

seems to be reasonable.

Click on Genre to learn more about different genres and Realistic Fiction.

Summary

Moving to a new town can be hard, and making new friends can be even harder. With the help of her dog, Winn Dixie, Opal is able to get to know Miss Franny Block, the local librarian. Miss Block tells Opal an exciting tale about a bear that once wandered into the library.

Comprehension Skill –Sequence

• Sequence is the order of the events that occur in a story.

• You can determine the order of events by clue words such as first and next, in the beginning, then, following, after, and finally.

• Some story events may occur at the same time.• Other clue words to indicate sequence might be in

the beginning, then, following, after, and finally.• Other story events, such as flashbacks, are told out

of order.

Comprehension Skill - Summarizing

• A summary is a short statement that tells the main ideas of a selection.

• A story summary should tell the goals of the characters, how they try to reach them, and whether they reach them.

• A summary of an article should tell the main idea, leaving out unnecessary details.

Tips on Summarizing

Vocabulary Skill – Word Structure : Suffixes

• The suffix –ful means “full of.” For example, prideful means “full of pride.”

• The suffix –ly means “in a way that is.”

• Sometimes –ful and –ly are added to a base word together as in pridefully, which means “acting in a way that is full of pride.”

Comprehension Review Skill

• Author’s Purpose is the author’s reason or reasons for writing this story.

• Authors don’t usually tell you this. You have to figure the reasons out.

• It might be to inform or teach, to entertain, to express their feelings, and to persuade or convince you.

Review Questions1.What do you think it means to be called a

“know-it-all”?2.What makes Miss Franny sad after telling the

story of the bear?3.Why did Winn Dixie stand up at the window?4.In what ways are Opal and Miss Franny alike?5.What kind of attitude does Amanda Wilkinson

have when she comes into the library?

Fun Stuff

• More on Winn-Dixie

Vocabulary- Say It!memorialpridefulrecalls

peculiargrand

positiveselecting

More Words to Know

attentionkindness

understandingconsistedfriendlessdiversity

grand

excellent; very good

memorialhelping people to remember a person, thing, or event

peculiar

strange; unusual

positive

without doubt; sure

prideful

overly proud of oneself; vain

recalls

calls back to mind; remembers

consisted

was made up of

diversity

differences

friendless

without friends

understanding

comprehension; knowledge

attention

care and thoughtfulness; consideration

kindness

treatment that does good, rather than harm; gentleness

selecting

picking out; choosing

You will smell peculiar odors at the zoo!

You will smell peculiar odors at the zoo!

I hope you can recall your lunch number when you are in line.

I hope you can recall your lunch number when you are in line.

Are you really positive of that answer?

Are you really positive of that answer?

The soup consisted of beans and ham.

The soup consisted of beans and ham.

Do you need help in selecting your library books?

Do you need help in selecting your library books?

Winn-Dixie was all alone and friendless.

Winn-Dixie was all alone and friendless.

Do you know anyone that acts like a prideful person?

Do you know anyone that acts like a prideful person?

Miss Franny thought that would be a grand idea!

Miss Franny thought that would be a grand idea!

Have you ever visited the Lincoln Memorial?

Have you ever visited the Lincoln Memorial?