Written and Oral Communication

Writing: Conventional Stage

Fourth stage of writing (ages 6-7). Demonstrates more control over many aspects of the writing process.

Example.

Jane lost her cat named Tabby and it made her sad. She and her friends made sines with Tabby's pitcher. One of her friends found Tabby and Jane was so happy

Direct Quotation

an exact reproduction of the words of an author or a speaker that are set-off in quotation marks

Example.

Patrick Henry said, "Give me liberty, or give me death!"

Details

information about the setting, characters, actions, plot, etc. that helps the reader understand the story better

Mentor Text

books or other pieces of literature that are revisited throughout the school year for different purposes in literacy instruction

Example.

Due to its unique narrative and abundance of figurative language, Owl Moon by Jane Yolen is a popular mentor text to use in a language arts classroom.

Modeling

an instructional strategy in which the teacher demonstrates a concept or skill and students learn by observing

Example.

When a teacher encounters a difficult word in a text, she thinks aloud to model how she can use the context clues to discover the meaning.

Counterargument

expresses an opposing point of view

Expository Writing

a writing style in which students investigate an idea, evaluate evidence, and develop a clear argument

Example.

Newspaper articles, how-to manuals, and assembly instructions are examples of expository writing.

Plot

the events included in a story (may or may not be sequential)

Transitional Words

words or phrases that connect ideas, sentences, or paragraphs to help writing flow smoothly and clearly

Example.

Because of the fire in the building, the class had to meet elsewhere.

Audience (Rhetorical Situation)

the intended recipient of a written or verbal communication

Example.

When writing lesson plans, your students are your audience. A student writing a research presentation would have both his classmates and the teacher as an audience

Tense

words that indicate if a statement is referring to past time, present time, or future time

Example.

Past- She spoke. Present- She speaks. Future- She will speak.

Canva

an online content creation tool

Writing: Emergent Stage

Second stage of writing (ages 4-5). Understands that what is said (speech) can be written and that print moves from left to right rather than randomly on a page

Conflict (Narrative)

the challenge(s) the main character(s) need to overcome to achieve their goal

Informative Presentation

a presentation which demonstrates comprehension of a topic or process

Precise (Writing)

in writing, a sentence that contains specific details and avoids wordy descriptions

Example.

turquoise instead of light bluish green

Prewriting

the first step in the writing process when the writer decides on a central idea/topic for writing and formulates a thesis or main idea statement

Reliable Source / Credible Source

information presented in a professional way, with a formal tone, includes source documentation, and author and/or publisher information.

Example.

a textbook

Autonomy

student's ability to self-govern or self-motivate

Speaker (Rhetorical Situation)

the author of the text

First Person

tells the story from the narrator's perspective

Rubric

assessment tool that outlines specific criteria and performance levels for evaluating student work, providing clear guidelines and standards for both instructors and students to ensure consistent and objective grading

Bibliography

a list of all the sources explored in the research process

Writing: Pre-Conventional Stage

First stage of writing (ages 2-5). Child is aware that drawings and prints have specific meaning

Repetition

use of the same word, phrase, or idea to call attention to its significance

Speaking Rate

the speed at which a person speaks, usually measured in words per minute

Synthesis

the combination of ideas to form one theory

Writing Process

the steps a writer goes through to compose a finished, polished text

Example.

prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, publishing

Memorized Presentation

word-for-word delivery from memory

Descriptive Writing

used to create detailed descriptions of people, places, and things. Descriptive writing also develops the mood and atmosphere of the text

Context (Rhetorical Situation)

the social and historical circumstances in which a text is created and received

Dialogue

conversation between two or more characters

Graphic Organizer

a visual display of the relationships between facts and ideas

Example.

Graphic organizers, such as story maps, timelines, venn diagrams and K-W-L charts, help students organize information.

Plot Diagram

a graphic representation of the plot of a story

Example.

a plot triangle that outlines exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution

Peer Assessment

students evaluating their peer's learning and having their learning evaluated by peers

Problem and Solution

an organizational approach where the author presents a problem and possible solution

Concise (Writing)

in writing, a sentence that is brief but still contains all necessary information

Symbolism

an object stands for an idea or a greater meaning

Example.

dove = peace, red rose = love and romance

Prezi

a more interactive presentation software

Writing Workshop

an all-class writing project including instruction, writing time, conferencing, and sharing where students are guided through the process step-by-step

Exigence (Rhetorical Situation)

the problem or situation that prompted the speaker to write the text

Rhetorical Question

a question asked for effect rather than an answer

Shared Writing

a writing strategy where the instructor collaborates with students to draft a written text

Publishing

the final step in the writing process where the writer ensures the neatness and understanding of the final product

Writing: Proficient Stage

Fifth stage of writing (ages 7-9). Understands and is able to write for various purposes and audiences

Example.

The proficient writer can easily engage and work with the following types of writing: lists, invitations, letters, emails, narratives, descriptions, and expository

Accusative Case

nouns or pronouns that act as an object of a verb or preposition

Informative / Explanatory Writing

a writing style which demonstrates comprehension of a topic or process

Example.

In a science class, students write about a procedure that they performed and the results that they achieved.

Formative Assessments

ongoing evaluations to monitor student progress

Example.

using exit tickets to check understanding of the day's lesson

Compare and Contrast

an organizational approach where the author provides similarities and differences about two ideas

Extrinsic / External Motivation

the motive for the activity comes from outside the individual

Impromptu Presentation

unplanned and unrehearsed

Recursive

repeated application of a process, such as writing

Point of View

the style of narration used to tell a story

Example.

first person, third person limited, third person omniscient

Demonstrative Pronoun

this, that, these, those

Example.

These boxes are ready for shipment. Those boxes aren't.

Narrative Text

fictional stories, plays, and poems; usually contain some element of plot or conflict

Example.

Peter Pan, Romeo and Juliet

Paraphrase

to express the meaning of a text in different words, often used in research writing

Articulation

the clear and precise pronunciation of words

Compound-Complex Sentence

two independent clauses and at least one dependent clause

Example.

While we are in town, we should stop at the hardware store, and you can buy a new hammer.

Anecdote

a short retelling of a story used to emphasize or reinforce a point

Keyword (Research)

specific, relevant search terms

Balanced Feedback

teachers let students know both their strengths and weaknesses when giving feedback

Personification

giving human traits to inanimate, non-living objects

Example.

The stars seemed to dance in the glow of the moon.

Compound Sentence

two independent clauses joined by a comma and coordinating conjunction

Example.

Dogs are mammals, but lizards are reptiles.

Volume (ELA)

the loudness or softness of a person's voice when speaking

Emotional Language

language that is used to make the audience feel certain emotions, such as happiness, anger, sympathy, or fear

Imperative Sentence

sentence that gives a command or request

Example.

Sit in your chair.

Primary Purpose / Author's Purpose

why the author wrote a text

Example.

Charlie wrote an OpEd for the paper to convince people to stop littering.

PowerPoint

Microsoft's presentation software

Citation

reference to a source of information, such as a book, article, or website, used to support a statement or claim, typically including details like the author's name, the title of the work, and the publication date

Storyboard

a sequence of images or descriptions that represent the plot of a narrative

Writing: Transitional Stage

Third stage of writing (ages 5-6). Writes a single letter (often the beginning consonant of the word) to represent an entire word or syllable; begins to understand and use basic punctuation

Ethos

rhetorical appeal focused on the speaker's credibility and relatability

Argumentative Writing

writing meant to persuade the reader to agree with the conclusions of the author

Extemporaneous Presentation

prepared and practiced but delivered with a natural, flexible tone

Revising

reviewing the draft and making necessary corrections for sentence usage, organization, coherence, and audience

Dialogue Tag

followed or preceded by a comma or punctuation mark, with quotation marks around the quotation

Example.

As Mark exited the highway, he thought, "I hope this is the right way."

Cause and Effect

a writing method in which the author explains reasons why something happened or the effects of something that has happened

Example.

A politician's speech in which all of the bad actions of an opponent are listed to argue that the politician should be elected instead.

Chronological Order

an organizational approach that follows an orderly progression of events based in time

Portfolio

collection of student's work and achievements that is used to assess past accomplishments and future potential; can include finished work in a variety of media and can contain materials from several courses over time

Nonverbal Communication

facial expressions, gestures, physical actions

Characterization

the details an author uses to build a character (appearance, personality, thoughts, actions)

Citation Style

a set of guidelines for citing the basic information required to identify and locate a specific publication within a written work

Third-Person Limited

narrator is outside of the story and has limited access to the minds and motivations of characters

Onomatopoeia

words that make the sound of what the text is describing

Example.

The buzzing bee flew into the room.

Stylistic Choice

deliberate decision an author makes to enhance the narrative with a deeper message

Example.

allusion

Thesis Statement

a statement included in the introduction of a paper which makes a specific claim and provides a preview as to what will follow in the paper

Example.

A science student writes the following thesis statement in response to the question, "Is global warming a problem?" "Environmentalists agree that global climate change is an issue that needs to be addressed immediately."

Writing Conference

an individual meeting with students to discuss their drafts to help them revise their work before submitting a final product, and to help the teacher assess student understanding and modify instruction as needed

Pathos

rhetorical appeal focused on the emotions a speaker is evoking

Drafting

Term definition.

the second step in the writing process where the writer brings together similar ideas and organizes them into paragraphs

Cultural Language Variations

factors in a student's life lead to cultural variations in language

Example.

dialect

Interrogative Sentence

a sentence that asks a question

Example.

How long will it take to get there?

Paralanguage

includes intonation, pitch, and volume

I-Chart

type of graphic organizer used for inquiry and research; organizes information by planning, interacting, and integrating/evaluating

Clause

a phrase that contains a subject and a verb

Self-Assessment

process where individuals reflect on their own performance, abilities, or understanding of a topic, typically using criteria or standards to evaluate themselves, fostering self-awareness, self-regulation, and continuous improvement

Unreliable Source

information presented in an informal way without documentation, and no author/publisher information

Example.

anonymous blog article

Anaphora

the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of sentences, clauses, or phrases one after another in a text

Example.

I have faith in my team. I have faith in my coach. I have faith in myself.

Irony

an incongruity between what the reader expects the author to mean and what they actually mean

Declarative Sentence

a sentence that makes a statement or gives an opinion

Example.

I love my job.

Alliteration

a sentence or phrase in which most of the beginning letters or sounds begin with the same consonant sound

Example.

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.