7-12 ELAR 331 Practice test (Reading Comprehension)

Anticipation Guide

a series of statements used to preview and activate prior knowledge before reading a text

Rhetorical Devices

a technique a writer or speaker uses to persuade a reader or listener

Example.

alliteration, repetition, anaphora, analogy, emotional language, etc.

Spatial Order

organizational approach where ideas are arranged according to physical space

Logos

rhetorical appeal focused on the logic a speaker is building

Paraphrase

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

Academic Vocabulary

specialized vocabulary commonly found in an academic setting

Example.

Many academic vocabulary words, like "analyze," "describe," and "reflect", are important and relevant across all content areas.

Problem and Solution

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

Domain-Specific Vocabulary

words primarily used in a specific content area

Example.

ELA: allusion, argumentative, citation, compound/complex

Science: hypothesis, controlled variable, chromosome, mutation

Create (Bloom's Taxonomy)

Level 6. Produce original thoughts or work

Example.

Design, author, formulate

Skimming

quick reading to grasp main ideas

I-Chart

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

Sentence Stems

common sentence starters provided to students to use when generalizing, summarizing, or transitioning between ideas

Example.

"According to the author..." "We see in Chapter 2 that..." or "While X does this, Y..."

Main Idea

the central point of the passage

Glossary

a list of important words to know along with their meanings

Quantitative Measures of Texts

elements of a text that are too hard for a reader to measure; typically measured by computer software

Example.

word length, frequency of difficult words, sentence length, text cohesion

Literal Comprehension

understanding of the facts in the written text such as stated main idea or specific details

Example.

What were the names of the main character's parents in the story we just read?

Summarizing

briefly restating the main ideas or key points of a text

Background Knowledge

(schema or prior knowledge) information or experience that the student has prior to learning

Example.

When students can connect their background knowledge to the texts they read, it aids their comprehension.

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.

Compare and Contrast

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

Bias

prejudiced feelings, outlooks, or leanings toward or against a particular person, race, ethnicity, age, or group, often without considering others' opinions or perspectives

Example.

assuming all English language learners are less intelligent than native English speakers

Interest Survey

questions that ask students the types of books they enjoy reading

Example.

given by the teacher at the beginning of the year to determine what books to assign to meet the interests of the class

Pathos

rhetorical appeal focused on the emotions a speaker is evoking

Rhetorical Analysis

analyzing how a speaker makes their argument and its effectiveness

Summarize

to express the most important ideas about something in a clear and concise way

Active Listening

the focused and intentional act of hearing and understanding what others say

Example.

For example, giving full attention, responding thoughtfully, and asking questions to clarify or expand on ideas.

Two-Column Notes

students write questions on the left side of the column and the answers to the questions on the right side

Criterion-Referenced Tests

tests in which a standard has been set for the test taker to achieve in order to pass the test

Example.

a multiple choice or short answer test on the content of a unit of study in which a 70% is needed to pass

Heading

a title of a section

Evaluative Comprehension

ability to analyze text by questioning whether it is fact or opinion, determining if there is faulty reasoning, and explaining how the characters are developed

Example.

Explain why you think this story is factual or an opinion.

Organizational Structure

text structure can include cause/effect, problem/solution, main idea/details, and/or sequence

Venn Diagram

graphic organizer with two or more overlapping circles used to examine similarities and differences between two subjects

Listening Vocabulary

words a listener can recognize when heard

Example.

People typically have a larger listening vocabulary than writing vocabulary, as the meaning of words can be determined from the context.

Bloom's Taxonomy

a hierarchy of levels of knowledge; each level has associated verbs teachers can use to start questions

Example.

"identify" is at a lower level than "argue" because it requires a lower level of thinking

Inferential Comprehension

understanding parts of the written text without it being stated explicitly such as determining cause and effect, drawing conclusions, and making predictions

Example.

What was the cause of the children in the story being locked out of their house?

Chronological Order

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

Reading Comprehension

the ability to read a text and understand its meaning

Example.

Jessie read the book and was able to explain to me why the character lied in Chapter 3.

Draw Conclusion

to make final comments/summation of what has been read or written

Metacognition

the awareness and understanding of one's own thought processes, enabling students to monitor, control, and reflect on their learning strategies and problem-solving techniques to enhance their cognitive abilities

Active Reading

engaging with the text through questioning and summarizing

Example.

annotating and highlighting key points while reading a textbook

Reading Fluency

ability to read with appropriate speed, accuracy, and prosody

Annotate

making notes in a text and questioning unfamiliar ideas while reading something new

Writing Vocabulary

all the words known and used by a person in writing

Example.

A students writing vocabulary is typically more formal than their speaking vocabulary.

Utility (in vocabulary)

the frequency with which a word will be encountered

Example.

Vocabulary words with high utlity, are more likely to be remembered by students.

Claim and Refutation

organizational approach where the author argues against a statement, fact, or claim

Think-Aloud

a teaching strategy in which a teacher states his/her thoughts aloud to demonstrate how the students should go about solving a problem or understanding a text

Example.

Math teachers model thinking by reading a problem aloud and verbalizing figuring out what it is asking what needs to be done. Language arts teachers ask themselves questions about the text as they read aloud.

Ethos

rhetorical appeal focused on the speaker's credibility and relatability

Transition Words

phrases and words used to link sentences, paragraphs, and ideas together

Example.

first, next, last, on the other hand

Background Knowledge

(schema or prior knowledge) information or experience that the student has prior to learning

Example.

When students can connect their background knowledge to the texts they read, it aids their comprehension.

Think-Pair-Share

learning activity in which the teacher provides a prompt, the students consider it individually (Think), then pair up and brainstorm responses or solutions (Pair), and then share their results with the class (Share)

Graphic Organizer

Term definition.

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.

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.

Evaluate (Bloom's Taxonomy)

Level 5. Justify a stance

Example.

Defend, support, critique

Choral Reading / Echo Reading

a strategy in which students first listens to the teacher read a short passage aloud, and then the class and the teacher all read it aloud at the same time

Qualitative Measures of Texts

elements of a text that can only be measured by a reader

Example.

meaning or purpose, structure, language, conventionality and clarity, knowledge demands

Journaling

a literacy development strategy in which students write personal reflections

Example.

Journaling is an opportunity for students to respond to literature and practice their writing skills.

Caption

short explanations below photos

Analyze (Bloom's Taxonomy)

Level 4. Connect different ideas

Example.

Differentiate, compare, contrast

Reader's Response Journal

a journal in which students record their initial responses to their reading

Example.

Students read a portion of the text and then recorded their thoughts in a Reader's Response Journal before discussing with classmates.

Independent Reading

reading done by students independent of the teacher; can be either assigned or student-selected and is typically silent

Audiobook

a recording of a reading of a book

Index

a catalogue list at the end of the text containing all of the topics discussed

Order of Importance

organizational approach where ideas are arranged with the most important claim at the top or bottom

Reader and Task Considerations

elements of reading a text that relate to the reader or the reader's purpose in reading the text; considerations are determined and measured by teachers based on their professional judgement, knowledge of their students, and knowledge of the subject

Example.

Reader considerations include: motivation, knowledge, experiences; Task considerations include: the complexity of the assignment related to the reading, questions asked about the reading

Genre

various forms of texts including short stories, essays, folktales, fairy tales, poetry, historical fiction, biographies and autobiographies, memoirs, comedies and tragedies

Example.

Night by Elie Wiesel

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.

Text Scanning

previewing a text to look for specific information or keywords

Phonemic Awareness / Sound Awareness

the ability to hear, identify, and re-create individual sounds in spoken words

Example.

A student can hear that /b/ makes first sound in the word blue.

Jigsaw Activity

students work in small groups to learn about different topics and then come together to teach each other what they've learned

K-W-L Chart

graphic organizer used throughout a unit that shows what students know (K), want to know (W), and learned (L)

Retell

a comprehension strategy in which students retell or tell differently what they have read or listened to

Example.

When students retell a story, they are demonstrating their comprehension of the most important parts

Reading Rate

the speed at which a person reads, usually measured in words per minute (WPM)

Setting a Purpose

students are told why they are reading a text to read and annotate with a purpose

Norm-Referenced Tests

tests that compare an individual's performance/achievement to a group called the "norm group"

Example.

IQ test

Subheading

a title for a smaller portion of text

Graphic Features

charts, graphs, photos, and graphic organizers

Example.

chart

Synthesis

the combination of ideas to form one theory

Annotate

making notes in a text and questioning unfamiliar ideas while reading something new

Schema (Reading)

background knowledge a reader brings to a text

Example.

Someone who plays baseball can use his experience to understand a biography of Babe Ruth.

Table of Contents

a text feature found on a page before the start of a written work that lists chapter names or section titles along with their corresponding page numbers

Grade-Equivalent Scoring

tests that measure an individual in relation to a typical student at a given grade level

Sequential Order

organizational approach following an orderly progression of events, ideas, or steps

Small-Group Reading

reading done by students with teacher support