Communication Flashcards
Speech
a formal address or discourse spoken to an audience
“The Gettysburg Address”
Writing Feedback
comments and assessments given to students to improve their writing
Hypotheses
an assumption made to verify itself
Drinking soda makes you fat. (An experiment would then follow to prove or disprove the idea.)
Alliteration
A sentence or phrase in which most of the beginning letters or sounds begin with the same consonant sound.
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
Sequential Order
An organizational approach following an orderly progression of events, ideas, or steps
Idiom
a phrase or expression that does not mean the same as the literal words
“Break a leg” “back to the drawing board” “spill the beans”
Intrinsically Motivated
students draw their motivation from the learning process itself
Informative / Explanatory Writing
a writing style which demonstrates comprehension of a topic or process
In a science class, students write about a procedure that they performed and the results that they achieved.
Writing Conventions
The basic rules of written language, including grammar, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.
proper grammar
Analogies
are used to compare two things that are usually thought of as different but have something in common
hand is to glove as foot is to sock
Symbolism
When an item stands for an idea or larger meaning. Usually used throughout a piece of literature.
dove = peace, red rose = love and romance
Semicolon
a punctuation mark indicating a a more pronounced pause than the one indicated by a comma, and that joins two clauses
I’m going home; it’s just too late.
Recursive
repeated application of a process, such as writing
Reliable Source / Credible Source
Information presented in a professional way, with a formal tone, includes source documentation, and author and/or publisher information.
a textbook
Task
the writing assignment
“Write a three paragraph story about a boy and his dog. Use sensory language.”
Essay
short piece of writing on a particular subject
“Notes of a Native Son” by James Baldwin
Spatial Order
An organizational approach where ideas are arranged related to physical space
Blog
A website where writers post entries and readers can make comments
Competence
A student’s desire to perform
Rubric
A scoring guide based on several criteria rather than a single numerical score
Clarity / Word Choice
Use of vocabulary or other organizational choices to ensure the intended meaning comes through.
Domain Address
the official name of a website
www.si.edu is the domain address for the Smithsonian Institute
Abstracts
summaries of published scientific investigations, usually included at the beginning of the publication
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
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.”
Short Story
a story with a fully developed theme that is shorter than a novel
“The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe
Order of Importance
An organizational approach where ideas are arranged with the most important claim at the top or bottom
Problem and Solution
An organizational approach where the author presents a problem and possible solution
Report
an account given on a particular subject in the form of an official document
“The Mueller Report”
Cause and Effect
a writing method in which the author explains reasons why something happened or the effects of something that has happened
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.
Extrinsic / External Motivation
the motive for the activity comes from outside the individual
Compare and Contrast
An organizational approach where the author provides similarities and differences about two ideas
Hyperbole
To exaggerate or overstate something that is being described.
Some of my clothes seem as old as the hills.
Autonomy
A student’s ability to self-govern or self-motivate
Simile
Making a comparison of two or more things including the use of the words “like” or “as.”
My brother was as strong as an ox.
Personification
Giving human traits to inanimate, non-living objects.
The stars seemed to dance in the glow of the moon.
Newspaper Column
a recurring opinion piece or article in a newspaper, magazine or other publication
Maureen Dowd’s column in the New York Times
Sensory Details
Sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste descriptions
The aroma of roasted chicken burst out of the oven and drifted temptingly towards my nostrils.
Dialogue Tag
followed or preceded by a comma or punctuation mark, with quotation marks around the quotation
As Mark exited the highway, he thought, “I hope this is the right way.”
Analogy
comparisons between two things, often to drive home a point.
“That’s as useful as rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic”
Transition Words
Phrases and words used to link sentences, paragraphs, and ideas together.
First, next, last, on the other hand
Peer-Reviewed Journal
a high quality source of information which uses experts to screen each article submitted to the publication
The New England Journal of Medicine
Argumentative Writing
writing meant to persuade the reader to agree with the conclusions of the author
Metaphor
Making a comparison of two or more things without using the words “like” or “as.”
Life is a bowl of cherries.
Chronological Order
An organizational approach that follows an orderly progression of events based in time.
Author’s Purpose
The author’s intention for writing. Could be persuasive, narrative, expository, or informative. Organization and style choices should reflect the purpose for writing.
Portfolio
A 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
Play (Writing)
a dramatic work for stage or broadcast
Hamlet
Claim and Refutation
An organizational approach where the author argues against a statement, fact, or claim.
Irony
an incongruity between what the reader expects the author to mean and what they actually mean
Descriptive Writing
Used to create detailed descriptions of people, places, and things. Descriptive writing is also develops the mood and atmosphere of the text.
Audience
The intended recipient of a written or verbal communication.
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
Journal
a record of experiences, ideas, or reflections kept regularly for private use
Diary
Signal Words
words or phrases that show the connection between ideas
To teach text structures, a teacher can have students find signal words within the texts and examine topic sentences that clue the reader to a specific structure.
Onomatopoeia
Using words that make the sound of what the text is describing.
The buzzing bee flew into the room.
Writing Process
The steps a writer goes through to compose a finished, polished text.
Prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, publishing
Explicit Teaching
the process of teaching by communicating clear expectations and giving specific feedback to students
Mentor Text
Books or other pieces of literature that are revisited throughout the school year for different purposes in literacy instruction
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.
URL Extension
the notation at the end of a web address that categorizes the website type
.edu (extension for websites certified to be managed by an educational institution)
Figurative Language
A word or phrase that does not have its normal everyday, literal meaning
hyperbole: I’m so hungry I could eat a horse!
Letter
a direct or personal message addressed to a specific person or organization
Article
a nonfictional prose composition usually forming an independent part of a publication
“Why does Amelia Earhart still fascinate us?” in National Geographic
Organizational Structure
Text structure can include cause/effect, problem/solution, main idea/details, and/or sequence
Students often find problem/solution text structure as more interesting.
Colon
a punctuation mark placed before a list of items, a quotation, expansion, or explanation
I’ve been to every town in Pennsylania: Piitsburgh, Philadelphia, Harrisburg, Scranton, Lancaster.
Memorandum
a written message in business or diplomacy
A memo from a school principal telling everyone not to use her parking space.
Editorial
an article written by or on behalf of an editor that gives an opinion on a topical issue
“The Post’s endorsements for Fairfax County’s school board” in the Washington Post
Oxymoron
Using contradictory terms in conjunction with each other.
Walking dead or disgustingly delicious
Relatedness
A student’s connection to others
