Non-Literary Text Flashcards
Transition Words
Phrases and words used to link sentences, paragraphs, and ideas together. ex- First, next, last, on the other hand
Modeling
an instructional strategy in which the teacher demonstrates a concept or skill and students learn by observing. ex- 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.
Literary Device
used by authors to communicate specific idea to the reader. ex- metaphor
Spatial Order
An organizational approach where ideas are arranged related to physical space
Claim and Refutation
An organizational approach where the author argues against a statement, fact, or claim.
Bloom’s Taxonomy
a hierarchy of levels of knowledge; each level has associated verbs teachers can use to start questions. ex- “identify” is at a lower level than “argue” because it requires a lower level of thinking
Signal Words
words or phrases that show the connection between ideas. ex- 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.
Venn Diagram
A graphic organizer with two or more overlapping circles used to illustrate/examine similarities and differences between two subjects.
Glossary
a list of important words to know along with their meanings
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
Cause and Effect
a writing method in which the author explains reasons why something happened or the effects of something that has happened. ex- 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.
Sequential Order
An organizational approach following an orderly progression of events, ideas, or steps
Informational Text Analysis
Using information from a non-fiction text to analyze for meaning, connections, or purpose.
Anticipation Guide
a series of statements used to preview and activate prior knowledge before reading a text
Compare and Contrast
An organizational approach where the author provides similarities and differences about two ideas
Index
a catalogue list at the end of the text containing all of the topics discussed
Create (Bloom’s Taxonomy)
Level 6. Produce original thoughts or work. ex- Design, author, formulate
Evaluate (Bloom’s Taxonomy)
Level 5. Justify a stance. ex- Defend, support, critique
Graphic Features
charts, graphs, photos, and graphic organizers
Main Idea
the central point of the passage
Analyze (Bloom’s Taxonomy)
Level 4. Connect different ideas. ex- Differentiate, compare, contrast
Subheading
a title for a smaller portion of text
Caption
short explanations below photos
Heading
a title of a section
Organizational Structure
Text structure can include cause/effect, problem/solution, main idea/details, and/or sequence. ex- Students often find problem/solution text structure as more interesting.
Chronological Order
An organizational approach that follows an orderly progression of events based in time.
Think-Pair-Share
Active 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 the students then share their results with the class (SHARE).
K-W-L Chart
A graphic organizer used throughout a unit that shows what students know (K), want to know (W), and learned (L)
Problem and Solution
An organizational approach where the author presents a problem and possible solution
Summarizing
Writing or speaking a brief description of more extensive information by covering only the main/most important points, without details.
Order of Importance
An organizational approach where ideas are arranged with the most important claim at the top or bottom
Annotate
making notes in a text and questioning unfamiliar ideas while reading something new
Metacognition
the ability to think about one’s own thought process
Summary
a short retelling of the main points of a text. ex- literature review
