Types of writing Flashcards
Transitional spelling
Students use some conventional spelling but still misspell many irregular words.
Reading fluency
ability to read with appropriate speed, accuracy, and prosody
prefix
A letter or letters at the beginning of a root word that changes its meaning
Example: re, de, un
transition words
Phrases and words used to link sentences, paragraphs, and ideas together.
Example: First, next, last, on the other hand
Summary
a short retelling of the main points of a text
Example: literature review
Revision stations
a revision strategy in which stations are set up around the classroom where students will focus on one step of the revision process
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.
Sequential order
An organizational approach following an orderly progression of events, ideas, or steps
Balanced feedback
teachers let students know both their strengths and weaknesses when giving feedback
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.
Spatial order
An organizational approach where ideas are arranged related to physical space
homophones
words that are pronounced the same as another word but have a different meaning and may be spelled differently
Example: carat, carrot, caret: to, too, two
Claim (argumentation)
the position being taken in the argument; the thesis
Sensory details
Sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste descriptions
Example: The aroma of roasted chicken burst out of the oven and drifted temptingly towards my nostrils.
Compare and contrast
An organizational approach where the author provides similarities and differences about two ideas
specific feedback
Teachers are clear and particular when giving feedback and provide next steps so students know what to do about it
decoding
In reading out loud, being able to sound out words by breaking them into simple forms. In reading for comprehension, the understanding of how to read each letter or letter pattern in a word to determine the word’s meaning
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.”
Argumentative writing
writing meant to persuade the reader to agree with the conclusions of the author
Orthography
spelling patterns of language
Criticism
an author’s judgment/opinion about an idea or topic
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
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.
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
Contraction (semantics)
a shortened version of a word or group of words; the removed letters are replaced with apostrophes
Example: do not becomes don’t
Word wall
An on-going bulletin board with terms used frequently in the classroom; words are often added as they are introduced
Descriptive writing
Used to create detailed descriptions of people, places, and things. Descriptive writing also develops the mood and atmosphere of the text
Commonly confused words
Words that have similar meanings, spellings, or pronunciations, leading to confusion during literacy development.
Example: new vs. knew; affect vs. effect
Main idea
the central point of the passage
Controversial
a statement or belief that goes against the average societal opinion
Semantic encoding
Processing information by associating it with a story or meaning
Writing feedback
comments and assessments given to students to improve their writing
Formative assessments
ongoing evaluations to monitor student progress
Example: using exit tickets to check understanding of the day’s lesson
Generalization
orming a general concept from specific information
Example: When her new student brought in all his supplies and completed his homework during his first week, the teacher made the generalization that he was a responsible student.
Order of importance
An organizational approach where ideas are arranged with the most important claim at the top or bottom
Revision roles
a peer revision strategy in which each group member is given a specific role to narrow their revision focus (e.g., thesis, organization, grammar)
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
Word families
a group of words with a shared ending letter group/sound
Example: back, black, stack, shack, quack, lack, tack
Phonetic spelling
Students spell the way they hear the word pronounced
Example: Spell “made” m-a-d
Chronological order
An organizational approach that follows an orderly progression of events based in time.
Narrative text
Fictional stories, plays, poems. Usually contains some element of plot or conflict.
Example: Peter Pan, Romeo and Juliet
problem and solution
An organizational approach where the author presents a problem and possible solution
sight word
word that cannot be decoded because it doesn’t follow standard phonics rules and must be recognized by sight
Example: of, was, the, would
exemplar
An example or model that has the characteristics of a high-quality response. An exemplar is a concrete illustration of the evidence needed to meet a desired standard.
Example: A principal writes a clear, student-friendly learning objective for a teacher who is struggling with writing them.
word web
a form of scaffolding which helps students to understand and retain new words and concepts.
Example: During reading, as students encounter each word, they write down around the word different words or phrases that will help them remember the meaning.
shared writing
a writing strategy where the instructor collaborates with students to draft a written text
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
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
peer assessment
students evaluating their peer’s learning and having their learning evaluated by peers
Conventional Spelling
When children know and use most basic spelling rules and spell most words correctly.
etymology
the study of the origin and history of words
gallery walk
student work is displayed for the class to see, analyze, and provide feedback on
Precommunicative Spelling
Students use scribble shapes and sometimes letter-like shapes for spelling words but are unable to make the forms
Timely feedback
teachers provide feedback to students in a timely manner so they have adequate time to apply it
Semiphonetic Spelling
Students have some letter awareness, but are unable to use all letters in the word.
Example: Spell “play” p-a
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.
suffix
Term definition.
letter or letters at the end of a root word that changes its meaning
Example: s, es, ed, ing, ly, er, or, ion, tion, able, and ible
