Types of writing

Question 1

Transitional spelling

Answer 1

Students use some conventional spelling but still misspell many irregular words.

Question 2

Reading fluency

Answer 2

ability to read with appropriate speed, accuracy, and prosody

Question 3

prefix

Answer 3

A letter or letters at the beginning of a root word that changes its meaning

Example: re, de, un

Question 4

transition words

Answer 4

Phrases and words used to link sentences, paragraphs, and ideas together.

Example: First, next, last, on the other hand

Question 5

Summary

Answer 5

a short retelling of the main points of a text

Example: literature review

Question 6

Revision stations

Answer 6

a revision strategy in which stations are set up around the classroom where students will focus on one step of the revision process

Question 6

Cause and effect

Answer 6

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.

Question 7

Sequential order

Answer 7

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

Question 8

Balanced feedback

Answer 8

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

Question 9

Mentor text

Answer 9

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.

Question 10

Spatial order

Answer 10

An organizational approach where ideas are arranged related to physical space

Question 11

homophones

Answer 11

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

Question 12

Claim (argumentation)

Answer 12

the position being taken in the argument; the thesis

Question 13

Sensory details

Answer 13

Sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste descriptions

Example: The aroma of roasted chicken burst out of the oven and drifted temptingly towards my nostrils.

Question 14

Compare and contrast

Answer 14

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

Question 15

specific feedback

Answer 15

Teachers are clear and particular when giving feedback and provide next steps so students know what to do about it

Question 15

decoding

Answer 15

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

Question 15

Dialogue tag

Answer 15

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.”

Question 16

Argumentative writing

Answer 16

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

Question 17

Orthography

Answer 17

spelling patterns of language

Question 18

Criticism

Answer 18

an author’s judgment/opinion about an idea or topic

Question 19

Self-Assessment

Answer 19

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

Question 20

Primary Purpose / Author’s Purpose

Answer 20

why the author wrote a text

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

Question 20

Metacognition

Answer 20

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

Question 20

Contraction (semantics)

Answer 20

a shortened version of a word or group of words; the removed letters are replaced with apostrophes

Example: do not becomes don’t

Question 21

Word wall

Answer 21

An on-going bulletin board with terms used frequently in the classroom; words are often added as they are introduced

Question 22

Descriptive writing

Answer 22

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

Question 22

Commonly confused words

Answer 22

Words that have similar meanings, spellings, or pronunciations, leading to confusion during literacy development.

Example: new vs. knew; affect vs. effect

Question 23

Main idea

Answer 23

the central point of the passage

Question 24

Controversial

Answer 24

a statement or belief that goes against the average societal opinion

Question 25

Semantic encoding

Answer 25

Processing information by associating it with a story or meaning

Question 26

Writing feedback

Answer 26

comments and assessments given to students to improve their writing

Question 27

Formative assessments

Answer 27

ongoing evaluations to monitor student progress

Example: using exit tickets to check understanding of the day’s lesson

Question 28

Generalization

Answer 28

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.

Question 29

Order of importance

Answer 29

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

Question 29

Revision roles

Answer 29

a peer revision strategy in which each group member is given a specific role to narrow their revision focus (e.g., thesis, organization, grammar)

Question 30

Rubric

Answer 30

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

Question 31

Word families

Answer 31

a group of words with a shared ending letter group/sound

Example: back, black, stack, shack, quack, lack, tack

Question 32

Phonetic spelling

Answer 32

Students spell the way they hear the word pronounced

Example: Spell “made” m-a-d

Question 33

Chronological order

Answer 33

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

Question 34

Narrative text

Answer 34

Fictional stories, plays, poems. Usually contains some element of plot or conflict.

Example: Peter Pan, Romeo and Juliet

Question 34

problem and solution

Answer 34

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

Question 35

sight word

Answer 35

word that cannot be decoded because it doesn’t follow standard phonics rules and must be recognized by sight

Example: of, was, the, would

Question 35

exemplar

Answer 35

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.

Question 36

word web

Answer 36

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.

Question 37

shared writing

Answer 37

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

Question 38

portfolio

Answer 38

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

Question 38

writing conference

Answer 38

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

Question 39

peer assessment

Answer 39

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

Question 39

Conventional Spelling

Answer 39

When children know and use most basic spelling rules and spell most words correctly.

Question 40

etymology

Answer 40

the study of the origin and history of words

Question 41

gallery walk

Answer 41

student work is displayed for the class to see, analyze, and provide feedback on

Question 42

Precommunicative Spelling

Answer 42

Students use scribble shapes and sometimes letter-like shapes for spelling words but are unable to make the forms

Question 43

Timely feedback

Answer 43

teachers provide feedback to students in a timely manner so they have adequate time to apply it

Question 44

Semiphonetic Spelling

Answer 44

Students have some letter awareness, but are unable to use all letters in the word.

Example: Spell “play” p-a

Question 45

Informative/Explanatory writing

Answer 45

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.

Question 46

suffix

Answer 46

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