MTLE Communication Arts/Literature (5-12) flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Close reading

A method of analyzing a text through repeated readings that move from literal meaning to structure, figurative language, tone, and theme, with every interpretive claim supported by textual evidence.

Third-person limited

A narrative point of view in which the narrator uses third-person pronouns but reports only one character's thoughts and perceptions, filtering the story through that character's awareness.

In medias res

A narrative technique that opens in the middle of the action rather than at the chronological beginning, requiring the writer to supply earlier exposition later through flashback or dialogue.

Naturalism

A late nineteenth-century literary movement portraying ordinary people whose lives are shaped by heredity, environment, and social forces, often implying that characters lack meaningful control over their fate.

Blank verse

Unrhymed poetry written in iambic pentameter, with five stressed syllables per line alternating with unstressed syllables, common in Shakespeare's plays and much narrative poetry.

Synecdoche

A figure of speech in which a part stands for the whole or the whole for a part, as when "all hands on deck" refers to the entire crew of sailors.

Metonymy

A figure of speech substituting the name of something closely associated with a concept for the concept itself, as when "the crown" refers to a monarch's authority.

Compare-contrast structure

An informational text organization that examines similarities and differences between subjects, signaled by words such as similarly, unlike, both, and in contrast.

Comma splice

A sentence error in which two independent clauses are joined by only a comma; it is corrected with a period, semicolon, or comma plus coordinating conjunction.

Nonrestrictive clause

A clause providing extra, nonessential information about a noun, set off by paired commas or dashes; removing it does not change the sentence's core meaning.

Dangling modifier

A participial or infinitive phrase whose implied subject does not match the subject of the main clause, producing unintended or illogical meaning.

Parallel structure

The use of matching grammatical forms for items in a series, in comparisons, or after correlative conjunctions, which makes writing clearer and easier to read.

Indefinite pronoun agreement

The convention that pronouns such as each, everyone, anybody, neither, and somebody are singular, so they take singular verbs and singular possessive pronouns in formal writing.

Colon use

A punctuation mark placed after an independent clause to introduce a list, an explanation, or a quotation; it should not follow a verb or preposition alone.

Counterclaim

An argumentative element that acknowledges an opposing position and then answers it with evidence, strengthening the writer's credibility and demonstrating engagement with multiple perspectives.

Revision versus editing

Revision reshapes ideas, organization, and development of a draft, while editing corrects conventions such as grammar, punctuation, spelling, and word choice at the sentence level.

Monroe's motivated sequence

A persuasive speech pattern with five steps: attention, need, satisfaction, visualization, and action, designed to move an audience from awareness to commitment.

Active listening

A communication process of receiving, attending to, interpreting, evaluating, and responding to a message, often demonstrated by paraphrasing and asking clarifying questions.

Ethos, pathos, logos

Aristotle's three persuasive appeals: ethos builds the speaker's credibility, pathos evokes audience emotion, and logos relies on logic and evidence to support a claim.

Bandwagon fallacy

A reasoning error claiming that an idea or action is correct because many people believe or do it, substituting popularity for evidence about the merits of the claim.

Lateral reading

A media literacy strategy in which a reader leaves a source to check its claims and the organization's reputation against independent sources rather than evaluating the page alone.

Socratic seminar

A student-led discussion format built on open-ended text-dependent questions, in which participants cite evidence, build on peers' ideas, and evaluate reasoning collaboratively.

Audience analysis

The pre-speaking process of assessing listeners' prior knowledge, attitudes, cultural background, and the setting in order to choose appropriate vocabulary, evidence, and tone.

Small-group roles

Assigned functions such as facilitator, recorder, reporter, and timekeeper that structure collaborative discussion and reduce social loafing among group members.

Backward design

An instructional planning approach that begins with desired learning results, then identifies acceptable evidence, and finally designs learning experiences and instruction aligned to those goals.

Formative assessment

Ongoing checks during instruction, such as exit tickets, conferences, and quick writes, used to adjust teaching rather than to assign a final grade.

Gradual release

An instructional sequence moving from teacher modeling to guided practice to independent application, often summarized as I do, we do, you do.

Differentiation

Adjusting content, process, or product in response to students' readiness, interests, and learning profiles while holding the same essential learning goals for all.

Analytic rubric

A scoring guide that evaluates separate traits, such as ideas, organization, and conventions, each with its own performance descriptors and score levels.

Miscue analysis

An assessment method that examines oral reading errors to reveal whether a reader is relying on semantic, syntactic, or graphophonic cueing systems when constructing meaning.

Accountable talk

Classroom discourse norms requiring students to cite text, explain reasoning, and respond directly to peers' ideas rather than simply stating opinions.

Measurable objective

A learning target stating an observable cognitive verb, the specific content, and a condition or criterion for success, allowing assessment of whether the goal was met.