MTLE Elementary Education (Grades K-6) flashcards

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

Phonemic awareness

The ability to hear and manipulate individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken words, as in blending /c/-/a/-/t/ into cat or deleting the first sound. It is oral, not print-based.

Phonics

Instruction connecting letters and letter patterns to sounds so readers can decode printed words. It differs from phonemic awareness because it involves written letters, not just spoken sounds.

Fluency

Reading text accurately, at an appropriate automatic rate, and with expression (prosody). Fluent reading frees attention for comprehension, so fluency is measured by accuracy, rate, and prosody together.

Simple View of Reading

A model stating reading comprehension equals decoding ability multiplied by language comprehension. A weakness in either factor alone produces poor comprehension, so both must be assessed.

Inference

A conclusion drawn by combining text clues with background knowledge when the author does not state the idea directly. Teaching students to cite text evidence supports inference making.

Text structure

The organizational pattern of a text: description, sequence, compare-contrast, cause-effect, or problem-solution. Recognizing the pattern helps readers predict, organize, and recall key information.

Closed syllable

A syllable ending in a consonant, which makes the vowel short, as in cat, rabbit, and napkin. Recognizing closed syllables helps students decode multisyllabic words accurately.

Writing process stages

Prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. Revising improves ideas and organization; editing corrects spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Conventions are addressed during editing, not drafting.

Place value

A base-ten system in which each position is ten times the value of the position to its right. In 4,582 the 5 is worth 500 because it sits in the hundreds place.

Distributive property

Multiplying a sum by a number equals multiplying each addend then adding: a x (b + c) = (a x b) + (a x c). It underpins multi-digit multiplication algorithms and mental math strategies.

Inverse operations

Operations that undo each other: addition and subtraction, multiplication and division. Students use them to solve equations and to check answers for reasonableness.

Equivalent fractions

Fractions naming the same value, produced by multiplying or dividing numerator and denominator by the same nonzero number. One-half equals two-fourths equals four-eighths because the whole is partitioned differently.

Dividing fractions

To divide by a fraction, multiply by its reciprocal: a/b divided by c/d equals a/b times d/c. The reciprocal flips numerator and denominator; division by zero is undefined.

Area versus perimeter

Perimeter is the distance around a figure, found by adding side lengths. Area is the surface inside, found for rectangles by length times width; they are measured in different units.

Mean, median, mode

Mean is the sum divided by the count; median is the middle value of ordered data; mode is the most frequent value. Range, the maximum minus minimum, describes spread rather than center.

Concrete-representational-abstract

A teaching sequence moving from manipulatives to drawings or number lines to symbols and algorithms. It builds conceptual understanding before procedural fluency and supports students with learning gaps.

Rounding rule

Look at the digit immediately right of the target place. If it is 5 or greater, round up; if 4 or less, keep the digit. All digits right of the target place become zeros.

Controlled experiment

A test that changes one independent variable while holding all other conditions constant. The control group receives no treatment, so differences in the dependent variable can be attributed to the change.

Physical versus chemical change

A physical change alters form or state without making a new substance, such as melting or dissolving. A chemical change produces a new substance, signaled by color change, gas, precipitate, or heat release.

Food chain order

Energy flows from producers (plants using photosynthesis) to consumers (herbivores, then carnivores or omnivores) to decomposers. Energy decreases at each level, so food chains rarely exceed four or five links.

Water cycle

The sun-driven movement of water through evaporation, transpiration, condensation, precipitation, and collection or runoff. It redistributes fresh water and drives weather patterns on Earth.

Seasons cause

Seasons result from Earth's axial tilt, which changes the angle and duration of sunlight during the yearly orbit. Distance from the Sun is not the cause, since both hemispheres differ at the same time.

Moon phases

The changing portion of the Moon's sunlit side visible from Earth as it orbits about monthly: new, crescent, quarter, gibbous, full. Phases are caused by orbital position, not Earth's shadow.

Friction

A force that opposes motion between surfaces in contact and converts motion energy to heat. Rougher surfaces and greater pressure increase friction; lubricants and smooth surfaces reduce it.

Rock types

Igneous rock forms from cooled magma or lava; sedimentary rock forms from compacted layers of sediment; metamorphic rock forms when existing rock is changed by heat and pressure.

Cardinal directions

The four main compass points: north, east, south, and west. Intermediate directions, northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest, fall between them and appear on a compass rose.

Map scale

The ratio relating distance on a map to actual distance on Earth, such as one inch equals one mile. Scale lets users estimate real distances between locations shown on the map.

Three branches of government

Legislative (Congress) makes laws, executive (President) enforces laws, judicial (courts) interprets laws. Checks and balances let each branch limit the powers of the others.

Bill of Rights

The first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution, protecting freedoms such as speech, religion, press, assembly, and due process. It was added to limit federal power over individuals.

Opportunity cost

The next-best alternative given up when a choice is made because resources are scarce. Every economic decision has an opportunity cost, even when money is not spent.

Primary versus secondary source

A primary source is a firsthand record from the period, such as a diary, photograph, or artifact. A secondary source, such as a textbook, interprets and analyzes primary evidence afterward.

Urban, suburban, rural

Community types differing by density and land use: urban is dense with many services, suburban is residential near cities, rural is sparsely populated with agriculture and open land.