NBPTS EA/ELA flashcards
NBPTS EA/ELA · Build recall with a focused review session.
32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- Climax
- The turning point of highest tension in a narrative, after which the conflict begins to resolve; it is not always the final event.
- Free verse
- Poetry that lacks a regular meter and rhyme scheme, though it may still use rhythm, line breaks, sound devices, and imagery.
- Simile vs. metaphor
- A simile compares two things using like or as; a metaphor states that one thing is another without using those connectors.
- Independent clause
- A group of words with a subject and verb that expresses a complete thought and can stand alone as a sentence.
- Comma splice
- An error joining two independent clauses with only a comma; it is fixed by a period, semicolon, or coordinating conjunction.
- Ethos, pathos, logos
- Aristotle's three rhetorical appeals: ethos to the speaker's credibility, pathos to emotion, and logos to logic and evidence.
- Inference
- A conclusion drawn by combining textual evidence with the reader's prior knowledge; it is not stated directly in the text.
- Text structure
- An organizational pattern such as cause-effect, compare-contrast, chronological, problem-solution, or description, often signaled by transition words.
- Tiered assignment
- Tasks addressing the same learning objective at different levels of complexity or support, so all students reach the same standard.
- Accommodation vs. modification
- An accommodation changes how a student accesses content, such as extended time; a modification changes what the student is expected to learn.
- Scaffolding
- Temporary instructional support such as models, sentence frames, or graphic organizers that is gradually removed as learners gain competence.
- Flexible grouping
- Temporary groups formed from assessment data to target a specific skill; students are regrouped as their needs change.
- Comprehensible input
- Language pitched slightly beyond a learner's current level but made understandable through visuals, gestures, repetition, and context.
- Universal Design for Learning
- A planning framework offering multiple means of representation, action and expression, and engagement so varied learners can succeed.
- Text complexity
- The match between a text and a reader, judged by qualitative features, quantitative readability, and reader and task considerations.
- Mirror and window texts
- Mirror texts reflect a student's own culture or experience; window texts offer views into lives and cultures different from the student's.
- Reading workshop
- A predictable routine of minilesson, independent reading with teacher conferring, and sharing that builds reading volume and choice.
- Gradual release
- A sequence of modeled, shared, guided, and independent practice that transfers responsibility for learning from teacher to student.
- Writing conference
- A brief teacher-student conversation in which the teacher researches, decides one teaching point, teaches it, and links it to future writing.
- Wait time
- A three-to-five-second pause after a question that increases response length, reasoning, and participation, especially for hesitant students.
- Socratic seminar
- A student-led, text-based discussion using open-ended questions, with the teacher facilitating rather than lecturing.
- Formative assessment
- Ongoing evidence of student learning, such as observations or exit tickets, used to adjust instruction rather than assign a final grade.
- Rubric
- A scoring guide that lists criteria and performance levels, communicating expectations before and during a task.
- Turn-and-talk
- A brief partner discussion, usually thirty seconds to a minute, that increases participation before whole-class sharing.
- Reflective cycle
- A structured process of describing, analyzing, evaluating, and planning next steps using evidence from student work and observations.
- Action research
- Practitioner inquiry that cycles through a question, data collection, an intervention, analysis, and sharing findings with colleagues.
- Triangulation
- Using multiple data sources, such as observations, assessments, and work samples, to confirm a conclusion before changing instruction.
- SMART goal
- A professional learning goal that is specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound, allowing evidence of progress.
- Professional learning community
- A collaborative team that examines common assessments, student work, and results to improve instruction and student learning.
- Job-embedded professional development
- Professional learning situated in daily practice and sustained over time, generally more effective than one-shot workshops.
- Mandated reporting
- The legal duty of educators to report suspected child abuse or neglect to designated authorities, usually within a set time.
- Family communication
- Contact with families using plain language, translated materials, interpreters, and multiple modes to support participation.