OAE English Language Arts (020) 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, identify, and manipulate individual phonemes in spoken words, such as blending or segmenting sounds; it is auditory and does not involve printed letters.

Phonics

Instruction in the relationship between letters and the sounds they represent, enabling readers to decode unfamiliar printed words by applying predictable letter-sound correspondences.

Fluency

The ability to read text accurately, automatically, and with appropriate expression and pace; fluent reading frees attention for comprehension rather than word decoding.

Automaticity

Fast, effortless recognition of words without conscious decoding effort; it develops through repeated practice and supports comprehension by conserving cognitive resources.

Prosody

Reading with appropriate rhythm, intonation, and phrasing that reflects meaning and punctuation; a key indicator of oral reading fluency beyond speed and accuracy.

Miscue analysis

Examining a reader's oral reading errors to infer the cueing systems used; substitutions, omissions, and insertions reveal whether meaning, syntax, or visual cues dominate.

Running record

An assessment in which a teacher records a student's oral reading behaviors, including accuracy rate, error types, and self-corrections, to guide instructional decisions.

Decoding

Applying knowledge of letter-sound relationships and syllable patterns to pronounce printed words, converting written symbols into spoken language.

Closed syllable

A syllable ending in a consonant, which typically makes the vowel short, as in the word cat or the first syllable of rabbit.

Vowel team

Two or more letters working together to represent a single vowel sound, such as ai in rain, ea in bread, or oo in moon.

R-controlled vowel

A vowel followed by r, which alters the vowel sound, as in car, her, bird, for, and turn; these patterns are taught as a distinct phonics category.

Syllabication

Dividing words into syllables using patterns such as VC/CV, V/CV, and consonant-le; the skill supports decoding and spelling of multisyllabic words.

Text complexity

The difficulty of a text judged by quantitative readability measures, qualitative features like structure and knowledge demands, and reader and task considerations.

Lexile measure

A quantitative readability score based on sentence length and word frequency, used to match readers with texts within a grade-level range.

Schema theory

The idea that comprehension depends on activating prior knowledge structures; readers interpret new text by connecting it to what they already know.

Inference

A conclusion drawn from textual evidence combined with background knowledge rather than stated directly; it requires integrating details across the text.

Main idea

The central point a passage conveys, supported by details; it is broader than a topic and often stated or implied in the opening or closing sentences.

Theme

A recurring universal idea or insight about life conveyed through a literary work, distinct from plot; it is usually implied rather than explicitly stated.

Indirect characterization

Revealing a character's traits through actions, speech, thoughts, appearance, and others' reactions, rather than through direct authorial description.

Point of view

The narrative perspective from which a story is told, such as first person, third-person limited, third-person omniscient, or second person.

Foreshadowing

A literary device in which hints or clues early in a narrative suggest later events, building suspense and coherence.

Dramatic irony

A situation in which the audience knows something a character does not, creating tension or humor through the gap in knowledge.

Verbal irony

A speaker says something that contradicts the intended meaning, often through sarcasm or understatement; the literal and intended meanings diverge.

Metaphor

A direct comparison that states one thing is another without using like or as, as in calling a difficult problem a maze.

Simile

A comparison of two unlike things using the words like or as, such as cheeks as red as apples.

Personification

A figure of speech granting human qualities to nonhuman things, animals, or ideas, as when the wind whispers through the trees.

Tone versus mood

Tone is the author's attitude toward the subject; mood is the emotional atmosphere the reader experiences. The two are often confused on exams.

Argumentative essay

Writing that states a debatable claim and supports it with reasons and evidence while acknowledging and refuting counterclaims.

Thesis statement

A single sentence presenting the central claim of an essay and forecasting its structure; it is specific, arguable, and usually placed at the end of the introduction.

Revision versus editing

Revision reshapes content, organization, and clarity; editing corrects grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Revision precedes editing in the writing process.

Formative assessment

Ongoing assessment during instruction used to adjust teaching and provide feedback, such as exit tickets, conferences, and quick writes.

Summative assessment

Assessment at the end of a unit or course measuring mastery against standards, such as final essays, portfolios, or unit exams.