TExES ELAR 7-12 (331) cheat sheet

Five subsystems of language: phonology (speech sounds), morphology (word structure), syntax (sentence structure), semantics (meaning), and pragmatics (social use of language in context).

Phonological awareness is the broad awareness of words, syllables, rhyme, and onset-rime units; phonemic awareness is the narrower ability to isolate and manipulate individual phonemes.

The six English syllable types are closed (cat), open (go), vowel-consonant-e (hope), vowel team (rain), r-controlled (car), and consonant-le (table).

English orthography layers Anglo-Saxon (short, often irregular high-frequency words), Latin (-tion, -ment academic words), and Greek (ch-, ph-, -ology) word origins.

Spelling develops in stages-precommunicative, semiphonetic, phonetic, transitional, conventional-and instruction is matched to the writer's stage rather than the grade level.

A free morpheme can stand alone as a word; a bound morpheme (prefix, suffix, Latin or Greek root) must attach to a base, as in un- + break + -able.

Derivational affixes create new words and often shift part of speech (beauty to beautiful); inflectional affixes mark tense, number, or comparison without changing word class (-s, -ed, -est).

Krashen's monitor model rests on five hypotheses: acquisition-learning, natural order, monitor, comprehensible input (i + 1), and the affective filter.

Sentence structures by clause pattern: simple = one independent clause; compound = two or more coordinated independent clauses; complex = one independent plus at least one dependent clause; compound-complex = both.

Three levels of comprehension: literal (stated in the text), inferential (implied, built from text clues plus prior knowledge), and evaluative/critical (judgment, analysis, and response).

Five expository structures-description, sequence/chronological, compare-contrast, cause-effect, and problem-solution-are signaled by cue words such as however, as a result, and first.

Narrative arc: exposition, inciting incident, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution/denouement.

Figurative language includes simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole, understatement, synecdoche (part for whole), and metonymy (associated term for the thing).

Point-of-view options: first person, second person, third-person limited, third-person omniscient, and third-person objective (dramatic/behaviorist).

Irony types: verbal (speaker says the opposite of what is meant), situational (expectation versus outcome), and dramatic (audience knows what characters do not).

Poetic meter counts feet per line: iamb (unstressed-stressed), trochee (stressed-unstressed), anapest (unstressed-unstressed-stressed), dactyl (stressed-unstressed-unstressed).

Topic versus theme: topic is the subject (loyalty); theme is a full-sentence insight about the subject (loyalty can conflict with duty).

Drama conventions: soliloquy (alone, inner thoughts spoken aloud), aside (brief remark to the audience), monologue (extended speech to others), stage directions (blocking, set, tone).

Writing process stages: prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing; the process is recursive, so writers loop back rather than moving in one direction.

Six traits of writing: ideas, organization, voice, word choice, sentence fluency, and conventions.

Modes and purposes: narrative, expository/informative, argumentative/persuasive, and descriptive; Texas English standards emphasize expository and persuasive writing.

Argument architecture: claim, evidence, commentary/warrant, counterclaim, and rebuttal.

Revision addresses content, organization, and clarity; editing addresses conventions-spelling, capitalization, punctuation, grammar, and usage.

Sentence structures for fluency are simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex; sentence combining increases syntactic variety.

Cohesion devices: transitional words, clear pronoun-antecedent reference, parallel structure, and deliberate repetition of key terms.

Analytic rubrics score separate traits for diagnostic feedback; holistic rubrics assign one overall score based on total impression of the piece.

Listening stages: receiving, attending, interpreting, responding, and remembering; listening purposes include discriminative, comprehensive, critical, and empathetic/appreciative.

Aristotelian appeals: ethos (speaker credibility), pathos (audience emotion), and logos (logic and evidence).

Common fallacies: ad hominem, straw man, false dilemma, slippery slope, bandwagon, post hoc ergo propter hoc, and hasty generalization.

Source evaluation via the CRAAP test: currency, relevance, authority, accuracy, and purpose.

Primary sources are firsthand artifacts (letters, diaries, raw data, eyewitness interviews); secondary sources interpret primary material (textbooks, reviews, biographies).

MLA style governs humanities citation (Works Cited, author-page); APA style governs social sciences (References, author-date).

Media literacy analysis asks who created the message, for what purpose and audience, with what techniques, what values are embedded, and what alternate interpretations exist.

Plagiarism forms include verbatim copying without quotation marks, inadequate paraphrase, mosaic patchwriting, and submitting prior work as new (self-plagiarism).

Balanced literacy components: read-aloud, shared reading, guided reading, independent reading, word study/phonics, and writing workshop.

Gradual release of responsibility: modeled (I do), shared (we do), guided practice (you do together), and independent application (you do alone).

Assessment purposes: screening (identify risk), diagnostic (pinpoint specific needs), progress monitoring (track growth over time), and summative (measure mastery).

Running record decision rule: accuracy percent = words read correctly divided by total words times 100; independent 95-100%, instructional 90-94%, frustration below 90%.

Miscue analysis classifies oral reading errors as substitutions, omissions, insertions, reversals, and self-corrections, revealing use of semantic, syntactic, and graphophonic cueing systems.

RTI tiers: Tier 1 core instruction for all students, Tier 2 targeted small-group intervention, Tier 3 intensive individualized intervention with frequent progress monitoring.

Validity is the degree to which an assessment measures the intended construct; reliability is consistency of scores across raters, occasions, and item samples.

Text complexity has three dimensions: quantitative (Lexile, word frequency, sentence length), qualitative (structure, knowledge demands), and reader-and-task considerations.

WIDA English language proficiency levels run 1 Entering through 6 Reaching; sheltered instruction scaffolds grade-level content with visuals, gestures, and explicit language objectives.