English Language Arts HandbookFor use in 7th grade English and Reading

8/27/2014Troy Area School DistrictMrs. Glisson and Mrs. Anderson

PSSA English Language Arts Vocabulary Mrs. Glisson and Mrs. Anderson

2014-2015 All Sections

PA English Language Arts Common Core Vocabulary

Eligible Content from Literature Text and Informational Text

Literary Elements:1. plot : the sequence of events that ties the beginning of a story to its

end. Each event causes or leads to the next event. Most plots develop in five stages: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. exposition: introduces the story’s characters, setting, and conflictrising action: occurs as complications, twists, or intensifications of the conflict occurclimax: the story’s most dramatic moment- a turning point in a narrative. Typically, the structure of stories, novels, and plays is one of rising action, in which tension builds to the climaxfalling action: the logical result of the climaxresolution: presents the final outcome of the story

2. An important part of any plot is conflict: the struggle between two or more forces that must be resolved by the end of the narrative. 2 kinds of conflict- External conflict takes place between the character and an outside force.

man verses man (character vs. character)man verses nature (character vs. nature)man verses society (character vs. society)man verses fate (character vs. fate)

An internal conflict takes place within the mind of a character.

man verses himself (character vs. self)1

(continued Literary Elements)3. setting : This is the story’s time and place. It includes location,

weather, the time of year, ideas, customs, values, and the beliefs of a particular time and place- historical context.

4. characters : the people, animals, and other individuals in a story or work of fiction

Authors reveal the personality of each character through characterization, or by describing the character’s physical appearance, thoughts, spoken words, and actions.

main characters: the most important characters in a storyprotagonist: central character around whom the central conflict

revolvesantagonist: the character or force that opposes the protagonistminor characters: those who help or observe the protagonist solve the conflictround characters: complex, like a real person, has multiple and sometimes contradictory traitsflat characters: shows only 1 or 2 personality traits

a stereotype is a flat character of a familiar type (jealous friend, cruel headmaster)

dynamic character: develops or changes over the course of the story. Usually the change is spurred by the central conflict of the story. Often the change results in a character’s new understanding of himself or others. static character: does not undergo a change. Most characters in a story are static so as not to distract from the significant changes that occur in the protagonist.

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(continued Literary Elements)5. Authors reveal the personality of each character through

characterization, describing the character’s physical appearance, thoughts, spoken words, and actions. 2 kinds of characterization:

direct characterization: a narrator who is not a character in the story makes statements about a character

indirect characterization: writer reveals information about a character through the character’s words, thoughts, and actions, and through words of other characters. Character trait: words that describe the personality (what one is generally like on the inside)

6. theme : the main idea, or message about life, that a literary work expresses. Theme is not the subject of a story, but is an insight about life or human nature. A theme should be stated in a complete sentence. 2 kinds of theme:

stated theme: theme is expressed directly (fables)implied theme: the author reveals through setting, point of view, and the actions of the characters

subject: what the story is about- can be said in one word

7. point of view : A narrator is the person who tells a story. The relationship of the narrator to the story is called point of view.

Different points of view:

first person point of view: the narrator is a character in the story, referred to as “I.” The main character tells the story and

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may offer opinions about the action and characters. The words I or me are used.

(continued Literary Elements)second person point of view: this is a less common form of narration. The narrator talks to “you” and makes you feel as if you are a part of the story. J.R.R. Tolkien did this wonderfully.

third person point of view: the narrator is outside the story and uses “he” or “she” to tell the story (3 kinds of 3rd person)

3 rd person limited : when the narrator reveals the thoughts, feelings, and observation of only one character

3 rd person omniscient : when the narrator knows everything that goes on- including the thoughts and feelings of every character

3 rd person objective : when the narrator tells a story without describing any of the character’s thoughts, opinions, or feelings. The narrator is not in the head of this character. Instead, the narrator gives an objective, unbiased point of view. by reporting only on the character’s actions. Often the narrator is self-dehumanized in order to make the narrative more neutral.

8. voice : the distinctive use of language that conveys the author’s or narrator’s personality to the reader. Sometimes it is determined by word choices. Voice is also determined by tone, an author’s attitude toward his subject, and mood, the emotional quality of a literary work.

9. tone : an author’s attitude toward his subject matter or audience—the author’s tone gives the reader an idea about how the author feels about a certain subject. Things like word choice and the way a subject is presented create tone. Angry, ridiculing, enthused, critical- An

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author’s tone may be angry. An author might choose to use the word “ridiculous” instead of “silly,” and this contributes to an angry tone. (serious or humorous)

(continued Literary Elements)10. mood : the emotional quality of a literary work, the atmosphere

that a writer creates for a reader that plays on the reader’s imagination and emotion through the use of descriptive adverbs and or adjectives.

Gloomy, eerie, tense, quiet, restful, scary, tranquil, serene, suspensefulWhat emotions does the writing make you feel?

11. dialect : a variation of a language spoken by a group of people, often within a particular region

12. flashback : An interruption in the chronological order of a narrative to show an event that happened earlier. A flashback is a device that gives readers information that may help explain the main events of a story. Flashbacks are often dreams or recollections of one or more characters.

13. identifying sequence : finding the logical order of ideas of events. Helps to follow a writer’s train of thought

14. inferences : when you make inferences, you make a guess about things not directly stated in the passage. You use the details provided by the author along with what you know of real life to draw conclusions.

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15. paradox : a situation or statement that is contradictory in logic, but contains and apparent truth. Example: “One must be cruel to be kind.”

16. summarizing : stating the main ideas of a selection in a logical sequence and in your own words. When you summarize, include the main characters, setting, conflict, and important plot details including the climax and resolution.

(continued Literary Elements)17. imagery : descriptive language that appeals to one or more of

the five senses

18. foreshadowing : a device used in literature to create expectation or to set up and explanation of later developments/ when the author uses clues to hint at events that will happen later in the story

19. irony : a contrast between what is expected and what actually occurs. 3 kinds:

verbal irony: the speaker or character says one thing, but really means another

dramatic irony: occurs when the reader knows something that a character does not know

situational irony: occurs when what actually happen is opposite of what is expected to happen- situation is thoroughly messed up.

20. hyperbole : a figure of speech that uses exaggeration to express a strong emotion, make a point, or evoke humor. It is important to ask which of these the author is intending to express.

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Terms for Reading Critically:Affix: one or more letters occurring as a bound form attached to

the beginning or end of a word or base word. Affixes serve to produce a derivational word or an inflectional form.

Prefix: an affix occurring at the beginning of a word or base word.

Suffix: an affix occurring at the end of a word or base word.

Allegory: a figurative work in which a surface narrative carries a secondary, symbolic, or metaphorical meaning. Many works contain allegories or are allegorical in part, but not many are entirely allegorical.

William Golding, Lord of the Flies (allegorical novel)Alliteration: the repetition of initial consonant sounds in neighboring

words (e.g. Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers..."; "Fair is foul, and foul is fair:/ Hover through the fog and filthy air."

Allusion: a reference to another person, place, event, or literary workAnalogy: a comparison between two pairs of words. It shows a

relationship between the words that are being compared. Analogies can use different types of relationships to compare words: part/ whole, item/ purpose, antonym, synonym,

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characteristic, association, object/ location, cause/ effect. (e.g., milk : cereal :: butter : bread)

Antonym: a word that is opposite of another word (e.g. hot-cold, night-day)

Aphorism: a general truth or observation about life stated conciselyApologue: a moral fable, usually featuring personified animals or

inanimate objects which act like people to allow the author to comment on the human condition. Often, the apologue highlights the irrationality of mankind. The fables of Aesop are examples

George Orwell, Animal Farm

(continued Terms for Reading Critically)Archetype: a symbol, character, image, or story pattern that is common

to human experience across cultures and throughout the world and evokes strong responses, often based on unconscious memory.

Assonance: Repeating identical or similar vowels (especially in stressed syllables) in nearby non-rhyming words. [e.g. the trio of "bat," "cap," and "man" is assonance because only the vowel sound is similar; "I must confess that in my quest I felt depressed and restless." (Thin Lizzy, "With Love")]

Author’s Purpose: The author’s intent either to inform or teach someone about something, to entertain people, or to persuade or convince their audience to do or not to do something.

Autobiographical novel: a novel based on the author’s life experience. More common is that a thoroughly autobiographical novel is the inclusion of

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autobiographical elements among other elements. Many novelists include in their books people and events from their own lives, often slightly or even dramatically altered. Nothing beats writing from experience because remembrance is easier than creation from scratch and all the details fit together.

Ballad: songlike poem that tells a story- four or six line stanzaBias: a judgment based on a personal point of viewBiography: The story of a person’s life written by someone other than

the subject of the work.Blank verse: unrhymed iambic pentameter. Shakespeare’s plays are

largely blank verse, as are other Renaissance plays. Blank verse was the most popular in the 16th and 17th centuries in England.

(continued Terms for Reading Critically)Cause/ Effect: an organizational structure in nonfiction texts where the

author typically presents the cause (actions and events) and the effect (what happens as a result of the action or event).

Coming-of-age story: a type of novel where the protagonist is initiated into adulthood through knowledge, experience, or both, often by a process of disillusionment. Understanding comes after the dropping of preconceptions, a destruction of a false sense of security, or in some way the loss of innocence. Some of the shifts that take place are:

ignorance to knowledge innocence to experience false view of world to correct view idealism to realism immature responses to mature responses

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Connotation: The extra tinge or taint of meaning each word carries beyond the minimal, strict definition found in a dictionary. It is often the suggestive emotional or historical qualities that a word brings with its meaning.

Consonance: repetition of consonant sounds- dissimilar vowel sounds (e.g. linger, longer, and languor or rider, reader, raider, and rude. "Whose woods these are I think I know/ His house is in the village though..." In these two lines, the "z" sound, created by an "s," is repeated)

Context Clues: information from the reading that identifies a word or a group of words

Contrast: to compare or appraise differencesConventions of Language: mechanics, usage and sentence completeness

(continued Terms for Reading Critically)Denotation: The minimal, strict definition of a word as found in a

dictionary, disregards any historical or emotional connotation.

Descriptive Text: Descriptive writing is intended to allow the reader to picture the scene or setting in which the action of the story takes place.

Dialogue: In its widest sense, dialogue is simply conversation between people in a literary work; in its most restricted sense, it refers specifically to the speech of characters in a drama.

Differentiate: distinguish, tell apart and recognize differences between two or more items

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Drama: A composition in prose or verse that presents a narrative through pantomime or dialogue; dramas are design for presentation on a stage in front of an audience.

Dystopian novel: an anti-utopian novel where, instead of a paradise, everything has gone wrong in the attempt to create a perfect society

Aldous Huxley, Brave New World

Editorials: a newspaper or magazine article that gives the opinions of the editors or publishers; an expression of opinion that resembles such an article

Epic: a long narrative poem about the adventures of a hero of great historic or legendary importance

Epigrams: a short, pointed, or witty sayingEuphemism: substitution of a milder word for a harsher one- “passed

away” instead of dieEvaluate: to examine and to judge carefullyExaggeration: to make an overstatement or to stretch the truth

(continued Terms for Reading Critically)Explanatory Sentence: a sentence that explains something (passage,

paragraph, word)Explicit: referring to specific text that is included in the reading

passage or in the directionsExpository Text: text written to explain and convey information about a

specific topic. Contrasts with narrative text.

Fable: narrative intended to convey a moral. Animals or inanimate objects with human characteristics often serve as characters in fables.

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Fairy Tale: short narratives featuring mythical beings such as fairies, elves, and sprites. These tales originally belonged to the folklore of a particular nation or region.

Fiction: any story that is the product of imagination rather than a documentation of fact. Characters and events in such narratives may be based in real life, but their ultimate form and configuration is a creation of the author.

Figurative Language: language that cannot be taken literally since it was written to create a special effect or feeling

Folktale: a story that has been passed down from one generation to the next by word of mouth. They generally reflect on the values of that society.

Free Verse: Poetry that lacks regular metrical and rhyme patterns but that tries to capture the cadences of everyday speech. The form allows a poet to exploit a variety of rhythmical effects within a single poem.

Generalization:a conclusion, drawn from specific information that is used to make a broad statement about a topic or person.

Genre: a category used to classify literary works, usually by form, technique or content (prose, poetry)

(continued Terms for Reading Critically)Hyperbole: An exaggeration or overstatement (e.g., I was so

embarrassed I could have died.)Idiomatic Language (idiom): an expression peculiar to itself grammatically

or that cannot be understood if taken literally (Let’s get on the ball!)

Imagery: a word or group of words in a literary work which appeal to one or more of the senses: sight, taste, touch, hearing and smell; figurative language. The use of images serves to intensify the impact of the work.

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Implicit: meanings which, though unexpressed in the literal text, may be understood by the reader; implied

Inference: a judgment based on reasoning rather than on direct or explicit statement. A conclusion based on facts or circumstances; understandings gained by “reading between the lines.”

Informational Text: nonfiction- written primarily to convey factual information. Informational texts comprise the majority of printed material adults read (textbooks, newspapers, reports, directions, brochures, technical manuals)

Legends: a story about mythical or supernatural beings or events, or a story coming down from the past, especially one popularly regarded as historical although not verifiable

Limericks: a light or humorous verse form of five lines, of which lines 1, 2 and 5 rhymes and lines 3 and 4 rhyme,

Literary Devices: tools used by the author to enliven and provide voice to the writing (dialogue, alliteration)

Literary Elements: the essential techniques used in literature (characterization, setting, plot, theme)

(continued Terms for Reading Critically)Literary Nonfiction: text that includes literary elements and devices usually

associated with fiction to report on actual persons, places, or events. Examples include nature and travel writing, biography, memoir, and the essay.

Magic Realism: a literary style where the work has a realistic setting, but contains elements of the fantastic. Magical realism also reveals a new perspective of reality.

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Main Idea: the author’s central thought; the chief topic of a text expressed or implied in a word or phrase; the topic sentence of a paragraph

Maxim: a short saying that contains a general truth or gives practical advice about how to behave and live morally

Metaphor: a figure of speech that makes a comparison between two seemingly unlike things without using the words like or as

Meter: the repetition of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry

Mood: the atmosphere that a writer creates for a reader that plays on the reader’s imagination and emotion through the use of descriptive adverbs or adjectives, diction, imagery, tone, and setting. The mood of a work is not always what might be expected based on its subject matter.

“screeching moan of claws” – contributes to a scary mood

Multiple-meaning words: Words that have several meaning depending upon how they are used in a sentence.

Myth: a traditional story that explain some aspect of human life or the natural world. Myths reflect the religious beliefs of a particular people. Creation myths explain the origin of the world for a particular people.

Narrative: Text which conveys a story or which relates events or dialogue; contrast with expository text.

(continued Terms for Reading Critically)Nonfiction: prose writing that is not fictional; designed primarily to

explain, argue, instruct, or describe rather than entertain. For the most part, its emphasis is factual.

Omniscient: the narrative perspective from which a literary work is presented to the reader from a “godlike” perspective, unrestricted by time or place, from which to see actions and

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look into the minds of characters. This allows the author to comment openly on characters and events in the work.

Onomatopoeia: the use of words whose sounds express or suggest their meaning

Oxymoron: seemingly self-contradiction- words that do not go together- “pleasing pains,” “sweet sorrow,” or “lovely death”

Parable: a brief story that illustrates a moral or lessonParallelism: repeating the same pattern of words to show that two or

more ideas have the same function. It gives a balance to a piece of writing and makes the writing easier to read. Not parallel: Paul likes reading, writing, and to swim.Parallel: Paul likes reading, writing, and swimming.

Paraphrase: restate text or passage in other words, often to clarify meaning or show understanding

Personification: a figure of speech in which things are given human qualities or are shown as having human form. (e.g., The thunder boomed angrily. The moon smiled down on Earth.)

Plot: the structure of a story. The sequence in which the author arranges events in a story. The structure often includes the exposition, rising action, the climax, falling action, and resolution.

(continued Terms for Reading Critically)Poetry: In the broadest sense, writing that aims to present ideas and

evoke an emotional experience in the reader through the use of meter, imagery, connotative and concrete words. Some poetry has a carefully constructed structure based on rhythmic patterns. It typically relies on figurative language and imagery.

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Problem/ Solution: an organizational structure in nonfiction texts, where the author typically presents a problem and possible solutions to it.

Propaganda Techniques and Persuasive Tactics:Propaganda techniques and persuasive tactics are used to influence people to believe, buy, or do something. Students should be ab le to identify and comprehend the propaganda techniques and persuasive tactics listed below:

Name-calling is an attack on a person instead of an issue. A bandwagon appeal tries to persuade the reader to do, think or

buy something because it is popular or because “everyone” is doing it.

A red herring is an attempt to distract the reader with details not relevant to the argument.

An emotional appeal tries to persuade the reader by using words that appeal to the reader’s emotions instead of to logic or reason.

A testimonial attempts to persuade the reader by using a famous person to endorse a product or idea (celebrity endorsement)

Repetition attempts to persuade the reader by repeating a message over and over again.

A sweeping generalization (stereotyping) makes an oversimplified statement about a group based on limited information.

A circular argument states a conclusion as part of the proof of the argument.

An appeal to number, facts, or statistics attempts to persuade the reader by showing how many people think something is true.

Repetition: An instance of using a word, phrase, or clause more than once in a short passage--dwelling on a point.

(continued Terms for Reading Critically)

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Research: a systematic inquiry into a subject or problem in order to discover, verify or revise relevant facts or principles having to do with that subject or problem

Rhyme: identical or very similar occurring final sounds in words usually at the end of lines of a poem (e.g., skating/dating, emotion/demotion, and plain/stain)

Internal rhyme: when a word in the middle of a line rhymes with a word at the end of the same metrical line. In Coleridge's “Ancient Mariner”, “We were the first that ever burst”

Slant rhyme: as known also as half-rhyme or imperfect rhyme, refers to words that almost rhyme (farm, yard) or appear to the eye to do so (said, paid). Dickinson, for example, pairs "soul" with "all" here: "Hope is the thing with feathers/That perches in the soul,/And sings the tune without the words,/And never stops at all." Likewise, Larkin pairs "stone" and "shown": "Side by side, their faces blurred,/The earl and countess lie in stone,/Their proper habits vaguely shown…."

Rhythm: the pattern or beat of a poemSatire: writing that uses wit and a biting humor to comment on

human flaws, ideas, social customs, or institutions in order to change them. In order to get his point across, a satirist might use such literary techniques as irony, exaggeration, and understatement.

Simile: a figure of speech that makes a comparison between two seemingly unlike things, using the words like or as

(continued Terms for Reading Critically)

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Soliloquy: Dialogue spoken by an actor at a point in the play when the character believes himself to be alone. The technique frequently reveals a character's innermost thoughts, including his feelings, state of mind, motives or intentions. It is assumed that whatever a character says in a soliloquy to the audience must be true, or at least true in the eyes of the character speaking (e.g., the character may tell lies to mislead other characters in the play, but whatever he states in a soliloquy is a true reflection of what the speaker believes or feels).

Sonnet: a lyric poem of 14 lines whose rhyme scheme is fixed. The rhyme scheme of the English or Shakespearean sonnet is abab cdcd efef gg

Source:Primary Source: text and/or artifacts that tell or show a

first-hand account of an event; original work used when researching (letters, journals)

Secondary Source: text and/or artifacts used when researching that are derived from something original (biographies, magazine articles, research papers)

Stanza: An arrangement of lines in a pattern usually repeated throughout the poem. A stanza may be a subdivision of a poem, or it may constitute the entire poem. 

Line: A line is a unit of language into which a poem or play is divided. It operates on principles which are distinct from grammatical structures, such as the sentence or clauses in sentences. Also known as a verse.

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(continued Terms for Reading Critically)Style: how an author writes: an author’s use of language; its effects

and appropriateness to the author’s intent and themeSummarize: to capture all the most important parts of the original text

(paragraph, story, poem), but express them in a much shorter space, and- as much as possible- in a reader’s own words

Symbolism: a device in literature where an object represents an idea- a person, place, or thing that exists on a literal level, but represents something else on a figurative (abstract) level. Some symbols have meanings that are widely understood (archetypes).

Rushing rivers = passing of time white= goodness

Synonym: one of two or more words in a language that have highly similar meaning s (sorrow, grief, sadness)

Syntax: the pattern or structure of word order in sentences, clauses, and phrases

Text Structure: the author’s method of organizing a textLiterary Structure: an organizational structure found in fiction or literary nonfiction (foreshadowing, flashbacks)Nonfiction Structure: an organizational structure found in nonfiction (sequence, question-answer, cause-effect, problem-solution, etc.)

Textual Evidence: specific information or details from the passage that is used to prove, or back up, an answer to a question about the text.

Thesis: The basic argument advanced by a speaker or writer who then attempts to prove it; the subject or major argument of a speech or composition

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(continued Terms for Reading Critically)Tone: the attitude of the author toward the audience, characters,

or subject. The author’s tone gives the reader an idea about how the author feels about a certain subject. Things like word choice and the way a subject is presented create tone. Angry, ridiculing, enthused, critical- An author’s tone may be angry. An author might choose to use the word “ridiculous” instead of “silly,” and this contributes to an angry tone. (serious or humorous)

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Eligible Content from WritingCollins Writing (from Collins Education Associates , 2004, 2007)Type 1: This type of writing gets ideas on paper – brainstorming.

The purpose of a Type 1 is to activate prior knowledge, predict and reflect. Type 1 is timed and requires a minimum number of items or lines. Questions and guesses are permitted. It is evaluated with a check mark (star, smiley face, sticker, stamp, etc.,) or a minus. One draft.

Type 2: This type of writing shows that writer knows something about a topic or has learned about a topic; it focuses on correct content. The purpose of a Type 2 is to demonstrate knowledge and thinking skills. Because of that, it has a correct answer to a specific question, and is graded as a quiz. The quiz grade is based only on the content of the answer. One draft.

Type 3: This type of writing is edited for focus correction areas (FCAs). The purpose of a Type 3 is to use substantive content that demonstrates knowledge, thinking, and specific writing skills. A Type 3 is read out loud and reviewed to see if the draft completes the assignment, is easy to read, and meets the standards set by the FCAs (self-editing). Revision and editing are done on the original. The grade is based on mastery of the FCAs. One draft.

Type 4: This type of writing still uses substantive content that demonstrates knowledge, thinking, and specific writing skills. It is also still read out loud with self-editing. Yet it has two additional steps from a Type 3. The first additional step is that there is peer editing for FCAs (peer editor reads your writing out loud to you so that you can hear how it sounds). The second additional step is that it is generally rewritten with revisions and editing. The grade is based on mastery of the FCAs. Two drafts, generally.

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Type 5: This type of writing is publishable and error free. It takes a Type 4 to the level of published quality. All aspects are evaluated; it is not finished until it is free of errors. Multiple drafts.

(continued Eligible Content from Writing)Focus Correction Area (FCA): a specific writing skill – whether related to

content, organization, style, or conventions – that gets focused instruction and rigorous assessment for a period of time.

Portfolio:  a collection of student writing (in print or electronic form) that is intended to demonstrate the writer's development 

Purpose: There four main reason to write. Narration (narrative writing): Narration is story telling. Description (descriptive writing): Think of description as painting a picture with words. Exposition (expository writing): Exposition is writing that explains or informs. Persuasion (persuasive writing): Persuasive writing seeks to convince the reader of a particular position or opinion.

Evaluation: to judge the value or condition of (someone or something) in a careful and thoughtful way.

Focus: The single controlling point made with an awareness of task about a specific topic.

Content: The presence of ideas developed through facts, examples, anecdotes, details, opinions, statistics, reasons, and/or explanations.

Relevant Facts: facts (details) which are crucial to the matter of discussion

Concrete details: the specific details that are the backbone or center of the body paragraphs. They refer to the distinct information, facts, data as well as

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specific information offered to describe, explain, or justify something.

Quotations: something that a person says or writes that is repeated or used by someone else in another piece of writing or a speech

(continued Eligible Content from Writing)Organization: The order developed and sustained within and across

paragraphs using transitional devices and including introduction and conclusion.

Transitions: words or phrases that show relationships between ideas. They give the reader an idea about what comes next in the passage, making your ideas flow from one to another.

Cohesion: strategically using words, phrases, and clauses to link the major sections of text. When text explains the relationships between the topic and the examples and/or facts, you have cohesion.

Style: The choice, use and arrangement of words and sentence structures that create tone and voice. It is how an author writes: an author’s use of language; its effects and appropriateness to the author’s intent and theme

Precise Language: Using the right words to say what you want to say. It does not mean writing less! Precise writers always get their point across. They just do it with the most powerful words they can.

Domain-specific vocabulary: words that consist of relatively low-frequency, content-specific words that appear in textbooks and other instructional materials; for example, apex in math, escarpment in geography, and isobar in science.

Voice: the fluency, rhythm and liveliness in writing that make it unique to the writer

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Conventions of Language: Grammar, mechanics, spelling, usage and sentence formation.

(continued Eligible Content from Writing)Response to Literature: an essay in which your understanding of a

particular literary element and its overall meaning within a literary or informational text are presented. Support your ideas with examples and/or evidence from the text. Show your understanding of the author’s message and your insight into the characters and/ or ideas presented. Organize the essay around several clear ideas and/or images. Justify your interpretation by giving examples and citing evidence from the text.

Writing Process:Planning: the first stage of the writing process  that is characterized by

elements of prewriting; includes planning, research, outlining, diagramming, storyboarding or clustering (mind mapping)

Drafting:  the second stage of the writing process where the author begins to develop a more cohesive product from the previous planning stage. The writer creates in the initial stages of the document by, organizing thoughts, discovering a claim, elaborating on key ideas, explaining examples/ideas, and incorporating transitions into a more cohesive text.

Revising: the stage in the writing process where the author reviews, alters, and amends her or his message in the draft. Drafting

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and revising often form a loop as a work moves back and forth between the two stages.

Editing: the stage in the writing process where the writer makes changes in the text to correct errors (spelling, grammar, or mechanics) and fine-tune his or her style. A proofreading phase.

Publishing: the process of production or making information available to your intended audience; the distribution of printed works

Eligible Content from LanguageAdjectives: a word that describes a noun or pronoun

Adverbs: Adverbs are words that modify a verb (He drove slowly. — How did he drive?), an adjective (He drove a very fast car. — How fast was his car?), another adverb (She moved quite slowly down the aisle. — How slowly did she move?) Adverbs often tell when, where, why, or under what conditions something happens or happened. Adverbs frequently end in -ly; however, many words and phrases not ending in -ly serve an adverbial function and an -ly ending is not a guarantee that a word is an adverb.

Antecedent: the noun that the pronoun replacesAppositive: An appositive is a noun or noun phrase that renames

another noun right beside it. The appositive can be a short or long combination of word (e.g., The insect, a large cockroach with hairy legs, is crawling across the kitchen table.

Clause: a group of words that has a subject and a verbComplex Sentence: A complex sentence contains one independent clause

and at least one dependent clause.Compound sentence: A compound sentence contains more than one independent clause.

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Compound-complex sentence: A compound-complex sentence contains more than one independent clause and at least one dependent clause.

Conjunctions: used to link words, phrases and clauses (e.g., and, but, or, although, because, but...and, not only…but also)

Coordinate adjectives: Coordinate adjectives are adjectives that appear in sequence with one another to modify the same noun. For example, the adjectives in the phrases bright, sunny day and dark and stormy night are coordinate adjectives. Coordinate adjectives are usually separated with either commas or and.

(continued Eligible Content from Language)Dangling modifiers: A dangling modifier occurs when you start a sentence

without stating the person, thing, or idea being modified, your readers will think that the modifier is meant for the subject of the clause that follows the modifying phrase.

Declarative Sentence: A declarative sentence makes a statement and always ends in a period. (e.g., The moon reflects the light from the sun.)

Exclamatory Sentence: An exclamatory sentence expresses strong feelings or emotions. It is a more forceful version of a declarative sentence only with an exclamation point at the end. (e.g., I hate when that happens!)

Fragments: A fragment is an incomplete sentence.Imperative Sentence: An imperative sentence gives a command or an

order. Imperative sentences differ from conventional sentences in that their subject, which is always "you," is understood rather than expressed. (e.g., Stand on your head.)

Interrogative Sentence: An interrogative sentence asks a question. (e.g., Who won the game last night?)

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Items in a series: When writing a series of three or more items, separate each item with punctuation—usually commas. Generally, a conjunction (and, or) will follow the last comma in the list. (e.g., At the store I bought a red pepper, salsa, wheat tortillas, and cheese.)

Misplaced modifiers: A misplaced modifier doesn't modify the word it is trying to modify, and this can confuse the reader.

Modifiers: words or phrases that describe, clarify, or give more details. Modifiers add to or set limits on a certain words or word group.

Nonrestrictive/ parenthetical elements: a parenthetical element is information that is nonessential to the meaning of a sentence, such as an example, a clarification, or an aside. This may include clauses, phrases, appositives, and examples as long as the information is nonrestrictive. Nonrestrictive means that the information does not change the meaning of the sentence.

(continued Eligible Content from Language)Nouns: a person, place, thing, ideaPhrase: a group of words that acts as a single part of speechPreposition: A word or group of words that relates time, space, cause, or

manner between its object and another word in the sentence.

Pronoun-antecedent agreement: the pronoun that you choose must agree in number, person, gender, and case for the antecedent

Pronouns: refers to a noun or takes the place of a noun in a sentenceRedundancy: Repetition, unnecessary words, jargon, and over-the-top

sentences & phrasesRun-on sentences: happen when two sentences are joined together

without a word to connect them or punctuation to separate them

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Simple sentence: A simple sentence contains one independent clauseSubject-verb agreement: the subject of the sentence and the verb in the

sentence must agree with one another in numberVerb: Verbs are doing words. A verb can express:

A mental action (e.g., to think, to guess, to consider). A physical action (e.g., to swim, to write, to climb). A state of being (e.g., to be, to exist, to appear).

Wordiness: taking more words than necessary to make your point.

Eligible Content from Text-Dependent AnalysisAlternate or opposing claims:  a claim that goes against your thesis

statement; by considering alternate claims and crafting arguments against them, you make your original argument stronger.

Analysis: the process or result of identifying the parts of the whole and their relationships to one another

Claim: a clear, arguable position that can be supported by reasons and evidence.

Draw evidence: using information directly from the text to support a claimReflection: a form of personal response to experiences, situations,

events or new information. Involves revisiting your prior experience and knowledge of the topic you are exploring. Also involves considering how and why you think the way you do. True

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reflection examines your beliefs, values, attitudes and assumptions that form the foundation of your understanding.

Research: a systematic inquiry into a subject or problem in order to discover, verify or revise relevant facts or principles having to do with that subject or problem.

Support: the details that provide significant facts, definitions, concrete details, and quotations to fully develop and explain the topic.

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