PSSA - All
Terms
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- Literary conflict
- The struggle that grows out of the interplay of the two opposing forces in a plot.
- Context clues:
- Information from the reading that identifies a word or group of words.
- Graphic organizer
- A diagram or pictorial device that shows relationships.
- Phonics
- The relationship between letters and sounds fundamental in beginning reading.
- Reading rate
- The speed at which a person reads, usually silently.
- Satire
- A literary tone used to ridicule or make fun of human vice or weakness.
- Simile
- A comparison of two unlike things in which a word of comparison (like or as) is used (e.g., She eats like a bird.).
- Hyperbole
- An exaggeration or overstatement (e.g., I was so embarrassed I could have died.).
- Point of view
- The way in which an author reveals characters, events and ideas in telling a story; the vantage point from which the story is told.
- Meter
- The repetition of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry.
- Subject area
- An organized body of knowledge; a discipline; a content area.
- Analysis
- The process or result of identifying the parts of a whole and their relationships to one another.
- Metaphor
- The comparison of two unlike things in which no words of comparison (like or as) are used (e.g., That new kid in class is really a squirrel.).
- Theme
- A topic of discussion or writing; a major idea broad enough to cover the entire scope of a literary work.
- Antonym:
- A word that is the opposite of another word.
- Figurative language:
- Language that cannot be taken literally since it was written to create a special effect or feeling.
- Characterization
- The method an author uses to reveal characters and their various personalities.
- Style
- How an author writes; an author's use of language; its effects and appropriateness to the author's intent andtheme.
- Voice
- The fluency, rhythm and liveliness in writing that makes it unique to the writer.
- Figurative language:
- Language that cannot be taken literally since it was written to create a special effect or feeling.
- Antonym:
- A word that is the opposite of another word.
- Narrative
- A story, actual or fictional, expressed orally or in writing.
- Genre:
- A category used to classify literary works, usually by form, technique or content (e.g., prose, poetry).
- Irony
- The use of a word or phrase to mean the exact opposite of its literal or usual meaning; incongruity between the actual result of a sequence of events and the expected result.
- Tone
- The attitude of the author toward the audience and characters (e.g., serious or humorous).
- Semantics
- The study of meaning in language.
- Focus
- The center of interest or attention.
- Fluency:
- The clear, easy, written or spoken expression of ideas. Freedom from word-identification problems which might hinder comprehension in silent reading or the expression of ideas in oral reading.
- Pattern book
- A book with a predictable language structure and often written with predictable text; also known as predictable book.
- Literary elements
- The essential techniques used in literature (e.g., characterization, setting, plot, theme).
- Alliteration
- The repetition of initial consonant sounds in neighboring words.
- Sources Primary
- Text and/or artifacts that tell or show a first-hand account of an event; original works used when researching.
- Reading critically
- Reading in which a questioning attitude, logical analysis and inference are used to judge the worth of text; evaluating relevancy and adequacy of what is read; the judgement of validity or worth of what is read, based on sound criteria.
- 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.
- Characterization:
- The method an author uses to reveal characters and their various personalities.
- Literary structures
- The author's method of organizing text (e.g., foreshadowing, flashbacks).
- Conventions of language:
- Mechanics, usage and sentence completeness.
- Synonym
- One of two or more words in a language that have highly similar meanings (e.g., sorrow, grief, sadness).
- Allusion
- An implied or indirect reference in literature to a familiar person, place or event.
- Personification
- An object or abstract idea given human qualities or human form (e.g., Flowers danced about the lawn.).
- Self-monitor
- Know when what one is reading or writing is not making sense; adjust strategies for comprehension.
- Idiomatic language
- An expression peculiar to itself grammatically or that cannot be understood if taken literally (e.g., Let's get on the ball.).
- Literary devices
- Tools used by the author to enliven and provide voice to the writing (e.g., dialogue, alliteration).
- Focus:
- The center of interest or attention.
- Syntax
- The pattern or structure of word order in sentences, clauses and phrases.
- 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.
- Evaluate
- Examine and judge carefully.
- Homophone
- One of two or more words pronounced alike, but different in spelling or meaning (e.g., hair/hare, scale (fish)/scale (musical)).
- Fluency:
- The clear, easy, written or spoken expression of ideas. Freedom from word-identification problems which might hinder comprehension in silent reading or the expression of ideas in oral reading.
- Allusion:
- An implied or indirect reference in literature to a familiar person, place or event.
- Paraphrase
- Restate text or passage in other words, often to clarify meaning or show understanding.
- Evaluate:
- Examine and judge carefully.
- Compare:
- Place together characters, situations or ideas to show common or differing features in literary selections.
- Analysis:
- The process or result of identifying the parts of a whole and their relationships to one another.
- Secondary Sources
- Text and/or artifacts used when researching that are derived from something original.
- Alliteration:
- The repetition of initial consonant sounds in neighboring words.
- Genre
- A category used to classify literary works, usually by form, technique or content (e.g., prose, poetry).
- Compare:
- Place together characters, situations or ideas to show common or differing features in literary selections.
- Context clues:
- Information from the reading that identifies a word or group of words.
- Conventions of language:
- Mechanics, usage and sentence completeness.
- Public document
- A document that focuses on civic issues or matters of public policy at the community level and beyond.