Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Harry Potter Reading Activities

Harry Potter Reading Activities: Teaching Emotional Intelligence and Character

The Harry Potter series is an amazing piece of literature that teaches students a love of reading, yet also teaches emotional intelligence! The characters compelling stories of courage, honor, perseverance, and sacrifice give students a chance to be all those things. The Brothers Grimm fairy tales and Aesop’s fables taught countless generations of children characters and morals using morality tales. Today we need literature that treats kids as smart intelligent beings that flourish when exposed to insightful complex literature. Morality, sacrifice, empathy, and honesty are just a few themes that kids discover in the pages of Harry Potter. Harry Potter can be a roadmap for children to an emotionally intelligent adulthood. My class discusses and ruminates on the many themes that present themselves as we read the Harry Potter series, and students have so many insightful moments when they relate funny, poignant, scary moments to personal experience.

Idesa for Using Harry Potter in the Classroom to Teach Emotional Intelligence
  • Compare and Contrast Character Traits: Harry Potter vs. Hermione...
  • Make a list of what makes a character evil or good
  • Create your own Harry Potter chapter story using a classic morality theme
Harry Potter is not about witchcraft and wizardry as some opponents have argued, the books are about friendship and growing up. We should count ourselves fortunate and blessed when all generations learn the skills of caring, empathy, sacrifice, acceptance, and honor. If you have not read Harry Potter or you have not visited the books in a few years its time to rethink all the wonderful teachable moments that the series provides.  Sean Taylor The Reading Sage
        

Monday, July 23, 2012

Google’s 80–20 Rule for Educators and Teaching!


Google’s 80–20 Rule for Educators, Students and Teaching!

“GOOGLE engineers are encouraged to take 20 percent of their time to work on something company-related that interests them personally. This means that if you have a great idea, you always have time to run with it.” New York Times

Imagine giving students 20% of their instructional day to whatever fascinates them personally; will they build a passion for learning? Google uses the 80/20 rule for building loyalty, creating a culture of innovation, cultivating ideas, and acknowledging the creativity and productivity of working on self guided passions.

The 80/20 Rule can be used as the foundation of a flipped classroom, front loaded instruction 20%, and student work/collaboration 80%.

Food For Thought

The Pareto principle or 80–20 rule
  • 80% of students success comes from 20% of instruction and studying
  • 80% of students academic knowledge comes from 20% of the time spent on academic learning
  • 80% of lessons are unproductive (meeting the needs of all students) 20% of lessons are productive
  • 80% of students need differentiation (pacing, higher or lower level) 20% of students are on instructional level
  • 80% of classroom behavior problems come from 20% of students (academic and social and emotional)
Wiki Article
The Pareto principle (also known as the 80–20 rule, the law of the vital few, and the principle of factor sparsity) states that, for many events, roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes.
Business-management consultant Joseph M. Juran suggested the principle and named it after Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto, who observed in 1906 that 80% of the land in Italy was owned by 20% of the population; he developed the principle by observing that 20% of the pea pods in his garden contained 80% of the peas.[2]
It is a common rule of thumb in business; e.g., "80% of your sales come from 20% of your clients". Mathematically, where something is shared among a sufficiently large set of participants, there must be a number k between 50 and 100 such that "k% is taken by (100 − k)% of the participants". The number k may vary from 50 (in the case of equal distribution, i.e. 100% of the population have equal shares) to nearly 100 (when a tiny number of participants account for almost all of the resource). There is nothing special about the number 80% mathematically, but many real systems have k somewhere around this region of intermediate imbalance in distribution.[3]
The Pareto principle is only tangentially related to Pareto efficiency, which was also introduced by the same economist. Pareto developed both concepts in the context of the distribution of income and wealth among the population Wiki

Friday, July 20, 2012

MCAS released test | MCAS practice test Grades 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8.

MCAS Reading, ELA, Math, Science, History released test | MCAS practice test Grades 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8.
The Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System, MCAS reading, math, history and science practice test Grades 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Use the MCAS Tests below to prepare for the math, reading and science 2012-2013 MCAS assessment. The MCAS reading, math and science are standardized tests given to students in Massachusetts grades 3-8. Beyond grade 8, take the End of Course Tests for students in grades 9 to 12.

The Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System, commonly shortened to MCAS is the Commonwealth's statewide standards-based assessment program developed in 1993, in response to the Massachusetts Education Reform Act of the same year. State and federal law mandates that all students who are enrolled in the tested grades and who are educated with Massachusetts public funds participate in MCAS testing.

MCAS has three primary purposes:
  1. To inform and improve curriculum and instruction.
  2. To evaluate student, school, and district performance according to Massachusetts Curriculum Framework content standards and Performance Standards.
  3. To determine student eligibility for the Competency Determination requirement in order to award high school diplomas.


MCAS RELEASED TEST 

AMCAS Practice released test for all grades 
Grade 3 [All Subjects, 2.6 MB]
Mathematics [2.2 MB]

Grade 4 [All Subjects, 4.62 MB]
Mathematics[3.15 MB]

Grade 5 [All Subjects, 7.02 MB]
Mathematics [1.62 MB]

Grade 6 [All Subjects, 2.16 MB]
Mathematics [1.87 MB]

Grade 7 [All Subjects, 4.14 MB]
Mathematics [1.69 MB]

Grade 8 [All Subjects, 4.05 MB]
Mathematics [1.75 MB]

Grade 10 [All Subjects, 1.34 MB]
Mathematics [1.04 MB]
High School [All Subjects, 6.82 MB]
Biology [1.97MB]
U.S. History [1.54 MB]


Testing Vocabulary 3rd , 4th , 5th and 6th Grade

High Frequency Standardized Testing Vocabulary
This is a list of No Excuses Testing Vocabulary for the 3rd , 4th , 5th and 6th Grade. The Testing Vocabulary is the Tier 2 Academic Vocabulary for Reading and ELA Testing, it does not contain the Tier 3 Testing Vocabulary. You will also need to study the Tier 3 Academic Testing Vocabulary for thorough test prep. Students with developing reading skills or second language learners may need extra instruction to gain the full meaning of these words.

TIER 2 ACADEMIC VOCABULARY GLOSSARY
More High Incidence Testing Vocabulary
Tier 3 Academic Vocabulary Words

passage/s, mostly, mainly, different, based, order, paragraph, routine, events, speaker/s, most likely, lesson, suggest, comparison, describe/s, purpose, selection, according, event/s, section, statement/s, main idea, compares, contrast, selection, greatest, description, suggest, considered, organized, reason,  provided, preventing, represent, important details, decides, theme, presented, phrases, turning point, examples, predict/ed, cause, effect, differ, article, summary, diagram, instructions, directions, probably, detail, supports, term, organizes, definition, probably, closely   

High Frequency Standardized Testing Math Vocabulary
correctly, nearest, seems, diagram, combination, labeled, different, describes, relationship, common, represent/s, figure, model, combined, characteristic, according, examples, receive, statement, symbol, compare/s, patterns, section, arranged, display, input, output, value, expression, assigned, decreasing, results, designed, produced, constant, previous

passage/s

A portion or section of a written work; a paragraph, verse, etc.
There was a very funny passage in the student's response.

mostly
Almost; for the most part; nearly
My homework is mostly done.

mainly
For the most part; chiefly; primarily
The band's members are mainly girls.

different
Not alike; dissimilar; not identical
I didn't recognize her at first because her hair was so different.

based
The bottom support of anything; foundation; basis
He based his answer on the dictionary definition.

order
The listing of things by some characteristic, eg., first letter; size, color, age
The student names were listed in alphabetical order.

paragraph
The portion of written matter dealing with one idea, usually beginning with an indentation on a new line.
The paragraph had an excellent topic sentence.

routine
Regular; typical or everyday activity
Singing is part of the routine in Mr. Taylor's class.

speaker/s
A person who talks or is talking
Mrs. Kuhn was the speaker at the school assembly.

most likely
Best chance of happening; highest probability
If you don't do your homework, you will most likely get into trouble in Mr. Taylor's class.

lesson
Something to be learned or studied; part of a book, an exercise, etc., assigned for study
The math lesson for today is long division.

suggest
To propose an idea for consideration
Please suggest methods for encouraging students to do their homework.

comparison
Likening; reviewing similarities
There is no comparison between driving and flying to New York.

describe/s
To tell about; to list important characteristics; to draw a picture to represent something
Please describe Rio Vista Elementary School.

purpose
The reason for doing something; the reason something exists or is done, made, used, etc.
The purpose for homework is to give students practice in reading, writing, and arithmetic.
selection

Older MCAS Test

Grade 3 [All Subjects]

Grade 4 [All Subjects]

Grade 5 [All Subjects]

Grade 6 [All Subjects]

Grade 7 [All Subjects]

Grade 8 [All Subjects]

Grade 10 [All Subjects]
High School [All Subjects]

The CRCT is a good Practice Test To Prepare for the MCAS

1st Grade LANGUAGE ARTS:ALL DOMAINS
GRAMMAR & MECHANICS
RESEARCH PROCESS
SENTENCE CONSTRUCTION & REVISION

MATH:ALL DOMAINS
COMPUTATION & ESTIMATION
GEOMETRY & MEASUREMENT
NUMBER SENSE & NUMERATION
PATTERNS & RELATIONSHIPS/ALGEBRA
PROBLEM SOLVING

READING:ALL DOMAINS
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
READING FOR LOCATING & RECALLING INFORMATION
READING FOR MEANING
READING FOR VOCABULARY IMPROVEMENT

2nd Grade LANGUAGE ARTS:ALL DOMAINS
PARAGRAPH CONTENT & ORGANIZATION
GRAMMAR & MECHANICS
RESEARCH PROCESS
SENTENCE CONSTRUCTION & REVISION

MATH:ALL DOMAINS
COMPUTATION & ESTIMATION
GEOMETRY & MEASUREMENT
NUMBER SENSE & NUMERATION
PATTERNS & RELATIONSHIPS/ALGEBRA
PROBLEM SOLVING

READING:ALL DOMAINS
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
READING FOR LOCATING & RECALLING INFORMATION
READING FOR MEANING
READING FOR VOCABULARY IMPROVEMENT

3rd Grade LANGUAGE ARTS:ALL DOMAINS
PARAGRAPH CONTENT & ORGANIZATION
GRAMMAR & MECHANICS
RESEARCH PROCESS
SENTENCE CONSTRUCTION & REVISION

MATH:ALL DOMAINS
COMPUTATION & ESTIMATION
GEOMETRY & MEASUREMENT
NUMBER SENSE & NUMERATION
PATTERNS & RELATIONSHIPS/ALGEBRA
PROBLEM SOLVING
STATISTICS & PROBABILITY

READING:ALL DOMAINS
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
READING FOR LOCATING & RECALLING INFORMATION
READING FOR MEANING
READING FOR VOCABULARY IMPROVEMENT

4th Grade LANGUAGE ARTS:ALL DOMAINS
PARAGRAPH CONTENT & ORGANIZATION
GRAMMAR & MECHANICS
RESEARCH PROCESS
SENTENCE CONSTRUCTION & REVISION

MATH:ALL DOMAINS
COMPUTATION & ESTIMATION
GEOMETRY & MEASUREMENT
NUMBER SENSE & NUMERATION
PATTERNS & RELATIONSHIPS/ALGEBRA
PROBLEM SOLVING

READING:ALL DOMAINS
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
READING FOR LOCATING & RECALLING INFORMATION
READING FOR MEANING
READING FOR VOCABULARY IMPROVEMENT

5th Grade LANGUAGE ARTS:ALL DOMAINS
PARAGRAPH CONTENT & ORGANIZATION
GRAMMAR & MECHANICS
RESEARCH PROCESS
SENTENCE CONSTRUCTION & REVISION

MATH:ALL DOMAINS
COMPUTATION & ESTIMATION
GEOMETRY & MEASUREMENT
NUMBER SENSE & NUMERATION
PATTERNS & RELATIONSHIPS/ALGEBRA
PROBLEM SOLVING
STATISTICS & PROBABILITY

READING:ALL DOMAINS
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
READING FOR LOCATING & RECALLING INFORMATION
READING FOR MEANING
READING FOR VOCABULARY IMPROVEMENT

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Project-Based Learning | Flipped CLASS | PBL


Project-Based Learning and or a Flipped CLASS? 

Flipped Teaching and project based learning using the Common Core State Standards! 

Is a flipped class and projects based learning possible in today’s publisher driven, top-down curriculum model and austere school reform mentality we find ourselves working in? Giving teachers the power to make real academic choices, teacher-student selected curriculum, flipping a class, and or using project-based learning. Today classrooms are hindered with such severe cutbacks that many are closer to daycare than centers of innovative learning. Teachers are on the front lines of education and need support to do what is in the best interest of the child’s learning, not focused on test taking ability.  

Students in Finland are consistently ranked at the Top in Math and Science achievement! Why, because teachers focus on educational equity (student outcomes as related to learning) , not ranking, labeling, accountability or competition! Finland amazingly rejected the "Accountability Movement" 20 years ago and decided to develop a teacher-student centered learning model. They do not administer standardized or criterion referenced test! Teachers are free to make students learning the priority!

Texas administered the new STAAR test this summer, with standards that are similar to the CCSS, and guess what, TEST scores plummeted. Higher standards do not improve teacher or student outcomes. Most of the newly published CCSS materials that I have read are really just reshuffled old materials disguised as new and innovative. Schools will spend millions and millions getting ready to realign curriculum with the CCSS, and what we really need to do is realign our philosophy.  Empower teachers and create an innovative nurturing learning environment for both the teacher and the student.When do we honor teachers and treat them as intelligent professionals? 

The Common Core Standards are adding even higher expectations to today's stretched students and teachers, that of course means testing expectations are unreachable/unmeetable/unteachable, in many of today’s austere classrooms. My schools started this year with 32 full day kindergartners in each class with no aide! That is austere!

This year districts and schools will start choosing the best from the worst published curriculum that supposedly meets the CCSS because we don't trust our teachers to develop their own innovative amazing curriculum. Finnish teachers collaborate daily from 1:30-3:00 to develop teacher made curriculum and work with colleagues to meet the needs of all student. Project-based learning and a flipped classrooms are possible if we give teachers the power to make real decisions (picking what published program your school will use doesn't count) and the control!


Ideas to help keep the learning flowing and the innovative classroom alive:
  • Team Teaching
  • Students as teachers or peer teachers
  • Intermediate classrooms adopt a primary classroom
  • More flexibility in school schedules!!!! (Why we run schools today on military schedules is beyond me)
  • Real curriculum development and planning time
Flipped Classroom Explained: wiki  

Flip teaching is a form of blended learning which encompasses any use of Internet technology to leverage the learning in a classroom, so a teacher can spend more time interacting with students instead of lecturing. This is most commonly being done using teacher created videos that students view outside of class time. It is also known as backwards classroom, reverse instruction and reverse teaching.
The traditional pattern of secondary education has been to have classroom lectures, in which the teacher explains a topic, followed by homework, in which the student does exercises. In flip teaching, the student first studies the topic by himself, typically using video lessons created by the instructor or shared by another educator, such as those provided by the Khan Academy. In the classroom, the pupil then tries to apply the knowledge by solving problems and doing practical work. The role of the classroom teacher is then to tutor the student when they become stuck, rather than to impart the initial lesson. This allows time inside the class to be used for additional learning-based activities, including use of differentiated instruction and project-based learning.
Flip teaching allows more hands-on time with the instructor guiding the students, allowing them to assist the students when they are assimilating information and creating new ideas (upper end of Bloom's Taxonomy).


Project Based Learning: Explained
Project-based learning, or PBL, is the use of in-depth and rigorous classroom projects to facilitate learning and assess student competence (not to be confused with problem-based learning). Project Based Learning was promoted by the Buck Institute for Education in the late 1990s, in response to school reform efforts of that time. Project-based learning is an instructional method that provides students with complex tasks based on challenging questions or problems that involve the students' problem solving, decision making, investigative skills, and reflection that includes teacher facilitation, but not direction. PBL is focused on questions that drive students to encounter the central concepts and principles of a subject hands-on. Students form their own investigation of a guiding question, allowing students to develop valuable research skills as students engage in design, problem solving, decision making, and investigative activities. Through Project-based learning, students learn from these experiences and take them into account and apply them to the world outside their classroom. PBL is a different teaching technique that promotes and practices new learning habits, emphasizing creative thinking skills by allowing students to find that there are many ways to solve a problem.


Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Teaching Emotional Intelligence Using Music

Teaching Emotional Intelligence, Values, Morals, and Character with Music | Grades 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 | Values and Character | Emotional Intelligence Lessons

Emotional Intelligence is a bigger predictor of academic success due in part; students with high Emotional Intelligence adapt better to a modern classroom. Teaching students empathy, compassion, humility, character, honor, duty and civility is more important today with the changes to society. Character and values lessons start in the home with parents and elders telling fairytales and fables to educate the young about right and wrong. Young ones learned about the perils of lying, pride, anger and selfishness vicariously and safely though the characters in the stories. I use music in addiction to fairytales and fables to build emotional intelligence.
      
Music is a powerful tool that evokes positive, inspirational, and even sympathetic emotions and impacts perception of content. We know that adding or stimulating emotions stimulates learning and speeds retention and memory. Think of all the movies, plays, and concerts that have amazed and inspired you with music. Create a sound track for your daily classroom lessons and watch students emotional intelligence increases and learning ignites.

Music can take the rote or mundane task that must be mastered and make them Epic in Importance with the right music!

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Teachers Resume | Sample Resume


Curriculum Vitae (CV) | Teacher Résumé | Teacher Cover Letter 
The importance of a teacher resume or curriculum vitae (CV)! A CV or resume provides an overview of a teachers experience and educational qualifications. A CV is typically the first item that a potential employer encounters regarding the job seeker and is typically used to screen applicants, often followed by an interview, when seeking a teaching position.

Sean D. Taylor, M.Ed
            (520) 245-3920 readingsage@gmail.com Tucson Arizona

To:  Principals and Administrators:     

July 9, 2012

Dear Colleagues and Friends:

I am pleased to present my résumé and Curriculum Vitae for your consideration as a curriculum / reading specialist in your district. I am confident that my academic background, teaching experience and curriculum development skills can serve your mission, and help produce improved outcomes like those I have seen in my own classroom, and in the classrooms of teachers with whom I have worked.

Beginning in 2005 I developed and implemented an effective four-week compensatory reading intervention program/literacy curriculum sequence for primary and intermediate students. In the subsequent years, participants in my classroom and other classrooms have seen a significant increase in literacy scores as measured by the NWEA MAP assessment and criterion-referenced testing or "standards based assessment."

The inception of Reading Boot Camp as an intervention program involved a total of 20 extraordinary teachers, from three different schools, all of whom wanted to pilot a teacher-developed intervention. The school district and three of the schools failed AYP in the previous years. We implemented the curriculum sequence in the two weeks before the state testing window in grades 2 through 5, and outcomes were dramatic: 95% of the students in 95% of participating classrooms passed the State Reading assessments. We were thrilled by the flood of positive responses from teachers, students, and parents, and, perhaps most significantly, all three schools made AYP that year. In the years since, 90% off all students participating in the full 20 day program passed all State reading tests.

I am inspired to broaden the influence of this influential program. I’m committed to finding a position that enables me to help teachers and students discover innovative ways to improve student literacy. On a personal note, I believe my own experience with dyslexia and my inability to read during primary school affords me uncommon insight into helping all students learn to read.

Please consider this Letter of Interest and attached résumé as an expression of my sincere interest in pursuing any curriculum/education specialist opportunities that may arise in your district. I welcome the chance to arrange a formal interview, or to simply chat about possibilities. Thank you for your time and consideration.


Sincerely,

Sean D Taylor M.Ed.

Teaching With a Sense of Humor

Monday, July 9, 2012

Passing the STAAR Retest 2012-2013 | Summer 2012


STAAR RETEST SUMMER Practice 2012 | Passing the STAAR Reading Test

All Criterion and Standards Referenced Test (STAAR Reading, Math, Science, and Social Studies Test) use key testing vocabulary to assess student preparedness at the end of grade and at what levels students acquired State Standards. The STAAR test is difficult for most students to pass because the Academic vocabulary is sparsely or ineffectively taught in many classrooms. Studying the testing vocabulary helps but the key to passing State test like the STAAR with ease is making or creating connections with background knowledge. I use novel games and emotional content to accelerate the learning crucial testing vocabulary and concepts. The brain loves novelty and learns quicker when learning is attached to emotions and is fun. The best way to prepare for the STAAR retest is to play vocabulary games and listen to inspirational music! 

Reading and Vocabulary Games

Vocabulary Games

Alien Vocabulary Game (Tier 3 Testing Words) (or Chutes and LaddersUse this free tier 3 academic vocabulary game to build test readiness. The game is designed to be a fun way to build academic vocabulary using a game students already know. A number of "CAMO Aliens" (ladders) and "Blues Aliens" (or "chutes") are pictured on the board, each connecting two specific board squares. The object of the game is to navigate one's game piece from the start (bottom square) to the finish (top square), helped or hindered by CAMO Aliens and Blues Aliens, respectively. Any time you land on an alien you have to draw a new card! If you land on the CAMO Aliens and answer the vocabulary question correctly you beam to the next highest CAMO Alien plus the move allowance on the card. If you land on the Blue Alien and get the question wrong you beam down to the next lowest Blues Alien. If you are on a Blue Alien and answer correctly you stay put until your next turn.
The game is a simple race to the top using the RBC Vocabulary Flash Cards, and is popular with children.
Vocabulary Game Cards Reading

Academic Vocabulary Games

FREE ACADEMIC VOCABULARY GAMES: SPARKLE

Have your children stand or sit on their desk so they are facing the teacher. Start at either end of room and give the first child a vocabulary word or definition. They say the definition or kid friendly sentence if given the vocabulary word or they must give the word when a definition is given. The child that cannot give an answer says SPARKLE and must sit down. Continue the game until you are down to one child! The last child that has answered all the vocabulary gets a small bag of popcorn. Every child that answers a hard vocabulary question correctly gets a pretzel, stamp, or a sticker.  They love this and it is great review for challenging academic vocabulary! Start with a mix of easy and hard words to get the kids excited and ready to study the challenging academic words.



Vocabulary Pig!

Each turn, a player draws an academic vocabulary card and shows the definition to the other players. The player must give an example or definition to keep the card and continue playing. The player gets to keep every card they can define. If a player cannot give a correct answer they place the card at the bottom of the deck and forfeit their turn. At any time during a player's turn, the player is faced with two options:

Option one, draw the next card and give a correct definition and keep playing piggy piggy piggy.

Option two, pass on the card, and the next player must give the definition or lose all their points!

The first player to score 100 wins!


VOCABULARY Parcheesi Rules of play 
Academic Vocabulary Parcheesi is played with one deck of academic vocabulary cards (25-30) cards and the goal of the game is to move each of one's pieces home to the center space. 

Each player selects four pieces of the same color and places them in their "nest," or starting area. The game board should be positioned so that each player's nest is to his right. Pieces enter play onto the darkened space to the left of the nest and continue counter-clockwise around the board to the home path directly in front of the player. 










 




Academic Vocabulary Words

Common Core State Standards: Academic Vocabulary

Reading, Math, Science, Social Studies and Language Arts


Academic vocabulary words are key vocabulary that students must master to understand academic content. Two list predominate (Coxhead 2000/ Marzano 2004) most academic vocabulary list find their origins in one or both. Teachers needing to raise test scores in a content area will find academic word list indispensable. Teachers can select published academic vocabulary list or create their own by doing a word analysis of released state test of published literature. Most states have adopted or will adopt The Common Core State Standards which will simplify the choice of academic vocabulary. Today some states are vague and leave the choice to teachers and schools, so finding the best list to meet the needs of your students is tricky. The links below are a few that seem to have value. I personally use the NWEA Academic Word list daily for reading, science and math vocabulary, and a lesser extent the Tennessee Academic Word List as a supplement. I have also created a academic word list of my own using a crude word analysis of the TAKS released test. The TAKS and the AIMS are both published by Pearson Publishing. The released test are a great source of grade level reading passages to synthesize fluency drills.

Links to PDF Academic Word List

Oklahoma Academic Vocabulary Suggested Words and Terms  Marzano based list
School Speak Word List
The Tennessee Academic Vocabulary Project
Academic Tier 3 Reading Glossary
Academic Tier 3 Mathematics Glossary
 Academic Tier 3 Writing Glossary
Academic Tier 3 English Language Arts  Glossary 
Academic Tier 3 History / Social Studies  Glossary 
Academic Tier 3 Science Glossary (Glossary at the end of the PDF doc,)
Mr. Taylor's Kid Friendly Academic Vocabulary

Third Grade

atlas
A book of maps or a book of tables, charts, pictures on one subject.
Mr. Taylor has a world atlas in his classroom.

abbreviation
A shorter form of a word or phrase, i.e. AZ for Arizona.
The abbreviation for the United States of America is U.S.A.

adverb
A word that modifies a verb by identifying time, place, speed, etc.
Quickly is an adverb in the sentence "Jose quickly finished his homework. "

antonyms
A word opposite in meaning to another word.
Cold is the antonym of hot.

apostrophe
The mark used to show a letter or letters have been left out of a word or phrase or to show ownership.
Example of letters left out: You've is short for "you have" and an apostrophe shows that "have" is missing two letters.
Example of ownership: Mr. Taylor's class reads several books each year.
Example of ownership: The apostrophe in the sentence "Mr. Taylor's class reads several books each year." shows the class belongs to Mr. Taylor.

bias
One meaning of "bias" is to like or dislike one thing over another.
Claudia has bias for chocolate over all other candy.

chronological order
To arrange events in the order they occurred.
In chronological order, our class has computer lab on Monday, music on Tuesday, gym on Wednesday, library on Thursday, and art on Friday.

complete sentence
A complete sentence includes at least a subject and a verb.
"Claudia ran." is a complete sentence.

context clues
Words, phrases or sentences around a new word that helps the reader make a logical guess about the meaning of the new word.
Use context clues to figure out what a new word means.

contraction
A word or phrase shortened by leaving out one or more letters or sounds.
"You'll" is the contraction of "you will."


compound word
A compound word is made when two words are joined to form a new word.
The words "shoe" and "string" are joined to form the compound word "Shoestring."

biography
The history of a persons life.
If you become famous, someone will write your biography.

describe
To tell or write about something.
Please describe your backpack.

declarative
A sentence that makes a statement.
"The earth is round." is a declarative sentence.

dictionary
A book of alphabetically listed words with their meanings and other information.
Students need a dictionary when they go to college.

exclamatory
A sudden, angry outcry; to cry out; shout; or speak suddenly in surprise, etc.
"Lillian, be quiet! shouted her mother is an exclamatory phrase.

fact
Something that really happened; truth; actuality; things as they exist.
It is a fact that the moon revolves around the earth.

fairy take
A fairy tale is a type of short story with fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, dwarves, giants or gnomes, and usually magic or enchantments.
The story "Jack and the Beanstalk" is a fairy tale.

folk tale
A story or legend originating and traditional among a group of people (folk = people), especially one forming part of the spoken tradition of the everyday people.
The stories about Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox are folk tales.

interrogative
Asking a question.
"Do you like chocolate ice cream?" is an interrogative.

index
One meaning of "index" is an alphabetical list of names, subjects, etc., together with page numbers where they can be found--usually placed at the end of a book.
In this book, the index says there is information about the moon on pages 31 and 73.

instructions
Education; teaching; lessons or a list of steps to be followed to complete an assignment.
(1) Every teacher at Rio Vista gives instructions to their students. (2) It is hard to use a TV remote without reading the instructions.

main characteristics
The most important things that identify a person, plant, object--or anything in the universe.
The main characteristics of most cars are four wheels, a body where the driver and passengers sit, a steering wheel, an engine, and headlights and taillights.

nonfiction
Books and stories which only include real people, animals, plants, science, events, etc.
A book about birds in Tucson is a nonfiction book.

main idea
The main idea of a passage or reading is the the most important thought or message. (In contrast to the term topic, which refers to the subject under discussion.)
The main idea of Mr. Taylor's instructions is that it is important to follow directions.

multi-meaning words
Words which have more than one meaning.
Multi-meaning words will have the different meanings listed and numbered (1, 2, 3, etc.) in the dictionary.

opinion
A person's belief based on what seems true, or probable; a person's judgment.
Many people have the opinion that French cooking is the best in the world.

organization
A group of persons organized for some specific purpose, such as a club, business, team, etc.
The Rio Vista band is an organization of students with an interest in music.

personal narrative
A story that tells a story based on a personal experience of the writer.
Jasmine wrote a personal narrative about a trip to visit her grandmother.

plural
More than one of something.
The plural of bone is bones.

plot
The arrangement of the main events in a book, story, poem, or film, also known as the "story line."
The plot of most mysteries starts with a murder.

point of view
A way of viewing things; an attitude or the position from which something is observed or considered; a standpoint.
It is Mr. Taylor's point of view that students must be held responsible for completing their work.

possessive
The form of a word that shows ownership.
The possessive form of John is John's. For example, to say John owns the airplane, you would say "It is John's airplane."

predicate
In a sentence, the verb (action word) or the verb and words that describe the verb.
"Runs fast" is the predicate in the sentence "Magaly runs fast."

prefix
A prefix is placed at the beginning of a word to change its meaning.
In the word "unhappy," "un-" is the prefix.

prefixes
Prefixes are placed at the beginning of words to change their meanings.
The prefixes we will see often are "pre-" (before), "post-" (after), "un-" (opposite of), "anti-"(against), "hemi-" (half), "non-" (absence of), "out-" (exceeding), "trans-" (across), etc.
The sentence "John was unhappy in preschool" has two prefixes.

punctuation (commas)
Special marks in sentences or phrases that make the sentences or phrases easier to understand. Some common punctuation marks are: .  ,  '  ;  ?  !
The comma ( , ) tells where to pause or take a breath.
root word
A word that can start to build the meaning of many words.
"Corn" is the root word of : popcorn; cornflower; cornmeal; cornbread; and cornmeal: all the words mean something about corn.

run-on sentence
A run-on sentence is a sentence in which two or more independent clauses (i.e., complete sentences) are joined without appropriate punctuation ( ; ) or a conjunction (and, for, nor, but, or, yet and so).
"Sydney and Sabrina were in the band Sydney played the saxophone Sabrina played percussion" is an example of  three run-on sentences.

introduction
The introduction is at the beginning of a story and it tells you what the main idea(s) will be; it lets you
"meet" the main idea.
An introduction to your teacher lets you meet.

singular
In grammar, the form of a word that says there is only one of something.
In the sentence "There was only one Juliana in the class, but there were two Gabriels," Juliana is singular and Gabriels is plural.

sign
The word "sign" has many meanings. Among them are: to write your name (signature); a symbol with a specific meaning ( $ meaning dollars); and hand gestures that give information (sign language).
When you vote in any election, you have to sign your name.
story elements (character, setting, plot)
The who, what, where and why--the parts that make up a story.
In Harry Potter, the main characters are Harry, Hermione, and Ron; the setting is Castle Hogwarts; and the plot is to learn to be wizards and keep Harry safe from Voldemort.

schedule
The way things are planned to happen in our lives, schools, or work.
Sometimes Mr. Taylor's class schedules a trip to the gem and mineral show in February.

subject
The person, place or thing that does the action in a sentence.
In the sentence "Michael finished his report before lunch," "Michael" is the subject, and "finished" is the action (verb).

suffixes
Letters or syllables added to the end of a word to change its meaning.
Suffixes such as "-ish" and "-er" can be added to the word "small" to change its meaning to smallish and smaller.

summarize
To state briefly; to shorten to its most important parts.
Mr. Taylor asked us to summarize the first chapter of Harry Potter and the Sorcer's Stone.

supporting details
They come after the topic sentence, making up the body of a paragraph. What do they do? They give details to develop and help the reader better understand the topic sentence (main idea).
If your topic sentence is "Harry Potter has a special wand," you could add supporting details about the wand, such as where he got it, what it's made of, and why it's a special wand.

synonyms
Different words that have the same meaning.
Synonyms of "bend" are curve and twist.

verb (types and functions)
A word that in a sentence that  tells you the action (bring, read, walk, run, learn), or a state of being (be, exist, stand).
In the sentence "Anthony ran his race and is now standing next to the track," "ran" (the action) and "standing" (state of being) are both verbs.

Fourth Grade

acronym
A word that is made by putting together parts of other words.
The word "radar" is an acronym that was built from "radio detecting and ranging"
( "ra  + d  +  a  +  r" ).

adjective
A word or phrase that  modifies (describes) a noun .
The word "brilliant" is an adjective in the sentence "Yatzari is a brilliant student".  "Brilliant" describes the noun "student".

adverb
A word that Modifies (describes) a verb.
"Suddenly" is an adverb in the sentence "Anthony suddenly remembered his homework assignment".  "Suddenly" describes the verb "remembered."

almanac
A book that gives useful information about a particular subject;  sometimes published  in a month-by-month order.
For example, a gardening almanac might tell when to plant different flowers and vegetables.

analogy
A phrase or sentence that shows how different things may be alike in some ways.
"A human heart is like a pump" is an analogy.  The heart and pump are alike in one way:  they each pump something.

anthology
A book that is a collection of different writers' works (essays, stories,  poems, etc.).
"Mr. Taylor had so many interesting stories to tell.  One day he was going to publish his collection as 'An Artist's Anthology.' "

antonym
A word that has an opposite meaning.
An antonym of  "hot"  is  "cold";  an antonym of  "fast"  is  "slow".

aphorism
A short, clear, wise statement that tells an opinion or a saying that many people believe is true.
An aphorism about a famous musician is the sentence "Irving Berlin has no place in American music - he IS American music."
audience (as listeners and readers)
A group of people that gather to see or hear a performance  -  when the performance is an "out-loud" reading, the performers are the readers and the audience are the listeners.
For example:  "Mr. Taylor and Maria were taking turns reading 'The Chamber of Secrets' to the class.  The audience was very quiet as the readers reached a scary part of the story."

author's purpose
The reason for writing  - to inform, to question, to entertain.
"Fernando worked hard on his first prompt.  His author's purpose was to entertain his readers with his funny story."

autobiography
The story of someone's life, written by that person.
"Mr. Taylor had given the students their first assignment of the year:  a one-page autobiography."

bibliography
A list of the books and materials consulted;  appearing at the end of the text. 
"Leslie was sure to include her bibliography at the end of her science report."

brochure
A booklet or pamphlet that describes a subject; often an advertisement.
"Mrs. Kuhn carefully read the brochure that announced the opening of the  University Science Fair."

caption
A short description or title of an illustration in a text.
"Gloria had written the caption  ' What I Want to be When I Grow Up ' under her drawing of a jet pilot ."

category
A set of things that are grouped together because they have something in common.
"Eric had lots of homework to do.  Which category would he start with?  Reading, Writing, Science, Math ...? "

cause/effect characteristics
Cause is the action that makes something happen;  Effect is the something that happens.
"Sarah knocked over a glass of water onto her homework pages.  Knocking over the glass was the cause of soaking her homework.  Wet homework was the effect  of knocking over the glass."
conclusion
The part that brings something to an end  OR
a decision that is made after looking at all the facts.
"Andrew thought the conclusion of ‘Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets‘ was really exciting!"
"After much thought, Anthony came to the conclusion that  the answer to  the long division problem  was '286'  "
 
conjunction
A connecting word that links sentences or words ("and",  "or",  "if",  "but" ...).
"David and Jose wanted to talk to Gage or Sam before school, but the bus was late."
Conjunctions in this sentence were "and",  "or",  and "but".

contest
An organized test among entrants to find out which is best at doing something.
"On Tuesday there was a contest between the two fourth grades to see which class was best at playing cricket."

conversation
A  talk with someone.
"Mrs. Kuhn would have a conversation with the "Wheels in Motion" people to learn whether their contest would come to Rio Vista this year."

diary
A book of a person's daily happenings and thoughts.
"George Washington's diary was full of interesting things that happened before the United States became a nation."

double negatives
 Using two negative forms together in a phrase or sentence;  not good English.

"I won't never use double negatives when I write a story!"

drama
Works written for performance on stage, television, or radio;  usually serious subjects and manner of performance.  Sometimes anything that is not a comedy is called a drama.
The book “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” was dramatized into a movie.

drawing conclusions
Reaching a conclusion, or a final decision, about something. 
"After Mr. Taylor sees the results of the test, he will be drawing conclusions on  on the next homework assignment."


encyclopedia
A reference book or set of books giving much information on all areas or specialized areas of knowledge.
"Jade, did you find 'Mount St. Helens' in the encyclopedia?"

fable
A make-believe short story that teaches a moral, especially with animals as characters.
 In the fable “The Tales of Peter Rabbit“, a young rabbit has adventures and learns about the world.

genre
A category of artistic works, based on form, style or subject matter.
For example, a detective novel is a genre of fiction.

index....Copied from 3rd and 5th

noun
A word (or group of words) that names a person, place, or thing.
The sentence "Ellie quickly gathered up her books to fill her backpack ,"
contains three nouns.

making inferences
Reaching a conclusion or decision from facts and reasoning.
"Hector and Alexis were making inferences on the cost of their field trip by adding up their lunch expenses."

metaphor...Copied from 3rd and 5th

myth...Copied from 3rd and 5th

outline
A rough plan of a written work or speech; a list of main points or features to be covered.
"Mr. Taylor's drew an outline of his chapter on the smart board."

possessive nouns
Persons, places, or things that show ownership.
In the sentence "Sally’s car is with yellow stripes,"  the possessive noun is  "Sally's" .

preposition
A relation or function word  that connects a noun or pronoun to another part of a sentence ( "in", "by", "for", to", etc.).
In the sentence "Steven hit the ball and ran for first base,"  the word "for" is a preposition that joins "first base" to the rest of the sentence.
pronoun
A word that may be substituted for a noun ("I", "you", "them", "who", "ours", "he", "she", "anybody", etc.).
"Adriana has been working hard on long division, and it has been worth the effort because she scored high on her math test!"  The three pronouns in this sentence are "it",  "she",  and "her".

proofread
To check written work for errors and mark the changes to be made.
"Pedro just needed to proofread and correct his 'Read and Response' chapter, and he would be finished."

sentence fragment
Words that do not form a complete sentence of subject and verb.
"Mr. Taylor for the first time." is a sentence fragment because it has no verb.

simple predicate
The verb or action word of a sentence or phrase, without words that modify the verb.
"Ran" is the simple predicate of the sentence "Monique expertly ran the cotton candy booth for the Rio Vista's Fantasy Fair."

simile
A figure of speech that compares two different things (often with "as" or "like") .
"Red as a beet" is a simile in the sentence "Tim's face was red as a beet."

simple subject
The subject of the verb of a sentence, without words that modify the subject.
In the sentence "The shiny spotted horse frisked around the pasture," the word "horse" is the simple subject.

synonym
A word that means the same, or almost the same, as another word.
The word "scholar"  is a synonym for "student".

tall tale
A story with characters or happenings that are exaggerated or made bigger than real life.
"Pecos Bill" is a tall tale of a cowboy who could  do unbelievable  things, like rope a tornado with his lariat.

thesaurus"...Copied from 3rd and 5th
title page (parts of)
A title page is a page at the beginning of a book that gives the book’s title, the author, and the publisher.
The title, “HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE”; the author, “J.K. ROWLING”; and the publisher, “Arthur A. Levine Books” all appear on the title page for the first Harry Potter book.

 verb tense
The form of a verb that shows not only the action, but when the action happens  (in the past, present, or future).
In the sentence “ Mr. Taylor’s class will leave for lunch in 15 minutes”, the verb tense is future;  In the sentence “The class is leaving now”, the verb tense is present;  In the sentence “The class left,”  the verb tense is past.

Article From Wiki

The Academic Word List (AWL) was developed by Averil Coxhead at the School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. The list contains 570 word families which were selected because they appear with great frequency in a broad range of academic texts. The list does not include words that are in the most frequent 2000 words of English (the General Service List), thus making it specific to academic contexts. The AWL was primarily made so that it could be used by teachers as part of a programme preparing learners for tertiary level study or used by students working alone to learn the words most needed to study at colleges and universities. The 570 words are divided into 10 sublists. The sublists are ordered such that the words in the first sublist are the most frequent words and those in the last sublist are the least frequent.

Academic Vocabulary Word List

Sublist 1
sector • available • financial • process • individual • specific • principle • estimate • variables • method • data • research • contract • environment • export • source • assessment • policy • identified • create • derived • factors • procedure • definition • assume • theory • benefit • evidence • established • authority • major • issues • labour • occur • economic • involved • percent • interpretation • consistent • income • structure • legal • concept • formula • section • required • constitutional • analysis • distribution • function • area • approach • role • legislation • indicate • response • period • context • significant • similar •

Sublist 2
community • resident • range • construction • strategies • elements • previous • conclusion • security • aspects • acquisition • features • text • commission • regulations • computer • items • consumer • achieve • final • positive • evaluation • assistance • normal • relevant • distinction • region • traditional • impact • consequences • chapter • equation • appropriate • resources • participation • survey • potential • cultural • transfer • select • credit • affect • categories • perceived • sought • focus • purchase • injury • site • journal • primary • complex • institute • investment • administration • maintenance • design • obtained • restricted • conduct •

Sublist 3
comments • convention • published • framework • implies • negative • dominant • illustrated • outcomes • constant • shift • deduction • ensure • specified • justification • funds • reliance • physical • partnership • location • link • coordination • alternative • initial • validity • task • techniques • excluded • consent • proportion • demonstrate • reaction • criteria • minorities • technology • philosophy • removed • sex • compensation • sequence • corresponding • maximum • circumstances • instance • considerable • sufficient • corporate • interaction • contribution • immigration • component • constraints • technical • emphasis • scheme • layer • volume • document • registered • core •

Sublist 4
overall • emerged • regime • implementation • project • hence • occupational • internal • goals • retained • sum • integration • mechanism • parallel • imposed • despite • job • parameters • approximate • label • concentration • principal • series • predicted • summary • attitudes • undertaken • cycle • communication • ethnic • hypothesis • professional • status • conference • attributed • annual • obvious • error • implications • apparent • commitment • subsequent • debate • dimensions • promote • statistics • option • domestic • output • access • code • investigation • phase • prior • granted • stress • civil • contrast • resolution • adequate •

Sublist 5
alter • stability • energy • aware • licence • enforcement • draft • styles • precise • medical • pursue • symbolic • marginal • capacity • generation • exposure • decline • academic • modified • external • psychology • fundamental • adjustment • ratio • whereas • enable • version • perspective • contact • network • facilitate • welfare • transition • amendment • logic • rejected • expansion • clause • prime • target • objective • sustainable • equivalent • liberal • notion • substitution • generated • trend • revenue • compounds • evolution • conflict • image • discretion • entities • orientation • consultation • mental • monitoring • challenge •
Sublist 6
intelligence • transformation • presumption • acknowledged • utility • furthermore • accurate • diversity • attached • recovery • assigned • tapes • motivation • bond • edition • nevertheless • transport • cited • fees • scope • enhanced • incorporated • instructions • subsidiary • input • abstract • ministry • capable • expert • preceding • display • incentive • inhibition • trace • ignored • incidence • estate • cooperative • revealed • index • lecture • discrimination • overseas • explicit • aggregate • gender • underlying • brief • domain • rational • minimum • interval • neutral • migration • flexibility • federal • author • initiatives • allocation • exceed •

Sublist 7
intervention • confirmed • definite • classical • chemical • voluntary • release • visible • finite • publication • channel • file • thesis • equipment • disposal • solely • deny • identical • submitted • grade • phenomenon • paradigm • ultimately • extract • survive • converted • transmission • global • inferred • guarantee • advocate • dynamic • simulation • topic • insert • reverse • decades • comprise • hierarchical • unique • comprehensive • couple • mode • differentiation • eliminate • priority • empirical • ideology • somewhat • aid • foundation • adults • adaptation • quotation • contrary • media • successive • innovation • prohibited • isolated •

Sublist 8
highlighted • eventually • inspection • termination • displacement • arbitrary • reinforced • denote • offset • exploitation • detected • abandon • random • revision • virtually • uniform • predominantly • thereby • implicit • tension • ambiguous • vehicle • clarity • conformity • contemporary • automatically • accumulation • appendix • widespread • infrastructure • deviation • fluctuations • restore • guidelines • commodity • minimises • practitioners • radical • plus • visual • chart • appreciation • prospect • dramatic • contradiction • currency • inevitably • complement • accompany • paragraph • induced • schedule • intensity • crucial • via • exhibit • bias • manipulation • theme • nuclear •

Sublist 9
bulk • behalf • unified • commenced • erosion • anticipated • minimal • ceases • vision • mutual • norms • intermediate • manual • supplementary • incompatible • concurrent • ethical • preliminary • integral • conversely • relaxed • confined • accommodation • temporary • distorted • passive • subordinate • analogous • military • scenario • revolution • diminished • coherence • suspended • mature • assurance • rigid • controversy • sphere • mediation • format • trigger • qualitative • portion • medium • coincide • violation • device • insights • refine • devoted • team • overlap • attained • restraints • inherent • route • protocol • founded • duration •

Sublist 10
whereby • inclination • encountered • convinced • assembly • albeit • enormous • reluctant • posed • persistent • undergo • notwithstanding • straightforward • panel • odd • intrinsic • compiled • adjacent • integrity • forthcoming • conceived • ongoing • so-called • likewise • nonetheless • levy • invoked • colleagues • depression • collapse •
http://simple.wiktionary.org/wiki/Wiktionary:Academic_word_list