Language Arts and Reading: Study Topics

1. Language Arts and Reading: Study Topics Topics Covered in Reading Methods In Preparation for the Praxis Test

2. Understanding Literature Narratives • Characterization (through a character’s words, thoughts, actions, appearance, etc.) • Setting established through description of scenes, colors, smells, etc.) • Tone(manner of expression in speech or writing) • tongue in cheek, edgy, soft • Theme • Point of view (first person, third-person objective, third –person omniscient) • Perspective (attitude of the narrator of the story)

3. Text Structures and Organization in Reading and Writing Organizational patterns in text

4. Patterns of expository writing • Compare and contrast • Chronological sequence • Spatial sequence • Cause and effect • Problem and solution

5. Structural elements in text Thesis statement Conclusion statement Transition words and phrases Supporting the thesis with the use of • Examples • Quotations • Paraphrases of excerpts’ statements • Summaries of information found in research sources • Analogies

6. The only real innovation during the Renaissance period in terms of transport was seen in the Americans. By the fifteenth century, the Incas had constructed a network of fine roads for couriers. Rivers were crossed by monkey bridges of cable of plaited agave fibre, or floating bridges, or pontoons of reeds. In addition, the Incas used caravans of llamas, bred as beasts of burden even though they could only carry a hundredweight, and could only travel fifteen miles a day. These were the only important domestic animals of the Americas before 1492, and they were quite inadequate. Structural elements in text?

7. Approaching one’s topic with the purpose of • Criticizing • Analyzing • Evaluating pros and cons

8. Orthography and MorphologySpelling & Study of Word Formation • Affixes: prefix, suffix • Roots • Inflectional endings -indicate tense, number, possession or comparison Most words-walks, walked, walking Words ending in e-come, coming Words ending in y-carry carried carrying Words ending in a single vowel & a consonant-hop, hopping, hopped • Clusters (combining clusters to make compound words)

9. Semantics • Homonyms • Antonyms • Synonyms • Multiple-meaning words • Words used figuratively or idiomatically (e.g., he “wolfed” down his food) • Meaning-shifts due to alternative word order or punctuation

10. Literacy Acquisition and Reading Instruction Theories and concepts concerning reading development Major elements of the emergent literacy theory and major conclusions of recent research

11. Major elements of the emergent literacy theory and major conclusions of recent research • Acting like a reader is part of becoming a reader • Reading & writing are closely related process-not taught in isolation • Social process • Preschoolers know a great deal about printed language • Becoming literate is a continuous, developmental process • Need to read authentic & natural texts • Need to write for personal reasons

12. Literacy Acquisition and Reading Instruction Factors influencing the development of emergent reading • Concepts about print • Sight vocabulary • Phonemic awareness • Alphabetic principle • Social interaction (support by adults and peers)

13. Literacy Acquisition and Reading Instruction • Frequent experiences with print • Prior knowledge (schema) • Motivation • Fluency

14. Literacy Acquisition and Reading Instruction Experiences that support emergent readers • Direct instruction • Social interaction • Shared reading • Repeated readings • Reader response • Word walls • Text innovation (rewrites) • Shared writing

15. Concepts to Think About What are some of the major relationships between and among reading, writing, speaking, listening, and viewing, and why are these relationships important for teacher of emergent readers to understand?

16. Strategies for Word study/solving Cues and how students use them • Semantic (refers to the meaning of language-the words and parts of words that convey meaning as well as the way sentences, paragraphs, & whole texts are interpreted by listeners and readers.) • Syntactic systems (refers to the patterns of rules by which words are put together in meaningful phrases & sentences) “Mary ran of to see her friends.”

17. Strategies for Word study/solving • Phonological system (the way listeners construct meaning from streams of sounds) • Visual information (what you see when you read) -Relationship to print -Recognizing whole words -Word patterns -Syllables -Letters in sequence

18. Samuel and his cousin John Adams felt the indenture same way about American’s independence. operationsracing Yet they had different opinions about riding agreed horses like other men did. Samuel argued cannon that walking or riding in a carriage suited him better.

19. Children's Literature Strategies for Comprehension Use of prior knowledge Retelling Guided reading Fluency Reader response

20. Children's Literature Strategies for comprehension • Solving words • Adjusting reading according to purpose and context • Metacognition • Maintaining fluency • Making connections (personal, world, text)

21. A class is reading a book that has chapter numbers but no chapter titles. The teacher asks the students to think of an appropriate title for each chapter. What is the main purpose in choosing this activity? Why is it a useful activity? Concepts to Think About

22. Children's Literature Study skills and tools • SQ3R • KWL • Note taking • Marking and coding • Graphic organizers • Finding information in charts, tables, graphs

23. What are some effective ways to use graphic organizers if students understand most of the details in a unit, but not the central idea of the unit? What are some effective ways of guiding students to understand articles that feature text and variety of graphics? Concepts to Think About

24. Communication SkillsStages of writing development Phase • Picture writing • Scribble writing • Random letter • Invented spelling • Conventional writing Concurrent development with reading

28. Communication Skills Stages of the writing process Recursive nature of the process • Explore/Prewrite • Draft • Edit • Publish

29. Communication Skills Spelling development Constructive nature of the development stages -Scribble -Prephonemic -Early phonics -Letter name -Transitional -Derivational -Conventional