Reading/Language Arts Vocabulary - Grade 6-8 Affix ©Partners for Learning, Inc. do not distribute A word element, such as a prefix or suffix, that can

©Partners for Learning, Inc. do not distribute

Reading/Language Arts Vocabulary - Grade 6-8

Affix

A word element, such as a prefix or suffix, that can only occur attached to a base, stem, or root.

WorkedThe suffix ed only occurs as an affix.



alliteration

The repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words.



Allusion

A reference to a statement, person, place, or event from literature, history, politics, etc.

It has rained so long, it feels like it’s rained for 40 days and 40 nights.



analogy

A comparison of two different things that are similar in some way



Analyze

Examining parts to understand how they work together to create meaning as a whole



antagonist

a character who works against the hero of a story.

Lord Voldemort in Harry Potter



antonym

A word having a meaning opposite to that of another word



Author’s bias

A personal judgment either for or against a particular person, position, or thing.

If the author grew up in Seattle, they may show a bias towards the Seattle Seahawks when writing a sports story.



Author’s perspective

The viewpoint that an author brings to a piece of writing.



Author’s purpose

The reason for creating a work



Base word

A complete word that can stand alone without a prefix or suffix.

place(dis) (d)



boldface

Word(s) that is in darker type than the words around it, used to help signal that the word is more important than the text around it.



Cause and effect

A text structure that explains why things happen; the events that happen first are the causes and the events that happen as a result are the effects



Character development

The method(s) a writer uses to create and develop characters.



Character point of view

The viewpoint/voice of a character enables us to better understand the events of a text.

In this story, Goldilocks has a point of view different from the Three Bears.



chart

A group of facts about something, in the form of a diagram, table, graph, etc…



Chronological order

Events are presented in the order in which they occur

1. I wake up2. I eat breakfast3. I brush my teeth4. I get on the bus5. I get to school



classified ad

a short ad in a newspaper or magazine (usually in small print) and appearing along with other ads of the same type



cliché

a phrase or expression used so often that it becomes stale; also : the idea expressed by it



Compare and Contrast

A text structure which explains the similarities and/or differences of two or more things, ideas, traits, etc…



comparison

An examination of how two or more things are similar or alike

Both fruitsBoth grow on treesBoth are edible



conflict

A problem or disagreement between people, society, or nature



Consumer documents

Printed materials that accompany products and services…manuals, instructions, warranties, etc.



Context clue

Clues given in a passage as to the meaning of the word



Contrast

An examination of how two or more things are different

They have different shapesOne is redThe other is yellow



coupon

A small, printed slip of paper that gives someone a discount



Descriptive language

Words intended to create a mood, person, place, thing, event, emotion, or experience.

The bite of the frigid air was nearly unbearable as I made myway through the frozen forest.



diagram

A plan, sketch, drawing, or outline designed to demonstrate or explain how something works



diction

A writer’s/speaker’s choice of words and way of arranging them in sentences…formal/informal.

These two authors used different diction in their writings.



Drawing conclusions

Making a decision or voicing an opinion based on reasoning or inferring

It is raining outside so I would draw a conclusion that I should wear

a rain coat today.



Evaluate

To judge the value or worth of someone or something



excerpt

A passage selected from a book, movie, music, or speech



Exposition

This sets the tone, establishes setting, introduces characters, and give background information.

This story takes place long, long ago in a faraway land. There was a kingdom torn by war and greed, with a noble king trying to restore his land. This king was named Henry and he loved his kingdom very much.



External conflict

A struggle against an outside force, which may be another character, society, or nature.



Fact

A statement that can be proven

George Washington was the first President of the United States of America.



Falling action

In the plot, this action occurs after the climax, when conflicts are resolved and problems solved.



Figurative language

Language that goes beyond the literal meaning of the words

The crowd was buzzing like a beehive.



Figure of speech

An expression with a special meaning



Flashback

An interruption in the action of a plot to tell what happened at an earlier time.

As Sam rushed to towards the hospital, he remembered how this crazy night began. It all started yesterday, when Sam got home from work.



Foreshadowing

A writer’s use of hints or clues to suggest events that will occur later in the plot.



Functional materials

A form of informational nonfiction…websites, how-to-articles, brochures, fliers, etc.

Example:

To find more information on our vacuum cleaners, please visit www.vacuum.com.



glossary

An alphabetical listing of key words from a book and their definitions with page numbers where the word appears



graph

A drawing or diagram that shows the relationship between numbers using pictures, bars, or lines



heading

The title of a passage of text which announces the topic to be covered, generally printed in bold type for emphasis



hyperbole

A figure of speech in which a statement is exaggerated for emphasis or for humorous effect.



idiom

A phrase or expression in which the meaning is different than the literal meaning of the words



imagery

Language that appeals to the senses…sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch.



index

A list, found in the back of a book, giving the location of every important idea, term, definition, person, and place mentioned in the text



Inference

A conclusion drawn from combining information read with information from experience or assumed

Because it is pouring rain outside, I am making an inference that I should wear a rain coat today.



Informational nonfiction

Writing that provides factual information and that often explains ideas/teaches processes.



Internal conflict

A struggle between opposing needs, desires, or emotions within a single character.



interpret

To translate, analyze, or give examples drawn from a text.

You may interpret a story different than your classmate

because the story means something different to each of you.



irony

A contrast between what is expected and what actually exists or happens.

Example of irony:

You study all week long for a big spelling test , then misspell

your name on the test.



Journalism

the collecting and editing of news to be presented in newspapers or magazines or over television or radio



Listing/description

Pieces of information (facts, reasons, ideas, examples, features, steps, etc.) are listed.

Sample listing/description:Home for Sale

• Large backyard• 5 beds, 3 baths• 2 car garage• Located near

great school



Literary device

A technique used to achieve a particular effect, such as descriptive/figurative language

An example literary device is personification:

The words on the page jumped out at me.



Literary element

Includes all the elements in a story; setting, characters, plot (problem, solution, conclusion)

Setting

Characters

Plot



Literary nonfiction

Like fiction, except that the characters, setting, and plot are real rather than imaginary

Here are some examples of literary nonfiction titles:



Literature

written works having excellence of form or expression and ideas of lasting and widespread interest



Main idea

The most important idea expressed in a piece of writing

Main Idea

DetailDetail

Detail Detail

I like cats.

They like to cuddle.They are playful.

My cat is friendly. Cats are cute.



metaphor

A comparison of two things that have something in common…it states one thing is something else.



mood

The feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates for the reader

The author is describing all of the wonderful colors and smells that are present in the marketplace. This creates a happy mood for the reader.



moral

A story that teaches a lesson

The Tortoise and the Hare

The moral is: slow and steady wins the race



Multiple meanings

The particular meaning of a word that is dependent upon how it is used in a sentence.

1. I watched the bat fly through the trees.2. Raymond gripped the bat tightly as he waited for the pitch.3. I hope I can bat a home run!



myth

A traditional story told to explain the customs and beliefs of a society



nonfiction

Writing that tells about real people, places, and events

Examples of nonfiction :

• News articles• Biographies• Autobiographies• Textbooks



onomatopoeia

A word that imitates or suggests the source of the sound that it describes.



opinion

A personal judgment that someone thinks is true, but that may be true or false



Organizational patterns

Text structures found in all types of nonfiction and some fiction.

Common Organizational Patterns Chronological Compare and Contrast Order of Importance Sequence Spatial Cause and Effect Problem and Solution



parallelism

The quality or condition of being parallel; a parallel relationship.Likeness, correspondence, or similarity in aspect, course, or tendency



paraphrasing

A restatement of a passage or text in somewhat different words so as to simplify or clarify.

Quoting Paraphrasing Summarizing

Use an exact copy of the author’s words

Use the authors ideas in your own words

Putting main ideas into your own words

Author’s words and ideas

Author’s ideas in your words

Present only the most important ideas of the author

Must use “quotation marks” and cite your source

Must site your source

Must site your source



personification

A figure of speech in which a nonhuman thing or quality is written about it as if it were human.



perspective

A position from which something is considered or evaluated; standpoint.

A student from America and a student from Germany may have different opinions and standpoints; they may have different perspectives.



persuasive

To talk someone into doing or believing something; convince



plagiarize

To steal and pass off (as the ideas or words of another) as one's own



plot

The sequence of events in a story…exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution.

Resolution

IntroductionConclusion

Conflict

ClimaxPlot


Reading/Language Arts Vocabulary – Grade 6-8

Point of view

The vantage point from which a writer tells a story

First person• Told from “I”

perspective

Second Person• Told from “You”

perspective

Third Person• Told from a

narrator's perspective



predict

To say in advance what one believes will happen; foretell a future event or events



prefix

A letter or group of letters added to the beginning of a word that changes the meaning

The prefix un means not, or opposite of

wrapUn



Present tense

The period of time we are in now



Primary source

Materials written by people who were present at events, either as participants or as observers.

Primary source is an original document or object that provides you with informationSecondary source is something written about your primary source, like comments on or interpretations of the original document



problem/solution

A text structure which identifies and describes a problem and then offers one or more possible solutions.

The girl wouldn’t stop yelling, so I put on my headphones and listen to music.



protagonist

The main character in fiction or drama…the person who sets the plot in motion.

Protagonist



pun

Play on multiple meanings of a word or on two words that sound alike but have different meanings.



Question/Answer

When the author poses questions about a topic, then provides support to answer them.

An example of question/answer:

Did you know dogs are thought to be the first domesticated animal? Archeologists have found evidence that in ancient civilizations, dogs were trained to hunt and fight in wars dating back to over 15,000 years ago!



quote

Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.

- Benjamin Franklin

You learn something every day if you pay attention.- Ray LeBlond

to repeat (a passage, phrase, etc.) from a book, speech, or the like.



Reflexive pronoun

A pronoun that is preceded by the noun, adjective, adverb or pronoun to which it refers (its antecedent) within the same clause.



Relevant details

A fact revealed by an author that supports an attitude or tone in a piece of poetry or prose.

Details that support the main idea are relevant details.



research

Careful and organized study or gathering of information about a specific topic



resolution

The portion of a play or story where the central problem is solved

Resolution

Climax


Conflict



Rising action

The events in a story that move the plot forward, which involves conflicts and complications.

Climax


ConflictResolution

Rising A

ction



Root word

The base word you start with before adding prefixes or suffixes

wrapUnPrefix

Root word



sarcasm

A form of verbal irony, usually harsh, that is often used as an insult.



satire

Type of writing that ridicules human weakness, vice, or folly in order to bring about social reform

An example of satire is parody: when someone takes a popular song and changes the lyrics to poke fun of the original song.



Secondary resource

Records of events that were created some time after the events occurred.

Primary source is an original document or object that provides you with informationSecondary source is something written about your primary source, like comments on or interpretations of the original document



sentence

A group of words that makes sense

Abby planted carrots in the vegetable garden.



setting

The time and place of the action in a story, play, or poem.



Shades of meaning

small, subtle differences in meaning between similar words or phrases.



simile

A figure of speech comparing two things using like or as



sonnet

A poem with fourteen lines. Each line has fourteen syllables, and a fixed pattern of rhymes.



stereotype

something agreeing with a pattern; especially : an idea that many people have about a thing or a group and that may often be untrue or only partly true



suffix

One or more letters added to the end of a root word that changes the word’s meaning

WorkedThe suffix ed means happened in the past



Summary statement

A general statement that presents the main points or facts in condensed form.

Sunday is Father’s Day, and Maria wants to buy a special gift for her father. She looked at the Father’s Day ads in the newspaper, but they mostly had sales on ties and bottles of cologne. Her father doesn’t like to wear ties, and he never wears cologne. He used to go fishing or bowling on the weekends, but lately he’s been staying home and working in the garden.

Sample paragraph:

Summary statement:

Maria would like to buy her dad a special Father’s Day gift



Symbolism

the representation of something in symbolic form or the attribution of symbolic meaning or character to something



synonym

A word that has the same or almost the same meaning as another word



synthesize

Identifying the relationships among two or more ideas.

Previous Knowledge New Information

Synthesize



table

A type of graphic aid that presents a group of facts in rows and columns.



Table of contents

A listing by page number of the main topics of a book, usually found in the front of the book



technology

The use of science in solving problems



Text box

A distinct section of a page that highlights information found in the main text and provides more information.



Text features

Design elements that include structure of a text and help with the understanding of the text



theme

A subject for a work of literature, art, or music

HonestyIn this theme, characters find that it is always best to tell the truth.

Sample theme:



tone

An expression of a writer’s attitude toward a subject.

If a writer is finds their subject to be amusing, he/she may use a humorous tone.



Workplace document

Materials that are produced or used within a work setting.



World literature

Literature that is circulated beyond its country of origin

Documents

Reading/Language Arts Vocabulary - Grade 6-8 Affix ©Partners for Learning, Inc. do not distribute A word element, such as a prefix or suffix, that can