Spring

2018

Literacy Dictionary

BRIANNA UPPER
TCH_ LRN 322
A:
Alliteration: Repetition of an initial consonant sound.

Allusion: References that to a known person, place or event.

Analogy: A comparison between two or more things that have some similarities.
Anecdote: A short story told to make a point.
Archetype: A character or detail or image or a situation in history around the world.
Aside: Words spoken in a play to other characters or the audience but isn’t meant to be heard by
unwanted actors on stage
Autobiography: A writer’s story of their own life.
 B:
Biography: A writer’s story of someone’s else’s life.
 C:
Character: A person or animal that have a role in the story.

Characterization: How a writer develops and creates characters.

Comedy: Something that is funny and that makes you laugh.

Conflict: A problem or struggle in a story.

Connection: A relationship where a person, thing or idea have a similarity with something.
Connotation: The meaning or emotions of the word.

Consonance: Repetition of the consonants sounds.

 D:
Dialect: Speech, vocab, and grammar.

Dialogue: Conversation between characters.

Diction: The writers choice of words, like the use of slang.

Drama: This is also known was a play, that has dialogue that is performed in front of an
audience.
 E:
Epilogue: A section or a speech at the end of a book or play.

Essay: A piece of writing, that can express the writer’s opinion or shares information about a
subject.
 F:
Fantasy: A story that is set in an imaginary world.

Fiction: Imagery writing based off of the imagination.

Folktale: A story that is passed on from generations.

 G:
Genre: A type of literature (fiction, non-fiction, sci-fi…etc)
 H:
Haiku: Type of poem, 3 lines, 1st and 3rd poem have 5 syllables and then the 2nd line has 7
syllables.
 I:
Image: Words that appeal to the senses (sight, sound, touch, taste and smell)

Imagery: Descriptive or figurative language to create word pictures as you read.

Irony: Words that are used to suggest the opposite of there meaning.
J:
K:
L:
 M:
Metaphor: A comparison between two things as one of the things is being said to be another
thing.
Monologue: A speech in a play that is done by one character that is addressed to another
character or characters.

Mood: The feeling of the writing piece.

Moral: The lesson from the story.

Myth: A traditional story that is intended to explain some mystery of beliefs.
 N:
Narration: A piece of writing that tell you a story.
Narrative: A story that is told in fiction, nonfiction, poetry and drama.

Narrator: A person or character who is telling the story.

Nonfiction: True writing that is based off of facts and information.

Novel: A book that is a fictional story.

 O:
Oral Traditions: Songs, stories and poems passed down from generations.
 P:
Plot: Where many events that make up the story.
Poem: A writing piece that is colorful and often has a rhythmic language to express the ideas or
emotions.
Point of View: The view that is being seen.

Prologue: An introduction to a play.

Puns: A play on words involving two or more different meanings to the word.
Q:
 R:
Repetition: The element of language, in sound, words, phrases or sentences.

Rhyme: Repetition of sounds as the ends of the words.

Rhyme scheme: Pattern of rhyming words in a poem (abcab…)

Rhythm: A pattern of a beat or stresses in a spoken language.

 S:
Satire: Humor that is about flaws and ideas in a person.
Science fiction: Writing that is based on real scientific events or imaginary.

Setting: The time and place in which the events take place.

Sentence Fluency: Strong sentences that are easy to read.

Short story: A shorter piece of writing that can be read within one sitting.
Simile: A comparison between to things using the words like, as, then.

Speaker: Imaginary voice heard in the piece of writing.

Stanza: A single line in a poem.
 T:
Tall tale: Extra details that is often based off of a life of someone real.
Theme: The message of the story, “the focus”.
Tone: The writers attitude toward his or her audience and subjects.

Tragedy: A disaster or misfortune to a character.

U:
 V:
Voice: The sound or the way the writer is speaking in the writing piece.
 W:
Word Choice: A selection of words that create a clear and powerful message.
X:
Y:
Z:
 Reflection:
The reason why I decided to do this assignment because it sounded interesting. I
miss my history classes where I was had to look up things and do research and this was kind of
like researching. Another reason I chose it was because I like looking up words and learning new
ones.
I learned a lot of things from doing this assignment. I learn a lot of new words, I
knew of the words but most of the time I just go along with what they are not really knowing
with they really mean. I also learned how to pronounce all the words I wasn’t sure of how to. I
liked that I learned the real definitions, then I was able to get the chance to make my own.
Overall, I really liked this assignment, it was a lot of work, so I wish it was more
points, but its okay, because I learned so much. I liked this idea and I think you can incorporate
this in a class and have the students do it themselves. In my practicum class they do reading
response, and at the end of each chapter they have to write a summary and two words they don’t
know the meaning of, then they have to go look it up and write down the definition. I think it’s a
cool idea but then I don’t think it’s the best because they don’t look up the word until they are
down reading the chapter. I think it would be better if they did it as they were reading and came
to the word they didn’t know the meaning of, so that they can fully understand it.