Academic Mindsets

The non-cognitive factors of a student that creates the classroom atmosphere.

Academic Vocabulary
Explicit vocabulary words that are needed to acquire for specific content-area
classes.
Academic Vocabulary
Vocabulary used in the classroom that is multimodal and helps build your
vernacular.
Analyzing/Analysis
Examine methodically and in detail the constitution or structure of something,
especially information, typically for purposes of explanation and interpretation.
Anchor standards
This is what the official Core Standards Web page says about anchor standards:
The College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards form the backbone of the
ELA/literacy standards by articulating core knowledge and skills, while gradespecific standards provide additional specificity. Beginning in grade 6, the literacy
standards allow teachers of ELA, history/social studies, science, and technical
subjects to use their content area expertise to help students meet the particular
challenges of reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language in their
respective fields. You can read more about the standards
here: http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/
Anchor Standards 2 & 3
Ask students to summarize the text, connect parts of the text, infer central ideas
and themes, and trace their development across the text
Annotation
Critically thinking while marking text
Central to reading in Digital Environments
With the increase in digital devices used for reading in learning environments, a
teacher must consider new strategies to teach. For example a teacher might
teach search strategies instead of pre teaching background knowledge.
Chronology
The arrangement of events or dates in the order of their occurrence.
Close reading
One of many comprehension strategies, close reading involves reading a text
multiple times to identify details and evidence. Close reading is a hot topic
because it is recommended in the Core Standards, but as the NCTE authors of
Reading Instruction for ALL Students point out, it is a highly contested term

with multiple meanings. Moreover, as a text-based approach, it does not honor

prior knowledge or the readers context. Close reading encourages students to
see meaning as one right answer to be extracted from the text (NCTE, 2012, p.
2).
Clustering
Kind of brainstorming that shows the links between ideas in the form of a twodimensional map based on the student's individual mental associations.
Collaboration
Working with others to complete a task and to achieve a shared goal.
Common Core Initiative
An educational initiative in the United States that details what K12 students
should know in English language arts and mathematics at the end of each grade
Comprehension
The process through which students come to understand a concept from a text
Conceptual Understanding
The specific and precise language that is used to describe general concepts.
Content Area Literacy
the ability to use reading and writing for the acquisition of new content in a given
discipline. Such ability includes three principal cognitive components: general
literacy skills, content-specific literacy skills and prior knowledge of content.
Content Teacher
General Education teacher, who specializes in an academic area, e.g. English,
fine/performing arts, foreign language, math, physical education, natural
sciences, social sciences
Contextualize
To think about or provide information about the situation in which something
happens. Example: In the Social Studies content area, students are asked to
consider perspective. This means they will be considering the author, where it
was written, when it was written, and other events that were happening at the
same time.
Core Words
Words that account for about 90% of the words used in texts
Corroborate
To support with evidence or authority to support or help prove by providing
information.
Disciplinary Literacy
The confluence of content knowledge, experiences, and skills merged with the
ability to read, write, listen, speak, think critically and perform in a way that is

meaningful within the context of a given field. These abilities are important across
ALL subjects.
Disciplinary Literacy
Writing and reading are different across disciplines, and certain disciplines
require special skills.
Discipline Specific text
The varying level and content of texts across content areas. Students will
encounter different expectations for reading comprehension and processing.
Double-Entry Journal
Students divide the pages of their journals into two separate columns. On the left
side, they summarize important ideas from the text, and on the right, they write
reflections, personal thoughts, etc.
Flip-teaching
A teaching strategy where out of class time is used to introduce new topics rather
than practice recently taught ones
Frustration-Level Reading
Difficult text for the student to read (less than 90% word accuracy).
Genre
Mediums possessing similar forms, styles, or subject matters. In content
materials, some examples of genres are: magazines, research articles, reports,
websites, primary sources, bibliographies, etc.
Good Assessment (Formative)
Seeks to illicit a response of increased confidence from learners by informing
instruction and transforming student learning and competence
Gradual Release of Responsibility
The goal of this model is to guide students toward using different skills,
strategies, and procedures independently. The student needs to assume more
responsibility with less support from the teacher.
Guided Reading
Teachers provide students with means to integrate their background knowledge
of the text with the new knowledge that comes from the text.
Importance and Utility
These are mature words that are used in each discipline, and appear frequently.
Independent Reading
Reading that is relatively easy for students to read (95% word

accuracy). Students are involved in choosing and reading material for their own
personal consumption and enjoyment. This material can consist of fiction books,
non-fiction, magazines, other media, etc.
Inference
When students combine clues in the text with their own background knowledge to
see deeper implications.
Inference S.L.
A conclusion reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning.
Inquiry
The process that treats writing as a problem solving activity where students think
about what they want to say before they begin any sort of composition.
INSERT (Interactive Notation System for Effective Reading and Thinking) S.L.A
basic set of coding symbols to get the cognition ball rolling.
Instructional Potential
Words that create connections to other words and concepts.
Instructional-Level Reading
Challenging but manageable for the student to read (90% word accuracy). Text
a student can use to learn how to extend cuing systems independently, with
minimal guidance from the teacher.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
Common Core standard in which students dissect various texts and compare
approaches across text. To do this properly, students must look with greater
depth and critical thought into a smaller amount of texts or appropriate topics.
Intercultural Awareness
Having a personal understanding of both ones own culture and other cultures
while simultaneously noticing the differences and similarities in both. Also, one of
the three fundamental concepts implemented at the Clissold School, which uses
the International Baccalaureate Middle Grades program.
Interpretive Framework
A research approach that seek in-depth understanding of a topic or subject
through observation or interaction; not based on hypothesis testing.
Jigsawing
A method for incorporating cooperative learning into teaching; holds both
individual and group accountability. This strategy splits a class into home
teams and expert teams, having one student from each expert team come
together to form a home team

Language of Criticism
In English, the language of criticism is defined as understanding words that
signify literary elements, which can help students focus while trying to read the
text. It helps students understand the authors insight and writing style.
Literacy Design Collaborative
A teacher-created instructional design system that transforms educator practice
through the use of online tools and resources that facilitate collaboration, content
development, and professional learning to effectively implement College and
Career Readiness Standards (CCRS) in K12 classrooms
Literacy Performance Assessment
A piece of relevant and engaging text surrounded with prompts for students to
write about what and how they are thinking before, during, and after reading
Literal Comprehension
The understanding of the written meaning of a passage: the definition of words,
the context of the writing, the main idea of the passage, and the sequence of
thought chosen by the author
Mapping
A more structured form of clustering that is completed after students have read a
text.
Maximize Potential for Formative Assessment
In order to maximize this potential, teachers need: principled reasons for
assessing, a strong knowledge base in adolescent reading, multiple models of
tools that give valuable information about students, and a flexible
curriculum/instructional framework and diverse instructional materials that allow
for response to what has been learned through assessment
Metacognition
refers to higher order thinking which involves active control over the cognitive
processes engaged in learning. Activities such as planning how to approach a
given learning task, monitoring comprehension, and evaluating progress toward
the completion of a task are metacognitive in nature.
Multimodal
the strategic use of two or more communication modes to make meaning, for
example image, gesture, music, spoken language, and written language.
Multimodality
type of communication channel used to convey or acquire information; It also
covers the way an idea is expressed or perceived, or the manner an action is
performed.

Multimodality/Multimodal Communication
A theory of communication and social semiotics; describes communication
practices in terms of the textual, aural, linguistic, spatial, and visual resources (or
modes) used to compose messages
Multiple Texts
Some discipline areas rely heavily on multiple sources of information to support
the content students may be interacting with. Multiple texts describes the use of
several supporting artifacts that coincide with the content area textbook.
Needs Assessment
A systematic process for determining and addressing needs or gaps between
current conditions and desired conditions. The discrepancy between the current
condition and wanted condition must be measured to appropriately identify the
need.
Non-cognitive Factors
Attitude, social skills, and behaviors pertaining to a students achievement.
Non-tested Phenomena
Student attitude and social relationships.
Note-taking
A structured note-taking activity for a subject takes into account what is important
to learn. Note-taking activities could include graphic organizers, tables, diagrams,
or charts.
Paideia Seminar
A dynamic process of thoughtful dialogue; structured for collaborative thinking to
enhance individual and collective understanding
Postreading
The stage where teachers step back and allow an assessment to validate a
students understanding of a text.
Prereading
Teachers help students organize any prior knowledge or experiences that will aid
their understanding of the text.
Prior knowledge
basic knowledge that stems from previous experience that scaffolds
understanding of complex texts
Professional Development (Professional Learning Opportunities)
Effective professional learning opportunities are designed so that educators
develop the knowledge, skills, practices, and dispositions they need to help

students perform at higher levels. Some examples include online learning, study
groups, peer collaboration, and instructional demonstrations. (pg. 6)Citation:
International Literacy Association. (2015). Collaborating for success: The vital
role of content teachers in developing disciplinary literacy with students in grades
612 [Position statement]. Newark, DE.
Qualitative dimensions
One part of a three-part model of text assessment. Qualitative dimensions
include all those aspects of text that are evaluated through human judgment such
as, meaning, structure and organization, authors style and purpose, and prior
knowledge demands (CCSS Appendix A, 2010; NCTE, 2012).
Quantitative dimensions
One part of a three-part model of text assessment. Quantitative dimensions are
aspects of text that can be measured and quantified, such as word frequency,
word and sentence length, word and sentence counts. At one time, human
evaluators performed tasks of quantitative analysis leveling of text; now software
programs exist for this purpose (CCSS Appendix A, 2010; NCTE, 2012).
Reader-text variables
One part of a three-part model of text assessment. Reader-text variables depend
on the context in which the text is being used, who is using it, and the purpose or
task involved. These variables include reader interest, motivation, skills, and prior
knowledge (CCSS Appendix A, 2010; NCTE, 2012). The difficulty of a text varies
from individual to individual.
Reading for Craft
Focusing on understanding why a text is written the way it is
Reading for Meaning
Reading literature and looking for key ideas and details, paying attention to craft
and structure, and integrating knowledge and ideas
Reading Identity
Refers to how capable individuals believe they are in comprehending texts, the
value they place in reading, and their understandings of what it means to be a
particular type of reader within a given concept.
Response To Intervention
Response to Intervention is a multi-tiered approach that allows teachers to
actively screen students for reading difficulties, after these difficulties are found
teachers will subsequently provide them with the necessary support which allows
the struggling students become more literate readers. This intervention usually
happens in small group settings.

Rewriting Identities
Helping students find their voices and engage with texts in ways that are
meaningful to them. Changing long-standing habits, beliefs, and views about
reading.
Scaffolding
Teacher-given supports that guide students through challenging textual
materials. Scaffolding helps students uncover new topics, create a wider range of
vocabulary, and develop new background knowledge.
Schema/Schemata
Stored knowledge in mental patterns, a representation of a plan or theory in the
form of an outline or model
Shared Reading
An interactive reading experience that occurs when students join in or share the
reading of a book or other text while guided and supported by a teacher
Sight Words
Key words that students are automatically able to understand the meaning of
Skillful Reading
Steady, recursive mental work that happens when competent readers go to work.
Synthesize
During post-reading, readers provide ideas within their reading, as well as using
ideas they already know about a topic, between what they have read.
Text
A book or other written or printed work, regarded in terms of its content rather
than its physical form. distinct from other material such as notes, appendices,
and illustrations.
Text complexity
Text complexity describes the inherent difficulty of a text and is typically
described numerically with a Lexile score, grade-level designation, or some other
leveling system. Text difficulty is best determined through a balanced
assessment of three things: quantitative dimensions, qualitative dimensions, and
reader-text variables (CCSS Appendix A, 2010).
Text-Based Instruction
A careful and purposeful reading and rereading of a text, followed by an
interactive discussion
The awareness and understanding of ones own thought process

The Matthew Effect

Students who start out reading lots of texts at an independent level that interest
them, will in turn read more
Think-Alouds
In this strategy, teachers verbalize aloud while reading a section orally. The
purpose is to model for students how skilled readers construct meaning from a
text.
Tier 1 Words
Vocabulary words students already know
Tier 2 Words
Important words that can cross disciplines and help students scaffold to
understand bigger ideas (academic words)
Tier 3 Words
Words that are specific to a certain discipline, mainly technical terms. (content
words)
Transforming Text
In a science classroom, transforming a prose to a diagram or an equation by
using both words and visual representations could help a student check their
understanding, and it also allows the teacher to learn what the student has
understood about the topic.
Unpacking a Standard
The process of identifying what a student will know and be able to do when they
have mastered a standard. Elements of unpacking include identifying reliable
resources for determining depth and rigor, scaffolding skills with levels above and
below, and using clear and concise language.
Word Wall
A display of key vocabulary items for a unit or topic, the writing medium can vary
from hand-written to digital, but the terms will be posted in a public setting so all
students have access to the terms.
Zone of Proximal Development S.L.
The difference between what a learner can do without help and what he or she
can do with help.