Glossary

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Academic Planner: a schedule to plan ahead to use your study time most effectively
Backward-looking Transition: rather than concluding a paragraph by looking forward, authors might instead begin a paragraph by looking back
Bias: presenting facts and arguments in a way that consciously favors one side or other in an argument
Claim: the point that the author is trying to make or prove; is similar to the thesis, main idea, or topic sentence
Claim of Fact: a claim that presents facts to persuade readers that something existed, currently exists, or will exist
Claim of Policy: a claim that attempts to persuade readers to take action
Claim of Value: a claim that attempts to persuade readers to approve or disapprove of something.
Concept Maps: a central idea is placed in the center of the page, lines and new circles for new ideas are added, and arrows and lines connect the various ideas
Connotation: refers to definitions that are based on emotion- or experience-based associations people have with a word
Context Clues: words around the unfamiliar word that give hints about its meaning
Copyright: a legal term that refers to the person (or people) who own and distribute a piece of information
Cornell Method: a two-column approach where the right column is used for taking notes and the left column is the “cue” or “recall” column to write the key ideas and concepts or questions in the left column. A summary box may be included at the bottom of the page to write a summary of the class or reading in your own words.
CRAAP: a means of evaluating sources according to their Currency, Reliability, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose/Point of view
Creative Commons: a not-for-profit organization that collects all sorts of materials and makes them available to the public for free use
Critical Ear: absorbing key points by noticing not only the words spoken, but also by noting tones, volume, and even the body language that goes along
Critical thinking: clear, reasonable, reflective thinking focused on deciding what to believe or do, and it involves being skeptical and challenging assumptions, rather than simply memorizing facts or blindly accepting what you hear or read
Deconstruct: to take something large, and break it down into smaller parts
Denotation: refers to definitions that are accepted by the language group as a whole, or the dictionary definition of a word
Effective Reading: reading in a way to better understand, evaluate, and reflect on a written text
Electronic Tests in the Classroom: allows for only true-or-false and multiple-choice questions, so it is mostly used for formative assessments
Explicit Thesis: thesis statement that is directly stated
External Distractions: includes elements that are outside of your thoughts and feelings
Figure of Speech: a word or phrase that deviates from expectations in some way in meaning or usage
Fixed Time: is time that you have committed to a certain area
Formative Assessments: quizzes, unit tests, pop quizzes, and review quizzes from a textbook or its Web site that measure how well you know the fundamental material before moving on to more challenging topics
Forward-looking Sentence: a statement that might conclude a paragraph (or series of paragraphs) and then prepare readers for additional paragraphs to come that cover particular topics
Free Time: is just that—it is free
General-to-specific Organizational Structure: an author will begin with a general concept and move towards specific ideas related to that concept
Implicit Thesis: thesis statement that is implied (not directly stated)
Implied Main Idea: a main idea that is not directly stated
Inferences: a comprehension strategy to “read between the lines,” make connections, and draw conclusions about the text’s meaning and purpose
Internal Distractions: includes thought processes, self-esteem, or confidence
Information Literacy: a term that refers to being able to find and use reliable information and source materials, and being able to find the right research materials
Intellectual Property: material or ideas envisioned and created by another person (books, articles, essays, stories, poems, films, photographs, works of art or craft, or even just ideas)
Learning Management System (LMS): an electronic system to inform students of class assignments, grades, and announcements related to courses, along with allowing students to post assignments, communicate with instructors and/or classmates, and much more
List Method: a sequential listing of ideas as they are presented
Logic: refers to the science or art of reasoning to evaluate arguments and distinguish between good and bad reasoning, or between truth and falsehood
Metaphor: an implicit comparison of two things that are not alike and/or are not typically associated
Online Tests: most commonly used for formative assessments, although they are starting to find their way into high-stakes exams, with the advantage of being computer graded to provide fast feedback to the student and allowing the instructor to grade hundreds of exams easily
Open-book Tests: allow the student to consult their notes, textbook, or both while taking the exam
Open Educational Resources: teaching and learning materials available for free use by students and teachers everywhere
Outline Method: places most important ideas are numbered with roman numerals along the left margin, supporting ideas are indented and noted with capital letters, and further details designated with an Arabic number, a lowercase letter, and so forth can be added under the supporting ideas
Paper Tests: he most common type of test, requiring students to write answers on the test pages or in a separate test booklet
Paraphrasing: captures the idea of a text, without using any of the same words
Personification: the attribution of human qualities or characteristics of other living things to nonhuman objects or abstract concepts
Plagiarism: occurs when we use someone else’s “intellectual property” without giving them credit
Pre-reading: examining the text for visual clues as to its meaning
Pre-research: gathering preliminary information before beginning in the research process
Presentations and Oral Tests: the most complete means for instructors to evaluate students’ mastery of material, because the evaluation is highly interactive
Problem-solving: using knowledge, facts, and data to solve problems effectively, and specifically identify, select, and defend your solution
Procrastination: a way of thinking that lets one put off doing something that should be done now
Purpose: an author's reason for or intent in writing; is reflected in the words he or she uses in their writing
Reading to Write: approaching reading material with a variety of tools that help prepare you to write about that reading material
Refute: an attempt to disprove opposing viewpoints in an argument
SQ3R: five sequential techniques you should use to read a book: Survey, Question, Read, Recite and Review
STAR Method: a method for evaluating an author's support for their claim based on Sufficiency, Typicality, Accuracy, and Relevance
Scanning: to get an overview of the text you are reading as a whole; used to find a particular piece of information
Signposts: words or phrases that indicate where an author is in the process of organizing an idea
Simile: a direct comparison of two things using the words like or as
Specific-to-general Organizational Structure: an author will begin with specific ideas about a concept and move towards general, vague statements about that concept
Spectrum of Authority Strategy: assists you in identifying the “hot” end of an argument—feelings, beliefs, cultural influences, and societal influences—and the “cold” end of an argument—scientific influences
Summary: captures the main point and major details of a text
Summative Assessments: include midterms and finals that measure how well you have mastered a large portion of the material
Supporting Details: information (facts, examples, support) that further explains the topic, and that directly relates to the main idea of a reading
Take-home Tests: similar to open-book tests except you have the luxury of time on your side
Text Coding (Annotating): tracking your thinking while reading that entails marking the text and recording what you are thinking while monitoring your comprehension. The following steps are also taken: mark important arguments and key facts and indicate where you agree and disagree or have further questions
Thesis Statement: conveys the primary message of an entire piece of text
Time Management: how people use their time
Time Personality: the time of day in which someone prefers to work; the time of day one feels at their best to accomplish tasks
Tone: the overall emotional attitude or stance an author has toward his or her subject
Topic: is the general subject of the reading
Topic Sentence: organize and sub-divide the overall goals of a writing into individual components and is considered the unifying force in the paragraph; each paragraph will have a topic sentence
Transitions: form logical connections between ideas and give readers clues that reveal how you are to think about (process, organize, or use) the topics presented; they signal the order of ideas, highlight relationships, unify concepts, and let readers know what’s coming next or remind them about what’s already been covered
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