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As your child moves from recognizing words to analyzing literary content, it is important to be aware of advanced concepts that he is learning in school. By understanding what is taught in the classroom, you can play an active role in helping your child to understand and evaluate mature literary works. Your child should establish a solid foundation of literary comprehension and analysis skills in order to tackle increasingly advanced texts as he progresses in school. Read on for a list of buzzwords used by educators to know what your child is learning: Literary criticism: the overall analysis and judgment of a work of literature by a critic, student or scholar. It requires a careful, detailed examination of the text. Expository critiques evaluate the unity, coherence, logic, internal consistency and structural patterns of the text. Other forms of criticism focus on a work’s use of literary devices, including imagery, symbolism and personification. Literary response and analysis: the evaluation of the structural elements of a text’s plot, the plot’s development, and the way conflicts are addressed and resolved. A student must be able to analyze a text’s characters, setting, recurring themes and any significant literary devices to adequately interpret the work. Reading comprehension: the skill of describing and connecting the ideas, arguments and perspectives within a text by using past knowledge of text structure, organization and purpose. It allows for fluent reading and an understanding of the text’s main ideas. Rhetorical strategies: the traditional forms of speech and writing composition, which include exposition, narration, persuasion and description. Intended to set forth or explain, exposition is clear, well-organized and easily understood. Narration tells a story or gives an account of sequences of events or experiences. Persuasion moves the reader—by argument or appeal—to a specific belief or stance. Description gives a verbal picture of character, action and setting. Sentence types: declarative, exclamatory, imperative and interrogative are terms used to categorize sentences. A declarative sentence makes a statement. An exclamatory sentence makes a vehement statement or conveys a strong emotion. An imperative sentence expresses a command or request. An interrogative sentence asks a question. Word analysis: a child’s ability to use knowledge of word origins and word relationships, as well as context clues, to determine the meaning of certain words. Children are able to use word meanings within the appropriate context and verify those meanings by defining, restating, providing examples, making comparisons or offering contrasts. By Renee Sarnowski |
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