| Term | Definition |
| Graphic organizer | A diagram or pictorial device that shows relationships. |
| Homophone | One of two or more words pronounced alike, but different in spelling or meaning (e.g., hair/hare, scale (fish)/scale (musical)). |
| Hyperbole | An exaggeration or overstatement (e.g., I was so embarrassed I could have died.). |
| Idiomatic language | An expression peculiar to itself grammatically or that cannot be understood if taken literally (e.g., Let’s get on the ball.). |
| Irony | The use of a word or phrase to mean the exact opposite of its literal or usual meaning; incongruity between the actual result of a sequence of events and the expected result. |
| Literary conflict | The struggle that grows out of the interplay of the two opposing forces in a plot. |
| Literary elements | The essential techniques used in literature (e.g., characterization, setting, plot, theme). |
| Literary devices | Tools used by the author to enliven and provide voice to the writing (e.g., dialogue, alliteration). |
| Literary structures | The author’s method of organizing text (e.g., foreshadowing, flashbacks). |
| Metaphor | The comparison of two unlike things in which no words of comparison (like or as) are used (e.g., That new kid in class is really a squirrel.). |
| Meter | The repetition of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry. |
| Narrative | A story, actual or fictional, expressed orally or in writing. |
| Paraphrase | Restate text or passage in other words, often to clarify meaning or show understanding. |
| Pattern book | A book with a predictable language structure and often written with predictable text; also known as predictable book. |
| Personification | An object or abstract idea given human qualities or human form (e.g., Flowers danced about the lawn.). |
| Phonics | The relationship between letters and sounds fundamental in beginning reading. |
| Point of view | The way in which an author reveals characters, events and ideas in telling a story; the vantage point from which the story is told. |
| Public document | A document that focuses on civic issues or matters of public policy at the community level and beyond. |