Glossary Flashcards
ABC Books
Books organised by the 26 letters of the English language
Academic Language
Words used in schools, which can be technical or nontechnical
Accuracy
The ability to produce words correctly
Advanced Learners
Children performing at (or with the potential to perform at) a high level of achievement - at least one grade above their actual grade
Affix
Prefix and suffix, a morpheme that is not a word alone
Alphabetic Principle
Speech sounds are represented by letters
Analytic Phonics
Whole to part phonics instruction
Antonym Contextual Clue
Using the opposite word as a clue for the meaning of the target word e.g. I can’t make it complex, I need to keep it simple
Antonyms
Two words with opposite meanings
Auditorily Similar Letters
Letters that sound alike e.g. p and d
Author Studies
Instructional format focused on an author
Automaticity
Reader reading automatically, with swift and accurate word identification, no pauses (goal of reading)
Automaticity Theory
Reading requires:
1. decode words
2. understand the meaning
If a reader is preoccupied with decoding words, they won’t get the meaning
Background Knowledge
All a person knows about a topic. In nonfiction, limited background knowledge affects comprehension
Balanced Instructional Program in Reading
A reading program:
- Set of instructional materials (including assessments)
- Reading skills and strategies students are expected to master
- Instructional strategies to teach those skills/strategies
Two definitions of Balanced Instructional Program
- Mixture of direct instruction with actual opportunities to read
- A program that emphasises different skills/strats depending on grade level
Basal Reading Programs
Commercially produced package to teach children how to read, based on graduated set of reading texts - primary resource to teach reading in the US
Blends
Two or three letter combinations of consonants pronounced rapidly e.g. the bl in blend
Book Club
Children read the same book at the same pace to discuss, participate in related activities
Book-Handling Skills
Concepts About Print: how to hold a book, turn pages, where the story starts
Bound Morpheme
A prefix or suffix that exists only as part of a word e.g. pre in pretest
Cause and Effect
Phenomenon results from phenomenon, most common expository text structure in elementary science / social studies
Character
The ‘who’ of a story
Closed Syllable
Syllable that ends in a consonant e.g. bag
Close Reading
In-Depth Reading
Cognates
Two words from different languages with similar spelling and meanings e.g. artist/artista
Comparison/Contrast
Similarities and differences between two things, common structure used in elementary science / social studies
Complex Sentence
An independent clause and a dependent clause linked by a subordinator or relative pronoun
Compound Sentence
Two independent clauses, with two sets of subjects and verbs, joined by coordinators
Comprehension
Understanding the text
- Literal Comprehension
- Inferential Comprehension
- Evaluative Comprehension
Comprehensive Reading Program
All grade standards are covered, with no one area emphasised
Concepts About Print
- Awareness of the relationship between spoken and written English (print carries meaning)
- Letter, word and sentence representation
- Directionality of print (English left to right) and the ability to track print
- Book handling skills
These are key in kindergarten
Concepts About Print Test
Widely used test developed by New Zealand educator Marie Clay
Concrete Examples
Realia, using real things as examples
Consonants
Speech sounds that occur when the airflow is obstructed in some way by our mouth, teeth or lips
Contemporary Realistic Fiction
Genre of literature devoid of fantasy that take place in the time the author wrote the story (no elves, no Victorians)
Content-Area Literacy
Reading and writing while learning a content-area – connected to expository texts e.g. social studies, science, mathematics, health and the study of the arts
Context Clues
Words and phrases surrounding a target word that the reader can use to understand the word. Also called contextual clues.
Part of contextual analysis
Contextual Analysis
Strategy used to identify a word or its meaning using context clues: 1. definition 2. synonym 3. antonym 4. example Upper elementary and middle school
Conventional Stage of Spelling Development
5th and final stage of spelling development. Almost all words spelled correctly, only those with irregular spelling or difficult words from content areas misspelled
Coordinators
Words that join independent clauses to form compound sentences e.g. for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so (FANBOYS)
Data Retrieval Chart
A chart prepared by the teacher and completed by the student after reading an expository text
Decodable Text
Texts that use many single syllable words with regular spellings e.g. Dan has a red fan. Preprimer, primer and first grade texts rely on this, very important for beginning reading instruction
Definition Contextual Clue
The author provides the meaning for the target word in the sentence e.g. they were heretics, believing what was forbidden by God
Dependent Clause
A phrase with a subject and a verb, but it is not a complete thought e.g. unless Matt helps
Description
Expository text structure in which the author lists features or characteristics of something to express what it is like
Differentiated Instruction
Teaching in a way that recognises the individual differences in learners and:
1. making adjustments
or
2. designing unique lessons for individuals or groups
Digraphs
Two-letter combinations with one sound e.g. ph in phone or oa in boat. Can be difficult for young learners, digraphs follow sound-symbol relationship instruction
Diphthongs
Glided sounds made by vowel combinations. When pronouncing them, the tongue starts in one position and rapidly shifts to another e.g. oi, oy, ou. Can be difficult for young learners, diphthongs follow sound-symbol relationship instruction
Direct, Explicit Instruction
Teacher directed and have a clearly stated objective (reading skill or strat)
Directionality and Tracking of Print
Concepts About Print: text goes left to right, top to bottom
Domain-Specific Academic Language
Technical Academic Language
English Learners
EL - has a native language other than English and does not have the same proficiency in English as others in their grade level
Entry-Level Assessments
Pre-Assessment for reading
Environmental Print
Printed text people encounter in the wild e.g. signs, candy wrappers etc. Can be used in beginning instruction
Etymology
Origin and development of words, upper elementary examines a lot of Greek and Latin roots
Evaluative Comprehension
The ability of the reader to make judgments about what has been read. Evaluative questions have answers that are not in the text, the reader makes the call e.g. was what the character did right or wrong?
Example Contextual Clue
The author gives samples of a group to explain a target word e.g. Mammals, such as dogs, cats, cows and humans.
Expository Text
A text that provides information rather than tell a story, also called information-based texts or nonfiction
Figurative Language
Words or phrases used in a nonliteral way e.g. hyperbole, metaphor, personification or simile
Fluency
Reading with appropriate accuracy, rate and prosody
Folktales
Traditional Literature
Foreshadowing
The author hints about what’s coming
Free Morpheme
A morpheme that is a word e.g. test, hate, I, this
Frustration Reading Level
Learner cannot read or understand the text even with assistance. The reader cannot achieve 90% accuracy or answer 60% of the comprehension questions
General Academic Language
Nontechnical Academic Language
Genre
Category of literature e.g. traditional literature, modern fantasy, high fantasy, science fiction, contemporary realistic fiction, historical fiction, biography, information books and poetry
Graded Reading Passages
Set of texts 50-100 words from preprimer to 8th grade, used to determine:
- Student’s instructional, independent and frustration reading levels
- Areas of reading strength and need
Graphic Features
Nonprose items usually in expository texts e.g. charts, maps, diagrams and illustrations. Can be used for comprehension
Grapheme
The smallest written unit in a language (in English 26 letters of the alphabet)
Graphic Organiser
Structured overview - a chart or diagram prepared by the teacher and presented to students before they read the text. It summarises the main points
Graphophonemic Error
Sound-symbol error made when reader reads aloud e.g. reading father rather than feather. The reader isn’t using the meaning of the text to make a guess at an unknown word, instead using sound-symbol relationship to make a guess
Guided Practice
Students work on their own under the close supervision of the teacher. Also called: structured practice
High Fantasy
Elves and shit: They play with the laws of nature and it’s set wholly or partly in a fantasy world, struggle between good and evil or hero on a quest (e.g. Harry Potter)
High-Frequency Words
Words that appear most often in English e.g. Fry’s New Instant Word List, 300 most common words (the is #1)
Historical Fiction
Genre: stories set in the past
Homographs
Two words with the same spelling but different pronunciation e.g. cool wind, wind the clock
Homophones
Two words with the same pronunciation but different spellings e.g. Sunday and sundae
Hyperbole
Figurative language: an exaggerated comparison
Idiom
A phrase with a meaning different from the literal meaning e.g. raining cats and dogs. These are very difficult for nonnative speakers
I + I Strategy
i - interest: books the student would be interested in
+
i - independent: books of this type in the student’s independent reading level
Imagery
Words that appeal to the five senses e.g. a dark forest: rotting, silent, dark
Independent Clauses
Simple Sentences
Independent Reading Level
What a reader can read without assistance. Must be able to reach 95% accuracy and answer 90% of the comprehension questions
In-Depth Reading
Close reading: slowing down to focus/reread a portion of text, either to gather evidence or because the text is complex
Individualized Education Program (IEP)
Required by federal law IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), stating the objectives for a learner and the interventions should receive to be successful in school
Inferential Comprehension
Ability of the reader to interpret the text to find answers not explicitly stated (read between the lines), including the main idea (if not said), comparisons and predictions
Informal Reading Inventory (IRI)
Reading assessments administered individually using graded reading passages of 50-100 words, which typically identify:
- frustration, instruction and independent reading levels
- areas of reading strength and need
- level of interest in reading / preferences