Reading and Writing: Key Terms

Question 1

Directionality

Answer 1

When the words go from left to right

Question 2

Linearity

Answer 2

When the words go in a straight line

Question 3

Cursive

Answer 3

handwriting: When the letters are joined

Question 4

Emergent Writing

Answer 4

Children’s early attempt at communicating through scribbles or personal representation

Question 5

Pre-phonemic stages

Answer 5

when the child has not quite understood the link between graphemes and phonemes

Question 6

Fine motor skills

Answer 6

physical skills that involve small muscles and eye-hand coordination

Question 7

Gross motor skills

Answer 7

skills associated with larger movements

Question 8

return sweep

Answer 8

moving from the far right of one line to the far left of the next one

Question 9

Examples of errors

Answer 9

• backward letters
• don’t know how to space letters/words
• can’t write straight
• mix upper/lower case

Question 10

Insertion

Answer 10

adding extra letters

Question 11

Omission

Answer 11

leaving out letters

Question 12

substitution

Answer 12

replacing one letter with another

Question 13

transposition

Answer 13

reversing the order of letters

Question 14

phonetic spelling

Answer 14

guessing the spelling based on how it sounds

Question 15

Undergeneralisation

Answer 15

standard rules of spelling not applied

Question 16

Overgeneralisation

Answer 16

standard rules of spelling applied when not accurate e.g. runned, swimmed