Reading/Language Arts Flashcards
alphabetic principle
the alphabetic principle is the understanding that letters represent sounds which form words; it is the knowledge of predictable relationships between written letters and spoken sounds
anecdotal record
a factual written record of a person’s conduct, based on succinct, spontaneous, and descriptive observations made by an onlooker. This constitutes the person’s view of an individual - as opposed to specific assessments
background knowledge
information that is essential to understanding a situation or problem
compare and contrast
to look closely at something in order to show likenesses and differences. compare is used for showing the likenesses between two or more things. compare these sofas for size and comfort. contrast is used for showing the differences and especially the characteristics which are opposite
cloze procedure
a reading comprehension activity in which words are omitted from a passage and students are required to fill in the blanks. this procedure is incredibly useful in reading instruction because it can be easily done by any teacher and provides valuable reading comprehension information
comprehension
an ability to understand the meaning or importance of something
concept of print
the awareness of how print works including emerging knowledge about books, print, and written language, and how we use them
concept web
visual diagrams that connect abstract ideas. students use these to connect prior knowledge and experiences to new information. to create a concept web, draw a central circle
conferencing
when a teacher is conferencing with a student or a small group of students, they are working on skills that need to be reinforced or skills that will provide enrichment. there are many benefits to conferencing with students: conferences provide individualized instruction for each student. conferences can provide insight into what the student is doing while reading and writing. conferences can help the teacher investigate student knowledge. conferencing can help assess the student. conferencing can provide reinforcement and/or enrichment of skills. conferencing can help students improve their reading level
context clues
hints found within a sentence, paragraph, or passage that a reader can use to understand the meanings of new or unfamiliar words
decodeable text
a type of text often used in beginning reading instruction. decodable texts are carefully sequenced to progressively incorporate words that are consistent with the letters and corresponding phonemes that have been taught to the new reader
decoding
the ability to apply your knowledge of letter-sound relationships, including knowledge of letter patterns, to correctly pronounce written words. understanding these relationships gives children the ability to recognize familiar words quickly and to figure out words they haven’t seen before
detail
developmentally appropriate
the practice of making a curriculum based on what students are able to do cognitively, physically and emotionally at a certain age
during-reading
to interact with the text and to monitor (keep track of) comprehension, paying attention to points at which the material is not clear or the terms are not familiar: https://www.rit.edu/ntid/sea/processes/comprehension/process/during
dyslexia
a specific learning disability that is neurobiological in origin. it is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. these difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction. the 4 types of dyslexia include phonological dyslexia, surface dyslexia, rapid naming deficit, and double deficit dyslexia: https://www.medicinenet.com/what_are_the_4_types_of_dyslexia/article.htm
emergent literacy
the idea that learning literacy actually begins at a very early age, long before official lessons in school. this term is used to describe the knowledge a child has of reading and writing before reaching the age where those skills are taught. emergent literacy argues that right after birth, children are already in the process of becoming literate: https://study.com/academy/lesson/emergent-literacy-definition-theories-characteristics.html
expository text
non-fiction texts that give facts and information about a topic. these academic texts are common in subjects such as science, history and social sciences
fluency
the ability to read with speed, accuracy, and proper expression. in order to understand what they read, children must be able to read fluently whether they are reading aloud or silently
graphic organizer
a visual and graphic display that depicts the relationships between facts, terms, and or ideas within a learning task. graphic organizers are also sometimes referred to as knowledge maps, concept maps, story maps, cognitive organizers, advance organizers, or concept diagrams
inference
a conclusion reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning
informal reading inventory (IRI)
an individually-administered diagnostic tool that assesses a student’s reading comprehension and reading accuracy. the IRI measures three reading levels: independent, instructional and frustrational: https://www.readingrockets.org/article/informal-reading-inventory-qualitative-reading-inventory
journals
language acquisition
the process whereby children learn their native language. it consists of abstracting structural information from the language they hear around them and internalising this information for later use
language arts
the subjects (such as reading, spelling, literature, and composition) that aim at developing the student’s comprehension and capacity for use of written and oral language
linguistically diverse
a broad term used to describe the differences between different languages and the ways that people communicate with each other. this mechanism has been instrumental in allowing humans to communicate with each other and form complex cultures and civilizations
literacy
the ability to read and write
miscue analysis
an analytical procedure for assessing students’ reading comprehension based on samples of oral reading
morphology
the study of words and their parts. morphemes, like prefixes, suffixes and base words, are defined as the smallest meaningful units of meaning. morphemes are important for phonics in both reading and spelling, as well as in vocabulary and comprehension
narrative text
any text, story or narrative that tells a certain anecdote, that is, a succession of actions in a limited period of time. it can have literary or merely communicative purposes. in addition, narrative texts can have many forms and can be in different supports, both oral and written
onset
the initial phonological unit of any word (e.g. c in cat)
orthographic knowledge
the information that is stored in memory that tells us how to represent spoken language in written form: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10212-020-00464-7
phoneme
any of the perceptually distinct units of sound in a specified language that distinguish one word from another, for example p, b, d, and t in the English words pad, pat, bad, and bat: https://www.britannica.com/topic/phoneme
phonemic awareness
a subset of phonological awareness in which listeners are able to hear, identify and manipulate phonemes, the smallest mental units of sound that help to differentiate units of meaning
phonics
a method of teaching people to read by correlating sounds with letters or groups of letters in an alphabetic writing system
phonological awareness
the awareness of and ability to work with sounds in spoken language, sets the stage for decoding, blending, and, ultimately, word reading. phonological awareness begins developing before the beginning of formal schooling and continues through third grade and beyond
phonology
a branch of linguistics that studies how languages or dialects systematically organize their sounds (or constituent parts of signs, in sign languages). the term also refers to the sound or sign system of any particular language variety: https://all-about-linguistics.group.shef.ac.uk/branches-of-linguistics/phonology/
portfolios
a purposeful collection of student work that exhibits the student’s efforts, progress, and achievements in one or more areas
post-reading
post-reading strategies help readers summarize their learning, check for understanding, and organize their thoughts and ideas: http://www.balancingthesword.com/study_support/glossaryword.asp?ID=77&_Word=post-reading+strategies
predictable text
a specific type of book used in the earliest stages of reading instruction. predictable texts are constructed to encourage beginning readers to memorize whole words and sentences and to use picture cues to ‘read’ unknown words. the texts have a repeated sentence or phrase on each page, typically with one variable word. a picture accompanies each sentence that allows the student to guess the variable word using the picture
prereading
an initial stage in the process of teaching a student to read; a skill seen as leading to the ability to read: https://www.theedadvocate.org/using-pre-reading-stage-to-develop-great-readers/
previous knowledge
the information and educational context a learner already has before they learn new information. a learner’s understanding of educational material can be improved by taking advantage of their prior knowledge before dealing with the new material
print-rich environment
an environment in which children are exposed to books, read to daily, provide with writing materials, their writing is displayed at children’s eye level, and meaningful reading and writing experiences are presented
readability
the ease with which a reader can successfully decipher, process, and make meaning of the text read. typographical features of the text are critical; letter shape, size, and spacing all meaningfully impact fluency and comprehension
reading strategies
retelling stories
involves students orally reconstructing a story that they have read or has been read to them. a student’s retell should include characters, settings, and events in the logical sequence of the story
rime
the string of letters that follow, usually a vowel and final consonants (e.g. at in cat)
running record
help teachers measure students’ progress, plan for future instruction, provide a way for students to understand their progress, and communicate progress to parents and the school community
scanning
reading a text quickly in order to find specific information
semantic map
map that can visually display a word or phrase and a set of related words or concepts: https://vocabularyluau.com/how-to-use-semantic-maps-for-teaching-vocabulary/#:~:text=What%20is%20a%20Semantic%20Map,maps%E2%80%9D%20or%20webs%20of%20words.
semantics
the study of the meaning of language: https://study.com/learn/lesson/semantics-meaning-examples.html
structural analysis
a strategy that is used to facilitate decoding as students become more proficient readers. these advanced decoding strategies help students learn parts of words so they can more easily decode unknown multi-syllabic words. in structural analysis, students are taught to read prefixes and suffixes
syllable
a unit of pronunciation having one vowel sound, with or without surrounding consonants, forming the whole or a part of a word; e.g., there are two syllables in water and three in inferno
syntactic
- of or pertaining to syntax. 2. consisting of or noting morphemes that are combined in the same order as they would be if they were separate words in a corresponding construction. The word blackberry, which consists of an adjective followed by a noun, is a syntactic compound
theme
a universal idea, lesson, or message explored throughout a work of literature
trade books
books published by a commercial publisher and intended for general readership. chapter, picture, fiction and non-fiction books are all examples of trade books.
vocabulary development
refers to the collection of words that a person knows and uses. vocabulary development is the process of acquiring new words: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vocabulary_development
word analysis
when students engage in “word analysis” or “word study,” they break words down into their smallest units of meaning — morphemes. each morpheme has a meaning that contributes to our understanding of the whole word
