Reading Terms Flashcards
Affix
An attachment to the end or beginning of base or root word. A generic term that describes prefixes and affixes
Age Equivalent Scores
In a norm-referenced assessment, individual student’s scores are reported relative to those of the norming population. This can be done by reporting the average age of people who received the same score as the individual child.
Alliteration
The repetition of initial phoneme either across syllables or across words. For example: Happy hippos hop on Harry.
Allomorph
An alternative manifestation of a morpheme (a set of meaningful linguistic units.)
Allophone
A phonetic variant of a phoneme in a particular language. [p] and [pH] are allophones of the phoneme /p/
Alphabetic Principle
Understanding that spoken words are decomposed into phonemes, and that the letters in written words represent the phonemes in spoken words when spoken words are represented in text.
Assessment
Using data to determine abilities and knowledge about a particular topic. A distinction should be drawn between a test, which is just a tool used in assessment and assessment.
Balanced Literacy
An approach to reading instruction that strikes a compromise between Phonics approaches and Whole Language approaches – ideally, the most effective strategies are drawn from the two approaches and synthesized together.
Basal Reader
A kind of book that is used to teach reading. It is based on an approach in which words are used as a whole. The words are used over and over in each succeeding lesson. New words are added regularly.
Blending
Combining parts of a spoken word into a whole representation of the word. For example, /p/ /oo/ /l/ can be blended together to form the word pool.
Clitic
A language element with wordlike status or form that resembles a word. A clitic usually cannot be used on its own as a word in a construction. Clitics are usually phonologically bound to a preceding word or a following word.
Cloze
This is a method of assessment wherin a word is eliminated from a passage, and the child’s task is to use the context of the passage to fill in the blank with an appropriate word.
Content word
A word which has lexical meaning such as a noun or a verb (as opposed to a function word).
Criterion-referenced assessment
This type of assessment in which a child’s score is compared against a predetermined criterion score to determine if the child is performing acceptably or unacceptably.
Deciphering
Using knowledge about graphophonemic relationships to sound-out regular words.
Decodable texts
Texts which do not contain irregular words. Usually designed to reinforce certain rules that have been previously taught in a phonics lesson.
Decoding
Using knowledge of the conventions of spelling-sounding relationships and knowledge about pronunciation of irregular words to derive a pronunciation of written words.
Deep Orthography
A writing system that does not have consistent or one-to-one correspondence between the phonemes in speech and the written code. English is an example.
Derivational affixation
The process of adding affixes to roots or bases in order to vary function or modify meaning.
Digraph
A group of two successive letters whose phonetic value is a single sound. For example EA in BREAD, CH in CHAT, NG in SING.
Dipthong
A gliding monosyllabic speech sound that starts at or near the articulatory position for one vowel and moves to or toward the position of another. For example: oy in toy or ou in out.
Duet reading
An activity where a skilled reader sits next to a learner and the two read a text simultaneously.
Ellision
The omission of a part of a spoken word to be more efficient. For example: idano instead of I do not know or n for and in bread n butter.
Expository Text
Text written to explain and convey information about a specific topic.
Extrinsic phonics
Phonics taught as a supplemental learning aid rather than as an integral part of the program of reading instruction, often in separate workbooks during special time periods.
Fluent reading
Fast, smooth, effortless, and automatic reading of text (can be silent or not) with attention focused on the meaning of the text.
Function Word
A word which does not have lexical meaning, which primarily serves to express a grammatical relationship. Ex: and, of, or, the.
Grade Equivalent Scores
In a norm-referenced assessment, individual student’s scores are reported relative to those of the norming population. One way of doing this is by reporting the average grade of students who received the same score as the individual child.
Grapheme
A unit (a letter or letters) of a writing system that represents one phoneme; a single symbol that has one phonemic correspondent within any particular word.
Graphophonemic
Refers to the sound relationship between the orthography (symbols) and phonology (sounds) of a language.
Homonym
A word which is spelled and pronounced identically to another word, but which has a different meaning. For ex: swimming pool vs pool table.
Homophone
A word which is spelled differently from another word, but which is pronounced identically. For ex: horse and hoarse, to, two and too.
Assessment
Using data to determine abilities and knowledge about a particular topic. A distinction should be drawn between a test, which is just a tool used in assessment and assessment.
Balanced Literacy
An approach to reading instruction that strikes a compromise between Phonics approaches and Whole Language approaches – ideally, the most effective strategies are drawn from the two approaches and synthesized together.
Basal Reader
A kind of book that is used to teach reading. It is based on an approach in which words are used as a whole. The words are used over and over in each succeeding lesson. New words are added regularly.
Blending
Combining parts of a spoken word into a whole representation of the word. For example, /p/ /oo/ /l/ can be blended together to form the word pool.
Clitic
A language element with wordlike status or form that resembles a word. A clitic usually cannot be used on its own as a word in a construction. Clitics are usually phonologically bound to a preceding word or a following word.
Cloze
This is a method of assessment wherin a word is eliminated from a passage, and the child’s task is to use the context of the passage to fill in the blank with an appropriate word.
Content word
A word which has lexical meaning such as a noun or a verb (as opposed to a function word).
Criterion-referenced assessment
This type of assessment in which a child’s score is compared against a predetermined criterion score to determine if the child is performing acceptably or unacceptably.
Deciphering
Using knowledge about graphophonemic relationships to sound-out regular words.
Decodable texts
Texts which do not contain irregular words. Usually designed to reinforce certain rules that have been previously taught in a phonics lesson.
Decoding
Using knowledge of the conventions of spelling-sounding relationships and knowledge about pronunciation of irregular words to derive a pronunciation of written words.
Deep Orthography
A writing system that does not have consistent or one-to-one correspondence between the phonemes in speech and the written code. English is an example.
Derivational affixation
The process of adding affixes to roots or bases in order to vary function or modify meaning.
