Reading & Literacy Terms
| Key Concepts,
Definitions, Study Guide
& Exam Review
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, 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.
Whole Language An approach to reading instruction that de-emphasizes letter-sound relationships
and emphasizes recognition of words as wholes.
Phonics An approach to reading instruction that emphasizes letter-sound relationships
and generalized principles that describe spelling-sound relationships in a
language (e.g. vowels in CVCs are short).
Affix An attachment to the end or beginning of base or root word. A generic term that
describes prefixes and suffixes.
Blending Combining parts of a spoken word into a whole representation of the word. For
example, /p/ /oo/ /l/
Decoding Using knowledge of the conventions of spelling-sound relationships and
knowledge about pronunciation of irregular words to derive a pronunciation of
written words.
Digraph A group of two successive letters whose phonetic value is a single sound. For
example, EA in BREAD, CH in CHAT, or NG in SING
Book Talk When a teacher (or media specialist) gives a brief talk about a particular book to
generate interest in the book.
Choral Reading Sometimes referred to as unison reading. The whole class reads the same text
aloud. Usually the teacher sets the pace. Choral reading helps with the ability to
read sight words and builds fluency.
Chunking Reading by grouping portions of text into short, meaningful phrases.
Cloze A procedure whereby a word or words has/have been removed from a sentence
and the student must fill in the blank using context clues (clues in the sentence).
Consonant A letter and a sound. The letters of the alphabet except for the vowels a, e, i, o, u
and sometimes y and w.
Fluency The ability to read at an appropriate rate smoothly. (Also the ability to read
expressively if reading aloud.)
Genre A type or category of literature marked by conventions of style, format, and/or
content. Examples include: mystery, fantasy, epic poetry, etc.
Grapheme The smallest unit of a writing system. One letter such as t or combination of
letters such as sh. A grapheme represents one phoneme.
| Key Concepts,
Definitions, Study Guide
& Exam Review
|Guaranteed success|
, 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.
Whole Language An approach to reading instruction that de-emphasizes letter-sound relationships
and emphasizes recognition of words as wholes.
Phonics An approach to reading instruction that emphasizes letter-sound relationships
and generalized principles that describe spelling-sound relationships in a
language (e.g. vowels in CVCs are short).
Affix An attachment to the end or beginning of base or root word. A generic term that
describes prefixes and suffixes.
Blending Combining parts of a spoken word into a whole representation of the word. For
example, /p/ /oo/ /l/
Decoding Using knowledge of the conventions of spelling-sound relationships and
knowledge about pronunciation of irregular words to derive a pronunciation of
written words.
Digraph A group of two successive letters whose phonetic value is a single sound. For
example, EA in BREAD, CH in CHAT, or NG in SING
Book Talk When a teacher (or media specialist) gives a brief talk about a particular book to
generate interest in the book.
Choral Reading Sometimes referred to as unison reading. The whole class reads the same text
aloud. Usually the teacher sets the pace. Choral reading helps with the ability to
read sight words and builds fluency.
Chunking Reading by grouping portions of text into short, meaningful phrases.
Cloze A procedure whereby a word or words has/have been removed from a sentence
and the student must fill in the blank using context clues (clues in the sentence).
Consonant A letter and a sound. The letters of the alphabet except for the vowels a, e, i, o, u
and sometimes y and w.
Fluency The ability to read at an appropriate rate smoothly. (Also the ability to read
expressively if reading aloud.)
Genre A type or category of literature marked by conventions of style, format, and/or
content. Examples include: mystery, fantasy, epic poetry, etc.
Grapheme The smallest unit of a writing system. One letter such as t or combination of
letters such as sh. A grapheme represents one phoneme.
