RICA EXAM Key Terms with Complete
Solutions
affix - ANS-a syllable added to the beginning (prefix) or end (suffix) of a word to change
the word's meaning (e.g., il- in illiterate and al- in national).
alphabetic principle - ANS-The assumption underlying alphabetical language systems
that each sound has corresponding graphic representation (or letter).
antonyms - ANS-words with opposite meanings (e.g., good-bad).
applying - ANS-the 5th stage of the reading process, in which readers go beyond the
text to use what they have learned in another literacy experience, often by making
aproject or reading another book.
background knowledge - ANS-a student's knowledge or previous experiences about a
topic.
aesthetic reading - ANS-reading for pleasure
basal readers - ANS-reading textbooks that are leveled according to grade.
basal reading program - ANS-a collection of student textbooks, workbooks, teacher's
manuals, and other materials and resources for reading instruction used in kindergarten
through sixth grade.
big books - ANS-enlarged versions of picture books that teachers read with children,
usually in the primary grades.
blend - ANS-to combine the sounds represented by letters to pronounce a word.
bound morpheme - ANS-a morphene that is not a word and cannot stand along (e.g., -s,
tri-).
closed syllable - ANS-a syllable ending in a consonant sound (e.g. make, duck). They
create a long vowel sound in the next syllable.
cluster - ANS-a spiderlike diagram used to collect and organize ideas after reading or
before wiriting; also called a map or a web.
, comprehension - ANS-the process of constructing meaning using both the author's text
and th ereader's background knowledge for a specific purpose. There are three levels:
literal, inferential and evaluative.
concepts about print (CAP) - ANS-basic understandings about the way print works,
including the direction of print (return sweeping), spacing, punctuation, letters and
words, print carries meaning, book orientation. Implicit teaching: reading aloud, shared
book experience, big books, LEA, environmental print, print-rich environment. Explicit:
letter recognition, associating names and things with letters, singing the alphabet, ABC
books, upper and lower case letter writing, tactile and kinesthetic methods.
consonant - ANS-a speech sound characterized by friction or stoppage of the airflow as
it passes through the vocal tract; usually any letter except a,e,i,o, and u.
consonant digraph - ANS-to adjacent consonants that represent a sound not
represented by either consonant alone (e.g., th-this, ch-chin, sh-wash, ph-telephone).
content-area reading - ANS-reading in social studies, science, and other areas of the
curriculum.
context clue - ANS-information from the words or sentences surrounding a word that
helps to clarify the word's meaning.
cueing systems - ANS-the phonological, semantic, syntactic, and pragmatic information
that students rely on as they read.
decoding - ANS-using word-identification strategies to pronounce and attach meaning to
an unfamiliar word. (Taking a series of symbols--like the Matrix--and breaking it down
into meaning).
dipthong - ANS-a sound produced when the tongue glides from one sound to another; it
is represented by two vowels (e.g., oy-boy, ou-house, ow-how).
drafting - ANS-the second stage of the writing process, in which writers pour out ideas
in a rough draft.
echo reading - ANS-the teacher or other reader reads a sentence and a group of
students reread or "echo" what was read. A great tool for helping to develop fluency.
editing - ANS-the fourthe stage of the writing process, in which writers proofread to
identify and correct spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and grammatical errors.
efferent reading - ANS-reading for information
Elkonin boxes - ANS-a strategy for segmenting sounds in a word that involves drawing
a box to represent each sound in a word.
Solutions
affix - ANS-a syllable added to the beginning (prefix) or end (suffix) of a word to change
the word's meaning (e.g., il- in illiterate and al- in national).
alphabetic principle - ANS-The assumption underlying alphabetical language systems
that each sound has corresponding graphic representation (or letter).
antonyms - ANS-words with opposite meanings (e.g., good-bad).
applying - ANS-the 5th stage of the reading process, in which readers go beyond the
text to use what they have learned in another literacy experience, often by making
aproject or reading another book.
background knowledge - ANS-a student's knowledge or previous experiences about a
topic.
aesthetic reading - ANS-reading for pleasure
basal readers - ANS-reading textbooks that are leveled according to grade.
basal reading program - ANS-a collection of student textbooks, workbooks, teacher's
manuals, and other materials and resources for reading instruction used in kindergarten
through sixth grade.
big books - ANS-enlarged versions of picture books that teachers read with children,
usually in the primary grades.
blend - ANS-to combine the sounds represented by letters to pronounce a word.
bound morpheme - ANS-a morphene that is not a word and cannot stand along (e.g., -s,
tri-).
closed syllable - ANS-a syllable ending in a consonant sound (e.g. make, duck). They
create a long vowel sound in the next syllable.
cluster - ANS-a spiderlike diagram used to collect and organize ideas after reading or
before wiriting; also called a map or a web.
, comprehension - ANS-the process of constructing meaning using both the author's text
and th ereader's background knowledge for a specific purpose. There are three levels:
literal, inferential and evaluative.
concepts about print (CAP) - ANS-basic understandings about the way print works,
including the direction of print (return sweeping), spacing, punctuation, letters and
words, print carries meaning, book orientation. Implicit teaching: reading aloud, shared
book experience, big books, LEA, environmental print, print-rich environment. Explicit:
letter recognition, associating names and things with letters, singing the alphabet, ABC
books, upper and lower case letter writing, tactile and kinesthetic methods.
consonant - ANS-a speech sound characterized by friction or stoppage of the airflow as
it passes through the vocal tract; usually any letter except a,e,i,o, and u.
consonant digraph - ANS-to adjacent consonants that represent a sound not
represented by either consonant alone (e.g., th-this, ch-chin, sh-wash, ph-telephone).
content-area reading - ANS-reading in social studies, science, and other areas of the
curriculum.
context clue - ANS-information from the words or sentences surrounding a word that
helps to clarify the word's meaning.
cueing systems - ANS-the phonological, semantic, syntactic, and pragmatic information
that students rely on as they read.
decoding - ANS-using word-identification strategies to pronounce and attach meaning to
an unfamiliar word. (Taking a series of symbols--like the Matrix--and breaking it down
into meaning).
dipthong - ANS-a sound produced when the tongue glides from one sound to another; it
is represented by two vowels (e.g., oy-boy, ou-house, ow-how).
drafting - ANS-the second stage of the writing process, in which writers pour out ideas
in a rough draft.
echo reading - ANS-the teacher or other reader reads a sentence and a group of
students reread or "echo" what was read. A great tool for helping to develop fluency.
editing - ANS-the fourthe stage of the writing process, in which writers proofread to
identify and correct spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and grammatical errors.
efferent reading - ANS-reading for information
Elkonin boxes - ANS-a strategy for segmenting sounds in a word that involves drawing
a box to represent each sound in a word.
