D668 Elementary Literacy COMPLETE STUDY GUIDE (SECTION 1-5) 2025 Western
Governors University
Key Term Textbook Definition Student Definition 1-2 Concrete Examples
(Elaboration) (What is the teacher doing/what are
students doing?)
Section 1 – Analyzes Standards and Resources in Literacy
,Lesson 1: Literacy the ability to read, write, and Literacy is the ability to read, write, and Reading a Storybook: When you read a
Standards understand information, understand information in a way that helps you storybook, literacy helps you understand
Alignment enabling effective communicate and make sense of the world the characters, the plot, and the
communication and around you. It means being able to read and message of the story. You can picture
comprehension understand what’s written, write clearly and what’s happening in the story and talk
effectively, and use that information to think about it with your friends or teacher.
critically and share ideas with others. Writing a Letter: If you write a letter to a
When you're literate, you can understand books, friend or a family member, literacy helps
articles, or even signs around you, and you can you put your thoughts into words, use
express your thoughts clearly in writing or correct spelling and punctuation, and
speaking. Literacy also helps you make informed explain your feelings or share news in a
decisions by being able to analyze and understand way that they can understand.
different kinds of information, whether it's in
print, online, or through other media. It’s not just
about knowing how to read and write; it's about
using these skills to communicate effectively,
understand the world, and interact with others.
Reading Brain the network of brain regions The "Reading Rope" is a concept that explains Reading a Simple Sentence: When you
that work together to decode, how different skills and brain regions work read the sentence "The cat sat on the
comprehend, and interpret together to help us read. It's like a rope made of mat," your brain decodes each word by
written language many threads, where each "thread" represents a recognizing the letters and sounds. As
different skill needed for reading. These skills you get better at decoding, you quickly
include both decoding (figuring out what words recognize that "cat" is a small animal and
are) and comprehension (understanding what "mat" is something to sit on, helping you
those words mean). understand the meaning of the whole
Decoding: This is the ability to break down words sentence. Understanding a Story: If
into sounds and recognize letters. It involves brain you’re reading a story about a dog that
regions that help us sound out words and identify helps its owner, your brain not only
them quickly. These areas are responsible for decodes the words but also helps you
translating written letters into spoken sounds. understand the story. You remember
Language Comprehension: This involves that dogs are often helpful, so you can
understanding the meaning of words, sentences, picture the dog helping the owner,
and stories. It relies on brain areas that help us connecting it to what you already know
remember vocabulary, make connections about dogs and helping
between
, words, and understand the context of a passage. you understand the story better
Fluency: As decoding and comprehension
improve, we become more fluent readers,
meaning we can read smoothly and understand
quickly without thinking about each word.
Working Memory: This allows us to hold onto
information long enough to make sense of it
while we’re reading. For example, remembering a
character’s name from one sentence and
understanding how it fits into the overall story.
Visual and Auditory Processing: These areas help
us connect sounds with letters and recognize the
shapes of letters and words, making it easier to
read. The idea of the "Reading Rope" highlights
that reading is not just one skill but a combination
of many working together. The more these skills
are developed, the stronger the "rope" becomes,
allowing for smoother, more efficient reading.
Frontal Lobe Helps us focus and The frontal lobe is a part of the brain located at Staying Focused While Reading: When
remember what we're the front of your head, behind your forehead. It you're reading a story and trying to
reading and is where speech plays an important role in many high-level understand what happens next, your
is produced. functions, including focusing, remembering frontal lobe helps you stay focused on
things, and producing speech. Focus and the book. It helps you ignore
Attention: The frontal lobe helps you distractions, like people talking around
concentrate when you're reading. It allows you you, so you can remember what you've
to stay focused on the text, ignoring distractions read and follow the story. Answering
around you so you can understand and Questions About a Story: After reading a
remember what you're reading. Memory: The book, your teacher might ask you
frontal lobe helps you keep track of what you’ve questions about what happened in the
already read, so you can make connections story. Your frontal lobe helps you
between different parts of the text. For remember the details from earlier in the
example, if you read a chapter and then need to story so you can answer the questions
remember what happened earlier, your frontal correctly and explain what happened.
lobe helps you recall those details. Speech
Production: The frontal lobe is also where the
brain controls the muscles needed for speaking.
It allows
, you to form words and sentences when you talk.
This is why it’s important for understanding
language, as it helps you both understand and
produce speech.
Temporal Lobe Listens to sounds and helps The temporal lobe is a part of the brain located Understanding Words in a Story: When
us understand words. on the sides of your head, near your ears. It is you read a story, your temporal lobe
important for processing sounds, understanding helps you understand the meaning of
language, and storing memories. Memory: The words and sentences. For example, if you
temporal lobe plays a big role in helping you read, "The cat chased the mouse," your
remember information. When you're reading, it temporal lobe helps you understand
helps you recall details, like the characters and what "chased" means and how the cat
events in a story. It helps you connect new and mouse are involved in the action.
information with things you already know. Listening to a Teacher Explain
Understanding Language: The temporal lobe Something: If your teacher explains
helps you understand the meaning of words and something, like a math problem or a
sentences. It helps you make sense of what you’re science concept, your temporal lobe
reading and understand the message the author helps you understand the words and
is trying to share. Speech Recognition and remember what they mean. It helps you
Production: While the frontal lobe helps with recognize what the teacher is saying so
speaking, the temporal lobe helps you understand you can follow along and answer
speech. It processes sounds and helps you questions correctly.
recognize the words and sentences when people
talk to you. This is important both for
understanding others and for speaking clearly.
Parietal Lobe Helps us see and recognize The parietal lobe is a part of the brain located at Recognizing Shapes and Letters: When
letters and words and is where the top and back of your head. It plays a key role you're reading or writing, the parietal
a written word is segmented in processing sensory information, like touch, lobe helps you recognize the shapes of
into its sounds (i.e., word taste, and temperature, and is involved in helping letters and words. For example, when
analysis and sounding out you understand space and how things fit together you see the letter "A," your parietal lobe
words). Sensory Processing: The parietal lobe helps you helps you understand it as a letter, so
process and make sense of what you feel, like you can read words and sentences
when you touch something hot or cold. It also correctly Understanding Where You Are:
helps you understand things you see or hear and If you’re walking through your classroom
figure out where things are in space. Reading and and trying to find your desk, your
Writing: The parietal lobe helps you with reading parietal lobe helps you understand
and writing by helping you recognize where things are in the
Governors University
Key Term Textbook Definition Student Definition 1-2 Concrete Examples
(Elaboration) (What is the teacher doing/what are
students doing?)
Section 1 – Analyzes Standards and Resources in Literacy
,Lesson 1: Literacy the ability to read, write, and Literacy is the ability to read, write, and Reading a Storybook: When you read a
Standards understand information, understand information in a way that helps you storybook, literacy helps you understand
Alignment enabling effective communicate and make sense of the world the characters, the plot, and the
communication and around you. It means being able to read and message of the story. You can picture
comprehension understand what’s written, write clearly and what’s happening in the story and talk
effectively, and use that information to think about it with your friends or teacher.
critically and share ideas with others. Writing a Letter: If you write a letter to a
When you're literate, you can understand books, friend or a family member, literacy helps
articles, or even signs around you, and you can you put your thoughts into words, use
express your thoughts clearly in writing or correct spelling and punctuation, and
speaking. Literacy also helps you make informed explain your feelings or share news in a
decisions by being able to analyze and understand way that they can understand.
different kinds of information, whether it's in
print, online, or through other media. It’s not just
about knowing how to read and write; it's about
using these skills to communicate effectively,
understand the world, and interact with others.
Reading Brain the network of brain regions The "Reading Rope" is a concept that explains Reading a Simple Sentence: When you
that work together to decode, how different skills and brain regions work read the sentence "The cat sat on the
comprehend, and interpret together to help us read. It's like a rope made of mat," your brain decodes each word by
written language many threads, where each "thread" represents a recognizing the letters and sounds. As
different skill needed for reading. These skills you get better at decoding, you quickly
include both decoding (figuring out what words recognize that "cat" is a small animal and
are) and comprehension (understanding what "mat" is something to sit on, helping you
those words mean). understand the meaning of the whole
Decoding: This is the ability to break down words sentence. Understanding a Story: If
into sounds and recognize letters. It involves brain you’re reading a story about a dog that
regions that help us sound out words and identify helps its owner, your brain not only
them quickly. These areas are responsible for decodes the words but also helps you
translating written letters into spoken sounds. understand the story. You remember
Language Comprehension: This involves that dogs are often helpful, so you can
understanding the meaning of words, sentences, picture the dog helping the owner,
and stories. It relies on brain areas that help us connecting it to what you already know
remember vocabulary, make connections about dogs and helping
between
, words, and understand the context of a passage. you understand the story better
Fluency: As decoding and comprehension
improve, we become more fluent readers,
meaning we can read smoothly and understand
quickly without thinking about each word.
Working Memory: This allows us to hold onto
information long enough to make sense of it
while we’re reading. For example, remembering a
character’s name from one sentence and
understanding how it fits into the overall story.
Visual and Auditory Processing: These areas help
us connect sounds with letters and recognize the
shapes of letters and words, making it easier to
read. The idea of the "Reading Rope" highlights
that reading is not just one skill but a combination
of many working together. The more these skills
are developed, the stronger the "rope" becomes,
allowing for smoother, more efficient reading.
Frontal Lobe Helps us focus and The frontal lobe is a part of the brain located at Staying Focused While Reading: When
remember what we're the front of your head, behind your forehead. It you're reading a story and trying to
reading and is where speech plays an important role in many high-level understand what happens next, your
is produced. functions, including focusing, remembering frontal lobe helps you stay focused on
things, and producing speech. Focus and the book. It helps you ignore
Attention: The frontal lobe helps you distractions, like people talking around
concentrate when you're reading. It allows you you, so you can remember what you've
to stay focused on the text, ignoring distractions read and follow the story. Answering
around you so you can understand and Questions About a Story: After reading a
remember what you're reading. Memory: The book, your teacher might ask you
frontal lobe helps you keep track of what you’ve questions about what happened in the
already read, so you can make connections story. Your frontal lobe helps you
between different parts of the text. For remember the details from earlier in the
example, if you read a chapter and then need to story so you can answer the questions
remember what happened earlier, your frontal correctly and explain what happened.
lobe helps you recall those details. Speech
Production: The frontal lobe is also where the
brain controls the muscles needed for speaking.
It allows
, you to form words and sentences when you talk.
This is why it’s important for understanding
language, as it helps you both understand and
produce speech.
Temporal Lobe Listens to sounds and helps The temporal lobe is a part of the brain located Understanding Words in a Story: When
us understand words. on the sides of your head, near your ears. It is you read a story, your temporal lobe
important for processing sounds, understanding helps you understand the meaning of
language, and storing memories. Memory: The words and sentences. For example, if you
temporal lobe plays a big role in helping you read, "The cat chased the mouse," your
remember information. When you're reading, it temporal lobe helps you understand
helps you recall details, like the characters and what "chased" means and how the cat
events in a story. It helps you connect new and mouse are involved in the action.
information with things you already know. Listening to a Teacher Explain
Understanding Language: The temporal lobe Something: If your teacher explains
helps you understand the meaning of words and something, like a math problem or a
sentences. It helps you make sense of what you’re science concept, your temporal lobe
reading and understand the message the author helps you understand the words and
is trying to share. Speech Recognition and remember what they mean. It helps you
Production: While the frontal lobe helps with recognize what the teacher is saying so
speaking, the temporal lobe helps you understand you can follow along and answer
speech. It processes sounds and helps you questions correctly.
recognize the words and sentences when people
talk to you. This is important both for
understanding others and for speaking clearly.
Parietal Lobe Helps us see and recognize The parietal lobe is a part of the brain located at Recognizing Shapes and Letters: When
letters and words and is where the top and back of your head. It plays a key role you're reading or writing, the parietal
a written word is segmented in processing sensory information, like touch, lobe helps you recognize the shapes of
into its sounds (i.e., word taste, and temperature, and is involved in helping letters and words. For example, when
analysis and sounding out you understand space and how things fit together you see the letter "A," your parietal lobe
words). Sensory Processing: The parietal lobe helps you helps you understand it as a letter, so
process and make sense of what you feel, like you can read words and sentences
when you touch something hot or cold. It also correctly Understanding Where You Are:
helps you understand things you see or hear and If you’re walking through your classroom
figure out where things are in space. Reading and and trying to find your desk, your
Writing: The parietal lobe helps you with reading parietal lobe helps you understand
and writing by helping you recognize where things are in the
