STR (Science of Teaching Reading) Exam
Questions with 100% Correct Answers
Latest Versions 2025 Graded A+
phonemic awareness
the understanding that words are comprised of individual sounds
fluency
mastery of the skill of phonemic awareness to the point of
automaticity
systematic phonics
an accurate written code that translates sounds into a visual
image
vocabulary development
learning the meaning of new words and morphemes through
direct and indirect instruction and developing tools to discover the
meaning of an unknown word.
comprehension skills
strategies a reader may employ to better comprehend a text
phonemic awareness
the ability to identify and manipulate individual sounds
(phonemes). Student's skill in phonological awareness is a good
predictor of later reading success or difficulty
phonemes
any of the distinct units of sound in a specified language that
distinguish one word from another. Example: p, b, d, and t in the
words pad, pat, bad, and bat. (letter sounds)
phonics
a method of teaching people to read by correlating sounds with
letters or groups of letters in an alphabetic writing system
high frequency words
,words that appear most often in printed text and can be
recognized by sight more than 50% of printed words
syllabication
the division of words into syllables
morphemes
minimal grammatical units of a language, each constituting a word
or meaningful part of a word, that cannot be divided into smaller
independent grammatical.
automaticity
The fast effortless word recognition that comes with a great deal
of reading practice. Refers to only accurate, speedy, word
recognition, not to reading with expression. It is necessary, but
not sufficient for fluency.
reading fluency
the ability to read with speed, accuracy, and proper expression.
reading accuracy
refers to the ability of students to instantly , automatically, and
correctly recognize most of the words they are reading
rate
simply, words read per minute. Involves the automaticity of
reading. The more automatic reading is, the higher the rate will
be. It is measured by counting the number of words in a specific
passage and timing the reader.
prosody
the defining feature of expressive reading, comprises all of the
variables of timing, phrasing, and emphasis.
In order for children to be ready to read....
......the relevant parts of their brains (visual- and speech-
processing centers) must be sufficiently developed; they must
also have a high enough level of phonological (sound) awareness
to understand relationships between sounds and letters/groups of
,letters. If the second condition is not met, children will struggle to
read, regardless of their age
a program must teach letter-sound relationships
in a clearly defined sequence, with simpler, more straightforward
skills being introduced before more complex ones, and concepts
gradually building upon one another.
embedded phonics instruction
in which letter-sound relationships are discussed inconsistently
and only in the context of specific words. When phonics is taught
haphazardly, important letter-sound correspondences (particularly
ones involving vowels) will almost certainly be overlooked, leading
to gaps in children's knowledge.
systematic phonics
teaching phonics in a systematic manner from part to whole, letter
sound to word. Relieves children of having to juggle more
concepts than they can manage by providing a logical sequence
in which concepts are continually reiterated, applied, and built on.
Phonics should not be taught in isolation; to be fully effective, it
must also be integrated with other subjects (e.g., writing), and
children must be given ample opportunity to practice applying
their skills.
The Simple View
the accepted model of reading within the mainstream scientific
community. It states that:
Reading = Decoding Ability (connecting strings of letters to
words) x Aural Comprehension (including vocabulary, syntax,
and background knowledge).
Note that reading the product rather than the sum of the two
parts: if either is missing, a child cannot read. By definition,
reading includes a visual component: a (non-visually impaired)
child who cannot decode, cannot read—no matter how well they
, understand spoken language. Likewise, it does not matter how
well a child can literally decipher words if they cannot understand
the meaning. Both parts must be present.. An understanding
of the simple view is crucial to diagnosing reading
difficulties, which can come from either the decoding or the
comprehension side, or both.
The simple view is also crucial because it indicates that an
effective reading program must explicitly develop both
decoding ability and broad comprehension skills (including
vocabulary and general knowledge) simultaneously.
Phonemic Awareness importance
Phonemic awareness is the ability to identify the individual sounds
that make up words.
For example, the word dog has three phonemes: d, aw, and g.
The word shape also has three phonemes: sh, ay, and p.
This is an aural skill only—it does not involve letters or words.
Phonemic awareness is perhaps the most crucial pre-reading
skill: if children cannot consistently identify, distinguish
between, and/or manipulate sounds, they will struggle to
connect them to letters and groups of letters, making
phonics ineffective.
Recognizing vowel sounds—particularly short vowels—is
especially challenging for many children.
the underlying aural issue must be addressed in order for
progress to be made with written language. Children will need to
practice blending (putting together), segmenting (taking apart)
and manipulating (changing and substituting) sounds.
Note that breaking words down into phonemes is not a natural
skill—in everyday speech, sounds are frequently elided, dropped,
or pronounced unclearly—and that some children may need
Questions with 100% Correct Answers
Latest Versions 2025 Graded A+
phonemic awareness
the understanding that words are comprised of individual sounds
fluency
mastery of the skill of phonemic awareness to the point of
automaticity
systematic phonics
an accurate written code that translates sounds into a visual
image
vocabulary development
learning the meaning of new words and morphemes through
direct and indirect instruction and developing tools to discover the
meaning of an unknown word.
comprehension skills
strategies a reader may employ to better comprehend a text
phonemic awareness
the ability to identify and manipulate individual sounds
(phonemes). Student's skill in phonological awareness is a good
predictor of later reading success or difficulty
phonemes
any of the distinct units of sound in a specified language that
distinguish one word from another. Example: p, b, d, and t in the
words pad, pat, bad, and bat. (letter sounds)
phonics
a method of teaching people to read by correlating sounds with
letters or groups of letters in an alphabetic writing system
high frequency words
,words that appear most often in printed text and can be
recognized by sight more than 50% of printed words
syllabication
the division of words into syllables
morphemes
minimal grammatical units of a language, each constituting a word
or meaningful part of a word, that cannot be divided into smaller
independent grammatical.
automaticity
The fast effortless word recognition that comes with a great deal
of reading practice. Refers to only accurate, speedy, word
recognition, not to reading with expression. It is necessary, but
not sufficient for fluency.
reading fluency
the ability to read with speed, accuracy, and proper expression.
reading accuracy
refers to the ability of students to instantly , automatically, and
correctly recognize most of the words they are reading
rate
simply, words read per minute. Involves the automaticity of
reading. The more automatic reading is, the higher the rate will
be. It is measured by counting the number of words in a specific
passage and timing the reader.
prosody
the defining feature of expressive reading, comprises all of the
variables of timing, phrasing, and emphasis.
In order for children to be ready to read....
......the relevant parts of their brains (visual- and speech-
processing centers) must be sufficiently developed; they must
also have a high enough level of phonological (sound) awareness
to understand relationships between sounds and letters/groups of
,letters. If the second condition is not met, children will struggle to
read, regardless of their age
a program must teach letter-sound relationships
in a clearly defined sequence, with simpler, more straightforward
skills being introduced before more complex ones, and concepts
gradually building upon one another.
embedded phonics instruction
in which letter-sound relationships are discussed inconsistently
and only in the context of specific words. When phonics is taught
haphazardly, important letter-sound correspondences (particularly
ones involving vowels) will almost certainly be overlooked, leading
to gaps in children's knowledge.
systematic phonics
teaching phonics in a systematic manner from part to whole, letter
sound to word. Relieves children of having to juggle more
concepts than they can manage by providing a logical sequence
in which concepts are continually reiterated, applied, and built on.
Phonics should not be taught in isolation; to be fully effective, it
must also be integrated with other subjects (e.g., writing), and
children must be given ample opportunity to practice applying
their skills.
The Simple View
the accepted model of reading within the mainstream scientific
community. It states that:
Reading = Decoding Ability (connecting strings of letters to
words) x Aural Comprehension (including vocabulary, syntax,
and background knowledge).
Note that reading the product rather than the sum of the two
parts: if either is missing, a child cannot read. By definition,
reading includes a visual component: a (non-visually impaired)
child who cannot decode, cannot read—no matter how well they
, understand spoken language. Likewise, it does not matter how
well a child can literally decipher words if they cannot understand
the meaning. Both parts must be present.. An understanding
of the simple view is crucial to diagnosing reading
difficulties, which can come from either the decoding or the
comprehension side, or both.
The simple view is also crucial because it indicates that an
effective reading program must explicitly develop both
decoding ability and broad comprehension skills (including
vocabulary and general knowledge) simultaneously.
Phonemic Awareness importance
Phonemic awareness is the ability to identify the individual sounds
that make up words.
For example, the word dog has three phonemes: d, aw, and g.
The word shape also has three phonemes: sh, ay, and p.
This is an aural skill only—it does not involve letters or words.
Phonemic awareness is perhaps the most crucial pre-reading
skill: if children cannot consistently identify, distinguish
between, and/or manipulate sounds, they will struggle to
connect them to letters and groups of letters, making
phonics ineffective.
Recognizing vowel sounds—particularly short vowels—is
especially challenging for many children.
the underlying aural issue must be addressed in order for
progress to be made with written language. Children will need to
practice blending (putting together), segmenting (taking apart)
and manipulating (changing and substituting) sounds.
Note that breaking words down into phonemes is not a natural
skill—in everyday speech, sounds are frequently elided, dropped,
or pronounced unclearly—and that some children may need
