Reading/Writing Terms

Automaticity: fluent processing of information that requires little effort or attention, as sign word recognition

Balanced Reading: program that includes phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and motivation

Clustering: grouping of information to help students organize their thinking

Comprehension: construction of the meaning of a written or spoken communication

Context Clues: provide information from the immediate textual setting that helps identify a word or word group

Decoding: process of converting a coded message (words) into thought (comprehension)

Fluency: ability to read with speed, accuracy, proper expression, and comprehension

Metacognition: awareness and knowledge of one’s mental processes

Miscue analysis: formal examination of the use of miscues as the basis for determining the strengths and weaknesses in the prior knowledge and language skills of students as they read

Phoneme: smallest unit of sound

Phonemic Awareness: understanding that speech consists of a series of small sound parts

Phonics: association of speech sounds with printed symbols

Scaffolding: support and guidance provided that helps a student function on a higher level

Schema: unit of organized knowledge

Schemata: organizing system of the mind that contains information about the surrounding environment

Sight Words: words taught as a whole because they are phonically irregular or are important to learn before students have the ability to decode

Syntax: study of how sentences are formed and of the grammatical rules that govern their formation