Basal Readers: Reading textbooks containing stories grouped together by grade level.
Blending: Putting together the sounds of individual letters to say the whole word.
Choral Reading: Teacher and students reading the same text together or slightly after hearing the teacher’s voice.
Comprehension: Constructing meaning from the text – understanding what is read.
Decoding: To translate letters into their sounds in order to sound out words.
Echo Reading: Teacher and students have the same text. The teacher reads a part first, such as a line or a sentence. Students immediately reread the same part.
Fluency: The ability to recognize words in sentences with automaticity. Can refer to the speed and accuracy of reading.
Grapheme: A letter that represents a sound.
Guided Reading: An instructional approach where a teacher works with a small group of students with similar needs.
The teacher chooses a text that provides just enough of a challenge and guides the group to use strategies as they read.
Phoneme: The smallest units of sound -when combined, they form syllables and words.
For example, c-a-t has three phonemes.
Phonemic Awareness: The understanding that the spoken word is made up of a sequence of phonemes. This awareness aids in learning to spell, use phonics, and learn to read.
Phonics: An instructional method used to teach the relationship between the spelling of words and their speech sounds.
Read Alouds: Books read aloud to children for enjoyment and to increase their listening comprehension.
Sight Words: Words a student can recognize and accurately pronounce with automaticity. (Student does not need to sound them out.)