Beginning Literacy
Features of printed text; usually divided into four categories: books, sentences, words, and letters.
concepts of print
A cumulative display of words related to a particular topic, to an interest, or to a structural or phonetic feature.
word wall
A response in which students turn a story into a play by writing the script and then reading (or performing) the play. It also helps to improve fluency.
readers theater
The third part of process writing, during which students examine their work in terms of such things as ideas, organization, word choice, flow, and voice and make changes to improve each of these
revising
Intervention instruction that is taught in the classroom and is directly related to the core instructional program that is being used.
Tier I Intervention
The process of automatically, smoothly, and accurately reading words.
Fluency
Words that students learn to recognize automatically
sight words
Daily records of what a student has learned that help students remember information; it does not include a response.
learning logs
The final stage in process writing, involving two steps; students make a final copy and put their writing in a form for sharing with others.
publishing
The part of the literacy program that all students need; it should be high-quality and use research-based approaches
core instruction
The assumption that each speech sound has a corresponding graphic representation.
alphabetic principle
Words, often from another language, from which other words are derived and are bound morphemes in that they cannot stand alone in English
root words
An individual or group response to literature that involves such things as art, music, or drama.
creative response
In spelling development, the period when the child is associating letters and sounds but not yet using entirely conventional spelling. This phase should not last beyond first grade.
invented spelling
Intervention designed for the struggling reader with the most severe needs. A reading or other learning specialist does a thorough diagnosis and usually provides the instruction, often on an individual basis. It is in addition to core instruction.
Tier III intervention
In decoding, using letter-sound relationships in known words to figure out the probable pronunciation of unfamiliar words.
analogy
Looking at related words (concepts) in terms of similarities, contrasts, or shared characteristics.
semantic feature analysis
Response journals in which another person (teacher or peer) reads and responds in writing to the student's writing.
dialogue journals
During this writing phase, students spell most words correctly.
A program in which struggling readers leave the classroom for instruction provided by another teacher, usually a reading specialist.
pullout program
A pattern of instruction or classroom activity that is used over and over again.
routine
Planning explicit lessons to teach specific words, information, concepts, or skills.
direct teaching
retelling
These characteristics of good writing include ideas, organization, voice, word choice, sentence fluency, and conventions.
(writing) traits
The expected amount of growth that students should make in reading during one school year. For struggling readers to catch up, they must make more than this amount.
adequate yearly progress (AYP)