NL Grade 3 Reading key terms

Using letter-sound knowledge to turn printed letters into spoken words. A reader who decodes well can sound out unfamiliar words instead of guessing from pictures or memory.

The set of rules that connect letters and letter groups to the sounds they stand for. Phonics knowledge helps a reader work out words that are new to them.

The matching between a written letter, or group of letters, and the sound it makes in a word. Knowing these matches lets a reader connect print to speech.

Joining the sounds of a word smoothly, one after another, to say the whole word. A reader blends /k/ /a/ /t/ into the spoken word cat.

Breaking a spoken word into its separate sounds. A reader who can segment hears that the word slip is made of four sounds in order.

The smallest single sound in a spoken word. The word ship has three phonemes, even though it is written with four letters.

Two letters that work together to spell one sound. The letters s and h in ship, or c and h in chin, each make a single sound.

Two or more consonant letters in a word whose sounds are each still heard, as in the st of stop or the bl of blue. Unlike a digraph, every letter keeps its sound.

A speech sound made with an open mouth, spelled with a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes y. Every syllable in an English word contains a vowel sound.

A word part spoken with one push of breath, usually built around one vowel sound. Clapping the parts of rab-bit shows two syllables.

A word part added to the front of a base word that changes its meaning. Adding un- to happy makes unhappy, meaning not happy.

A word part added to the end of a base word that changes its meaning or its job in a sentence. Adding -ful to care makes careful.

The main word that is left when prefixes and suffixes are removed. Readers use the base word to figure out the meaning of a longer word.

Words or sentences around an unknown word that help a reader guess its meaning. A nearby example or explanation often acts as the clue.

A word that means almost the same thing as another word. Big and large are synonyms, so one can stand in for the other in a sentence.

A word that means the opposite of another word. Hot and cold are antonyms, and so are early and late.

A word that has more than one dictionary meaning. The word bat can name a flying animal or a stick used to hit a ball.

One of two or more words that sound the same but are spelled differently and mean different things. Dear and deer are homophones.

The everyday, exact meaning of words, without any imaginative comparison. Someone who says it is raining cats and dogs is not speaking literally.

Word use that goes beyond exact, everyday meaning to create a picture or feeling. Similes, metaphors, and idioms are kinds of figurative language.

A common saying whose meaning cannot be worked out from the single words. Under the weather means feeling sick, not standing below rain clouds.

The most important point a text is about, stated or unstated. A reader who can name the main idea can sum up the whole passage in one sentence.

A fact, example, or reason in a text that tells more about the main idea. Details answer questions a reader has about the main point.

A short retelling that gives only the most important ideas and events of a text. A good summary leaves out small details and keeps the order clear.

A sentence, often the first in a paragraph, that tells what the paragraph is mostly about. The rest of the paragraph explains or supports it.

A group of sentences about one idea, set apart from other groups by an indent or a space. Each paragraph usually has its own topic sentence.

The way an author organizes information in a text, such as by time order, cause and effect, or comparison. The structure helps a reader follow the ideas.

A text structure that shows how two or more things are alike and how they are different. Signal words include both, also, unlike, and however.

A text structure that explains why something happened and what resulted. Signal words include because, so, and as a result.

The order in which events or steps happen in a text. Signal words such as first, next, then, and finally make the sequence easy to follow.

The reason an author writes a text, such as to inform, to persuade, or to entertain. The purpose shapes what the author includes and how it is worded.

A person or animal that takes part in a story. A reader learns about a character from what the character says, does, and thinks.

The time and place in which a story happens. Details about weather, season, or surroundings often tell the reader the setting.

The events of a story, told in the order they happen, including the problem and how it is solved. The plot usually builds to a high point.

A pattern in stories and informational texts in which a difficulty is described and then answered. Readers look for what went wrong and how it was fixed.

To say or write the important parts of a story again in your own words. A retell usually includes the characters, the setting, and the main events in order.

A conclusion a reader reaches by joining clues in the text with what the reader already knows. The answer is not stated directly in the words.

Words, sentences, or details in a text that support an answer or idea. A reader points to evidence to show why a conclusion is reasonable.

A thoughtful guess about what will happen next, based on clues in the text and the reader's own knowledge. A prediction can be checked as reading continues.