MTEL Reading Specialist (62) key terms

The ability to notice and work with the sound structure of spoken language, including syllables, rhymes, and individual sounds, without reference to print. It is the broad umbrella that includes phonemic awareness.

The most specific level of phonological awareness: the ability to hear, isolate, blend, segment, and manipulate individual phonemes in spoken words, such as identifying the first sound in 'sun'.

A phonemic awareness task in which a listener breaks a spoken word into its separate sounds, saying /k/ /a/ /t/ for 'cat'. It predicts early decoding success and is often assessed with counters or tapping.

A phonemic awareness task in which a listener combines separately spoken sounds into a whole word, as when hearing /m/ /a/ /p/ and saying 'map'. It supports sounding out unfamiliar words during reading.

Instruction in the predictable relationships between letters or letter patterns and the sounds they represent, used to help readers decode and encode words. It differs from phonological awareness because it involves printed letters.

The understanding that spoken words are made of sounds and that letters or letter groups systematically represent those sounds. It is the conceptual foundation that phonics instruction builds upon.

The process of translating printed letters and letter patterns into the sounds of spoken language to recognize or pronounce a written word. Accurate, automatic decoding frees attention for comprehension.

The reverse of decoding: using knowledge of letter-sound relationships to translate spoken words into written spelling. Encoding tasks reveal how firmly a student has internalized phonics patterns.

A reader's stored memory of how words and letter patterns are conventionally written, including allowable sequences and common spellings. It allows fast word recognition without sounding out every letter.

Words a reader recognizes instantly and effortlessly by sight, without conscious decoding. These include high-frequency irregular words and any word read so often that it has become automatic.

Reading with appropriate accuracy, rate, and expression so that attention is freed for meaning. Fluency is often measured by words correct per minute plus prosody ratings and is a bridge to comprehension.

The stage at which word recognition requires little conscious effort, allowing the reader to devote working memory to comprehension. It develops through repeated, successful practice with connected text.

The rhythmic and melodic features of oral reading, including phrasing, stress, intonation, and pauses. Appropriate prosody signals that a reader is constructing meaning rather than merely calling words.

The number of different words a student understands, at least at a surface level. Breadth supports general comprehension, while depth concerns how well each word is known.

How thoroughly and flexibly a student knows a word: its multiple meanings, connotations, grammatical behavior, and relationships to other words. Depth supports nuanced comprehension and precise writing.

A framework that sorts words into tiers: basic everyday words, general academic words used across subjects, and domain-specific technical terms. Instruction typically prioritizes Tier 2 and Tier 3 words.

Words and phrases that appear frequently across content areas but are not common in casual conversation, such as 'analyze', 'evidence', or 'contrast'. They are high-leverage targets for explicit instruction.

The study of the smallest meaningful units of language, called morphemes, and how they combine into words. Morphological instruction helps students infer meanings of unfamiliar multisyllabic words.

The smallest unit of meaning in a word, such as a root, prefix, or suffix. For example, 'unhelpful' contains three morphemes: un-, help, and -ful.

A word-identification strategy in which a reader uses knowledge of prefixes, suffixes, roots, and compound structure to break an unfamiliar word into meaningful parts and infer its meaning.

Information surrounding an unfamiliar word in text, such as definitions, examples, contrasts, or cause-effect relationships, that a reader uses to infer the word's meaning.

A graphic organizer that shows relationships among words or concepts, such as categories, synonyms, and examples. It builds vocabulary depth by connecting new words to known knowledge.

A reader's ongoing awareness of whether meaning is being constructed successfully, plus the repair strategies used when it is not, such as rereading or slowing down.

Thinking about one's own thinking; in reading, the reader's awareness of purpose, strategy use, and comprehension success. It underlies self-regulation and transfer of strategies to new texts.

Specific actions a reader takes when comprehension breaks down, such as rereading, reading ahead, adjusting rate, using context, or seeking clarification. They are taught explicitly alongside monitoring.

A small-group discussion routine in which students take turns leading dialogue using four strategies: predicting, questioning, clarifying, and summarizing. It builds comprehension and metacognitive control.

A modeling or assessment technique in which a reader speaks aloud the thoughts and strategies used while reading. Teachers use it to make invisible comprehension processes visible to students.

A structured teaching approach that includes clear explanation, teacher modeling, guided practice with feedback, and independent application. It is strongly supported for foundational skills and strategy instruction.

An instructional sequence moving from teacher modeling to shared practice to guided practice to independent student work. Responsibility shifts progressively to the learner as competence grows.

Temporary, targeted support that helps a student accomplish a task just beyond independent ability, then is withdrawn as competence develops. Examples include prompts, models, and partially completed organizers.

The range of tasks a learner can complete with assistance but not yet independently. Instruction is most productive when aimed within this range, with appropriate scaffolding.

Planning instruction so that content, process, or product is adjusted to learners' readiness, interests, and profiles. In reading, it often involves flexible grouping and varied text levels.

Temporarily grouping students by instructional need for a specific skill or task, then regrouping as needs change. It contrasts with fixed, long-term ability grouping.

Frequent, brief assessment of a specific skill to determine whether instruction is working and whether adjustments are needed. It is a core component of response-to-intervention frameworks.

A set of brief, standardized, repeatable probes of basic academic skills, such as oral reading fluency or maze selection. Scores are graphed over time to judge growth and instructional response.

A measure of how many words a student reads correctly per minute from grade-level text, often paired with accuracy and prosody ratings. It is a common screening and progress-monitoring tool.

An individually administered assessment using graded passages to determine a student's independent, instructional, and frustration reading levels, often with retelling and comprehension questions.

A detailed record of a child's oral reading in which every response is coded as correct, substituted, inserted, omitted, or self-corrected. Analysis reveals strategy use and instructional needs.

Examination of a reader's deviations from the printed text to infer which cueing systems, meaning, syntax, or visual information, the reader was using. It informs targeted strategy instruction.

A multi-tiered prevention framework in which students receive increasingly intensive, research-based instruction based on screening and progress-monitoring data. Tier decisions are data-driven and reviewed regularly.