ORELA Elementary Education (NT102) key terms

The ability to hear and manipulate individual speech sounds in spoken words, such as blending, segmenting, and deleting sounds. It is oral and does not involve printed letters.

The smallest unit of spoken sound that distinguishes one word from another, as the /b/ in bat versus the /k/ in cat. English has roughly 44 phonemes.

An approach to reading instruction that teaches the predictable relationships between letters or letter patterns and the sounds they represent, used to decode unfamiliar printed words.

A written letter or group of letters that represents a single phoneme, such as b, sh, or igh. Mapping graphemes to phonemes is the core of phonics instruction.

Applying knowledge of letter-sound correspondences to sound out and pronounce written words. It is the complement of encoding and is central to early reading development.

Turning spoken words into written form by selecting letters that match the sounds heard, as in spelling. It draws on the same letter-sound knowledge used in decoding.

Reading text accurately, at an appropriate rate, and with suitable expression. Fluent reading frees attention for comprehension rather than word-by-word decoding.

The rhythmic and melodic features of oral reading, including stress, pitch, and pauses. Appropriate prosody signals that a reader understands phrase and sentence structure.

The stage at which word recognition occurs quickly and with little conscious effort. It develops through repeated practice and supports fluent, comprehending reading.

The body of words a reader or listener understands and uses. Breadth and depth of word knowledge strongly predict reading comprehension across content areas.

Information surrounding an unfamiliar word, such as definitions, examples, or contrasts, that helps a reader infer its meaning. Useful for building vocabulary during reading.

The study of word structure, including roots, prefixes, and suffixes. Morphological knowledge helps students figure out meanings of unfamiliar multisyllable words.

The smallest meaningful unit of language, such as the base word play or the suffix -ed. Some morphemes are free-standing words; others must attach to a base.

A morpheme attached to a base or root word to change its meaning or grammatical function, such as a prefix, suffix, or infix. Examples include un- and -ness.

The central point a text conveys about its topic, often stated in a topic sentence or implied across paragraphs. Identifying it is a foundational comprehension skill.

A fact, example, or reason that explains, develops, or provides evidence for a text's main idea. Details help readers judge whether a claim is well supported.

A conclusion drawn by combining text information with prior knowledge when the author does not state the point directly. It requires evidence-based reasoning.

A brief restatement of a text's key ideas and essential details in the reader's own words. A good summary omits minor information and preserves overall meaning.

The organizational pattern an author uses, such as compare-contrast, cause-effect, sequence, or problem-solution. Recognizing structure supports comprehension and recall of content.

Nonfiction writing that explains, informs, or describes a topic using facts and logical organization. It contrasts with narrative text, which tells a story.

Writing that recounts events through characters, setting, and plot, often with conflict and resolution. Understanding story elements aids comprehension of fiction.

The underlying message or insight about life that a literary work conveys, stated or implied. Theme differs from plot, which is the sequence of events.

The recursive stages writers move through, typically prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. Instruction teaches students to revisit stages as needed.

Reworking a draft's content and organization, such as clarifying ideas, adding detail, or restructuring paragraphs. It addresses meaning and is distinct from editing for mechanics.

Correcting a draft for conventions such as grammar, spelling, punctuation, and capitalization. It typically follows revision, once content decisions are settled.

The value a digit has because of its position in a numeral, as the 3 in 342 means three hundreds. Understanding it underpins multi-digit computation and regrouping.

Trading units across place values, such as exchanging ten ones for one ten or borrowing one ten for ten ones. It makes standard addition and subtraction algorithms work.

Manipulatives representing ones, tens, hundreds, and thousands as small cubes, rods, flats, and large cubes. They make place value and regrouping concrete for students.

A line marked with evenly spaced points representing numbers, used to model order, addition, subtraction, and fractions. It supports reasoning about magnitude and distance.

A number representing part of a whole or a point on the number line, written as a numerator over a denominator. Fractions express division and ratios.

Fractions that name the same value despite different numerators and denominators, such as 1/2 and 2/4. Multiplying or dividing numerator and denominator by the same number produces them.

A shared multiple of the denominators of two or more fractions, used to compare, add, or subtract them. The least common denominator is the smallest such multiple.

A base-ten numeral using a decimal point to represent values less than one, such as 0.75. Decimal place values mirror whole-number places to the right of the point.

A comparison of two quantities by division, often written as a to b, a:b, or a/b. Ratios express relative size rather than absolute amounts.

An equation stating that two ratios are equal, such as 3/4 = 9/12. Proportions are solved by cross-multiplying or scaling both quantities equally.

A rate expressed per one unit of a quantity, such as miles per gallon or cost per item. Unit rates simplify comparisons and support proportional reasoning.

The amount of two-dimensional surface a shape covers, measured in square units. For rectangles it equals length times width; composite figures require decomposing into simpler shapes.

The distance around the outside of a closed two-dimensional figure, measured in linear units. It is found by adding side lengths or applying formulas for regular shapes.

The amount of three-dimensional space a solid figure occupies, measured in cubic units. For rectangular prisms it equals length times width times height.

The arithmetic average of a data set, found by dividing the sum of all values by the number of values. It is sensitive to extreme values called outliers.

The middle value of a data set arranged in order, or the average of the two middle values when the count is even. It is less affected by outliers than the mean.

The value that occurs most frequently in a data set. A set may have no mode, one mode, or several modes, and the mode need not be a number.