Praxis Elem CKT Reading/LA key terms

The ability to hear, identify, and manipulate individual speech sounds in spoken words, such as noticing that 'cat' has three sounds. It is auditory only and does not involve printed letters.

The smallest unit of sound that distinguishes one word from another in a language, as the /b/ and /k/ in 'bat' and 'cat'. Phonemes are sounds, not letters.

The broader awareness of sound structure in language, covering syllables, rhymes, onsets and rimes, and individual phonemes. It develops along a continuum and is a strong predictor of later reading success.

Instruction in the predictable relationships between letters or letter patterns and the sounds they represent, used to decode and spell words. It connects printed symbols to speech sounds.

A written letter or group of letters that represents a single phoneme, such as 'sh' in 'ship' or 'igh' in 'light'. Graphemes may contain more than one letter.

The process of converting printed words into spoken words by applying letter-sound knowledge and patterns. Accurate decoding frees attention for comprehension.

The reverse of decoding: translating spoken words into written form by segmenting sounds and selecting the letters that represent them. It is central to spelling development.

The two parts of a syllable: the onset is the initial consonant or consonants, and the rime is the vowel plus everything after it. In 'string', 'str' is the onset and 'ing' the rime.

A unit of pronunciation containing one vowel sound, which may be surrounded by consonants. Words can be divided into syllables to support decoding and spelling of longer words.

Reading accurately, at an appropriate rate, and with suitable expression. Fluent reading allows a reader to focus attention on meaning rather than on word recognition.

The rhythmic and melodic features of oral reading, including pitch, stress, and phrasing. Appropriate prosody signals that a reader is constructing meaning from text.

The construction of meaning from text by integrating prior knowledge with information in the text. It is the goal of reading and depends on both word recognition and language understanding.

A reader's organized background knowledge about a topic, event, or text structure. Activating relevant schema before reading helps students connect new information to what they already know.

A conclusion drawn by combining clues in the text with the reader's background knowledge, rather than from an explicitly stated fact. Teaching students to support inferences with evidence strengthens comprehension.

Awareness and regulation of one's own thinking while reading, such as noticing a loss of meaning and choosing to reread or slow down. It underlies strategic reading behavior.

An instructional technique in which a teacher or student voices thoughts while reading to model or reveal comprehension strategies. It makes invisible cognitive processes observable to learners.

Careful examination of a reader's oral reading errors to determine whether they are meaning-based, structure-based, or visual, and whether the reader self-corrects. It informs responsive instruction.

An assessment in which a teacher records a student's oral reading of a leveled passage, marking accurate, substituted, omitted, and inserted words to calculate an accuracy rate and analyze errors.

Ongoing checks of student learning during instruction that inform immediate teaching decisions. Examples include exit tickets, observation notes, and quick oral reading checks.

Planning instruction so that content, process, or product is adjusted to students' readiness, interests, and learning profiles. In literacy it may mean flexible grouping and varied text levels.

Temporary support provided to help a learner accomplish a task just beyond independent ability, gradually withdrawn as competence grows. Examples include modeling, prompts, and graphic organizers.

The range of tasks a learner can complete with guidance but not yet alone. Instruction aimed at this range, with appropriate support, promotes growth more than independent practice alone.

The principle that a digit's value depends on its position in a number, so that in 4,072 the 4 means four thousands and the 7 means seven tens. It underpins the base-ten number system.

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

Renaming a quantity across place values, such as trading one ten for ten ones when subtracting. Often called borrowing or carrying, it is a key step in multidigit computation.

An intuitive understanding of quantity, magnitude, and the relationships among numbers, including flexibility in decomposing and combining them. It supports estimation and mental computation.

A physical object such as counters, tiles, or fraction strips used to model mathematical ideas. Manipulatives bridge concrete experience and abstract symbols when used purposefully.

A step-by-step procedure that reliably produces a result, such as the standard method for multidigit multiplication. Meaningful instruction connects algorithms to underlying place-value concepts.

Fractions that name the same value even though the numerals differ, such as one-half and two-fourths. Multiplying or dividing numerator and denominator by the same nonzero number creates equivalents.

The process of asking questions, planning investigations, gathering and analyzing data, and constructing explanations. It emphasizes evidence and reasoning rather than memorizing conclusions.

A testable prediction that can be supported or refuted by evidence from an investigation. In elementary classrooms it is often framed as an 'if... then...' statement.

Any factor in an investigation that can change. A fair test manipulates one independent variable while holding other conditions constant to observe the dependent variable's response.

An observation is information gathered directly through the senses or instruments; an inference is an explanation drawn from that evidence. Distinguishing them is a core science practice.

The series of stages an organism passes through from one generation to the next, such as egg, larva, pupa, and adult in a butterfly. Cycles vary widely across plants and animals.

A document, artifact, photograph, or account created by someone who participated in or witnessed an event. It offers direct evidence but reflects the creator's perspective.

An account that interprets or synthesizes primary evidence, such as a textbook or biography. Secondary sources are useful but depend on the evidence and choices of their authors.

The set of skills historians use, including sourcing, contextualizing, corroborating, and identifying point of view. These practices help students evaluate competing accounts of the past.

Involvement in public life through activities such as voting, volunteering, attending public meetings, or contacting officials. Elementary civics connects it to classroom rules and community service.