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​Glossary of Terms

  • Science of Reading (SOR)
A body of research gathered from various fields of study over many decades that informs us on the process by which children learn to read. The science of reading emphasizes explicit instruction, modeling, guidance, and practice with a focus on phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.
 

  • Scarborough’s Reading Rope
A metaphor illustrating the reading skills that help a child become a strong reader. Language comprehension and decoding, the two primary skills, are broken down into strands of subskills. The comprehension subskills are background knowledge, vocabulary knowledge, language structures, verbal reasoning, and literacy knowledge. As the reader masters the strands, he or she becomes increasingly strategic. Decoding is made up of the subskills of phonological awareness, decoding and spelling, and sight recognition. With practice, these “strands” will become increasingly automatic. Development of the strands creates strong reading ability, in other words, a strong, tight rope.

  • Phonics
The relationship between the written letters of the alphabet and their correlating sounds. Decoding, or sounding-out, is when we use the relationship to translate a printed word into a spoken one.

  • Phonological awareness
Phonological awareness is the ability to recognize and hear distinct sounds, syllables, and words, and manipulate these sounds in the spoken language. Phonological awareness is a foundational skill for reading and writing.   
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  • Print awareness
The awareness that printed text has rules, such as directionality (reading left to right, and from the top of the page to the bottom), punctuation, alphabet and word awareness, awareness of upper and lowercase letters, and that print carries meaning.

  • Decoding
Also known as "sounding out", it is the process by which a child reads by identifying the letter symbol, links that symbol to the sound it makes, and blends the sounds together to read the word.

  • Sight Word Recognition
Words that are expected to be recognized instantly and effortlessly, without having to decode them. Sight words may be common words or words that are not easily decodable. Knowledge of sight words increases the speed and fluency of reading. 

  • Fluency
Fluency is the ability to read accurately, smoothly, at an appropriate pace, and with proper expression without having to rely on consciously decoding or the other mechanics of reading.

  • Background Knowledge
Also called prior knowledge, this is the information that a child already knows about a topic, a word, or a concept. When a connection is made between background knowledge and new information, it is easier for a child to synthesize the new material.

  • Text-to-Self, Text-to-World, Text-to-Text Strategy
This exercise helps activate a child's background knowledge to increase reading comprehension by asking them to make connections between the text they are reading and their personal experiences; the text and the real world, and the text and other books that they've read.

  • Vocabulary
Vocabulary is the words we need to know in order to communicate on any given topic or content area. Vocabulary is more than just the definition of a word, but also how the word can be used in various contexts.

  • Comprehension
Reading comprehension is the ability to read text, process it, and make meaning from it. Language comprehension, which creates the upper strands of Scarborough's Reading Rope, is the intertwining of vocabulary, background knowledge, language structure, verbal reasoning, and literacy knowledge.

  • Language structure
 The way that words and sentences are arranged in a language to create various meanings.
 
  • Syntax
The grammatical order of words particular to a language. We begin learning the syntax during infancy through the conversations happening around us and with us. Children with spoken language disorders may not intuitively learn correct syntax.
 
  • Semantics
The understanding of word meanings within a language.
 
  • Verbal reasoning
The ability to make meaning from speech and text, to understand concepts, and obtain information through interaction with the language.
 
  • Literal language
Words that are used exactly as they are conventionally defined.
 
  • Figurative language
Using words or phrases, not as they are literally defined, but to convey other meanings. Figures of speech such as metaphors, idioms, and analogies are examples of figurative language.
 
  • Literacy knowledge
An upper strand of the Scarborough Reading Rope, literacy knowledge is everything that a reader knows about language and books.
 
  • Imaginative/Literary text
Creative writing which is meant to entertain the reader. Examples include picture books, fiction, plays, poetry, etc.
 
  • Informational/Expository text
Non-fiction text the purpose of which is to inform, explain, teach, or persuade. Examples include textbooks, news articles, biographies, etc.