Literacy Foundations

Question 1

Phoneme

Answer 1

A single, smallest unit of sound in a word

Question 2

Phonetics

Answer 2

The study of human speech sounds

Question 3

Phonology

Answer 3

The system and pattern of sounds in a language

Question 4

Phonics

Answer 4

The relationships between written letters and the sounds they represent

Question 5

Morphology

Answer 5

The study of word parts (roots, prefixes, suffixes) that carry meaning

Question 6

Orthography

Answer 6

The correct spelling system and conventions of a language

Question 7

Syntax

Answer 7

The rules for ordering words into phrases, clauses, and sentences

Question 8

Semantics

Answer 8

The meanings of words and phrases in context

Question 9

Pragmatics

Answer 9

The social rules for using language appropriately in real situations

Question 10

Segmentation

Answer 10

Recognizing the boundaries between words, syllables, or phonemes in speech

Question 11

Phonemic Awareness

Answer 11

The ability to hear and manipulate individual phonemes in spoken words

Question 12

Fluency

Answer 12

Reading with speed, accuracy, and proper expression

Question 13

Vocabulary

Answer 13

The body of words a person understands (oral and written)

Question 14

Reading Comprehension

Answer 14

Understanding and making meaning from text

Question 15

Alphabetic Knowledge

Answer 15

Recognizing, naming, and forming upper- and lowercase letters

Question 16

Alphabetic Principle

Answer 16

Knowing that phonemes are represented by graphemes (letters or letter combos)

Question 17

Concepts of Print

Answer 17

Awareness that print carries meaning and follows predictable formats

Question 18

Print Carries Meaning

Answer 18

Text—on signs, labels, books—communicates messages

Question 19

Letter-Word-Sentence

Answer 19

Understanding that letters form words and words form sentences

Question 20

Book Orientation

Answer 20

Holding a book correctly and knowing front/back, title page, and page order

Question 21

Directionality & Tracking

Answer 21

Reading from left to right, top to bottom, with a return sweep

Question 22

Silent e Rule

Answer 22

Drop a final silent “e” when adding a vowel-initial suffix (hope → hoping)

Question 23

Double Final Consonant

Answer 23

When a short vowel word ends CVC, double the final consonant before a suffix (run → running)

Question 24

Precommunicative Spelling

Answer 24

Random letters show no sound correspondence

Question 25

Semiphonetic Spelling

Answer 25

Single letters may stand for words or sounds; some sound-to-letter knowledge

Question 26

Phonetic Spelling

Answer 26

Letters (or groups) represent every heard sound, though not always conventionally

Question 27

Transitional Spelling

Answer 27

Uses sound clues plus common visual patterns; mixes correct and invented spellings

Question 28

Conventional Spelling

Answer 28

Applies spelling rules and morphology; spellings are mostly correct

Question 29

Word Webs & Families

Answer 29

Graphic webs that group words by common spelling patterns

Question 30

Rhyming Activities

Answer 30

Games that focus on words sharing ending sounds to build phonemic awareness

Question 31

Root/Prefix/Suffix ID

Answer 31

Finding morphemes to decode meaning and spelling

Question 32

Word Building

Answer 32

Manipulating letter parts to form new words (e.g., at → cat, hat, mat)

Question 33

Phonological/Alphabet Games

Answer 33

Interactive games that reinforce sound–letter correspondences

Question 34

Word Walls

Answer 34

Displayed collections of sight words, irregular words, and patterns for daily reference

Question 35

Multisensory Techniques

Answer 35

Using sight, sound, and movement (e.g., tracing letters in sand) to reinforce spelling

Question 36

Daily Word Recognition Drills

Answer 36

Quick, repeated practice of sight words and patterns for automaticity

Question 37

Explicit Spelling Rules

Answer 37

Direct teaching of rules like “i before e” or suffix patterns

Question 38

Etymology

Answer 38

Studying Greek and Latin origins to deepen spelling and vocabulary

Question 39

Prefixes and Suffixes

Answer 39

Attaching affixes to roots to expand and decode word meanings

Question 40

Homophones

Answer 40

Words that sound alike but have different meanings and spellings (e.g., their/there)

Question 41

Contractions

Answer 41

Shortened forms where letters are omitted and an apostrophe added (do not → don’t)

Question 42

Commonly Confused Words

Answer 42

Word pairs often misused due to similar spelling or sound (affect/effect)

Question 43

CVC Pattern

Answer 43

A consonant-vowel-consonant structure that signals a short-vowel sound (cat, bat)

Question 44

Blending

Answer 44

The phonemic skill of combining individual sounds to pronounce a word

Question 45

Identification

Answer 45

Recognizing the same sound in different words (/ch/ in church and witch)

Question 46

Categorization

Answer 46

Grouping words by shared phonemes or spelling patterns

Question 47

Structural Analysis

Answer 47

Using roots, prefixes, and suffixes to determine word meaning (inactive = in + active)

Question 48

Prosody

Answer 48

The expressive timing, phrasing, and intonation of fluent oral reading

Question 49

Active Listening

Answer 49

Restating a speaker’s key points to show accurate understanding

Question 50

Shared Reading

Answer 50

Interactive whole-class reading where students read enlarged text with the teacher

Question 51

Retell

Answer 51

Restating a story’s events to demonstrate comprehension

Question 52

Inferential Comprehension

Answer 52

Making judgments that go beyond the text’s literal words

Question 53

Context Clues

Answer 53

Using surrounding text or pictures to determine an unknown word’s meaning

Question 54

Prewriting

Answer 54

Planning ideas, audience, and purpose before drafting a piece of writing

Question 55

Graphic Organizer

Answer 55

A visual tool (chart, web, timeline) that helps structure and analyze information