A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

Appendix A: Glossary

America Reads Challenge

A national initiative that calls on all Americans schools, preschool programs, libraries, religious institutions, universities, college students, the media, cultural organizations, business leaders, national service programs, and senior citizens -- to ensure that every child can read well and independently by the end of third grade.

AmeriCorps

A national service program that allows people of all ages and backgrounds to spend a year in full-time or part-time service to a community program and earn an education voucher. More than 25,000 AmeriCorps members serve in over 430 programs. AmeriCorps is administered by the Corporation for National Service and by State Commissions.

Basal Reader

A published reading text designed for a grade or age group that supports a comprehensive approach to teaching specific reading skills.

Big Book

Enlarged versions of popular picture books that allow children to easily see and talk about the text and pictures.

Bilingual

Able to communicate in two languages.

Choral Reading

A joint reading technique that helps a child become a more fluent reader by the tutor using a slightly louder tone of voice and slightly faster pace than that of the child.

Consonants

All letters that are not vowels. With the exception of c and g, which have hard and soft sounds, consonants are pronounced consistently in English words.

Consonant Blends

Two or three consecutive consonants, pronounced so that each letter has its own distinct sound (e.g., str, pr, fr, br).

Consonant Digraphs

Two consecutive consonants that represent a single sound (e.g., ch, wh, ck, th). Th can be spoken (there) or silent (thin).

Conventional Reading and Writing

A term used to describe reading and writing as performed by competent readers and writers who conform to standard rules of grammar, punctuation, and language use.

Cues

The information used by readers to understand the meaning in a written text. Language cuing systems include phonics, semantics, syntax, and visual.

Decoding

Using strategies to figure out new words in text.

Drop Everything and Read (DEAR)

A time when every adult and child in the classroom, and sometimes the entire school, stops what they are doing and picks up a book to read for a specified amount of time.

Emergent Literacy

The gradual ongoing process through which young children learn to listen, speak, read, and write.

Fluency

The ability to speak, read aloud, and write language with ease.

High Frequency Sight Words

Words that appear frequently in text such as the, and, be, and are.

Home Language

The first language a child learns and uses at home and in the community.

Invented Spelling

A system used by young children to write words by using some of the sounds heard in spoken words.

Learn and Serve America

A Corporation for National Service grants program that supports teachers and community members who involve young people in service that relates to studies in school. More specifically, Learn and Serve America funds service learning programs in elementary and high schools and in post-secondary settings.

Our Time to Enjoy Reading (OTTER)

A classroom time when children can read books of their own choosing, share their reading with others, and ask questions.

Phonics

The identification of words by their sounds.

Phonemes

The smallest units of speech.

Phonemic Awareness

Recognizing the smallest units of sound that make up spoken language.

Phonograms

Combinations of letters such as ide, ight, tion.

READ*WRITE*NOW

The U.S. Department of Education initiative on reading and writing that is designed to assist families in fostering children's literacy and assist schools and other organizations in improving children's reading and writing abilities. READ*WRITE*NOW includes a special focus on reading during the summer.

Ready*Set*Read

An America Reads Challenge Early Childhood Kit, including booklets for families and caregivers, that focuses on language and literacy activities for children from birth through age five.

Reading is Fundamental (RIF)

The nation's largest and best-known non-profit literacy organization that ensures all children have access to books and the motivation to read them.

Reading Recovery

A one-on-one reading intervention program used by highly trained teachers with first-graders who are having difficulty learning to read.

Reading One-One

A structured reading program designed to increase children's reading performance through one-on-one tutoring provided by trained university students and community volunteers.

Scaffolding

Providing assistance and support incrementally in ways that challenge a child to use his or her skills and knowledge to learn.

Semantics

A cuing system that focuses on the meaning of text and its connection to the reader's prior knowledge.

Senior Corps

The National Senior Service Corps includes the Foster Grandparent Program, Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), and the Senior Companion Program. Administered by the Corporation for National Service, these programs tap the talents of seniors age 55 and over.

Shared Reading

A method for using a shared text (Big Book, language experience chart, or other written material) as a reading learning experience for a group of children or for a tutor with one child.

Silent Consonants

Consonants that have no sound in spoken English (e.g., h in ghost, g in gnat).

Sustained Silent Reading (SSR)

A time of the day when every adult and child in the classroom, and sometimes the entire school, reads silently for a specified period of time.

Syntax

A cuing system that focuses on grammar, how sentences are formed, and the order of the words in a sentence.

Title I

The part of the Federal Improving America's School Act of 1994 that funds extra educational services in basic and advanced skills. Title I is sometimes called Chapter I.

Vowels

The letters a, e, i, o, and u and sometimes y. Some vowels are long (e.g., ate, ice), some are short (e.g., am, us).

Vowel Digraphs

Two consecutive vowels pronounced as a single sound (e.g., mail, pie, boat, toe).

Vowel Dipthongs

Two consecutive vowels pronounced with the tongue starting in one position and quickly moving to another (e.g., oil, out).

Whole Language

A holistic perspective on education that acknowledges the connections between listening, speaking, reading, and writing; encourages children to develop skills by building on what they already know, uses quality children's literature, and actively involves children in meaningful reading and writing tasks.

[References]

[Appendix B: Resources for Tutoring Programs]