background knowledge: the knowledge that students bring with them to reading

decode: the ability to apply knowledge of sound-letter relationships (phonics) to correctly pronounce written words

diphthong: : a vowel produced by the tongue shifting position during articulation; a vowel that feels as if it has two parts, especially the vowels spelled ow, oy, ou, and oi

inference: a conclusion one can draw from known facts or evidence

fluency: the ability to read text with automaticity, accuracy, and expression

genres of literature: different types of books or stories defined by special  characteristics 

language structures: syntax and semantics

literary knowledge: print concepts and genres of literature 

metaphor: a word or phrase used to compare two things by saying something is another thing

onset: the part of a syllable (consonant or consonants) that comes before the vowel

phoneme: the smallest unit of sound in spoken language

phonological awareness: a skill set that includes identifying and manipulating units of oral language (words, syllables, onsets, rimes, and phonemes)

prefix: a morpheme that precedes a root and that contributes to or modifies the meaning of a word as “re” in reprint 

print concepts: basic knowledge of print, knowing the difference between letters and words, words and sentences, reading left to right and top to bottom, identifying the spaces between written words, and being able to identify the parts of a book

repeated reading: the method of reading a short text aloud multiple times until the reader can read the passage fluently 

rime: the part of a syllable that includes the vowel and any consonant or consonants that 

follow the vowel

semantics: the study of the meaning of words, word parts, phrases, and sentences

suffix: an affix attached to the end of a base, root, or stem that changes the meaning or grammatical function of the word, as "on" in wagon

syllable: a word part that has one vowel sound

syntax: the arrangement of words in a phrase or sentence

verbal reasoning: inference and metaphor

vowel team: two vowels together that represent one phoneme