Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary Concepts

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Accuracy (part of fluency)

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reading words in the text with no errors

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Analogy

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Comparing two sets of words to show common similarity between the sets. When done as a vocabulary exercise this requires producing one of the words ( e.g., cat is to kitten: as dog is to _?)

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Base Word

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A unit of meaning that can stand alone as a whole word (e.g., friend, pig). Also called a free morpheme.

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Before Reading Comprehension Strategies

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Strategies employed to emphasize the importance of preparing students to read text ( e.g., activate prior knowledge, set a purpose for reading).

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Cognates

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Words that are related to each other by virtue of being derived from a common origin ( e.g., 'decisive' and 'decision' )

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Direct Vocabulary Instruction

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Planned instruction to pre-teach new, important, and difficult words to ensure the quantity and quality of exposures to words that students will encounter in their reading.

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Empirical Research

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Refers to scientifically based research that applies rigorous, systematic, and objective procedures to obtain valid knowledge. This includes research that: employs systematic, empirical methods that draw on observation or experiment; has been accepted by a peer-reviewed journal or approved by a panel of independent experts through a comparably rigorous, objective and scientific review; involves rigorous data analyses that are adequate to test the stated hypotheses and justify the general conclusions drawn; relies on measurements or observational methods that provide valid data across evaluators and observers and across multiple measurements and observations; and can be generalized.

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Explicit

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Explicit instruction involves direct explanation. The teacher's language is concise, specific, and related to the objective. Another characteristic of explicit instruction is a visible instructional approach which includes a high level of teacher/student interaction. Explicit instruction means that the actions of the teacher are clear, unambiguous, direct, and visible. This makes it clear what the students are to do and learn. Nothing is left to guess work.

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Graphic Organizers:

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A visual framework or structure for capturing the main points of

what is being read, which may include concepts, ideas, events, vocabulary, or

generalizations. Graphic organizers allow ideas in text and thinking processes to

become external by showing the interrelatedness of ideas, thus facilitating

understanding for the reader. The structure of a graphic organizer is determined by the

structure of the kind of text being read.

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Implicit Instruction:

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The opposite of explicit instruction. Students discover skills and

concepts instead of being explicitly taught. For example, the teacher writes a list of

words on the board that begin with the letter "m" (mud, milk, meal, and mattress) and

asks the students how the words are similar. The teacher elicits from the students that

the letter "m" stands for the sound you hear at the beginning of the words.