TRiSS Study Guide

Phonology

The Study of Sounds

Phoneme

The smallest unit of sound in a language that distinguishes one word from another.

Grapheme

Alphabet - The smallest unit of writing that represents a sound in a language.

Digraph

Two letters that come together and make one sound

Blend

Two letters (consonants, especially) that are together, yet you can hear them separately.

Alphabetic Principle

The notion that there is a distinct relationship between letters and sounds.

Onset

The initial consonant sounds of a syllable that precede the vowel. For example, in the word "cat," the onset is "c."

Phoneme Segmentation

D - O - G

Substitution

Rat > Rock

Orthography

Standardized system of conventions used to write a language (Spelling & Phonics)

Morphology

Study of Smallest Meanings (Prefixes/Suffixes/Affixes/Base Words)

Semantics

The Meaning of Text or Vocabulary

Discourse

Sentences & Ideas

Pragmatics

Social Rules about Language use.

Return Sweep

Students’ ability to read left > right, then proceed back to the left for the start of the next row of text.

Decoding

Student is able to read, but is not able to express any meaning of what they read.

Fluency

Student is able to read words accurately in a conversational manner (at an appropriate manner/speed).

Pre-Literate (Spelling Development Stage)

LR2BtN

Unable to decipher between letters & numbers

Early Emergent (Spelling Development Stage)

I Lk DG

Understanding of “More than 1 Word” - No Vowel Awareness

Emergent (Spelling Development Stage)

I Lik Dagz

Recognizes all major sounds with letters & spellings shows the sequence of sounds in pronunciation. — Not aware of “silent e” or certain vowel sounds.

Transitional (Spelling Development Stage)

I liek dogs

Developing knowledge of vowels & morphological information/word structure.

Conventional (Spelling Development Stage)

Children can spell most words using conventional spelling.

Metacognition

“Thinking about your own thinking.”

The awareness and regulation of one’s own thought process.

Modes of Writing

Narrative, Expository, Descriptive, Persuastive

Reading Level

Student Ability to Read the Text:

• Frustration: Has trouble reading alone

• Instructional: Needs support reading

• Independent: Able to read independently, needs little support.

Readability

How easy/difficult it is to read a text.

FACTORS: Print Features (Layout, Length, Facts), Vocabulary, Sentence Structure, Themes/Ideas/Content, Language, Text Structure, Background Knowledge, Interest/Motivation

Text Structure

Descriptive, Cause/Effect, Chronological, Cause/Effect, Problem/Solution

Norm-Reference Tests (NRTs)

Individual performance will be compared to the norming group (%TILE)

Broader Content, Expectation to “do your best”

Criterion Reference Test (CRTs)

Knowledge of objectives in Content Areas.

More Narrow topics + Measures mastery of content (% OF KNOWLEDGE)

Retelling

Student summarizes in their own words. Used for Narrative & Expository Formats.

Cloze

Assesses student’s ability to recognize/identify unknown words. — Cold Read

Dolch & Fry Lists

List of words-to-know for students, by grade.

Automaticity

The ability to recognize words quickly, accurately, and effortlessly without needing to consciously sound them out.

Hasbrouck Fluency Assessment

Measures Rate / Words Correct Per Minute (WCPM)

Multi-Dimensional Fluency Scale (MDFS)

Holistic & Analytical