There are several words/phrases that are used in testing data reports and report cards that are not always explained on the document. Here are the definitions/explanations for some of these words:
Phonics/VALLS
- VALLS - Virginia Language and Literacy Screening)
- phoneme - the individual/single sounds that each letter or digraph makes
- example - In the word "dog", there are 3 phonemes - d, o, g.
- digraph - when two or more letters combine into a single phoneme
- example - In the word "math", there are also 3 phonemes beacuse of the one digraph "th" - m, a, th.
- phonemic awareness - the knowledge of any given phoneme
- This is a skill that is taught directly to students. It is not a skill that they just pick up from reading. Your child is being explicitly taught different phonemes in class and once taught and practiced, should be able to use it when they are reading or writing.
- phoneme segmenting - the ability to sound out each phoneme in a given word
- example - If your child hears the word "broke", they should be able to sound out the 4 phonemes - b, r, o, k. They may not have learned about silent e, but you cannot hear it so they should only say 4 sounds.
- blending - the ability to take each phoneme and combine it into a single syllable or word
- example - If your child segments "m-a-th", they should be able to blend it into "math".
- encoding - the ability to break down a word while writing
- example - If your child hears "cat", they should be able to spell it out correctly using c, a, t in order.
- decoding - the ability to break down a word while reading
- example - If your child sees "hog" in a book, they should be able to sound it out "h", "o", "g" and blend it into "hog".
- You may also see "decodable". This means that the text that your child is reading only has words that are easily decodable at their grade level. They should have the phonemic awareness to read all the words.
- pseudoword decoding - the ability to use phonemic awareness to break down/read a word that is NOT real; this shows what phonemes that your child has mastered and can use anytime they are reading
- example - If your child sees "rog" (not real), they should still be able to read it because they know the "r" phoneme and that "og" is like "log".
Reading
- inferring/inferencing - the ability to look beyond the text and find information about a character or event in a fictional text
- example - If the text says, "It is sunny and the children are wearing shorts.", then your child should be able to infer that it is warm outside.
- This can also apply across all subjects.
- A way we practice this skill is at recess, I tell the kids the temperature and they decide if they need a jacket.
- WPM (words per minute) - how many words your child is able to read in a timed minute from a decodeable text
- background knowledge - the facts and information that your child already knows about a given topic
- Every child has different amounts of knowledge about different topics.
- example - A child who helps count money at the grocery store check-out will know more about money and coins than a child who does not. That child could know more about what things you see at the park than the first child.
- This is why we do a focused topic during reading while learning reading skills. It helps fill out the background gaps so that each child has a base amount of knowledge that is the same so they can focus on the reading skill instead of thinking "I don't know anything about volcanoes! How will I answer questions about it??"
Writing
- letter formation - how your child writes each letter
- This is more than just considering if your child's writing can be read by other people. We are looking to see if they know what letters need to be tall, what letters are short, and what letters hang below the line.
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