Glossary:

Analytic Instruction:  Presents the whole and demonstrates how it can be broken down into its component parts.  Multisensory structured language instruction uses both analytic and synthetic presentations.

Diagnostic Teaching:  Teaching is based on careful and continuous assessment of the student’s needs.

Direct Instruction:  Concepts are directly and explicitly taught with continuous student-teacher/tutor interaction.

Linkage procedure:  The use of visual, auditory, tactile and kinesthetic senses to teach the student to read, write and spell each phonogram.

Multisensory:  Teaching is done using four learning pathways to the brain (visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and tactile) simultaneously in order to enhance memory and learning.

Phonemes:  The smallest unit of sound in a given language that can be recognized as being distinct from other sounds in the language.

Phonics: A paired association between letters and letter sounds.

Phonological Awareness:  Conscious access to the phonemic level of the speech stream and some ability to cognitively manipulate representations at this level.  Involves attention to the sound structure of oral language.

Phonemic Awareness:  Awareness that language is composed of phonemes.  The ability to isolate and manipulate individual sounds in words.

Reading Deck:  a set of cards containing isolated phonemes. The child reads the card, including all sounds made by the phoneme.

Sound/Symbol Association:  The knowledge of the sounds of the English language and their correspondence to the letters and combinations of letters that represent those sounds.

Spelling Deck:  a set of cards containing isolated phonemes.  The teacher says the sound; students echo the sound and name phonogram(s) that spell the sound.  Students write and code the phonogram(s).

Syllable Instruction:  A syllable is a unit of oral or written language with one vowel sound.

Synthetic Instruction:  Presents the parts of the language and demonstrates how the parts work together to form the whole.  Multisensory structured language instruction uses both synthetic and analytic presentations.

Systematic Instruction:  Materials and instruction are organized to follow the logical order of the language.  The sequence of the instruction proceeds methodically from the easiest and most basic elements to more difficult and complex material.