Questions I got wrong

Question 1

2.
A teacher observes a first-grade student as she writes the word stop in her journal. The student says each sound out loud before writing the corresponding letter on her paper. Which process is the student exhibiting?

a. Blending

b. Decoding

c. Segmenting

d. Encoding

Answer 1

d. Encoding

Encoding is the process of translating sounds to print using knowledge of letter/sound relationships. The student is listening to each sound in the word stop and remembering which letter makes that sound before writing it on paper. Decoding involves using knowledge of letter/sound relationships to translate written words into speech. Blending and segmenting are both phonological awareness skills that involve manipulating spoken sounds. They do not involve identifying the letters that make the sounds.

Question 2

7.
Which statement best describes phonemic awareness?

a. Phonemic awareness is the ability to identify and manipulate sounds at the sentence level.

b. Phonemic awareness is the ability to identify and manipulate sounds at the word level.

c. Phonemic awareness is the ability to identify and manipulate sounds at the syllable level.

d. Phonemic awareness is the ability to identify and manipulate sounds at the phoneme level.

Answer 2

d.
Phonemic awareness refers to the ability to identify and manipulate sounds at the phoneme level. Because phonemes are the smallest units of spoken sound, phonemic awareness is the most advanced phonological awareness skill.

Question 3

8. During a small-group activity, a teacher asks her students to repeat a CVC word slowly, stretching out the sounds. As students repeat the word, they slide one penny forward for each sound they hear. Which phonemic awareness skill are students practicing?
   a. Blending

b. Segmenting

c. Phoneme identification

d. Phoneme isolation

Answer 3

b. Segmenting

By taking a whole word and breaking it into its individual sounds, the students are practicing segmenting. Blending is the opposite process, where students take individual sounds and combine them to form a whole word. Phoneme isolation refers to identifying the beginning, middle, or ending sound in a word. Phoneme identification refers to identifying a common sound in a group of words with either the same beginning, middle, or ending sound.

Question 4

13.
Alex is a first-grade student. His teacher notices that he commonly substitutes words that make sense in the sentences but don’t match the print. For example, he recently said, “The car drove down a street,” while the text actually said, “The car drove down the street.” Which cueing system is Alex using?

a.
Graphophonic

b.
Semantic

c.
Syntactic

d.
Pragmatic

Answer 4

c. Syntactic

Readers use the syntactic cueing system when they consider sentence structure and grammar to decode unknown words. Alex is substituting a word that sounds right in the sentence. If Alex were using the graphophonic cueing system, he would choose a word that is structurally similar to the existing word, such as a word that starts with the same sound. If Alex were using the semantic cueing system, he would use picture cues or prior knowledge to guess the word. The pragmatic cueing system refers to consideration of the purposes of reading in given situations.

Question 5

14.
Mrs. Lopez teaches second grade. After completing a science experiment, she gathers her students on the carpet to write a summary of what they learned. Mrs. Lopez asks students to help her record the responses on chart paper, sharing the marker. She provides guidance and sentence starters as needed. After everyone has recorded their responses, the class reads them aloud together. Which type of writing experience is Mrs. Lopez demonstrating?

a.
Interactive writing

b.
Shared writing

c.
Independent writing

d.
Guided writing

Answer 5

a. Interactive Writing

During interactive writing experiences, teachers and students work together to create writing pieces. Teachers and students share the writing utensils, with teachers guiding the students as they record their thoughts. In shared writing experiences, teachers record students’ thoughts on paper. Students do not help with the writing. In independent writing, students utilize the strategies they have learned to complete writing pieces independently. Guided writing occurs when teachers work with small groups of strategically grouped students on targeted writing skills.

Question 6

20.
Mr. Clark is conducting a daily phonics lesson. Today, the class is focusing on the st consonant blend. Students first repeatedly produce the sound the blend makes. They then search for st words within the classroom. Which approach to phonics instruction is Mr. Clark demonstrating?

a.
Implicit

b.
Explicit

c.
Whole language

d.
Analytical

Answer 6

b. Explicit

Explicit phonics instruction uses a part-to-whole approach. Mr. Clark’s students first learn the st blend in isolation before applying it to whole words. Implicit phonics instruction, also referred to as whole language or analytical phonics, uses a whole-to-part approach. Students recognize whole words by sight before breaking them down into individual phonemes.

Question 7

21. Ms. Watson has included a variety of pointers in the classroom reading center. She instructs students to use these pointers or their fingers to point to the words when reading independently. Which of the following concepts of print is Ms. Watson addressing?
    a.
    Spacing

b.
Book orientation

c.
Directionality

d.
Letter concepts

Answer 7

c. Directionality

Following the text with a pointer and pointing to each word with a finger both help with the concept of directionality. Directionality includes the understanding that you read from left to right, from top to bottom, and from the left page to the right page. Spacing refers to the understanding that you include spaces between words and between sentences. Book orientation refers to knowing how to hold and open a book correctly. Letter concepts include recognizing letters and knowing the difference between a letter and a word.

Question 8

23.
Kindergarten students learn one new letter and its corresponding sound each week. They participate in songs and chants that include repetitive use of the letter name and sound. Which concept are students practicing?

a.
Alphabetic principle

b.
Concepts of print

c.
Phonological awareness

d.
Automaticity

Answer 8

a. Alphabetic Principle

Alphabetic principle is the understanding that each letter of the alphabet makes a predictable sound. Students are practicing this by repeating the letter name and sound each week. Concepts of print are conventions used to convey meaning in text. Examples include knowing how to hold a book and track text correctly. Phonological awareness is the ability to identify and manipulate sounds in words. It does not involve letter/sound relationships. Automaticity refers to the ability to recognize whole words quickly and effortlessly.

Question 9

26.
Which activity would be most appropriate to teach decoding of CVCe words?

a.
Covering parts of the word

b.
Chunking

c.
Building word families

d.
Blending

Answer 9

c. Building word families

Word families are an effective strategy for teaching CVCe words. Once students have determined the sound made by the last three letters using knowledge of the silent e rule, they can identify other rhyming words within the same family by changing the first letter. This increases the number of words they can easily decode. Because these words have a silent letter that affects the vowel sound, covering parts of the word, chunking, and blending are not as effective

Question 10

28.
A second-grade reading teacher notices that her students are decoding words accurately but struggle with appropriate phrasing and expression. Which activity would most likely help her students improve in this area?

a.
Introducing new texts of varied genres for students to read aloud independently

b.
Listening to audio versions of texts

c.
Leading students in repeated choral readings of familiar texts

d.
Participating in partner-reading experiences

Answer 10

c. Leading students in repeated choral readings of familiar texts

When students reread familiar texts, they do not need to exert energy on decoding unfamiliar words. As a result, more energy is available to focus on fluency, including phrasing and expression. Choral reading allows students to match their reading rate and expression with others in the group who are modeling fluent reading, including the teacher. Reading new texts requires students to spend more energy on decoding and comprehension, which may interfere with fluency. Audio versions of texts can serve as models of fluent reading, but students still need opportunities to practice. Partner reading may be helpful if students are matched with fluent readers, but this is not guaranteed.

Question 11

29.
While conducting a miscue analysis, a teacher notices that a student follows a predictable pattern when he comes to unknown words. First, he looks at the picture. Next, he guesses a word from the picture that makes sense in the sentence. For example, he said, “I saw a swing at the park,” when the text said, “I saw a playground at the park.” Which cueing system should the teacher focus on during small-group instruction?

a.
Syntactic

b.
Semantic

c.
Pragmatic

d.
Graphophonic

Answer 11

d. Graphophonic

The student is guessing words that make sense in the sentences and fit the picture clues. However, the guessed words are not structurally similar to the actual words. The graphophonic cueing system involves using knowledge of letter/sound relationships to decode words. Therefore, it should be the focus of small-group instruction. Because the guessed words both sound right and make sense in the sentences, the student is already using the syntactic and semantic cueing systems. Pragmatic cues refer to considering the purposes for reading in given situations.

Question 12

36.
A group of students is playing a card game at a classroom reading center. They take turns flipping over two cards and trying to create matches. Each match consists of a letter and a picture of a word that begins with that letter. For example, a student matches a card containing a letter p and a card displaying a picture of a pig. What concept are students practicing?

a.
Encoding

b.
One-to-one correspondence

c.
Phoneme isolation

d.
Alphabetic principle

Answer 12

d.
Alphabetic principle
Alphabetic principle is the understanding that each letter makes a predictable sound. Students are practicing the alphabetic principle by matching the letter to a word that begins with the sound that letter makes. Encoding is the process of translating phonemes to graphemes, or recording sounds using letters. One-to-one correspondence is the understanding that each printed word corresponds with one spoken word. Phoneme isolation is the identification of the beginning, middle, or ending sound in a word.

Question 13

41.
What is a morpheme?

a.
The smallest unit of language with meaning

b.
The smallest unit of speech

c.
A letter or group of letters representing a single sound

d.
A unit of spoken language in a word, which contains a single vowel sound

Answer 13

a. the smallest unit of language with meaning

A morpheme is the smallest unit of language with meaning. An example is the prefix pre, which means before. Pre cannot be broken down any further without losing its meaning. The smallest unit of speech is a phoneme. A grapheme is a letter or group of letters representing a single sound. A syllable is a unit of spoken language in a word that contains a single uninterrupted sound.

Question 14

54.
Students in a sixth-grade classroom are preparing to deliver a persuasive speech to school administrators requesting additional playground equipment. As part of their preparations, students are learning to adjust the formality of their spoken language to match specific situations. In small groups, they are role playing how they would make requests to friends, teachers, and administrators. They are comparing and contrasting the appropriate language to use in each situation. Which oral language component are students practicing?

a.
Morphology

b.
Semantics

c.
Syntax

d.
Pragmatics

Answer 14

d. Pragmatics

Pragmatics refers to understanding the social rules of communication, including the ability to adjust the level of formality to match a specific social situation. Morphology refers to understanding word parts and word forms. Semantics refers to understanding the meanings of words. Syntax refers to understanding grammar and sentence structure.

Question 15

55.
A teacher gives students an unfamiliar text. Without doing a picture walk or pre-teaching any vocabulary words, she asks them to read it once independently. During this first reading, students are told to identify the overall meaning of the text, as well as note their initial impressions. Students discuss these responses with their peers. The teacher then asks the students to read a specific portion of the text a second time, analyzing the author’s use of figurative language. Students then discuss their thoughts again. The teacher then asks the students to reread the text a third time, comparing and contrasting the main character with the main character in another text they have read. Students once again share their responses with peers. Which type of reading activity does this example demonstrate?
a.
Guided reading

b.
SQ3R

c.
Close reading

d.
Scanning

Answer 15

c. Close Reading

Close reading involves multiple readings of the same text, with students analyzing different layers of the text each time. Students read the texts independently, with no picture walks or pre-teaching beforehand. Close reading is designed to help students become actively involved in the reading process and develop deeper understandings of what they have read. Guided reading is done in small groups, with teachers focusing on targeted skills based on students’ needs. Additionally, picture walks are often done in guided reading groups. SQ3R is a strategy often used to help students comprehend textbook readings. It involves students doing a quick survey of the text, followed by identification of questions about the text. Students then read the text, recite it in their own words, and review the main idea. Scanning involves reading quickly to identify specific information.

Question 16

72.
Students in Mr. Henderson’s science class are conducting research for their science fair projects. Today, they are typing keywords into a search engine to identify sources that may be relevant for their background information. Which reading strategy should Mr. Henderson teach and practice with his students prior to this activity?

a.
Skimming

b.
Scanning

c.
Close reading

d.
Extensive reading

Answer 16

a. Skimming

When readers skim, they look through a text quickly to determine what it is mostly about. Skimming would help the students quickly identify which sites listed in the search results are closely related to the science fair topics and warrant further, deeper reading. Scanning involves reading quickly to pick out certain pieces of information from a text, such as a specific fact or date. Close reading involves rereading a text multiple times while analyzing different layers each time. Extensive reading refers to students selecting books that are enjoyable and easy to read independently, which helps increase reading rate and fluency.

Question 17

75.
A teacher takes a running record while Charlie, a second grader, reads a new text. Part of the running record is shown below.

(read house as home and grouchy as grumpy, then omitted)

Which strategy would be most appropriate for the teacher to focus on during the next guided reading session?

a.
Using semantic cues

b.
Using syntactic cues

c.
Omissions

d.
Self-corrections

Answer 17

d. Self-corrections

Charlie did not acknowledge any errors, but instead kept reading after each one. Proficient readers recognize when something does not look right, sound right, or make sense, and they try again until they find the correct words. The teacher can prompt Charlie to stop and question himself when he makes errors until he begins recognizing and self-correcting them on his own. Because Charlie’s errors both make sense and sound right in the sentences, he is already using both semantic and syntactic cues. The student only omitted one minor word, which did not change the meaning of the sentence.

Question 18

76.
A teacher has concerns that a standardized test she is required to give does not accurately measure what it is designed to measure. The test claims to measure students’ abilities to make inferences, yet there are no questions that directly address this skill. The teacher has concerns with which aspect of the standardized test?

a.
Validity

b.
Reliability

c.
Bias

d.
Objectivity

Answer 18

a. Validity

A test is valid if it measures what it is designed to measure. If a test claims to measure a student’s ability to make inferences, then the questions on the test should require students to use this skill. Reliability refers to ensuring that there is consistency in test results over time and between participants. Bias refers to ensuring that the test does not put any participants at a disadvantage. Objectivity refers to ensuring that all tests are scored in the same manner without being affected by any outside influences or bias.

Question 19

77.
Which learning theory is based on the idea that students are actively involved in constructing their own meaning, and that teachers should guide students through scaffolding rather than using instructor-led teaching techniques?

a.
Behaviorism

b.
Cognitivism

c.
Constructivism

d.
Social learning theory

Answer 19

c. Constructivism
Constructivism is a learning theory based on the idea that people are actively involved in the learning process, rather than being passive receivers of knowledge. Constructivism suggests that children learn best by solving real-world problems, gathering information, testing ideas, and other active processes, with teachers guiding and scaffolding them along the way.

Question 20

81.
The alphabetic principle would be best introduced at which of Piaget’s cognitive stages of development?

a.
Sensorimotor stage

b.
Preoperational stage

c.
Concrete operational stage

d.
Formal operational stage

Answer 20

b. Preoperational stage

When children reach the preoperational stage, they begin to think symbolically. At this point, they are able to begin understanding the relationship between letters (symbols) and sounds, also known as the alphabetic principle. Children are typically in the sensorimotor stage until about age 2, and they are not yet able to think symbolically in this stage. The concrete operational stage lasts from ages 7 to 12, and the formal operational stage lasts from age 12 until adulthood.

Question 21

82.
Which of the following options represents a key tenet of cognitivism?

a.
Allowing social learning opportunities to foster cognitive development

b.
Reinforcing desired behaviors so they continue

c.
Chunking information to avoid cognitive overload

d.
Encouraging students to be actively involved in constructing their own meaning

Answer 21

c.
Chunking information to avoid cognitive overload

Cognitivism suggests that new information should be broken up into manageable chunks with ample opportunities for practice and feedback if learning is to occur. Presenting too much information at one time can result in cognitive overload. Choice A represents social learning theory, which highlights the importance of social interactions in learning. Choice B represents behaviorism, which focuses on the role that reinforcement plays in the continuance of certain behaviors. Choice D represents constructivism, which highlights the role of students being actively involved in the learning process.

Question 22

84.
Which classroom activity best demonstrates constructivism?

a.
Students complete a close reading of a persuasive text using questions outlined by the teacher. They first read and discuss the main idea of the text. Next, they read and discuss the reasons the author provides to support her opinion. Finally, they reread the text and evaluate the author’s effectiveness in persuading others to agree with her.

b.
Students collaboratively decide to research costs and benefits of additional flexible seating options to the classroom, while the teacher assists with research strategies. Students then write a persuasive letter to the school board asking for funding for the seating.

c.
Students complete a set of reading stations in a predetermined order. In one station, they complete phonics practice activities on the computer. In another, they match word cards to create compound words. In a third station, they sort words according to vowel sounds and check their work using an answer key.

d.
Students in different grade levels are paired up. The older students read to the younger students and help them draw pictures of their favorite parts of the stories.

Answer 22

b.
Students collaboratively decide to research costs and benefits of additional flexible seating options to the classroom, while the teacher assists with research strategies. Students then write a persuasive letter to the school board asking for funding for the seating.

Choice B best represents constructivism because students are using reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills to perform an authentic task that they collaboratively agreed upon. The teacher acts as a guide to facilitate the process. While students are engaged in higher-level thinking activities during the close reading activity in choice A, the activity is planned and led by the teacher. Similarly, the order and content of the stations in choice C have been determined by the teacher, and the activities do not represent authentic, performance-based tasks. Choice D, while providing beneficial modeling and social learning interaction, does not include students performing authentic, problem-based tasks.

Question 23

88.
What is a primary purpose for giving an Informal Reading Inventory to a student?

a.
To track the texts and genres a student has read over the course of the school year

b.
To help students identify books of personal interest

c.
To determine which reading behaviors students have developed prior to entering formal schooling

d.
To match students with appropriate instructional texts

Answer 23

d.
To match students with appropriate instructional texts

Informal Reading Inventories assess students in multiple areas of reading performance, including decoding, comprehension, recall, and fluency. The results can be used to identify areas in need of improvement, group students for targeted reading instruction, and match students with appropriate texts. They do not record texts students have read throughout the year, which can be done using reading logs, nor do they identify areas of student interest. Other assessment and screening tools exist to determine which reading behaviors and skills students have already learned prior to entering school.

Question 24

90.
A teacher wants to assess students after the first week of a poetry unit to determine if the instructional methods she is using are successful. If students are meeting the objectives introduced so far, she will continue with the strategies she is currently using. If students are struggling to meet the objectives, she will reteach them using a different approach. For the assessment, she plans to ask students to identify the literary devices she has introduced in sample poems. Which type of assessment is the teacher planning to use?

a.
Formative assessment

b.
Summative assessment

c.
Norm-referenced test

d.
Screening assessment

Answer 24

a. Formative Assessment

Formative assessments are given during a unit of study to identify students’ existing knowledge and gaps. They are used to guide instruction by helping a teacher determine if current instructional strategies are successful or if changes need to be made. Summative assessments are given at the end of a unit or after another extended period of time. Norm-referenced tests are standardized tests that compare students’ performances to sample groups of similar students. Screening assessments are used to identify students who may be at risk for future academic difficulties and may benefit from interventions.

Question 25

91.
Which of the following reading prompts requires the highest level of thinking, according to Bloom’s taxonomy?

a.
Compare and contrast the protagonist and antagonist in the story.

b.
Evaluate the author’s use of figurative language in conveying the theme of the story.

c.
Identify the setting of the story.

d.
Infer what the author means in the final paragraph of the story.

Answer 25

b.
Evaluate the author’s use of figurative language in conveying the theme of the story.

Choice B requires the highest level of thinking out of these options because it requires students to evaluate the author’s craft. Comparing, contrasting, and inferring are in the comprehension level, which is lower. Identifying the setting is at the knowledge level of Bloom’s taxonomy, which is the lowest level.

Question 26

92.
After students have studied metaphors for several days, a teacher wants to assess their abilities to apply their knowledge of what a metaphor is. Which assignment would be most appropriate for this purpose?

a.
Underlining the metaphors in a sample text

b.
Explaining what a metaphor is to a classmate

c.
Writing a paragraph that includes at least two metaphors

d.
Critiquing the author’s use of metaphors in a poem

Answer 26

c.
Writing a paragraph that includes at least two metaphors

Writing their own examples of metaphors requires students to apply their knowledge. Identifying and underlining metaphors assesses the comprehension level of Bloom’s taxonomy, and defining a metaphor assesses the knowledge level. Critiquing the author’s use of metaphors assesses the evaluation level.

Question 27

93.
Ms. Walters is planning her first-grade literacy block for the upcoming school year. Currently, she has guided reading time scheduled, where she plans to focus on individualized phonological awareness and phonics skills, decoding, and comprehension. Students will also reread some familiar texts for fluency practice and complete some phonological awareness and phonics-based word work stations. Ms. Walters also has time set aside for the whole class to read and analyze texts together to focus on comprehension skills, and they will write regularly in their journals. Which component of reading instruction should Ms. Walters add to best create a balanced literacy approach to instruction?

a.
Phoneme blending

b.
Vocabulary instruction

c.
Identification of story elements

d.
Using the alphabetic principle to spell words

Answer 27

b.
Vocabulary instruction

The five major components of balanced literacy instruction are phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary. Ms. Walters’ plan does not currently include any specialized vocabulary instruction. Vocabulary knowledge can assist with decoding, as students can use knowledge of the words and the cueing systems to figure out unknown words. It can also assist with comprehension, as vocabulary words often hold meaning in the texts. Additionally, it can assist with fluency by enabling readers to quickly and automatically recognize complex words. Phoneme blending is part of phonological awareness, identification of story elements is part of comprehension, and using the alphabetic principle to spell words is part of phonics.