Reading

A fourth grade student is developing a presentation on the planets in the solar system for an audience of peers. Which of the following media would be most effective for the student to use for this purpose? a. a short skit in which the student plays a future space traveler who visits each planet b. a photograph of the night sky viewed through a high powered telescope c. a slide presentation of artistic depictions of the sun and planets since ancient times d. a comic strip in which the super hero sun saves the planets from meteors

a. a short skit in which the student plays a future space traveler who visits each planet

Which of the following phrases best describes the syllable in English? a. a unit of phonological structure that has one vowel phoneme and may also begin or end with consonant sounds b. a component of speech rhythm made up of one or more strong and weak beats c. a complex spelling pattern that includes one or more consonant phonemes followed by one or more vowel phonemes d. a unit or morphological structure in the language corresponding to the word

a. a unit of phonological structure that has one vowel phoneme and may also begin or end with consonant sounds

A fourth grade teacher includes instruction in independent word learning strategies as one component in a multifaceted approach to vocabulary instruction. For example, after students begin reading about mammals in a science text book, the teacher presents a lesson focused on helping students learn the concepts and vocabulary introduced in the text. Providing students with explicit instruction and guided practice in which of the following word learning strategies would best support students' vocabulary development in this situation? a. creating a semantic feature analysis b. applying contextual analysis in an expository text c. using structural analysis to infer word meanings d. researching new concepts using classroom resources

a. creating a semantic feature analysis The Semantic Feature Analysis strategy engages students in reading assignments by asking them to relate selected vocabulary to key features of the text.

Which of the following versions of a sentence from a student's draft of an expository essay would be most effective for the student to use to convey an idea clearly and concisely? a. humming birds are tiny, seemingly delicate creatures, but during migration they can fly as far as three thousand miles one way. b. despite the fact that tiny humming birds look delicate, they are obviously strong enough to migrate up to three thousand miles. c. humming bird's tininess is actually deceptive because in reality they fly as much as three thousand miles during their migration. d. based on their tiny size, few people would guess that humming birds are capable of feats such as flying three thousand miles.

a. humming birds are tiny, seemingly delicate creatures, but during migration they can fly as far as three thousand miles one way.

In research based sequence of phonological awareness instruction, students who have become proficient in onset-rime manipulation are prepared to begin instruction in which of the following phonological awareness skills? a. isolating phonemes b. creating alliteration c. identifying syllables d. adding phonemes

a. isolating phonemes

Which of the following factors affecting literacy acquisition is the most common cause of reading comprehension difficulties among students in the first grade? a. limited decoding skills b. lack of academic vocabulary c. limited schema development d. delays in oral language development

a. limited decoding skills

One of the strange things about living in the world is that it is only now and then one is quite sure one is going to live forever and ever and ever. One knows it sometimes when one gets up at the tender solemn dawn-time and goes out and stands alone and throws one's head far back and looks up and up and watches the pale sky slowly changing and flushing marvelous unknown things happening until the East almost makes one cry out and one's heart stands still at he strange unchanging majesty of the rising of the sun - which has been happening every morning for thousands and thousands and thousands of years. One knows it then for a moment or so. And one knows it sometimes when one stands by oneself in a wood at sunset and the mysterious deep gold stillness slanting through and under the branches seems to be saying slowly again and again something one cannot quite hear, however much one tries. Then sometimes the immense quiet of the dark blue at night with millions of stars waiting and watching makes on sure; and sometimes a sound of far-off music makes it true; and sometimes a look in some one's eyes. In the excerpt, the author uses the phrases "tender solemn dawn-time," "mysterious deep gold stillness," and "millions of stars waiting and watching" primarily to... a. portray nature as a powerful restorative force b. create an authoritative tone c. characterize the narrator as overly imaginative d. establish a mood of suspense

a. portray nature as a powerful restorative force

A first grade spelling curriculum includes instruction in word families related to recently taught phonics elements. For example, after explicit phonics instruction in the consonant digraph "ck" spelling instruction includes a focus on words with the phonogram -ack (e.g. back, sack, pack). Coordinating spelling instruction with phonics instruction in this way contributes to the students' growth in reading proficiency primarily by... a. promoting their automatic recognition of complex letter patterns within words b. increasing the number of high frequency words in the students' reading vocabulary c. promoting their use of structural analysis as a decoding strategy d. increasing the students' word consciousness and interests in learning new words

a. promoting their automatic recognition of complex letter patterns within words

Providing explicit instruction in common text structures (e.g. time sequence, cause and effect) promotes students' comprehension development primarily by enhancing their ability to... a. recognize relationships between ideas in the text b. retain facts or details from the text in memory c. make text to self connections as they read d. deepen understanding of key words in the text

a. recognize relationships between ideas in the text

An elementary student typically reads aloud grade level passages expressively and at a rate appropriate to support comprehension. In addition to these reading characteristics, which of the following performance indicators would be most important for a teacher to consider when evaluating the student's fluency development? a. the student's accuracy reading words in a continuous text b. the student's background knowledge related to the passages c. the student's stamina and level of engagement during reading d. the student's relative skill reading narrative and informal texts

a. the student's accuracy reading words in a continuous text

Which of the following approaches is fundamental to elementary reading instruction grounded in scientifically based research? a. using systematic data driven instructional practices to teach foundational reading skills b. basing the goals of grade level foundation reading instruction on the results of standardized assessments c. emphasizing a print rich learning environment and constructivist approaches to foundational reading skills d. ensuring that foundational reading skills are always taught in authentic literacy contexts

a. using systematic data driven instructional practices to teach foundational reading skills

An elementary grade's teacher reads several peer reviewed comprehensive research syntheses to learn about evidence based English Language Arts instructional strategies that foster students' mastery of literary analysis skills. Which of the following questions should the teacher answer first when deciding which evidence based instructional approaches to use in the classroom? a. what key characteristics do students in my class share with students who participated in the studies? b. did the research syntheses I read focus on qualitative or quantitative studies? c. can I access the instructional resources I will need to implement evidence based instruction? d. can I modify my own instructional practices to match evidence based instructional strategies?

a. what key characteristics do students in my class share with students who participated in the studies?

A sixth grade teacher is planning explicit instruction in recognizing and interpreting grammatically complex sentences. Which of the following syntactic structures would be an appropriate focus for a lesson on this topic? a. a sentence including an adjectival or adverbial prepositional phrase b. a sentence with two clauses linked by the words which or who c. a sentence containing a verb that requires both a direct and indirect object d. a sentence with two clauses linked by the words yet or and

b. a sentence with two clauses linked by the words which or who

A fourth grade teacher is planning an instructional unit during which students will read, discuss, and write about a play. Before beginning the unit, the teacher would like to develop students' ability to refer to structural elements of drama when speaking and writing about the play. Given the teachers goal and the students' grade level, which of the following instructional strategies would be most appropriate for the teacher to use first? a. creating a graphic organizer that illustrates how structural elements fit together to provide the plays overall structure b. asking students to describe how chapters and paragraphs function in a story they read in class c. having students listen to a recorded interview in which the plays author defends the importance of the stage directions d. creating a poster to illustrate how italic font, brackets, and parenthesis are used in the plays text

b. asking students to describe how chapters and paragraphs function in a story they read in class

Use of universal screening assessments in literacy contributes to the success of an elementary literacy program in addressing the needs of all students primarily in which of the following ways? a. by allowing teachers to determine specific areas of interests or strength in reading for individual students b. by providing early identification of students who may be at risk of falling below grade level reading benchmarks without additional support c. by diagnosing specific learning disabilities or individual instructional needs in reading among entering students d. by determining if the majority of students in each grade level have learned what is taught in the core reading curriculum

b. by providing early identification of students who may be at risk of falling below grade level reading benchmarks without additional support

In an informal screening assessment, a third grade student reads aloud an unfamiliar grade level passage and scores significantly below the grade level benchmark for oral reading fluency. When evaluating the student's performance and the underlying cause of the student's difficulty, which of the following questions should the teacher consider first? a. did the student consistently read the passage naturally and expressively? b. has the student developed adequate decoding skills to read a text at this level? c. did the student appear to be at ease and engaged with the text while reading? d. does the student have the background knowledge needed to understand the passage?

b. has the student developed adequate decoding skills to read a text at this level?

Convergent research has identified which of the following aspects of literacy to be critical to early and ongoing reading achievement and therefore an essential and major component of an effective elementary level reading curriculum? a. broad exposure to children's literature b. knowledge of vocabulary c. knowledge of discourse strategies d. book handling skills

b. knowledge of vocabulary Vocabulary knowledge measured at the beginning of reading development is a strong predictor of vocabulary growth, ongoing reading development, and overall academic achievement in secondary grades. For these reasons, instruction focused on promoting vocabulary development is considered an essential component of elementary-level reading instruction.

A first grade teacher would like to promote students' developing ability to use self-monitoring to support their text comprehension while the teacher reads aloud a picture book to the class. Which of the following instructional strategies would be most effective for the teacher to use for this purpose? a. marking key passages with sticky notes during reading and then thinking aloud and writing a short personal response to the story after reading b. pausing at transitional moments in the narrative and using think-aloud to review parts of the story so far c. stopping regularly during reading to ask students a range of questions about the story d. skimming the pictures and text of the story before reading and making a prediction about what will happen

b. pausing at transitional moments in the narrative and using think-aloud to review parts of the story so far

A sixth grade teacher regularly prepares a monthly newsletter for families about the ongoing academic program and classroom projects. Which of the following strategies for discussing the reading program in the newsletter would be most effective in promoting family involvement that enhances student literacy development? a. explicitly linking current work in reading to the long term goals of college and career readiness and directing families to resources they can use to learn more about these goals b. providing details about current work in reading and suggesting related activities families can do with their children outside of school c. providing families with detailed information about all short term and long term reading related assignments for the year using a calendar format that includes due dates and grading criteria d. sharing with families excerpts from research articles that provide the research basis for key components of the reading program

b. providing details about current work in reading and suggesting related activities families can do with their children outside of school

A second grade teacher is planning a reading lesson focused on decoding multisyllabic words that contain common prefixes. Which of the following word lists would be most appropriate to include in this lesson? a. bicycle, tricycle, triangle b. retry, redo, undo, untie c. subway, subject, subtract d. ago, alive, along, around

b. retry, redo, undo, untie

A third grade student reading independently has difficulty decoding the word reacted. Which of the following decoding strategies would most likely help the student identify the word? a. applying syllabication generalizations to divide the word into pronounceable chunks b. using structural analysis to identify portions of the word that are recognizable c. making an analogy between the word and familiar similarly spelled words d. applying phonics knowledge and phoneme blending skills to sound out the word

b. using structural analysis to identify portions of the word that are recognizable

A fifth grade teacher would like to monitor students' progress toward mastery of the ability to explain the relationships between several concepts in an informational text by drawing on specific information in the text. Which of the following types of assessment would be most effective for the teacher to use for this purpose? a. short written responses to end of chapter exercises that include literal and inferential comprehension questions for informational texts b. whole class discussions of key concepts in an informational text followed by in class writing assignments in which students cite details from the text when drawing connections between the concepts c. informal classroom observations of students' contributions to small group discussions of informational texts they are reading in class d. student-teacher conferences during which the teacher asks individual students to summarize the relationship between key concepts in an informational text they have read independently

b. whole class discussions of key concepts in an informational text followed by in class writing assignments in which students cite details from the text when drawing connections between the concepts

Which of the following divisions of words is consistent with syllabication generalizations in English? a. di/stant b. prog/ram c. ba/bies d. char/ming

c. ba/bies

(Use the excerpt below from a small-group discussion to answer the question that follows) Student 1: "Okay, so let's divide up the work for our presentation. I think I should write it." Student 2: "Do you mean the report, the labels for the poster, or both?" Student 1: "Just the report. Do you want to write the labels?" Student 2: "Sure, and we can all work on the poster together." Student 3: "Does that mean I don't have to write anything?" Student 2: "You can help me write the labels if you want." The excerpt best exemplifies which of the following forms of interpersonal communication? a. analyzing b. confirming c. clarifying d. validating

c. clarifying

A teacher conducts ongoing progress monitoring of a student's oral reading fluency during a fluency intervention designed to improve the student's reading rate. When assessing the student for this purpose, the teacher should use a text that is... a. challenging for the student to read aloud b. well-known to the student from multiple exposures c. controlled to be at the student's independent reading level d. limited to only phonically regular words well-known to the student

c. controlled to be at the student's independent reading level

A sixth grade teacher would like to plan literacy activities to support students' ongoing fluency development. Which of the following strategies would be most effective for this purpose? a. providing students with regular opportunities to meet in small student-centered groups to discuss texts they are reading independently b. including repeated oral reading of short decodable passages as a regular component of literature study c. planning in class silent reading of a variety of text types with student accountability for timely completion and comprehension d. integrating guided practice in decoding grade level high frequency words with explicit instruction in vocabulary

c. planning in class silent reading of a variety of text types with student accountability for timely completion and comprehension

A student reading a passage aloud would need to use syntactic and semantic cues in the text to determine the meaning and correct pronunciation of which of the following words? a. accept b. scene c. project d. inform

c. project

A second grade student who receives Tier 3 instruction to remediate foundational skills demonstrates grade level proficiency in a post assessment. In accordance with the guidelines of Indiana's Response to Instruction model, which of the following decisions about ongoing instruction for the student would be the most appropriate? a. providing Tier 1 reading instructions supplemented with individualized Tier 2 services in an inclusive classroom setting b. adjusting the intensity of reading instruction to Tier 2 levels while continuing to provide reinforcement in the skills originally targeted in the Tier 3 intervention c. providing Tier 1 reading instruction only with frequent monitoring to ensure the student is making adequate progress without additional supports d. continuing to provide an intense Tier 3 program of reading instruction aligned with the core curriculum until key annual learning benchmarks are achieved

c. providing Tier 1 reading instruction only with frequent monitoring to ensure the student is making adequate progress without additional supports

Convergent research has identified which of the following literacy experiences as the largest contributing factor to vocabulary growth in older elementary students? a. systematic and direct instruction in word meanings b. frequent and engaging conversations with skilled adult speakers c. regular independent reading of a wide variety of texts d. explicit instruction in academic language structure and usage

c. regular independent reading of a wide variety of texts

A second grade teacher is planning to use flexible grouping to differentiate reading instruction. When assigning students to small groups the most important factor for the teacher to consider first would be the students... a. individual reading interests b. assessed independent reading levels c. specific reading skill needs d. overall classroom reading performance

c. specific reading skill needs

Students in a first grade class spend a portion of each day writing and drawing in personal journals. The teacher suggests topics, but students can write about any topic they wish. This activity will primarily benefit students by promoting their ability to... a. use spelling and grammar conventions b. apply knowledge of different modes of writing c. think independently and take creative risks d. accurately convey a message to an audience

c. think independently and take creative risks

Which of the following sets of words is most closely associated with a comparison/contrast text structure? a. since, result, consequently b. reason, solve, question c. while, similarly, yet d. illustrate, characteristic, such as

c. while, similarly, yet

(Use the standard below from the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy to answer the question that follows.) CCSS W.2.1 - Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic or book they are writing about, state an opinion, supply reasons that support the opinion, use linking words (e.g. because, and also) to connect opinion and reasons, and provide a concluding statement or section. A second grade teacher is planning instruction to promote student progress toward achievement of the standard. Which of the following student activities would be most appropriate for this purpose? a. comparing and contrasting authors' portrayal of the same historical figure in a work of fiction and in a biography b. researching a topic and using information from the research to establish a clear position on the topic c. writing a collective letter to the editor of the school newspaper in response to an article on a school-related issue d. reading a book independently and choosing examples of dialogue that illustrate characters' personalities

c. writing a collective letter to the editor of the school newspaper in response to an article on a school-related issue

Works by which of the following groups of authors depict fictional characters' experiences during real historical events? a. Alma Flor Ada, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Amy Tan b. Madeleine L'Engle, Robert A. Heinlein, Katherine Paterson c. Gary Paulsen, E. L. Konigsburg, Louis Sachar d. Yoshiko Uchida, Christopher Paul Curtis, Elizabeth George Speare

d. Yoshiko Uchida, Christopher Paul Curtis, Elizabeth George Speare

Students in a sixth grade class read a lengthy newspaper editorial presenting the likely consequences of a proposed change in the local school calendar. After a class discussion of the author's points, the teacher begins a lesson in summarizing the main argument, the supporting claims, and the supporting evidence in a persuasive text. Which of the following types of graphic organizers would be the most effective for creating a summary of this type and therefore would be most appropriate for the teacher to use in this lesson? a. a timeline b. a flow chart c. a T-chart d. an outline

d. an outline

In both classroom routines and explicitly focused literacy activities a kindergarten teacher regularly includes oral word play based on sound (e.g. rhyming, alliteration). This classroom practice is likely to support the literacy development of emergent readers primarily in which of the following ways? a. by introducing them to the alphabetic principle b. by promoting their phonemic segmenting skills c. by introducing them to common spelling patterns d. by promoting their phonological awareness

d. by promoting their phonological awareness

Research suggests that which of the following instructional practices would be most effective and essential for promoting motivation to read in students in the upper elementary grades? a. asking students regularly to write about some texts they read independently by responding to a set of questions applicable to a variety of texts b. ensuring students have opportunities to develop and deliver formal oral presentations in response to some reading assignments c. assigning students to read independently some challenging text at steadily increasing levels of difficulty d. ensuring students have opportunities to read some texts that address topics and issues relevant to young adolescents

d. ensuring students have opportunities to read some texts that address topics and issues relevant to young adolescents

"I get a box of graham crackers, a bag of marshmallows, and a chocolate bar. I spear a marshmallow and hold it over the fire. I am careful because marshmallows can suddenly burst into flames. The toasted marshmallow is crackly on the outside and gooey on the inside. I put a piece of chocolate on the graham cracker and put the marshmallow on top of the chocolate. The melting chocolate oozes over the sides of the cracker. S'mores are really messy and delicious!" A fifth grade teacher is planning instruction for the student who wrote the draft paragraph. Given the assessment evidence presented in the paragraph, which of the following instructional strategies would be most appropriate for the teacher to use? a. providing a list of strong verbs and vivid adjectives for the student to choose from during revision b. asking the student questions to elicit additional supporting details for a revised version of the paragraph c. having the student complete written exercises to practice varying sentence length and word order d. helping the student identify the topic sentence and transitional words and phrases in a model paragraph

d. helping the student identify the topic sentence and transitional words and phrases in a model paragraph

A young child demonstrates awareness of some phonological structures in spoken English but has not yet developed phonemic awareness. Which of the following activities would most likely be beyond the student's level of skill development? a. clapping once for every syllable in a spoken word or phrase b. counting the separate words in a spoken sentence c. segmenting a one syllable spoken word into onset and rime d. identifying the final speech sound in a spoken word

d. identifying the final speech sound in a spoken word

A fourth grade student has very strong decoding skills and yet when reading aloud, reads haltingly word-by-word and with very little variation in pacing or pitch. Which of the following intervention strategies would likely be most effective in addressing the student's demonstrated needs in fluency? a. providing the student with increased opportunities in school for silent independent reading of self selected materials b. promoting the student's motivation to read more quickly and energetically using a system of extrinsic rewards c. providing explicit explanation and targeted review of grade level strategies for analyzing multisyllabic words d. modeling prosodic reading of a shared text and helping the student imitate the modeled phrasing and intonation patterns

d. modeling prosodic reading of a shared text and helping the student imitate the modeled phrasing and intonation patterns

Use the poem below to answer the question that follows. Small, lucky, quick, A curled and crackled oak leaf Dashed across the road, Then paused To listen for the wind. Which of the following poetic devices is used most prominently in the poem? a. hyperbole b. ambiguity c. simile d. personification

d. personification

A kindergarten teacher uses a word game to informally assess the literacy development of individual students in the class. In the game the teacher says the sounds in a familiar word slowly and continuously (e.g. pronouncing the word sat as sssaaat) and then prompts the students to identify the word. This procedure will most effectively provide a measure of students' development in which of the following areas of emergent literacy? a. grapheme-phoneme correspondence b. oral vocabulary knowledge c. encoding and decoding words d. phonemic awareness

d. phonemic awareness

During a vocabulary lesson a fifth grade teacher writes the words portable, unwieldy, and compact on the board, and provides a definition for each of the words. Which of the following steps would be most effective for the teacher to take next to deepen the students' knowledge of the words? a. calling on individual students to locate and share dictionary entries for the words b. providing explicit explanations of the etymology and spelling of each word c. guiding students in analyzing the meanings of roots and affixes in the words d. providing examples illustrating appropriate and inappropriate uses for each word

d. providing examples illustrating appropriate and inappropriate uses for each word

The results of an informal reading inventory (IRI) would be most appropriate to use for which of the following purposes? a. surveying topics of interests and the overall reading preferences of students in the class b. comparing the reading skill development of individual students with national benchmarks c. determining the students' strengths and areas of need in phonics and word recognition skills d. selecting instructional materials at an appropriate level of difficulty for individual students

d. selecting instructional materials at an appropriate level of difficulty for individual students

Guided practice in reading skills is an essential component of effective reading instruction used primarily for which of the following purposes? a. differentiating instruction to support the learning styles of all students b. activating and expanding students' background knowledge with respect to specific texts c. increasing students' conscious awareness of decoding processes during reading d. supporting students' progressive development of competence in applying a newly taught skill

d. supporting students' progressive development of competence in applying a newly taught skill