EC-6 English practice test 3

A fourth-grade student loves to read, but typically only picks graphic novels that are written below grade level. Which of the following best explains one reason the teacher might suggest more variation in his independent reading? A. Greater variety in reading level and genre will support greater vocabulary development. B. Reading genres other than graphic novels will increase the student's ability to recognize plot and character development techniques. C. The student is unlikely to develop strong inferencing skills by only reading graphic novels. D. The student should be reading more text dense material to improve prosody.

A. Greater variety in reading level and genre will support greater vocabulary development.

The following is a first draft from a sixth-grade student's persuasive essay. (1)More time should be spent outside. (2)When I go outside I have lots of fun and my brother and I ride bikes play base ball and look for snakes. (3)To many kids stay in all day on youtube or play videogames. (4)The auther said kids should be out side for 15 hours per weak. (5)I am only outside 1 hour or less. In sentence 2, the teacher should provide additional instruction in which of the following skills? A. comma usage B. subject/verb agreement C. maintaining verb tense D. commonly confused words

A. comma usage

Choose ONE of the following words to correctly complete BOTH of the following sentences. bus train teach show car I rode in a ________ to visit my grandmother. I hope to ________ my dog to roll over. Now work with a partner to write two sentences. Each sentence must show a different meaning of the word right. Which of the following concepts is the teacher introducing to her class? A. homographs B. context clues C. synonyms D. homophones

A. homographs

A sixth-grade teacher presents the class with the following description of a fictional confrontation between a middle school principal and a middle school student: The student was sent to the office due to a dress code infraction. The secretary provided the student with a different pair of shorts to wear for the remainder of the day. The student refused to wear the shorts, explaining that she did not believe her shorts were too short or inappropriate. The principal and the student discuss, disagree, and the student ends up receiving an after school detention. The teacher then randomly provides each student with either the email that was sent to the parent of the student or the text message that the student sent to her parents after school. The students are placed in pairs to evaluate how the content of the principal's email varies from the student text message. This activity is most likely designed to teach the stude

A. how an author's point of view can impact the account of a particular event.

A classroom has broken out into writing centers. One group of students sits with the teacher. The teacher hands one student a card with 3-5 sentences on it. The student reads the sentences silently and then out loud. Next, the teacher takes the card and asks the student to explain to the group what was read. After the student gives an oral explanation, the group discusses if there are any facts to add or remove. Then the process repeats with a new student reading and paraphrasing. This activity will help develop writing skills most appropriate to which type of writing? A. informational B. persuasive C. narrative D. correspondence

A. informational

Which of the following is a qualitative feature of text complexity? A. levels of meaning B. length of text C. lengths of sentences D. difficulty of vocabulary

A. levels of meaning

A teacher divides students up into small groups. She projects a prefix, suffix, or root and gives the groups 60 seconds to come up with as many words as they can that contain the specified word part. This activity is assessing her students': A. morphemic word knowledge. B. teamwork abilities. C. rhyming knowledge. D. phonemic knowledge.

A. morphemic word knowledge.

A teacher has reorganized the classroom library to make it easier for students to browse and select texts to read during silent reading time. In addition to this reorganization, the teacher decided to conduct a reading interest survey, so that she can be of assistance when students need prompting. After assessing the results of students' reading interest surveys, the teacher should: A. provide students with a variety of titles across genres related to the students' interests. B. redesign the year's reading curriculum to mirror the interests of the class. C. assign students to homogenous reading groups and pick what each group reads. D. show students how to use the library's database to find their own reading materials.

A. provide students with a variety of titles across genres related to the students' interests.

Which activity below would be most beneficial for instructing students who are just beginning a problem and solution essay? A. Look for places where transition words are missing and insert them into the writing. B. Brainstorm with a peer, writing down what is known about the problem and possible solutions. C. Highlight any instances of missing or incorrect comma usage to edit later. D. Reorganize sentences, grouping like solutions with their evidence.

B. Brainstorm with a peer, writing down what is known about the problem and possible solutions.

Every day, midmorning, the teacher gives her class an opportunity to walk around the room and visit with friends for 3-4 minutes, often telling them to "get it out of their system." After hearing the phrase a few times, a student comes up to ask what she means by that sentence. What should the teacher do to best support her student's understanding of this idiom? A. Ask her to think about the sentence in context and think about it for homework to discuss in the morning. B. Explain the meaning in a more literal way. C. Explain how a "system" can be used to metaphorically represent impulses. D. Provide various other examples of idioms that are used in other contexts.

B. Explain the meaning in a more literal way.

A teacher presents students with a historical chart detailing what trade goods, and in what amounts, were transported during the colonization of North America. The teacher reviews the legend, title, axes, and other headings with the students to ensure that they are accurately reading the chart. Once students have previewed the chart titles, what is the next step they should take to comprehend the chart? A. Discuss whether or not colonial tradesmen made the best choices in what items they chose to transport. B. Look for high and low points in the data to establish a sense of what the data means. C. Search for details from an accompanying article that support the evidence in the chart. D. Discuss whether or not this is the best type of graph to present this information.

B. Look for high and low points in the data to establish a sense of what the data means.

Which of the following is not an example of how a strong and developing vocabulary leads to strong reading skills? A. Students with a strong knowledge of vocabulary are able to quickly decode words which lets them read more fluently. B. Students with strong vocabulary are able to form complete thoughts and sentences with ease. C. Students with a strong vocabulary can make connections to background knowledge more easily. D. Students with a strong vocabulary spend less time decoding and more time comprehending a text.

B. Students with strong vocabulary are able to form complete thoughts and sentences with ease.

The following is a sample excerpt from a fourth-grade writing assignment. Over the weekend I spent time reading a great book. The book is called An apple for seafoam. The author's name is Aurora finch. An Apple for seafoam takes place in new England on a little farm by the atlantic ocean. Seafoam is a horse. An apaloosa horse to be specific. That means he has spots on his rear and legs. Based on this excerpt, the student would benefit from direct instruction in which grammatical area? A. punctuation B. capitalization C. run-on sentences D. subject/verb agreement

B. capitalization

Students have been directed to write a 10 sentence response to a short story the class just read. The teacher provides some guiding questions, but allows the students to write whatever comes to mind. She informs the class that she will be assessing the writing for correct grammar and punctuation usage. While assessing the writing, the teacher should: A. indicate where students have misspellings B. choose one main grammar or punctuation error to assess. C. comment on how well the student summarized the story. D. indicate in red pen every grammar and punctuation error made by the student.

B. choose one main grammar or punctuation error to assess.

While reading aloud in front of the class, the teacher comes across the word "desirable." The teacher then points to clues in the surrounding text that help the students to understand what "desirable" means. What is the teacher modeling? A. structural analysis B. contextual analysis C. morphemic analysis D. phonemic awareness

B. contextual analysis

A classroom is studying plot structure in fiction literature. They have read a few short stories and charted the plot events on a plot diagram. Which type of media could the teacher use to continue the activity and authentically enhance the student's understanding of plot structure? A. educational B. entertainment C. persuasive D. informational

B. entertainment

An informal reader response journal is a beneficial activity for developing reading comprehension and connections because: Select all answers that apply. A. students can practice different organizational and sentence structures as directed by the teacher. B. students can focus on the content of their writing, rather than the grammar. C. students can always share their thoughts with the class through written or verbal expression. D. students can include any connections they find interesting or relevant.

B. students can focus on the content of their writing, rather than the grammar. D. students can include any connections they find interesting or relevant.

When deciding if a source is credible for a research project, which of the following is important for the student to consider? Select all answers that apply. A. the publishing company B. the author's purpose C. the credentials of the author D. the publication date

B. the author's purpose C. the credentials of the author D. the publication date

Before starting a new unit, a teacher has students complete a short writing assignment in which they share what they know about the topic and predict what might be learned during the unit. Once the unit is finished, the teacher would like to have students revisit their essays. What step could the teacher take next that would allow students to expand on their new vocabulary knowledge? A. Assign students a new essay to compare what they knew to what they know now. B. Have students reread the essay and highlight any statements that turned out to be false. C. Ask students to revise the essay to include newly learned vocabulary terms D. Ask students to illustrate what they wrote to reflect their new knowledge.

C. Ask students to revise the essay to include newly learned vocabulary terms.

Effective vocabulary instruction can be achieved with which of the following methods? A. Limiting word lists to include word families only and studying these lists in isolation. B. All of the above. C. Choosing words that appear in multiple contexts and forms across a student's reading and listening activities. D. Letting students choose their own words to study outside of class time.

C. Choosing words that appear in multiple contexts and forms across a student's reading and listening activities.

A class has recently completed a science unit and the teacher would like to incorporate some form of writing task into an upcoming lesson. She breaks students up into groups based on what stage of writing development they are in. Which activity would be best suited to students in the transitional stage of writing development? A. Have students draw an image related to the content and write a caption for the image. B. Complete a prewrite graphic organizer and draft a paragraph for an essay. C. Complete a prewrite graphic organizer for a mock short essay. D. Working with a partner, identify the name of the scientific content shown in an image and write the starting letter.

C. Complete a prewrite graphic organizer for a mock short essay.

Which of the following would be an appropriate question to ask when viewing and analyzing thematic elements of entertainment media? A. Who are the main characters in this show? B. In what way did the director support his argument? C. How does the director use the contrast of light and dark to influence the mood of this scene? D. In what way does this show demonstrate the author's bias and point of view?

C. How does the director use the contrast of light and dark to influence the mood of this scene?

Mrs. Mendez explains to her sixth-grade students that she wants them to start using technology for specific reasons as they do more oral and written presentations. For this week's assignment, they are to do a brief written report about their recent social studies unit of study. They will then find related pictures on the computer and print them off to attach to their reports. They will also need to identify the sources of their information. Which of the following best explains why Mrs. Mendez would have them identify their sources? A. It will help her students develop lists of websites that contain pictures for social studies reports. B. This will help other students use some of the same sources. C. It will help establish an understanding of the need to document websites and other sources for their work. D. She wants to determine if the students did the research themselves.

C. It will help establish an understanding of the need to document websites and other sources for their work.

During morning work time, a teacher walks around and visits with two or three students individually. During this time, she asks the students questions about their lives, interests, friends, books they're reading, or various other topics. While the students speak, the teacher makes a note of whether or not each student is answering in complete sentences, if they reframe the questions in their answers, and how well each student maintains eye contact. What is the most likely purpose of these individual chats? A. To diagnose speech issues and students who may need additional support outside of the classroom. B. To make connections with the student and develop teacher-student relationships. C. To informally assess a student's oral language proficiency. D. To formally assess a student's use of proper speaking etiquette.

C. To informally assess a student's oral language proficiency.

A fourth-grade classroom has just received a new English Language Learner. The student is in the beginning stages of English language proficiency, with few everyday words and even fewer academic terms. While participating in whole-group reading instruction, which accommodation would be most appropriate for the teacher to use when assessing this student's reading comprehension? A. assess the student's answers on content only and not grammar or spelling B. allow the student to read and respond in his native language until he has more mastery of English C. allow the student to point to answers or use photos and illustrations to respond D. provide translation software for the student to use while answering questions

C. allow the student to point to answers or use photos and illustrations to respond

While students are between activities, a teacher is looking for a way to help build and encourage oral language development. Which of these short activities would best promote her students' oral language skills? A. magnetic poetry boards B. Mad Lib creation C. charades D. hangman

C. charades

A student who is typically a strong reader and specifically loves to read fiction narratives struggles more with content specific informative texts. The teacher regularly implements pre-reading and during-reading activities for the class as a whole, but which of the following strategies would be the most helpful for this specific student when reading the more challenging informative texts? A. paraphrase the text sentence by sentence B. take turns reading aloud with a neighbor C. decrease reading rate D. use a dictionary to define every unfamiliar word

C. decrease reading rate

While researching for information to use on an upcoming persuasive essay, the writer identifies the author or organizations responsible for the website, then considers possible biases that may influence the information presented. This approach demonstrates an understanding of which part of the research process? A. accurately citing sources B. distinguishing between paraphrasing and plagiarism C. determining source credibility D. distinguishing between primary and secondary sources

C. determining source credibility

As a community building and fundraising event, a teacher would like to host an after school movie night. In addition to movie viewing and popcorn eating, the teacher should include what aspect below to promote media literacy? A. have students research local charities and write a paragraph explaining which charity deserves the funds raised B. ask students to write a summary of the film in class C. host a small group parent/child discussion after the movie D. have students create flyers promoting the event to hang up around town

C. host a small group parent/child discussion after the movie

Which of the following would best promote the increase of students' reading vocabulary? A. have students read different perspectives of the same historical event provide students with books at, or near, their frustrational reading level B. provide students with books at, or near, their frustrational reading level C. make time for students to engage in independent reading D. review students' journal entries with the student

C. make time for students to engage in independent reading

In order to encourage students to value reading for pleasure, a teacher should: A. alternate between student-selected and teacher-selected texts to ensure rigor and progress. B. encourage students to make connections between texts through teacher-guided journals. C. provide opportunities to read during class and informally discuss texts with classmates. D. require students to read a set number of minutes every day at home and fill out a reading log.

C. provide opportunities to read during class and informally discuss texts with classmates.

Mrs. Adams gives each student a copy of a poem and a copy of her cookie recipe. She asks the students to view each document and compare how it looks--not yet focusing on what it says. Which of the following comprehension skills is Mrs. Adams asking her students to practice? A. making predictions B. literary analysis C. recognizing text features D. metacognitive skills

C. recognizing text features

A fifth-grade teacher wants to design small group fluency remediation activities. The teacher would like to group students based on their current needs and skill levels. Which of the following would be the most efficient way to gather data for grouping students? A. independent reading B. choral reading C. supervised oral reading D. partner or small group reading

C. supervised oral reading

A third-grade teacher writes the following sentence on the board: Despite being the last to use the bathroom pass, the student emphatically denied being the one that lost it. She asks the students to write down the meaning of the word emphatically without looking it up in the dictionary. How does the teacher expect the students to determine the word's meaning? A. determine the part of speech based on the word's location in the sentence B. consider how they personally have felt after losing important items C. use context clues to predict the word's meaning D. use their knowledge of affix meanings to predict the definition

C. use context clues to predict the word's meaning

A sixth-grade class has just finished drafting a personal narrative about a time or event that helped them grow as a person. Before drafting, the teacher provided focused instruction on using descriptive and precise words, using and correctly punctuating compound sentences, and the use of chronological organization and transition words. Once everyone has completed the first draft, the teacher pairs students and has them complete a peer review. The teacher provides the following checklist to use while reviewing. Did your classmate use transition words? Highlight these in green. Did your classmate use descriptive language? Underline two examples of strong descriptive language. Put a star next to a place where you think descriptive language could be added. Are there any sections of the writing that are confusing? Make notes in the margins as needed. Circle any places where your classmate has an error with grammar or spe

D. Ask students to review only for correctly written compound sentences, capital letters, and end punctuation marks, rather than looking for all grammatical errors.

Which of the following would not be beneficial in improving a 5th-grade student's note-taking skills? A. Provide the lecture notes in paragraph form with strategic blanks for the students to fill in as the teacher lectures, especially at the beginning of the school year. B. Provide an outline with the main points given and blanks for the students to complete the details as the teacher lectures. C. Have students take notes after it has been modeled and practiced on a graphic organizer. D. Create the expectation from the beginning of school that there will be a grade taken on students' notes at least once a week.

D. Create the expectation from the beginning of school that there will be a grade taken on students' notes at least once a week.

The words trying, writing, happening, heating demonstrate which of the following principles? A. The number of syllables in a root word determines whether the spelling is affected by the addition of a suffix. B. Depending on the spelling of the root word, the pronunciation of the suffix can vary. C. The suffix -ing only affects the spelling of the root word when the root ends in a long /E/ sound D. Depending on the ending letter of the root word, the addition of a suffix may impact the spelling of the root.

D. Depending on the ending letter of the root word, the addition of a suffix may impact the spelling of the root.

Why is it important for students to develop a vocabulary that includes words such as analyze, describe, justify, determine, etc.? A. They contain common root words. B. They are frequent in more complex literary texts. C. They will be equally important to general writing and reading comprehension. D. They are critical across content areas in order to demonstrate understanding of content.

D. They are critical across content areas in order to demonstrate understanding of content.

A sixth-grade classroom is working on a unit about perspective and active listening. The teacher needs to design an activity that will help students understand how emotional response to the speaker can influence how the audience listens and responds. The teacher plans to show multiple video clips and ask guided questions after the viewings. Which activity below would meet this goal? A. Watch multiple video clips of speakers presenting on the same topic and purpose. For example, two or three ads for cereal brands. B. Watch videos where the topics and purpose are the same, but the speaker changes. For example, a video from National Geographic about lions and a classroom presentation by a third grader on lions. C. Watch video clips about two different topics and then summarize the information presented. For example, one clip about habitat loss in the Arctic and one clip about sustainable farming. D. Watch video clips of

D. Watch video clips of speakers with varying purpose, emotional level, and mood. For example, a news clip about a natural disaster and an interview with someone who survived the same disaster.

A sixth-grade teacher is planning a lesson on the Constitution. Which of the following would be the most appropriate primary source to use when presenting the lesson? A. Thomas Paine's Common Sense B. a painting of the Constitutional Convention of 1787 C. a copy of the Declaration of Independence D. a copy of the Constitution

D. a copy of the Constitution

While reading a historical fiction book about The Great Depression, a teacher asks students to look for text-to-self connections when analyzing characters in the story. Which of the following literary features is the teacher trying to promote among the students? A. author's purpose B. alliteration and symbolism C. point-of-view D. characterization

D. characterization

A teacher is beginning a unit on the parts of speech. When a new part of speech is introduced, the teacher plays short videos from Schoolhouse Rock that go over the part of speech and give examples of it in action. The teacher is making use of which type of media to enhance her students' understanding of the topic? A. persuasive B. entertainment C. informational D. educational

D. educational

Mrs. Wright is reading a fiction story aloud to her class. She stops throughout to model the think-aloud strategy. In her think-aloud moments, she makes predictions about what will happen next and reflects on what the characters learn throughout each plot event. What level of reading comprehension is she modeling for her students? A. literal comprehension B. circumstantial comprehension C. evaluative comprehension D. inferential comprehension

D. inferential comprehension

Multiple times a year a third-grade teacher administers a formal assessment of her students' oral reading fluency. While assessing a student's reading, she notices that the child performs well on the portion of the test that asks the student to read a paragraph, but struggles when reading many of the same words in list form. Which of the following would best describe a strength of this student? A. using morphology to determine word meaning B. structural analysis C. sight word memorization D. using context clues to determine a word

D. using context clues to determine a word