READ 3320

English Language Arts and Reading EC-6 Standards

1. Oral Language 2. Phonological and phonemic awareness 3. Alphabetic principle 4. Literacy Development and Practice 5. Word analysis and decoding 6. Reading fluency 7. Reading comprehension 8. Development of written communications Development 9. Writing conventions 10. Assessment and instruction

A kindergarten teacher is creating a unit on apples to focus on the letter "A." Which of the following activities best contributes to students' understanding of the alphabetic principle? A. Cutting out pictures of objects that begin with "A" and labeling them in a book B. Creating a collage to be hung in the classroom of pictures of objects that begin with "A" C. Brainstorming words that begin with the same first letter as each student's name D. Inventing a song or rhyme to learn how to spell the word "apple"

Option A is correct because it requires students to identify pictures of objectsthat begin with "A" and to label them.

In a meeting with a teacher, a parent asks how to encourage reading and improve reading skills for children at home. Which of the following is the most effective recommendation for the teacher to make? A. Reading books aloud with the child at home B. Allowing the child to see adults read at home C. Providing costumes and props for the child to act out stories at home D. Buying books on audio for the child to hear at home

Option A is correct because research shows that reading aloud with children isthe best way to promote childhood literacy.

Which of the following activities is most effective in developing reading fluency skills in first-grade students? A. Rereading stories that were used during guided reading B. Participating in literature discussion groups in literacy centers C. Reading books that are at a level just above their independent reading level D. Completing a graphic organizer after reading a book the student has chosen

Option A is correct because students acquire reading fluency andcomprehension from books read during guided reading lessons with their teacher. Repeated readings of familiar books improve reading fluency

Most students in a kindergarten class can identify two words that rhyme. Which of the following phonemic skills is most appropriate for the teacher to address next? . Naming the beginning sounds in wordsB. Blending the initial consonant sounds in wordsC. Pronouncing all the sounds in words with two or three phonemes D. Blending the final consonant sounds in words

Option A is correct because this is the next phase in phonemic awareness development.

When selecting vocabulary from magazine or newspaper articles used in instruction, which of the following methods is most effective? A. Selecting vocabulary based on the teacher's experience from previous yearsof instruction B. Asking students to identify words for further study when they read an article for the first time C. Using newspapers and magazines specifically made for school use, withbolded vocabulary terms D. Cross-referencing articles taught in class with district vocabulary lists to identify key words

Option B is correct (PURPOSEFUL READING) because student selection of words for further study is the best way to ensure that the class is studying words that students will find usefuland memorable

A third-grade teacher assigns homework that requires students to list ten common words that can either stand alone or be combined with another word. The assignment primarily promotes the students' understanding of which of the following concepts? A. Analyzing sound-symbol relationships B. Making compound words C. Blending sounds in words D. Distinguishing root words

Option B is correct because compound words are words that can stand alone or can be combined.

A teacher notices that some students in the class have trouble interacting with peers during group assignments. Which of the following will best help students learn more appropriate oral language skills to use in group interactions? A. Assigning students to play a game in groups and then using a rubric to evaluate their interactionsB. Rehearsing positive group collaboration by using a script and having students analyze productive conversations C. Requiring students to practice effective social interactions with their parents and siblings at homeD. Videotaping a group while the members work together and allowing the class to view the video and then make suggestions for improving communication

Option B is correct because giving students a script provides them with amodel of appropriate interaction that they can imitate and recall during future model of appropriate interaction that they can imitate and recall during future group assignments

Which of the following stages of spelling development is primarily characterized by letter-sound correspondence? A. Semiphonetic B. Phonetic C. Transitional D. Conventional

Option B is correct because phonetic spelling, also known as invented spelling, requires students to use their knowledge of sounds in words and then assign corresponding letters.

A fourth-grade teacher notices several students who are shy and reluctant to speak in class. What strategy would be most effective in motivating students' participation in class while enhancing their listening and speaking skills? A. Allowing students regular opportunities to read aloud in front of the class B. Giving students opportunities to share and listen to stories in a small-group setting C. Encouraging students to orally respond to higher-level thinking questions during class D. Permitting students to choose which groups of students they feel comfortable speaking to

Option B is correct because telling personal stories, listening to others' stories, and providing feedback and questions help build students' linguistic fluency, meaningful oral expression, confidence, receptive language skills, and listening comprehension skills. In addition, being in a small-group setting will put the students more at ease

A fourth-grade teacher is beginning a unit on energy and matter that contains vocabulary not regularly used by students. To best draw on students' experiences in a manner that helps them develop a deeper understanding of the unit's terms, the classroom teacher should A. have numerous dictionaries available for students. B. build a language-rich environment. C. ask students to choose a partner and define key words. D. encourage struggling students to use their science journals.

Option B is correct because vocabulary lessons are built on language-rich environments to support word learning.

To best assess a student's graphophonemic knowledge, a teacher should have the student A. read aloud the letters of the alphabet to a partner. B. circle the vowels in the student's first name. C. identify a word based on a sequence of letter-sound correspondence. D. write all the irregular words the student knows in a spelling journal.

Option C is correct because identifying the letter-sound correspondence willallow students to decode other words.

Students in a kindergarten class are learning to analyze and SPELL phonetically regular words (LETTER SOUND BY LETTER SOUND). They have learned to identify individual phonemes and to blend onsets and rimes IN WORDS (EXAMPLE: C-A-T and C-AT). Which of the following is the most appropriate to teach next? A. Vowel-consonant patterns B. Types of syllables C. Short and long vowels D. Vowel diphthongs

Option C is correct because once students have (IMPLIED) learned the individual sounds made by letters and can blend the sounds at the beginnings and ends of words,they must be able to analyze the vowels within the word and determine whetherthe vowels are short or long so they can assign meaning to the word as a whole.

A teacher reviews four students' current stages of writing development and notes the following. Student 1: The student writes letters and words but sometimes does not add spacing between words. Student 2: The student makes an assortment of marks resembling a drawing on a paper. Student 3: The student spells many words the way they sound. Student 4: The student writes capital letters without spacing. Based on the information above, which TWO students display the most advanced development in their writing? A. Student 1 AND 2 B. Student 2 AND 3 C. Student 3 AND 1 D. Student 4 AND 2

Option C is correct because student 1 displays characteristics of thestage of writing development known as "Beginning Sounds Emerge." Student 3 displays characteristics of the stage of writing development known as "Initial, Middle, and Final Sounds." Both of these stages are more advanced than those being displayed by Student 2 and Student 4

A second-grade teacher can best help students develop an understanding of a new text by asking students to A. complete a fill-in-the-blank quiz after reading a whole-class story. B. make predictions about a story before they see the cover of the book .C. use literature response journals to record mental images generated from their reading. D. read a similar story aloud to a partner and then answer questions orally.

Option C is correct because when readers create mental images, they engage with text in ways that make it memorable to them.

Which of the following silent reading practices provides the best conditions for students' individual reading improvement? A. Engaging in sustained silent reading for an hour once a week while the teacher reads a book to model engaged reading behaviors B. Dropping everything and reading several times a week for 30 minutes while the teacher grades papers or prepares instructional materials C. Reading silently any time independent work has been completed early while the teacher keeps anecdotal records of student behaviors D. Participating in scaffolded silent reading for 20 minutes every day while the teacher confers with students individually about their reading

Option D is correct because students are receiving support through scaffolding.This could be in the form of minilessons, conferencing, dialogue journaling or other supports.

A first-grade teacher has several students who lack phonological and phonemic awareness skills. To best provide opportunities for the students to develop the skills at home, the teacher should assign homework that includes which of the following activities? A. Writing the alphabet on notebook paper B. Listening to stories on tape or on a home computer C. Pointing out the vowels in words when reading aloud D. Playing word and sound games with family members

Option D is correct because word and sound games allow students to hear the individual sounds in words.

4. Literacy development and practice

Teachers of young students understand that literacy develops over time and progresses from emergent to proficient stages. Teachers use a variety of contexts to support the development of young students' literacy.

2. Phonological and Phonemic Awareness

Teachers of young students understand the components of phonological and phonemic awareness and utilize a variety of approaches to help young students develop this awareness and its relationship to written language.

1. Oral Language

Teachers of young students understand the importance of oral language, know the developmental processes of oral language and provide a variety of instructional opportunities for young students to develop listening and speaking skills.

3. Alphabetic principle

Teachers of young students understand the importance of the alphabetic principle to reading English, know the elements of the alphabetic principle and provide instruction that helps students understand that printed words consist of graphic representations that relate to the sounds of spoken language in conventional and intentional ways.

9. Writing Convention

Teachers understand how young students use writing conventions and how to help students develop those conventions.

8. Development of written communication

Teachers understand that writing to communicate is a developmental process and provide instruction that helps young students develop competence in written communication.

10. Assessment and instruction of developing Literacy

Teachers understand the basic principles of assessment and use a variety of literacy assessment practices to plan and implement literacy instruction for young students.

6. Reading fluency

Teachers understand the importance of fluency to reading comprehension and provide many opportunities for students to improve reading fluency.

7. Reading Comprehension

Teachers understand the importance of reading for understanding, know the components of comprehension and teach young students strategies for improving comprehension.

5. Word analysis and decoding

Teachers understand the importance of word analysis and decoding to reading and provide many opportunities for students to improve word analysis and decoding abilities.