Study Guide

Fields 014–017: Early Childhood Generalist
Sample Multiple-Choice Questions

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Subtest 1: Reading and English Language Arts

Objective 0001
Foundations of Scientifically Based Reading Instruction (Standard 1)

1. A kindergarten teacher is planning to conduct an informal screening assessment to gather baseline information on students' book-handling skills. In one part of the assessment, the teacher plans to ask individual students to select a book from the classroom library and pretend to read it to the teacher. In keeping with the purpose of this assessment, which of the following procedures would be most important for the teacher to follow?

  1. observing a student's performance with minimal intervention
  2. informing a student when he or she makes a mistake in completing part of the task
  3. offering corrective feedback whenever a student requests help
  4. prompting and facilitating a student until he or she carries out the task successfully
Answer
Correct Response: A.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate the ability to select, administer, and interpret the results of reading assessments. A screening assessment is used to determine children's reading skills development. In this scenario, the teacher gives an individual student a task (select a book and pretend to read it to the teacher) and then uses observation to conduct a screening of the student's book-handling skills. For the results of an observational assessment such as this to be valid, the teacher cannot prompt, guide, or in any other way interfere with the student's authentic response to the task given.
Objective 0002
Components of Scientifically Based Reading Instruction (Standard 2)

2. A preschool teacher regularly leads children in interactive, whole-class reading activities with texts that feature rhymes and alliteration. For example, in one activity the teacher reads aloud from an illustrated book of nonsense poems. Children clap their hands when they hear a rhyme, then, at the teacher's signal, call out the rhyming words. This type of activity promotes students' emergent reading skills primarily by developing the students':

  1. understanding of the alphabetic principle.
  2. vocabulary knowledge.
  3. recognition of common spelling patterns.
  4. phonological awareness.
Answer
Correct Response: D.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of key concepts and scientifically based reading research in phonemic awareness, such as knowledge of the continuum of phonological-awareness skill development. Rhyming and alliteration are two skills in the phonological-awareness continuum that are typically taught in conjunction with blending and segmenting onsets and rimes. Instruction in these phonological-awareness skills provides a foundation for instruction in phonemic awareness.
Objective 0002
Components of Scientifically Based Reading Instruction (Standard 2)

3. A second-grade teacher meets with students individually and has them read aloud a series of words and nonsense words (e.g., flick, rap, rop, raff, lep, luck, rup, trip, less). Evidence from this informal assessment would be most helpful for evaluating the students' phonics skill with respect to which of the following phonics patterns?

  1. open syllables
  2. syllables with l- or r-controlled vowels
  3. closed syllables
  4. syllables with complex vowel patterns
Answer
Correct Response: C.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of key concepts and scientifically based reading research in phonics. In English, there are six major types of syllables. Closed syllables are the most common. They consist of a short vowel that is cut off or "closed" by one or more consonants. All of the words and nonsense words in the example end in one or more consonants and contain a single short vowel.
Objective 0003
Comprehension and Analysis of Text (Standards 3.1–3.2, 3.9–3.11)

4. A first-grade teacher plans to have students create cloth puppets representing animal characters in a familiar fable. The students will then put on a puppet show, retelling the fable by improvising dialogue for their puppets. When implementing this activity, the teacher should keep in mind that its primary purpose should be to:

  1. enhance students' understanding of character development.
  2. support students' oral language with a strong visual component.
  3. introduce students to the principles of set and costume design.
  4. provide students with an opportunity for meaningful oral expression.
Answer
Correct Response: D.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of methods for planning and delivering evidence-based English language arts instruction that fosters students' understanding and mastery of concepts and skills related to English language arts and the development of critical- and creative-thinking, reasoning, problem-solving, and performance skills. Having students create puppets and improvise dialogue to retell a familiar fable is a form of dramatic improvisation that can develop students' creative-thinking and oral performance skills. The key focus of this type of activity should be the oral language component, rather than the visual and design components of the puppets and the puppet stage. Instruction should focus on developing such oral performance skills as voice projection, clear pronunciation, and self-confidence.
Objective 0004
Communication Arts (Standards 3.3–3.11)

5. An elementary teacher conducts a structured daily sharing time in the classroom. Each day, one student shares an object or a brief story with the class. The sharer then calls on other students who ask questions and make comments about what the sharer has presented. This activity is most likely to promote students' development of which of the following speaking and listening skills?

  1. clearly expressing thoughts and feelings
  2. following turn-taking rules for discussions
  3. confirming understanding of new information
  4. producing complete sentences appropriate to a task
Answer
Correct Response: B.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of methods for planning and delivering evidence-based English language arts instruction that fosters students' understanding and mastery of concepts and skills related to English language arts. The student presentation and student-led discussion that follows will promote development of students' ability to follow turn-taking rules for discussions by encouraging students to listen actively and respectfully to their classmates and to wait their turn to contribute to the discussion.