ILTS 207: English Language Arts Content Exam

Tier One (vocabulary)

Everyday language/ most commonly usrf

Tier two

Academic lanugage (examples: analyze, synthesize, quantitative)

* big emphasis on academic language, especially for ELL students

Tier three

content specific language (examples: sonnet, iambic pentameter)

Phoneme

sounds (think phonics)

Morpheme

words and word parts

Syntax

Sentence structure

pragmatics

social context

jargon

words used by specific careers or disciplines that are difficult for others to understand

important to consider audience and avoid jargon (this comes up in the speaking/lsitening section)

idiom

commonly used phrase that is not literal (example: raining cats and dogs)

Important to teach ELL students in particular to use context clues

inflection

word modification to switch tense or case (example: write/ wrote/ written)

derivation

making a nrw word of an old word by adding a prefix or suffix

(example: patient and outpatient)

3 components of fluency

accuracy, Automaticity (rate), and prosody

* repeated oral readings are important for assessing fluency

automaticity

fast, effortless word recognition

(rate)

Prosody

reading with expression (this relates to oral reading)

what is an example of a strategy prosody?

echo reading (student repeats teacher)

Shared reading

teacher leads and students read some (focused more on word recognition)

guided reading

teacher leads and asks promting questions (focused more on comprehension)

partner reading

peers read together, taking turns and helping each other

DR-TA stands for what? What is it?

Directed reading- thinking activity

comprehension strategy that focuses on asking questions about a text, making predictions, and using the text to test predictions

text complexity/ reading level:

quantitive measures: ?

qualitative measures: ?

importance of a student's independent reading level for helping with independent reading selections;

quantitative measures: word and sentence length;

qualitative measures: images, graphics, headings

ballad

poem typically passed down orally/sung.

typically written in abcb quatrains

ode

lyric poem addressed to specific person or object

typically elevated language

Alliteration

repetition of beginning sounds

Anthropomorphism

giving human characteristics or behavior to animal or object

assonance

repetition of vowel sounds

consonance

repetition of consonant sounds

hyperbole

exaggeration

curriculum compacting

a type of differentiated instruction, specifically bringing in new material or enrichment for those who have mastered the content

reciprocal teaching

students lead small group reading and discussion focusing on asking questions of summary, prediction, clarification, and question generation

QAR

question - answer - relationship

analyzing question types (right-there vs. inference)

what is the difference between syntax and pragmatics?

syntax: sentence structure (arrangement of words in a sentence)

Pragmatics: social context

Instructional vs. independent vs. frustration reading levels

instructional reading levels: the highest level at which a reader is not independent, but has adequate background knowledge for a topic, and can access text quickly and with no or few errors. Challenging but manageable for the reader (90% word accuracy).

independent reading levels: the level at which a child can read a text on his/her own with ease. Relatively easy for the student to read (95% word accuracyThe ability to read words correctly. ).

frustration reading levels: text for which a reader does not have adequate background level for a topic and/or cannot meet criteria for instructional levels of accuracy and rate. Think of frustration levels as those levels that require extensive or even moderate assistance from an educator. Difficult text for the student to read (less than 90% word accuracy).

what factors are important to consider when selecting texts for students to read independently?

It is important to consider whether texts are relatable, and if the language and vocabulary will support students' reading abilities. Texts must be developmentally appropriate and interesting to students at the same time. The more students can relate to the texts, the more likely they are to engage.

what is the difference between tier 1, 2, and 3 for vocabulary?

1: everyday language, most commonly used

2: academic

3: content specific

which of the following is a tier 2 word: onomatopoeia, synthesize, or sprint?

synthesize

which tier should be the bulk of explicit instruction?

?? 1?? not sure

strategies for teaching vocabulary include...?

contextual analysis, analyzing structure/word parts, explicit instruction

3 components of fluency are:

accuracy, automaticity, prosody

shared reading vs. guided reading vs. partner reading

shared: teacher leads, student reads some (word recognition focused)

guided: teacher reads and asks prompting questions (comprehension focused)

partner: peers work together, taking turns and helping each other

standardized test scores should be considered along with...

other factors

informal reading inventory consists of what?

it consists of reading several leveled passes with comprehension questions. it's use is to assess independent and instructional reading level

is informal reading inventory the same as an interest inventory?

NO, IT IS NOT THE SAME

what does questions for studens' interests help with?

helps with selecting high interest reading material, especially for reluctant readers

what is an example of an "authentic assessment" of progress/ growth?

portfolio

what are some strategies for setting a purpose and aiding understanding of a textbook chapter?

what is the next step after a mini-lesson on a specific skill?

for students to APPLY the skill in their OWN written drafts

types of prewriting activities include:

what are whats to structure an introduction?

general to specific most common

effective conclusions should do what?

summarize but NOT introduce new information

paraphrasing is...?

different language to achieve same message as original text

evaluating source validity and bias

what is close reading

Close reading is a method of literary analysis which focuses on the specific details of a passage or text in order to discern some deeper meaning present in it.

1) An English language arts teacher regularly engages students in informal discussions before, during, and after reading. The teacher deliberately uses complex language during these discussions. This practice will most directly promote students' ability to:

a. Deepen and broaden their knowledge of academic language

b. Recognize and use standard English conventions

c. Verify the meaning of unfamiliar words and phrases through contextual analysis

d. Interpret figurative language that appears in idiomatic expressions.

A

an english language arts teracher would like to promote students' independent reading in a class that includes several reluctant readers. the teacher would like to interest the reluctant readers in a particular popular book series. which of the following strategies would be most appropriate for the teacher to use for this purpose?

a. showing the students scenes from a movie based on the series

b. creating a display of the series books in the classroom library

c. having the students do online research to find out what reviewers think about the book series

d. giving a book talk in which the teacher breifly describes the series' premise in an interesting way

D

When choosing a text for guiding students in close reading, an English language arts teacher should ensure that the text:

a. Contains many challenging words

b. Focuses on a familiar topic

c. Presents thought-provoking ideas

d. Compares two or more perspectives

C

An English teacher designs an activity in which students work together to identify as many words as possible that share a common root (e.g., transport, portable, export). This activity is most likely to promote students' vocabulary development by helping the students learn to:

A. use a word's grammatical category to infer its meaning.

B. distinguish between a word's denotative meaning and its connotative meaning.

C. infer the meaning of an unfamiliar word by analyzing its structure.

D. determine which of several meanings of a word is most likely in a given context.

C

A ninth-grade student who is a struggling reader will participate in a program in which older students read aloud predictable or rhyming books to early-elementary students. This activity will most likely promote the ninth-grade student's reading development in which of the following ways?

A. motivating the student to read age-appropriate literature

B. developing the student's phonemic awareness

C. encouraging the student to use metacognitive strategies

D. improving the student's reading fluency

D

A primary advantage of using informal classroom-based assessments is that such assessments generally:

A. Offer immediate feedback

B. Require minimal preparation

C. Measure a wide-range of skills

D. Provide norm-referenced scores

A

A high school English language arts teacher wants to model for students how to apply reading comprehension strategies such as predicting and questioning. Which of the following approaches would be most appropriate for the teacher to use for this purpose?

A. asking students a series of open-ended questions about an assigned text

B. drawing a semantic map that uses examples from an informational text

C. having students independently read a short story and then retell the story

D. engaging in a think-aloud process while reading aloud a text to the class

D

Which of the following types of artifacts collected in student writing portfolios would be most effective for a teacher to use to assess students' ongoing writing development?

A. Final drafts of multiple writing assignments

B. Student-selected examples of their writing

C. Process drafts focusing on specific writing objectives

D. Graphic organizers created during the writing process

C

In preparation for writing a news story for the school newspaper, a student plans to gather information from multiple online sources, public documents, and face-to-face interviews. The primary rationale for taking this approach is that it:

A. Shows the student's level of commitment to developing the story

B. Ensures the facts of the story will be presented in a positive light

C. Will attract reader interest

D. Provides the greatest potential for being fair and balanced

D

A reader would apply knowledge of consonant digraphs when decoding which of the following groups of words?

a. ear, clear, near

b. quick, quit, quiz

c. change, shop, think

d. fame, game, name

C

he words change, shop, and think all contain pairs of letters called consonant digraphs (ch, sh, th). A consonant digraph is a combination of two consonant letters that form a single consonant speech sound

Which of the following characteristics is a key indicator of reading fluency?

a. demonstrated mastery of phonics generalizations

b. oral reading with speech-like prosody

c. growth in vocabulary and conceptual knowledge

d. independent reading without subvocalization

B

Key indicators of reading fluency include reading accuracy (identifying words correctly), reading rate (reading at a pace appropriate for comprehending a particular text), and prosody (reading with appropriate expression).

According to research, which of the following is an essential component of effective vocabulary instruction?

A. aligning vocabulary instruction with decoding instruction

B. teaching students definitions of new words prior to presenting the words in context

C. teaching students strategies for memorizing new vocabulary

D. providing opportunities to use new words in classroom discussions and independent writing

D

Research suggests that providing students with exposure to new vocabulary words in various contexts, such as providing opportunities for them to use recently taught words in their own speech and writing, promotes the students' deeper understanding and retention of the words (e.g., Beck et al, 1982; Nagy, Anderson, & Herman, 1987; Senechal & Cornell, 1993; Blachowicz & Fisher, 2000, 2001, 2003; Beck, McKeown, & Kucan, 2002).

During a lesson on reading comprehension strategies for a class of struggling readers, an ELA teacher explains that skilled readers often ask themselves questions about a text as they read and that this enhances their understanding of the text. To promote students' ability to use this strategy effectively, which of the following steps would be most appropriate for the teacher to take next?

A. asking students to keep a journal of questions they think of while they silently read a selected text

B. arranging for pairs of students to engage in a partner reading of a selected text and a discussion of teacher-prepared questions

C. using thinking aloud to model the strategy for students during a teacher read-aloud of a selected text

D. providing the opportunity for students to practice using the strategy aloud during a small-group oral reading of a selected text

C

Convergent research (e.g., as reported by the National Reading Panel, 2000) indicates that effective comprehension strategy instruction includes specific components, including explicit explanation followed by teacher modeling of the strategy. In this lesson, the teacher has already provided a description of and rationale for the use of self-questioning as a comprehension strategy. Before students can effectively attempt to apply the skill, they require a practical understanding of the strategy, which teacher modeling of the strategy can provide. [Think I Do, We Do, You Do]

A ninth-grade advanced English language learner has difficulty comprehending content-area textbooks. Which of the following modifications to instruction would be most effective in addressing the student's needs?

A. providing the student with guided practice in using context as a word identification strategy to improve the student's reading rate with textbook passages

B. preteaching key vocabulary and activating the student's prior knowledge before assigning a new textbook passage

C. assigning the student a reading partner who is a native English speaker and who can lead the student in echo reading new textbook passages

D. providing a bilingual dictionary and encouraging the student to translate challenging textbook passages into the student's primary language

B

An advanced English language learner who has comprehension difficulties specific to content-area textbooks is likely having difficulty comprehending academic prose as well as unfamiliar content-specific vocabulary. Preteaching key vocabulary words scaffolds the reading task for the student, while activating the student's background knowledge facilitates the student's use of independent strategies to learn new words and concepts and to repair gaps in comprehension.

A tenth-grade ELA teacher is introducing a long-term research project with several components. Students will be required to conduct research and interviews on a self-selected topic, write a report, and make an oral presentation. At this point in instruction, the teacher can best promote all students' ability to achieve the goals of the project by using which of the following strategies?

A. assigning students partners to provide support throughout the project and scheduling regular times for the partners to meet

B. reassuring students that they possess all of the skills and abilities needed to complete the project tasks

C. organizing project tasks in a step-by-step sequence and providing students with directions and reminders for completing each step

D. explaining to students how the objectives of the project fit into a larger instructional plan

C

To complete a long-term project successfully, students must be able to manage their time and organize their work. Individual students vary in their ability to plan and organize their work effectively as well as in the level of independence they demonstrate with regard to their learning. Structuring long-term projects as a series of smaller steps, each with specific directions, provides scaffolding to help students develop organizational skills and achieve the goals of the project. This strategy keeps students aware of what they have to accomplish each day or week and allows the teacher to monitor their progress and provide assistance and support at the point of need.

Read the excerpt below from a work of poetry; then answer the question that follows.

Streaming tears, sobbing tears, throes, choked with wild cries;

O storm, embodied, rising, careering with swift steps along

the beach!

O wild and dismal night storm, with wind—O belching and

desperate!

O shade so sedate and decorous by day, with calm countenance

and regulated pace,

But away at night as you fly, none looking—O then the

unloosen'd ocean,

Of tears! tears! tears!

Which of the following figures of speech is used in this excerpt to emphasize the passionate nature of the speaker's appeal?

A. synecdoche

B. hyperbole

C. simile

D. apostrophe

D

An apostrophe is a rhetorical figure used to address directly and explicitly an abstract or inanimate entity (e.g., Justice, an absent lover, a painting). In the excerpt, phrases such as "O wild and dismal night storm" and "O shade so sedate and decorous" indicate the speaker's use of apostrophe.