AECTP Reading Instruction 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following BEST characterizes systematic phonics instruction?
- Teaching phonics rules as they appear incidentally in texts students are reading
- Introducing phonics patterns in a planned, sequential order from simple to complex (Correct answer)
- Encouraging students to use picture clues and context to decode unknown words
- Focusing exclusively on high-frequency sight words
Correct answer: Introducing phonics patterns in a planned, sequential order from simple to complex
Systematic phonics instruction follows a deliberate, carefully sequenced scope and sequence, moving from simple to more complex phonics patterns.
Question 2: A student can accurately decode nonsense words like 'vope' and 'mish.' This PRIMARILY demonstrates the student's ability to:
- Recognize high-frequency words automatically
- Apply grapheme-phoneme correspondences to decode unfamiliar words (Correct answer)
- Use context clues to determine word meaning
- Comprehend connected text at grade level
Correct answer: Apply grapheme-phoneme correspondences to decode unfamiliar words
Successfully decoding nonsense words shows the student is applying phonics knowledge rather than relying on memorized whole-word recognition.
Question 3: A teacher uses semantic mapping to build vocabulary. The PRIMARY benefit of this strategy is that it:
- Provides phonetic pronunciation guides for new words
- Connects new words to related concepts and prior knowledge (Correct answer)
- Helps students memorize definitions through repetition
- Focuses attention on the grammatical function of words
Correct answer: Connects new words to related concepts and prior knowledge
Semantic maps build rich word knowledge by visually connecting new vocabulary to related concepts, synonyms, examples, and prior knowledge.
Question 4: When a student self-corrects a miscue without prompting, a teacher should PRIMARILY:
- Stop the student and confirm the correction aloud
- Record the self-correction as a positive reading behavior (Correct answer)
- Ask the student to re-read the sentence from the beginning
- Mark the error as uncorrected on the running record
Correct answer: Record the self-correction as a positive reading behavior
Self-corrections indicate the student is actively monitoring comprehension and using meaning-making strategies, which should be noted as a positive behavior on the running record.
Question 5: Which is the MOST appropriate first step when a teacher suspects a student may have a reading disability?
- Immediately refer the student for special education evaluation
- Implement and document targeted, evidence-based interventions within the general education setting (Correct answer)
- Reduce the student's reading workload to build confidence
- Have the student repeat the current grade level
Correct answer: Implement and document targeted, evidence-based interventions within the general education setting
Best practice and RTI/MTSS frameworks call for implementing evidence-based interventions and collecting data before initiating a special education referral.
Question 6: A student reads the sentence 'The scientist examined the specimen' and stops at 'specimen.' Which strategy should the teacher prompt FIRST according to a code-focused approach?
- Skip the word and read to the end of the sentence for context
- Look at the picture for clues about the word's meaning
- Cover the ending and decode the base of the word (Correct answer)
- Ask a classmate for help
Correct answer: Cover the ending and decode the base of the word
A code-focused approach prioritizes using phonics strategies such as identifying the base word and affixes before relying on context or picture clues.
Question 7: Which of the following statements about reading comprehension strategy instruction is MOST supported by research?
- Students should be taught one comprehensive strategy to use for all text types
- Explicitly teaching a small set of strategies through modeling and guided practice improves comprehension (Correct answer)
- Comprehension strategies develop naturally without explicit instruction
- Strategy instruction is most effective when delivered primarily through worksheets
Correct answer: Explicitly teaching a small set of strategies through modeling and guided practice improves comprehension
Research supports explicitly teaching a small repertoire of strategies (e.g., summarizing, questioning, predicting) through direct instruction and guided practice for lasting comprehension gains.
