CALT CALT Vocabulary Development and Word Knowledge 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which instructional approach uses semantic mapping to show relationships between a target word and related concepts?
- Repeated reading
- Semantic feature analysis (Correct answer)
- Phonemic awareness training
- Sight word drill
Correct answer: Semantic feature analysis
Semantic feature analysis uses a grid or map to compare how target words share or differ across key features, deepening conceptual understanding.
Question 2: A student struggles to understand the word 'benevolent' despite decoding it correctly. Which vocabulary tier does this word belong to?
- Tier 1
- Tier 2 (Correct answer)
- Tier 3
- Tier 4
Correct answer: Tier 2
Tier 2 words are high-frequency academic words that appear across content areas and are not typically acquired through everyday conversation.
Question 3: Which Latin root carries the meaning 'to carry' and appears in words such as 'transport,' 'porter,' and 'portable'?
- aud
- port (Correct answer)
- scrib
- spec
Correct answer: port
The Latin root 'port' means 'to carry' and is found in a family of English words related to movement or conveyance.
Question 4: What is the term for a word that sounds the same as another word but has a different meaning and spelling, such as 'flour' and 'flower'?
- Homograph
- Homophone (Correct answer)
- Homonym
- Polyseme
Correct answer: Homophone
Homophones are words that share pronunciation but differ in spelling and meaning, posing particular challenges for students with dyslexia.
Question 5: Which vocabulary instructional method involves presenting a new word alongside examples and non-examples to build precise conceptual boundaries?
- Incidental exposure
- Concept of definition map (Correct answer)
- Oral reading fluency practice
- Alphabetic principle instruction
Correct answer: Concept of definition map
A concept of definition map structures vocabulary learning by having students identify a word's category, properties, and examples versus non-examples.
Question 6: A student uses context clues to infer that 'arid' means dry after reading 'The arid desert received almost no rainfall.' Which context clue type is this?
- Contrast clue
- Definition clue
- Restatement clue
- General context clue (Correct answer)
Correct answer: General context clue
A general context clue requires the reader to synthesize surrounding information without a direct definition, synonym, or antonym being provided.
Question 7: Which instructional approach is most aligned with Ehri's research on sight word learning, emphasizing orthographic mapping?
- Memorizing words by shape cues
- Teaching phoneme-grapheme connections to bond spellings to pronunciations (Correct answer)
- Color-coding word endings
- Whole-language immersion
Correct answer: Teaching phoneme-grapheme connections to bond spellings to pronunciations
Orthographic mapping relies on secure phoneme-grapheme knowledge so that readers permanently bond a word's pronunciation, spelling, and meaning in memory.
CALT CALT Vocabulary Development and Word Knowledge 4
Which instructional approach uses semantic mapping to show relationships between a target word and related concepts?