CDT Structured Literacy & Multisensory Instruction 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following best describes the Orton-Gillingham approach to reading instruction?
- A whole-language method emphasizing meaning-making
- A multisensory, structured, sequential phonics-based method (Correct answer)
- A sight-word memorization system using visual cards
- A fluency-first approach that introduces decoding later
Correct answer: A multisensory, structured, sequential phonics-based method
Orton-Gillingham is a multisensory, structured, sequential, and cumulative approach that explicitly teaches phoneme-grapheme correspondences.
Question 2: In multisensory instruction, which three sensory pathways are most commonly engaged simultaneously?
- Visual, auditory, and gustatory
- Auditory, tactile-kinesthetic, and visual (Correct answer)
- Olfactory, visual, and auditory
- Tactile, proprioceptive, and gustatory
Correct answer: Auditory, tactile-kinesthetic, and visual
The VAK (visual-auditory-kinesthetic/tactile) triad is the foundation of multisensory literacy instruction to reinforce learning through multiple neural pathways.
Question 3: A structured literacy lesson introduces the digraph 'sh' only after students have mastered single consonants and short vowels. This exemplifies which instructional principle?
- Diagnostic teaching
- Cumulative sequence (Correct answer)
- Explicit instruction
- Fluency building
Correct answer: Cumulative sequence
Cumulative sequence means each new concept builds on previously mastered skills, ensuring no gaps in foundational knowledge.
Question 4: During a phoneme segmentation activity, a student taps each sound on their fingers while saying it aloud. What is the primary instructional purpose of finger-tapping?
- To develop fine motor skills
- To provide tactile-kinesthetic reinforcement of phoneme boundaries (Correct answer)
- To replace written letter practice
- To assess phonological awareness informally
Correct answer: To provide tactile-kinesthetic reinforcement of phoneme boundaries
Finger-tapping adds a tactile-kinesthetic channel that helps students physically represent and count discrete phonemes, strengthening auditory processing.
Question 5: Which sequence correctly reflects the structured literacy continuum for teaching phonics skills?
- Blends → digraphs → short vowels → CVC words
- Short vowels → CVC words → blends → digraphs → vowel teams (Correct answer)
- Vowel teams → digraphs → blends → short vowels
- CVC words → short vowels → blends → digraphs
Correct answer: Short vowels → CVC words → blends → digraphs → vowel teams
A logical scope and sequence moves from simple CVC patterns with short vowels through consonant clusters and digraphs before addressing more complex vowel patterns.
Question 6: When teaching the concept of 'closed syllable,' a structured literacy teacher would MOST likely explain it as:
- A syllable ending in a vowel that makes a long sound
- A syllable that ends in one or more consonants and contains a short vowel (Correct answer)
- A syllable with a silent 'e' that lengthens the preceding vowel
- A syllable containing a vowel team that produces one sound
Correct answer: A syllable that ends in one or more consonants and contains a short vowel
A closed syllable is defined by its ending consonant(s) which 'close' the vowel, causing it to produce its short sound.
Question 7: A therapist uses sand trays, textured letter cards, and sky-writing during every lesson. These activities primarily target which component of multisensory learning?
- Phonological awareness
- Tactile-kinesthetic reinforcement of letter formation (Correct answer)
- Rapid automatized naming
- Morphological analysis
Correct answer: Tactile-kinesthetic reinforcement of letter formation
Sand trays, textured cards, and sky-writing all engage the tactile and kinesthetic senses to reinforce correct letter formation and grapheme recognition.
CDT Structured Literacy & Multisensory Instruction 2
Which of the following best describes the Orton-Gillingham approach to reading instruction?