CLAD Foundations of ELD Instruction 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following is an example of 'negative transfer' from a student's first language to English?
- Using Spanish cognates to understand English academic vocabulary
- Applying Spanish Subject-Verb-Object word order incorrectly in English (Correct answer)
- Using prior knowledge of narrative structure in English writing
- Recognizing that 'libro' means 'book' in English
Correct answer: Applying Spanish Subject-Verb-Object word order incorrectly in English
Negative transfer occurs when L1 structures interfere with correct L2 production, such as applying different syntactic rules inappropriately.
Question 2: A teacher provides sentence starters such as 'I agree with ___ because ___' during a class discussion. This scaffold primarily supports ELLs by:
- Replacing the need for language development
- Providing linguistic models for academic discourse (Correct answer)
- Eliminating student thinking
- Simplifying content below grade level
Correct answer: Providing linguistic models for academic discourse
Sentence starters scaffold academic discourse by giving ELLs the linguistic frames needed to participate in complex discussions while still developing their own ideas.
Question 3: According to Cummins' Dual Iceberg Model, proficiency in a student's first language:
- Has no relationship to second language development
- Supports second language development through a shared underlying proficiency (Correct answer)
- Must be eliminated for English to develop
- Slows English acquisition
Correct answer: Supports second language development through a shared underlying proficiency
Cummins' model proposes that academic concepts and skills developed in L1 transfer to L2, as both languages share a common underlying cognitive base.
Question 4: Which of the following best describes the role of the 'affective filter' in language acquisition?
- It increases the amount of input a student receives
- High anxiety or low motivation can block language acquisition (Correct answer)
- It accelerates production of complex grammar
- It determines the student's native language dominance
Correct answer: High anxiety or low motivation can block language acquisition
Krashen's Affective Filter Hypothesis states that emotional variables like anxiety, motivation, and self-confidence can raise or lower a mental barrier that affects language acquisition.
Question 5: An ELD teacher observes that a student code-switches between English and Spanish during small group work. The most appropriate teacher response is to:
- Penalize the student for not using English only
- Recognize it as a sign of developing bilingual competence and strategic communication (Correct answer)
- Send the student to a monolingual classroom
- Require the student to repeat all statements in English only
Correct answer: Recognize it as a sign of developing bilingual competence and strategic communication
Code-switching is a sophisticated communicative skill that reflects bilingual competence and should be respected as a resource while teachers continue supporting English development.
Question 6: Which of the following ELD instructional strategies best supports students at the 'Emerging' proficiency level?
- Assigning independent essay writing with no support
- Using visual supports, gestures, and short sentence frames (Correct answer)
- Providing only oral instruction without visual aids
- Requiring students to read grade-level texts silently
Correct answer: Using visual supports, gestures, and short sentence frames
Emerging-level ELLs need heavy scaffolding including visuals, gestures, and sentence frames to access language and content while their English proficiency grows.
Question 7: The concept of 'output hypothesis,' proposed by Merrill Swain, suggests that language production is important for acquisition because it:
- Is less important than input for language development
- Forces learners to notice gaps in their language knowledge and pushed them to be accurate (Correct answer)
- Only applies to written language
- Replaces the need for comprehensible input
Correct answer: Forces learners to notice gaps in their language knowledge and pushed them to be accurate
Swain's Output Hypothesis argues that producing language (speaking and writing) pushes learners to notice gaps and develop more accurate, precise language forms.
CLAD Foundations of ELD Instruction 5
Which of the following is an example of 'negative transfer' from a student's first language to English?