ELL ELL Vocabulary Development 3

Question 1

What does BICS stand for in language acquisition, and how does it relate to vocabulary?

Accepted Answer

Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills

Answer

Basic Instructional Content Skills

Answer

Bilingual Instructional Curriculum Standards

Answer

Benchmark Integrated Content Standards

Question 2

How does CALP differ from BICS in terms of vocabulary demands on ELL students?

Accepted Answer

CALP requires abstract, academic vocabulary used in decontextualized settings; BICS relies on context-embedded conversation

Answer

CALP requires only social vocabulary; BICS requires academic vocabulary

Answer

They are the same type of language proficiency

Answer

CALP is acquired faster than BICS

Question 3

Which of the following is an example of an idiomatic expression that ELL students may struggle to interpret literally?

Accepted Answer

It's raining cats and dogs.

Answer

The dog ran fast.

Answer

She read the book.

Answer

He ate lunch.

Question 4

What is 'sheltered vocabulary instruction' in the context of content-area learning for ELLs?

Accepted Answer

Explicitly teaching content-specific vocabulary with scaffolds before and during a lesson

Answer

Teaching only simple words to protect ELLs from difficulty

Answer

Separating ELLs from mainstream students for all vocabulary work

Answer

Skipping vocabulary to focus on fluency

Question 5

Why should ELL teachers be cautious about relying solely on translation to teach new vocabulary?

Accepted Answer

Translation may not convey nuances of meaning or support independent word learning strategies

Answer

Translation is always inaccurate

Answer

Translation is too time-consuming for any use

Answer

Translation is only effective for Tier 1 words

Question 6

What does research say about the number of exposures a student typically needs to a new word before it is learned?

Accepted Answer

Students typically need 10–15 meaningful encounters with a word before it is known

Answer

1–2 exposures are sufficient for full vocabulary acquisition

Answer

Vocabulary is acquired instantly through reading

Answer

Only written exposure counts toward vocabulary learning