Mixed Deck — All ESL Topics Flashcards

What is a primary benefit of using digital storytelling in ESL classrooms?

Answer: It integrates multiple language skills in a meaningful, creative task

Digital storytelling engages reading, writing, listening, and speaking together in an authentic, creative project, making it a rich integrated skills activity.

A newcomer with very limited English is assessed by following commands such as 'Point to the window' and 'Stand up.' This assessment is based on:

Answer: Total Physical Response

TPR-based assessment lets beginners show comprehension through physical responses without needing to produce speech.

Which assessment type is designed to identify a learner's specific strengths and weaknesses before instruction begins?

Answer: Diagnostic

Diagnostic assessments pinpoint specific skill gaps to guide instructional planning.

Which practice most directly increases inter-rater reliability when scoring ELL essays?

Answer: Norming raters with anchor papers and a shared rubric

Rater training with anchor papers and a common rubric aligns scorers and improves consistency.

Why is vocabulary instruction important in ESL reading comprehension?

Answer: A reader must know approximately 95–98% of words in a text to read it with adequate comprehension

Research shows that readers need to know most words in a text (95–98%) to comprehend it without significant breakdowns.

Which lesson objective is the most measurable?

Answer: Students will write five sentences using the simple past with 80% accuracy

A measurable objective names an observable behavior and a criterion for success.

What is 'top-down processing' in ESL listening instruction?

Answer: Using background knowledge, context, and predictions to understand spoken language

Top-down processing draws on schema, context, and prior knowledge to predict and interpret meaning without decoding every word.

Which of the following best describes an ESL teacher's responsibility under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)?

Answer: ESL teachers may participate in IEP team meetings and ensure language needs are addressed alongside disability accommodations

ELLs with disabilities are entitled to both language support and special education services, and ESL teachers play an important role in the IEP process.

An adult learner has spoken English for 15 years but still consistently omits articles despite extensive exposure. This is best described as:

Answer: Fossilization

Selinker used fossilization for interlanguage features that stop developing despite continued input.

A task-based syllabus is organized primarily around:

Answer: Meaningful tasks that learners complete using the target language

Task-based syllabi use real-world, meaning-focused tasks as the unit of organization.

What is 'pronunciation intelligibility' in the context of ESL speaking instruction?

Answer: Producing speech that can be understood by a wide range of listeners

Intelligibility focuses on whether the listener can understand the speaker's message, not on accent elimination or native-speaker norms.

What does 'additive bilingualism' promote in ESL education?

Answer: Developing English proficiency while maintaining and valuing the student's home language

Additive bilingualism views L1 and L2 as complementary, supporting development of both languages rather than replacing one with the other.

What is the main role of the ESL teacher in a student-centered classroom?

Answer: Facilitator who guides learner discovery and interaction

In student-centered instruction, the teacher shifts from lecturing to facilitating, guiding learners to construct knowledge actively.

What strategy helps prevent behavior problems?

Answer: Setting clear behavior expectations early

A highly effective strategy to prevent behavior problems in the classroom is to set clear behavior expectations early in the school year and consistently reinforce them. When students understand what is expected of them, they are more likely to adhere to those guidelines. This proactive approach creates a predictable and respectful classroom culture, reducing the likelihood of disruptive behaviors before they occur and fostering a positive learning environment.

Which platform is most commonly used to create interactive ESL vocabulary activities such as digital flashcards and matching games?

Answer: Quizlet

Quizlet is widely used by ESL teachers and students to create digital flashcards, matching games, and practice sets for vocabulary learning.

A teacher gives sentence frames that an ELL can use with support but not yet alone, then gradually removes them. This approach applies which concept?

Answer: Zone of Proximal Development

Vygotsky's ZPD is the gap between independent and assisted performance, bridged by scaffolding that is gradually removed.

A teacher notices students began practicing oral presentations more after a speaking component was added to the final exam. This effect is best described as:

Answer: Positive washback

Washback is the influence a test has on teaching and learning, and positive washback encourages beneficial practice.

A test in which students fill in every 7th deleted word of a passage is known as a:

Answer: Cloze test

A fixed-ratio cloze deletes every nth word to assess integrative reading and grammar ability.

What does the acronym CALL stand for in ESL technology contexts?

Answer: Computer-Assisted Language Learning

CALL stands for Computer-Assisted Language Learning, which refers to using computers and software to support language instruction.

What is code-switching?

Answer: Switching between two languages

Code-switching is a common linguistic phenomenon where a speaker alternates between two or more languages, or language varieties, within a single conversation or utterance. This can occur for various reasons, such as expressing identity, clarifying meaning, addressing different audiences, or when a speaker finds it easier to express a particular concept in one language over another. It is a natural part of bilingual communication.