IA Reading & Literacy Support 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A student substitutes the word 'house' for 'home' while reading aloud. This error is best described as a:
- Semantic miscue (Correct answer)
- Phonetic miscue
- Syntactic miscue
- Visual miscue
Correct answer: Semantic miscue
A semantic miscue occurs when the substituted word has a similar meaning to the original word, preserving the sense of the sentence.
Question 2: Which strategy best supports a student who struggles with tracking text across lines while reading?
- Using a bookmark or finger to track each line (Correct answer)
- Increasing the reading pace
- Covering the illustrations on the page
- Asking the student to read silently instead
Correct answer: Using a bookmark or finger to track each line
A physical tracking tool like a bookmark or finger helps students maintain their place and move systematically across lines of text.
Question 3: An instructional aide is working with a student on reading fluency. Which activity is MOST appropriate?
- Repeated reading of a familiar passage (Correct answer)
- Introducing new vocabulary every session
- Silent reading of an unfamiliar text
- Asking comprehension questions only
Correct answer: Repeated reading of a familiar passage
Repeated reading of familiar text builds automaticity and prosody, which are key components of reading fluency.
Question 4: A student reads 'dog' as 'bog.' This error most likely indicates a problem with:
- Initial consonant discrimination (Correct answer)
- Vowel recognition
- Sight word memory
- Reading rate
Correct answer: Initial consonant discrimination
Confusing 'b' and 'd' is a common initial consonant discrimination error often seen in early readers and students with dyslexia.
Question 5: Which text feature helps readers identify the main topic of a nonfiction section?
- Subheadings (Correct answer)
- Page numbers
- Glossary entries
- Table of contents
Correct answer: Subheadings
Subheadings break nonfiction text into labeled sections, directly signaling the topic of each part.
Question 6: When should an instructional aide refer a student's persistent reading difficulties to the classroom teacher or specialist?
- When targeted small-group support shows no improvement after several weeks (Correct answer)
- After every single session where the student makes any error
- Only when a parent requests an evaluation
- When the student refuses to read aloud in class
Correct answer: When targeted small-group support shows no improvement after several weeks
Lack of progress despite consistent, targeted support is a key indicator that a student may need specialist evaluation or intervention.
Question 7: The term 'decoding' in reading instruction refers to:
- Using letter-sound knowledge to pronounce written words (Correct answer)
- Understanding the overall meaning of a passage
- Recognizing words by their shape or length
- Summarizing a story's plot
Correct answer: Using letter-sound knowledge to pronounce written words
Decoding is the process of applying phonics knowledge to translate printed letters and letter combinations into spoken sounds and words.
IA Reading & Literacy Support 2
A student substitutes the word 'house' for 'home' while reading aloud.
This error is best described as a: