MTEL Vocabulary Development

Question 1

Isabel Beck's three-tier vocabulary framework, commonly referenced on the MTEL Foundations of Reading, categorizes Tier 2 words as:

Accepted Answer

High-frequency, sophisticated words that appear across many content areas and texts (e.g., 'fortunate,' 'analyze')

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Basic, everyday words that most young children already know (e.g., 'house,' 'run')

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Highly technical, domain-specific words used primarily in one subject area (e.g., 'metamorphosis,' 'legislature')

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Sight words that appear in more than 50% of printed text

Question 2

On the MTEL Foundations of Reading, which context clue strategy involves using surrounding words and sentences to infer an unfamiliar word's meaning?

Accepted Answer

Using surrounding text and syntax to make an informed inference

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Morphological analysis

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Syntactic context clues

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Definitional context clues within the same sentence

Question 3

Which vocabulary instructional approach does research on the MTEL Foundations of Reading identify as most effective for building deep word knowledge?

Accepted Answer

Providing multiple exposures to words in varied contexts with discussion, examples, and non-examples

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Having students look up definitions in the dictionary and copy them

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Asking students to use new words in a sentence once after introduction

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Presenting word lists for students to memorize before each unit

Question 4

Wide reading is recommended as a vocabulary development strategy on the MTEL Foundations of Reading primarily because:

Accepted Answer

It provides incidental exposure to a large number of words across diverse topics and contexts

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It replaces the need for direct vocabulary instruction in the classroom

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It is the only way for English Language Learners to acquire academic vocabulary

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It develops phonemic awareness through repeated encounters with printed words

Question 5

A student who enjoys playing with words, notices interesting expressions, and is motivated to learn new words demonstrates which vocabulary-related disposition?

Accepted Answer

Word consciousness

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Morphological awareness

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Lexical automaticity

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Semantic mapping

Question 6

On the MTEL Foundations of Reading, which root meaning knowledge would help a student decode the meaning of 'portable,' 'transport,' and 'import'?

Accepted Answer

The root 'port' meaning 'carry'

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The prefix 'trans' meaning 'across'

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The suffix '-able' meaning 'capable of'

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The root 'im' meaning 'into'