MTLE Reading and Literacy Instruction 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A first-grade teacher assesses a student by asking them to segment the word 'cat' into its individual sounds (/k/ /æ/ /t/). This assessment measures:
- Phonics knowledge
- Phonemic awareness (Correct answer)
- Phonological awareness
- Alphabetic principle
Correct answer: Phonemic awareness
Segmenting a spoken word into individual phonemes is a phonemic awareness task, which operates entirely in the oral/auditory domain without print.
Question 2: Which of the following best describes the Simple View of Reading?
- Reading comprehension equals word recognition plus language comprehension (Correct answer)
- Reading fluency is the primary determinant of reading success
- Phonemic awareness is the single best predictor of reading ability
- Reading comprehension depends solely on background knowledge
Correct answer: Reading comprehension equals word recognition plus language comprehension
The Simple View of Reading (Gough & Tunmer, 1986) holds that Reading Comprehension = Decoding (Word Recognition) × Language Comprehension.
Question 3: A teacher conducts a running record and finds a student's accuracy rate is 85%. What does this indicate about the text level?
- The text is at the student's independent reading level
- The text is at the student's instructional reading level
- The text is at the student's frustration level (Correct answer)
- The text is too easy and should be replaced with a harder one
Correct answer: The text is at the student's frustration level
An accuracy rate below 90% typically indicates the text is at the frustration level, where the student encounters too many challenges for effective learning.
Question 4: Which instructional technique is most appropriate for introducing new decoding patterns to a group of struggling readers?
- Independent practice with decodable texts without teacher support
- Guided reading with leveled texts selected by interest
- Explicit, systematic phonics instruction with immediate corrective feedback (Correct answer)
- Incidental word learning through wide reading
Correct answer: Explicit, systematic phonics instruction with immediate corrective feedback
Struggling readers benefit most from explicit, systematic phonics instruction with corrective feedback, as it directly targets the decoding skills they lack.
Question 5: A teacher asks students to read a story and then discuss what the author means versus what the author says. This activity primarily develops which comprehension skill?
- Literal comprehension
- Inferential comprehension (Correct answer)
- Evaluative comprehension
- Phonological comprehension
Correct answer: Inferential comprehension
Distinguishing what an author explicitly states from what is implied requires inferential comprehension, which goes beyond the literal text.
Question 6: Which of the following is a characteristic of dyslexia that teachers should recognize?
- Difficulty primarily with reading comprehension despite strong decoding skills
- Unexpected difficulty with accurate and fluent word recognition despite adequate instruction (Correct answer)
- General low intelligence affecting all academic areas equally
- Difficulty reading due to lack of motivation or effort
Correct answer: Unexpected difficulty with accurate and fluent word recognition despite adequate instruction
Dyslexia is characterized by unexpected difficulty with accurate and fluent word recognition (decoding) despite adequate intelligence and instruction.
Question 7: A teacher using a before-reading strategy asks students to preview headings, look at images, and make predictions. Which purpose does this strategy primarily serve?
- Building vocabulary knowledge about topic words
- Activating prior knowledge and setting a purpose for reading (Correct answer)
- Practicing phonics patterns present in the text
- Assessing fluency before reading begins
Correct answer: Activating prior knowledge and setting a purpose for reading
Previewing text features and making predictions activates students' prior knowledge and establishes a purpose for reading, which improves comprehension.
MTLE Reading and Literacy Instruction 2
A first-grade teacher assesses a student by asking them to segment the word 'cat' into its individual sounds (/k/ /æ/ /t/).
This assessment measures: