OAE Early Childhood Education Language and Literacy Development Questions and Answers

Question 1

A preschool teacher says, "Listen... 'cat,' 'hat,' 'mat'. They all sound the same at the end." Then, the teacher asks, "Can you think of another word that sounds like 'cat,' 'hat,' and 'mat'?" This activity is primarily designed to develop which specific phonological awareness skill?

Accepted Answer

Rhyming

Answer

Rhyming is the ability to recognize and produce words that have the same ending sounds. By asking children to identify another word that sounds like 'cat' and 'hat,' the teacher is directly targeting the skill of rhyming.

Question 2

A four-year-old child hands a teacher a piece of paper covered in lines of random, unconnected letters (e.g., "ABOLGKM") and proudly states, "This is a story about my trip to the zoo." This behavior is characteristic of which stage of emergent writing?

Accepted Answer

Strings of letters

Answer

In the 'strings of letters' stage of emergent writing, children understand that writing involves letters, but they have not yet connected letters to specific sounds. They will produce strings of letters they know, often in a random order, and assign a message or story to their writing.

Question 3

Which of the following teacher actions during a shared read-aloud is most effective for fostering preschoolers' understanding of concepts of print?

Accepted Answer

Pointing to each word on the page as it is read aloud.

Answer

Pointing to each word as it is read, a technique known as print referencing, directly demonstrates several concepts of print, including directionality (print is read from left-to-right), the one-to-one correspondence between spoken and written words, and the concept of what a 'word' is. The other options support comprehension and engagement but do not target concepts of print as directly.

Question 4

The theory that humans possess an inborn mental structure, the 'language acquisition device' (LAD), which biologically predisposes them to learn language, is most closely associated with which theorist?

Accepted Answer

Noam Chomsky

Answer

Noam Chomsky, a nativist theorist, proposed the idea of a Language Acquisition Device (LAD). He argued that the ability to learn language is innate and that the LAD is a hypothetical tool in the brain that allows children to acquire language and understand grammar with remarkable speed and ease.

Question 5

During a science activity about plants, a preschool teacher introduces the word 'photosynthesis' by saying, "Photosynthesis is the special way a plant makes its own food using sunlight, water, and air. It's like how we eat lunch to get energy, but plants drink water and soak up the sun to make their energy!" This teaching strategy is an example of:

Accepted Answer

Contextual vocabulary instruction

Answer

Contextual vocabulary instruction involves teaching new words by explaining their meaning within a meaningful context, such as a story or a hands-on activity. The teacher provides a child-friendly definition and connects it to concepts the children already understand, which is an effective way to build vocabulary.

OAE - Early Childhood Education Exam Practice Test

OAE - Early Childhood Education Exam Practice Test

OAE Early Childhood Education Language and Literacy Development Questions and Answers