Ms. Johnson’s class of kindergarteners are learning to use visual information as a way to convey their ideas. Which is an ideal literacy activity she might integrate into a science unit on bugs?
Correct Answer: D
Having children create a picture book of different bugs helps them understand how the visual representation of bugs in their book can convey information. It is also an ideal way to integrate science content and literacy goals.
Integrated curriculum offers learning experiences that cross the boundaries of traditional subject areas and are designed to be mutually reinforcing for the learner. This approach develops the child’s ability to transfer their learning to other settings.
A second-grade teacher can promote students' creativity most effectively by adopting which of the following approaches?
Correct Response: B
Creative thinkers apply their knowledge and experience in original ways to make discoveries and expand their understanding. By encouraging second graders to problem solve on their own and come up with unusual solutions to a variety of challenges presented to them, the teacher is helping them become independent thinkers who respond to new experiences with imagination.
A prekindergarten teacher is teaching a unit on the five senses. The teacher is planning a lesson about texture. Which of the following initial strategies is likely to be most effective in helping children construct meaning with regard to this concept?
Correct Response: C
Prekindergarten children are concrete learners who require direct experience with concrete objects to construct knowledge effectively. The opportunity to explore a concept with real materials and verbalize observations helps extend the depth of children’s understanding and promotes development of a meaningful vocabulary with regard to the targeted concept.
A preschool child brings two toy boats to school to show at circle time. The child explains that the boats really float and the teacher invites the child to demonstrate in the water center. Another child states, "They float because they're small." A third child responds, "Big things can float, too." Soon all of the children begin discussing their ideas about what will and will not float. The teacher can best help children gain a better understanding of the concept of flotation by taking which of the following actions?
Correct Response: C
Preschool-age children learn best through direct physical interaction with concrete materials. In the situation described, the teacher applies knowledge of the way children learn by providing them with objects to use to test their ideas. Having the opportunity to place various objects on the surface of the water and observe and discuss the results will build the children’s understanding of what types of objects float and what types sink.
A teacher is planning to conduct an informal assessment of a first grader's reading fluency. In the assessment, the teacher will ask the child to read aloud a passage from a grade-level text for one minute. Which of the following criteria would be appropriate for the teacher to apply in the context of this assessment?
Correct Response: D.
Fluent readers employ prosody (e.g., pitch, stress, timing) to interpret and convey the meaning of the text they are reading. A child who reads an author’s words with appropriate phrasing and expression is demonstrating key indicators associated with reading fluency.