Study Guide

Field 205: Early Childhood Education 
Sample Selected-Response Questions

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General Test Directions

This test consists of two sections: 1) a section with selected-response questions and 2) a constructed-response section that includes one writing assignment.

Each question in the first section of this test is a selected-response question with four answer choices. Read each question carefully and choose the  start uppercase ONE end uppercase  best answer. Try to answer all questions. Even if you are unsure of an answer, it is better to guess than not to answer a question at all. You will  start uppercase NOT end uppercase  be penalized for guessing.

The second section of this test consists of one constructed-response assignment. You will be asked to provide a written response to the assignment. Directions for completing your written response to the constructed-response assignment will appear immediately before the assignment.

Sample Selected-Response Questions

Competency 0002 
Apply knowledge of expressive and receptive language development and how to provide learning experiences that encourage children's development and use of language and literacy skills.

1. A first-grade teacher wants to promote students' reading, writing, and spelling abilities. The teacher routinely provides small groups of students with an enlarged picture of a person or object. Students create a story about the picture, with each student adding a sentence that logically builds on the preceding sentence. The groups then share their pictures and present their stories to the whole class. The teacher's routine use of this activity most strongly suggests an understanding of which of the following principles?

  1. Oral language is the foundation for literacy development.
  2. Explicit instruction promotes students' language skills.
  3. Knowledge of fiction can be solidified through storytelling activities.
  4. Phonics skills development is crucial to early literacy development.

Correct Response: A. Research indicates that oral language development supports literacy development. The teacher in this scenario encourages students' oral language development through the activity of creating a group story prompted by the picture. Working in small groups to create the stories, students are exposed to vocabulary from their peers and encouraged to use specified vocabulary with the picture. As a result, students expand their foundation of oral language while promoting their literacy development.

Competency 0004 
Apply knowledge of methods, strategies, and procedures to create and manage positive learning environments for children in prekindergarten through grade three.

2. A second-grade teacher wants to create a classroom environment that fosters mutual respect and appreciation of diversity between the students. Which of the following strategies would likely be most effective for this purpose?

  1. pairing students with a different partner each week to work together on a special project or activity
  2. extending an open invitation to students' families to visit the class regularly to take part in learning activities
  3. providing opportunities involving scenarios designed to teach the language of cooperation, collaboration, and problem solving
  4. assigning students to make presentations to the class about their families' cultural practices and traditions

Correct Response: C. Cooperation, collaboration, and problem solving are important components to create a mutually respectful class that also appreciates diversity. Second-grade students need support in understanding what such a class is like. By teaching the language of cooperation, collaboration, and problem solving in the context of realistic scenarios, students become active and engaged members in such a classroom environment.

Competency 0005 
Apply knowledge of how various types of instructional materials and resources, including current technology, can be used to support young children's learning.

3. According to early childhood experts, which of the following statements identifies a key principle regarding the use of technology with young children?

  1. The child's chronological age rather than their developmental level is important when determining technology usage.
  2. Technology is more effective when adults and peers participate or coview on devices with young children.
  3. The earlier a child engages with various types of technology resources the greater the opportunity for academic success.
  4. Encouraging both active and passive uses of technology for young children supports cognitive development.

Correct Response: B. A key principle regarding the use of technology with young children is that it is most effective when young children participate or coview content on the devices with adults and/or other peers. As a result, young children can actively engage with the technology in an age-appropriate way, participate in discussions with an adult about what they are viewing, and get adult support as needed.

Competency 0006 
Understand young children's physical development and their needs related to personal health, safety, and nutrition and strategies for providing developmentally appropriate experiences and environments.

4. An early childhood teacher wants her students to develop personal behaviors that will help protect them from communicable illnesses such as the common cold. Which of the following would be the teacher's best strategy for this purpose?

  1. discussing symptoms of various illnesses with the children and teaching them how to feel their foreheads to check for a fever
  2. providing antibacterial wipes in the classroom and teaching the children to use the wipes regularly to clean materials they plan to use
  3. teaching the children to cover their mouths with their elbows when they cough or sneeze and promoting habitual frequent hand washing
  4. conducting lessons on appropriate types of clothing for different types of weather and providing reminders to specific children as necessary

Correct Response: C. Handwashing and covering one's mouth and nose with their elbow when needing to cough or sneeze are established health practices to help protect others from spreading germs. Handwashing is an effective practice, recommended by health professionals, that early childhood teachers teach students to do regularly. Coughing or sneezing into one's elbow is another best practice to limit the spread of airborne germs.

Competency 0008 
Apply knowledge of emergent literacy development, including phonological awareness and phonemic awareness and effective instructional strategies for promoting children's knowledge and skills in these areas.

5. Ms. Jaffi is listening to six-year-old Felipe read aloud. Felipe chooses the book The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle and says the title, pointing to each word as he speaks. However, he treats the two syllables of the word tiny as separate words, so his tracking and speaking do not match up, as shown below.

a diagram of Felipe's speech versus his tracking'

The title of the book, The Tiny Seed is shown. One arrow is under each word in the title and a fourth arrow points to a blank space after "seed". Underneath the first arrow is "the", under the second arrow pointing to the word "tiny" is "ti", under the third arrow pointing to "seed" is "ny", and "seed" is written under the fourth arrow that points to a blank space. In brackets to the right of the text is written teacher notes "speech while pointing at text".

Felipe complains to Ms. Jaffi that "it doesn't work right." Which of the following conclusions would be most appropriate for Ms. Jaffi to draw in this situation?

  1. Felipe becomes easily discouraged when he attempts to read aloud.
  2. Felipe would benefit from instruction in decoding two-syllable words that follow basic patterns.
  3. Felipe is self-selecting books that are at his frustrational reading level.
  4. Felipe needs additional practice in using context to confirm or self-correct word recognition.

Correct Response: B. Felipe demonstrates the ability to select a book, recognize the title of the book, and identify words while reading. Felipe uses his finger to track the words while reading aloud and becomes confused when he encounters a two-syllable word, tiny. By teaching Felipe how to decode such words, he will be able to read and learn to track as he reads, promoting comprehension and fluency.

Competency 0008 
Apply knowledge of emergent literacy development, including phonological awareness and phonemic awareness and effective instructional strategies for promoting children's knowledge and skills in these areas.

6. A kindergarten teacher plans to promote students' language development by having students participate in activities that support their development of phonemic awareness. Which of the following student activities would be most appropriate for this goal?

  1. determining the meaning of common homophones, such as ate and eight and hair and hare
  2. encouraging students to identify frequently used compound words such as outside
  3. showing students how to recognize vowel patterns (e.g., CVC) in one-syllable words such as had
  4. teaching students to segment and blend individual sounds in one-syllable words such as the letter k sound, the short vowel sound of the letter a, the letter t sound in cat

Correct Response: D. Phonemic awareness is the ability to recognize and manipulate phonemes (individual sounds) in spoken words. Teaching students to segment individual sounds in one-syllable words such as in the letter k sound, the short vowel sound of the letter a, and the letter t sound supports the student in understanding that there can be multiple sounds in short words. Asking students to blend the individual sounds teaches the student that when combined, individual sounds can make up one word.

Competency 0010 
Apply knowledge of reading comprehension, reading fluency, and vocabulary skills and effective instructional strategies for promoting children's development in these areas.

7. A third-grade student has a great deal of difficulty recalling the important elements of the story such as major characters and events. The teacher would like to help develop the student's understanding of the concept of story structure. Which of the following would be most effective for achieving this goal?

  1. having the student list all the main characters in the story and write a sentence about what happens to each one
  2. modeling for the student how to identify key information during and after reading a text using a story map
  3. helping the student recall the ending of the story and then work backward through the events to the beginning
  4. asking the student to draw pictures of the most important events in the story

Correct Response: B. A story map is a graphic organizer that supports students in understanding the major elements of a story, such as major characters, the setting, and events. Using a story map to identify key information during and after reading a text will support the student in recalling significant elements of the story, which will in turn help develop the student's understanding of the story structure and overall comprehension.

Competency 0012 
Apply knowledge of the fundamental skills, concepts, and vocabulary in mathematics and how to provide developmentally appropriate learning opportunities to enhance young children's mathematical understanding.

8. A third-grade teacher who wants to promote students' ability to communicate mathematical thinking should emphasize which of the following teaching practices?

  1. helping students create and maintain a personal dictionary of mathematics terms
  2. having students explain their problem-solving strategies orally or in writing as a regular part of mathematics instruction
  3. engaging students in the process of writing their own mathematics problems
  4. providing students with frequent opportunities to complete mathematics tasks with a partner or in a small group

Correct Response: B. Asking students to explain their problem-solving strategies in their own words, whether orally or in writing as part of their regular instruction is an evidence-based practice that helps students develop cognitive processing skills, mathematical language, and higher-order thinking. Through the process of explaining their problem-solving strategies, students routinely engage in using content-specific terminology to promote understanding of mathematical skills.

Competency 0013 
Apply knowledge of the skills and concepts in science and social studies and how to provide developmentally appropriate experiences that promote young children's inquiry, exploration, and learning in these areas.

9. A first-grade teacher is teaching students how to safely use science materials in the classroom. Which of the following initial activities would best promote the teacher's goal?

  1. providing students with opportunities to explore the materials, share what is unique about them, and categorize them according to texture
  2. showing students materials that will be used, modeling how to use them, and allowing students to voluntarily model to other students how to use them
  3. asking students to retrieve the materials from their storage location, discussing the importance of storing them correctly, and asking one student to put them back
  4. telling students the purpose of each material, asking them to take notes, and allowing each student to select one material to experiment with

Correct Response: B. An important component in using materials is learning how to use them safely. When first teaching students how to use materials safely in a science lesson or lab activity, students need to know what types of materials will be used and how to use them. Modeling for students is an effective, evidence-based practice for introducing new learning. After the teacher's modeling of the use of the materials, encouraging students to voluntarily demonstrate how to use the materials for other students reinforces this practice.

Competency 0014 
Apply knowledge of the role of the arts, including visual arts, music, creative movement, dance, and drama, in the overall development of young children and how to provide children with a range of meaningful experiences in the arts.

10. A second-grade teacher is planning an art activity that will promote students' understanding of the concepts of design and composition. The teacher wants to ensure that the activity is accessible for a student with limited fine-motor skills. Which of the following art activities would likely be most appropriate for this purpose?

  1. making torn-paper collages
  2. stitching burlap-and-yarn designs
  3. creating watercolor paintings
  4. making paper-strip weavings

Correct Response: A. Design and composition refer to the arrangement of form and color in two- or three-dimensional work. A second-grade student with limited fine-motor skills would be able to develop the concept of design and composition by creating torn-paper collages. Tearing paper, rather than cutting with scissors, serves two purposes. It promotes finger strength through the tearing of the paper and provides the student with a failure-proof activity to demonstrate an understanding of the art concept.