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Study Guide

Field 121–124: Upper Elementary (3–6) Education
Subtest 1: Professional Knowledge and Skills
Sample Multiple-Choice Questions

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Subarea 1—Learner-Centered Supports

Objective 001—The Whole Child

1. A fifth-grade student returns to school after being home for an extended period of time due to illness. The student received instruction at home from an itinerant teacher during this absence. Prior to the student returning to school, which of the following actions by the teacher most effectively supports this student's academic transition?

  1. creating a plan with the school counselor that includes scheduling predetermined check-ins with the student
  2. adjusting the academic demands so that the student will feel successful upon returning to the classroom setting
  3. communicating with the student's parents/guardians to obtain a greater understanding of the student's health needs
  4. meeting with the itinerant teacher to review the student's progress and to plan for any gaps in instruction that may have occurred
Answer. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: D.
  1. This plan does not effectively address the student's academic transition.
  2. The student may be able to work at the same level as peers, so this is unwarranted without further information.
  3. Although this would be helpful, it does not provide the general education teacher with information about the student's learning needs upon transition.
  4. Correct. The general education teacher will need to address the student's current learning needs, and it would be critical to obtain information from the itinerant teacher as part of planning instruction for this student.
Objective 002—The Learning Environment

2. A fifth-grade teacher plans to incorporate a cooperative service-learning project into an upcoming science unit. Which of the following factors would positively impact students' motivation to complete the project?

  1. allowing students to select their own cooperative group
  2. connecting prior knowledge to the current learning project
  3. giving students the opportunity to give input into the type of project
  4. selecting a project that would interest the greatest number of students
Answer. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: C.
  1. Students may enjoy selecting their own groups, but in the end, it may not support the successful completion of the project.
  2. Prior knowledge is unlikely to be a motivating factor in the completion of the project when compared to being able to contribute to deciding on the project.
  3. Correct. Students are likely to be more motivated to complete a project when they feel they have meaningful input into directing what the project is going to be.
  4. Considering student interest is important, but in this case, allowing students to have real input on the topic choice is a better way to help them feel like they have a voice in their learning.
Objective 003—Instructional Practice

3. A teacher plans instruction for an upcoming unit integrating social studies and English language arts. Which of the following general instructional strategies would support informational reading skills, particularly among students who are English learners?

  1. creating a student-generated word wall of the unit's social studies vocabulary terms
  2. modeling a think-aloud of social studies text structure elements such as maps, graphs, and pictures
  3. providing audio recordings of the social studies texts to read along with as one of several activity stations
  4. giving students a blank timeline and having them fill in the sequence of events using their social studies textbooks
Answer. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.
  1. This approach would benefit students' vocabulary but not necessarily their informational reading skills.
  2. Correct. Modeling the strategies used for informational reading would be useful for all students, but in particular for English learners, who may need additional examples of ways to incorporate information gained from unique elements often used in informational texts.
  3. This approach would not address the unique features that are often seen in informational texts that would improve students' reading skills.
  4. Filling in a timeline would only target the understanding of one particular kind of information and would not support broader informational reading skills as effectively as learning how to synthesize and incorporate information from the non-text elements in addition to the text.

Subarea 2—Professional Knowledge and Strategic Partnerships

Objective 004—Ethics and Professional Growth

4. Which of the following ongoing professional development opportunities is most likely to support a new teacher who is interested in improving classroom management skills?

  1. collaborating with a teacher mentor
  2. spending time observing in another classroom
  3. watching video-based examples of engaged students
  4. joining other teachers in completing a book study on pedagogy
Answer. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: A.
  1. Correct. Seeking mentorship and feedback from a more experienced teacher provides direct support for classroom management for a newer teacher and is a more dynamic and responsive way of obtaining ongoing professional development related to this skill.
  2. Observation may provide new ideas for ways of addressing classroom management but is unlikely to cause improvement in isolation.
  3. Engagement can be supported in many ways, so viewing engaged students as a primary form of professional development is unlikely to directly improve classroom management skills.
  4. A book study with other teachers is a valuable exercise; however, the topic of the book study (pedagogy) is misaligned with the teacher’s goal of improving classroom management skills.
Objective 005—Strategic Partnerships

5. Parents have contacted their child's teacher to ask for an opinion regarding their child's learning. The parents are concerned about their child's progress and are worried that their child could have a learning disability. Which of the following actions is most appropriate for the teacher at this point?

  1. providing differentiated assignments to help the student feel more successful in class
  2. preparing documentation for potential retention of the student for the next school year
  3. recommending that the parents seek outside academic tutoring to support the student
  4. bringing the case to the school-based team for feedback on intervention assistance for the student
Answer. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: D.
  1. There is no indication that the student is feeling unsuccessful, so changing assignments primarily to help the student's feelings is not warranted.
  2. The goal would be to determine and address the student's needs, and retention would not be the logical result of documenting the concern.
  3. The teacher has the responsibility to work with the school's systems for intervention and evaluation rather than the parents needing to seek tutoring on their own.
  4. Correct. If parents bring a concern to the school about a suspected learning disability, the teacher addresses this concern appropriately by ensuring that the school-based team is involved in reviewing classroom data and discussing intervention needs the student may have as well as being involved in case further evaluation for disability is warranted.