Deck 5: Phonics, Sight Vocabulary, and Fluency

Question 1

Effective phonics instruction helps children to do which of the following?

A) Sequence the sounds in our language
B) Discern the meaning of homophones
C) Associate letters and letter combinations with sounds
D) Construct meaning from text

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Stanovich uses the "Matthew effect" to describe which phenomenon?

A) The skilled reader gets better through practice while the poor decoder lags further behind.
B) The poor reader figures out words he or she does not know only by guessing.
C) The reader who dislikes reading develops an increasingly negative attitude toward reading.
D) The poor reader receives more attention from the teacher than the skilled reader.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which of the following is the best argument for beginning formal reading instruction with the regular phonics of English spelling?

A) Our spelling system is regular approximately 50 percent of the time, which offers young readers a rapid understanding of the code.
B) The sight-word method of rote memorization has been found to be ineffective.
C) Even irregular words are stored in memory with the letter or letter/sound correspondences.
D) Students prefer phonics instruction to other teaching methods.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Which of the following is a useful method that children use to figure out new words?

A) Sounding out each letter
B) Using a word wall
C) Guessing from the context
D) All of the above

Question 5

Which of the following is the best definition of direct, systematic phonics instruction?

A) A program that provides direct instruction of the necessary compendium of skills, building on a developmental sequence
B) A program that teaches phonic skills to children as the skills are encountered in authentic reading situations
C) A program that spends the majority of literacy instructional time focused on decoding development
D) All of the above

Question 6

Why is it important to teach high-frequency words?

A) These are the words that are the easiest to decode and thus build a reader's confidence.
B) These words are often overlooked in traditional phonics programs.
C) Approximately 50 percent of the words students read are high-frequency words.
D) Such words are the most concrete and easiest for children to remember.

Question 7

Which of the following is NOT a true statement concerning the use of word walls?

A) Students should be encouraged to use the wall as a writing resource.
B) The same word wall should be kept up all year long.
C) There is no one way to set up a word wall.
D) The wall used should be seen most easily by everyone in the room.

Question 8

An effective phonics program contains which of the following features?

A) Singing and chanting of familiar songs and poems
B) The reading of predictable texts
C) Teaching of useful phonics generalizations through recognition of patterns
D) All of the above

Question 9

Simply stated, phonics builds and reinforces which of the following?

A) High-frequency words
B) Sight words
C) The alphabetic principle
D) Comprehension

Question 10

Which of the following types of literature is necessary for an effective early literacy program?

A) Predictable texts
B) Decodable texts
C) High quality trade books
D) All of the above

Question 11

Which of the following is NOT a true statement about fluency?

A) Fluent readers read with appropriate expression.
B) Having a student repeat the reading of a text four times is sufficient to improve fluency.
C) Decoding automaticity does not affect comprehension.
D) Word-by-word readers who lack automaticity need more basic instruction in phonics.

Question 12

When a reader is able to apply phonics skills to unknown words and blend the series of sounds in the order in which they occur in the printed word, that reader is able to __________.

Question 13

The literacy skill of being able to read words and phrases quickly and accurately with appropriate expression is called __________.

Question 14

Children should be encouraged to __________ when they are trying to sound out words.

Question 15

Comparing spelling patterns to ones already known is a decoding strategy known as using __________.

Question 16

Approximately __________of English words are considered regular in their spelling/sound correspondence.

Question 17

As children are learning how to read, they should be taught some common sight vocabulary words, known as __________, at the same time they are learning how to decode.

Question 18

Texts that contain much rhyme, rhythm, and repetition and that are used to teach concepts about print and English syntax while providing an enjoyable language experience are called __________.

Question 19

__________is the ability to read text accurately and rapidly.

Question 20

The process of__________ necessarily detracts from the more important work of constructing meaning from the text.

Question 21

Reader's theater makes a story immediately accessible to English learners by providing a __________for the words that are read.

Question 22

What is your definition of direct, systematic phonics instruction? Describe how direct, systematic instruction in phonics fits into a balanced, comprehensive literacy program.

Question 23

Explain what you consider to be the key components in a model phonics program. Describe how you would teach such a program and give an example of the order of the phonics generalizations you would teach. Defend your choices.

Question 24

Explain what a "whole-parts-whole" instructional sequence would look like and how such a sequence is essential to a truly comprehensive program in early literacy.

Question 25

Discuss the relationship between fluency and comprehension.