Deck 5: Cracking the Alphabetic Code

Question 1

The belief that there should be a one-to-one correspondence between phonemes and graphemes so that each sound is consistently represented by one letter is known as:

A) morphemic analysis
B) the Matthew Effect
C) the Peter Effect
D) the Alphabetic Principle

Answer 1

D

Question 2

In the word star, the vowel sound is best described as:

A) short
B) schwa
C) r-controlled
D) diphthong

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Phonemic awareness instruction should be:

A) integrated with other components of a balanced literacy program
B) isolated to emphasize phonics skills
C) used only with children with limited exposure to the English language
D) emphasized at all grade levels

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Of the following, the activity which would most likely give students opportunities to apply phonics concepts is:

A) interactive writing
B) handwriting practice
C) grand conversation
D) viewing

Question 5

When children have difficulty spelling a word, effective teachers should tell them to:

A) sound it out
B) think it out
C) use an alternative word
D) use a thesaurus

Question 6

A group of second grade students need help spelling high frequency words. The best way for their teacher to help them gain independence in their spelling and writing would be to:

A) monitor the completion of spelling worksheets
B) post high frequency words on a classroom word wall
C) administer weekly spelling tests
D) encourage the students to sound out words

Question 7

As students become older, they realize that words with similar meanings often are spelled in similar ways. When they focus upon the meaning of words, they attend to:

A) phonemes
B) morphemes
C) graphemes
D) digraphs

Question 8

The smallest units of speech are known as:

A) phonemes
B) graphemes
C) morphemes
D) phonics

Question 9

Five-year-old Adam wrote the sentence, "My mom sed no." When Adam wrote sed for said, he showed that he was using:

A) conventional spelling
B) invented spelling
C) traditional spelling
D) orthographic spelling

Question 10

Proofreading should be introduced:

A) in the primary grades
B) when a student has reached a fourth grade instructional reading level
C) when a student has reached a sixth grade instructional reading level
D) when a student can spell content area vocabulary correctly

Question 11

Of the following, the best way to help children become better spellers is to:

A) engage them in daily reading and writing activities
B) encourage them to use drill and practice programs
C) administer weekly spelling tests
D) take running records

Question 12

Of the following, the best way to teach children to use dictionaries to find the correct spelling of a word would be to help them:

A) predict possible spellings for unknown words
B) put words in alphabetical order
C) engage in word sorts
D) practice using onsets and rimes

Question 13

In the English language, there are:

A) 26 phonemes
B) 44 phonemes
C) 100 phonemes
D) over 500 phonemes

Question 14

Research suggests that of the following, the most powerful predictor of later reading achievement appears to be a child's:

A) social maturity
B) visual discrimination
C) fine-motor skills
D) phonemic awareness

Question 15

A teacher plans to examine the misspelled words in her students' compositions. An analysis of these misspelled words will most likely help the teacher assess her students':

A) writing fluency
B) understanding of morphemes
C) ability to apply phonics generalizations
D) ability to use graphic organizers

Question 16

It is most important for teachers to find time for:

A) computerized phonics drills
B) round-robin reading activities
C) completion of phonics worksheets
D) opportunities for students to apply phonics concepts as they read

Question 17

Six-year-old Rachel proudly said she could read the word fish because it looked like the word dish. This child was:

A) decoding by analogy
B) participating in interactive writing
C) sounding out a word
D) applying a phonics generalization

Question 18

Of the following, the best way to help children learn to segment words would be to use:

A) Elkonin Boxes
B) reading response journals
C) repetends
D) consonant digraphs

Question 19

A first grade teacher conducted a lesson on word families and asked the children to write words on the chalkboard. This could best be described as a lesson in:

A) phonics
B) phonemic analysis
C) miscue analysis
D) literacy strategies

Question 20

Phonics instruction should be viewed as:

A) a complete reading program
B) part of a balanced approach that includes authentic reading and writing
C) essential for students in kindergarten to grade six
D) the best way to help students understand morphemes

Question 21

Teachers nurture children's phonemic awareness by creating a language-rich environment in the classroom. Describe a language-rich kindergarten classroom. Name activities you would expect to see.

Question 22

The term used to describe language origin is:

A) orthography
B) etymology
C) morphology
D) phonology

Question 23

Seven-year-old Anna was born in Mexico and learned to read before transferring to a second grade classroom in the United States. Research suggests that if children can read in their native language, they most likely:

A) have developed phonemic awareness
B) will struggle when learning to read in an additional language
C) will find graphemes confusing
D) will translate all texts into their native language

Question 24

In the word chime, the ch is an example of a:

A) consonant blend
B) consonant digraph
C) morpheme
D) diphthong

Question 25

Phonics instruction is helpful but it does not constitute a complete spelling program. Why is that statement true?

Question 26

A teacher wrote the words say, play, may, and tray on a whiteboard. In these words, the ay can be referred to as:

A) an onset
B) a rime
C) a morpheme
D) an inflection

Question 27

Research indicates that:

A) only a few phonics rules have a high degree of utility
B) English learners easily learn to use phonics rules
C) the English language has a one-to-one correspondence between phonemes and graphemes
D) the CVC rule applies to 85% of the words found on high frequency lists

Question 28

When a third grade student asked how to spell the word telescope, the teacher told her to think it out. What steps could the student take to "think out" the spelling of that word?