Content Area I (1-4)
Content Area II (5-8) Content Area III (9-12) Content Area IV (13-16) Content Area V (17-20) Content Area VI (21-24) |
Content Area VII (25-28)
Content Area VIII (29-32) Content Area IX (33-36) Content Area X (37-40) Content Area XI (41-44) Content Area XII (45-48) |
Question 1: C
Ron: Haha, I threw a phonics question in here. Gotcha! Always do assessment when you start phonics
Joey: Umm, no. This is clearly an assessment question. You should know that whenever you have a question about your students, whether you're a principal or not, you need to assess them. Remember assessment is an ongoing thing... that includes the beginning. One point, Joey.
Joey: Umm, no. This is clearly an assessment question. You should know that whenever you have a question about your students, whether you're a principal or not, you need to assess them. Remember assessment is an ongoing thing... that includes the beginning. One point, Joey.
Question 2: A
Joey: Sooo, anytime you sort of see what's going on in the class but don't have a written record of, is an informal assessment. Just think formal = forms... how boring, yet necessary.
Ron: Yes, or you could also know that the other options are formal assessments. Frequency words is a formal assessment where you jot down a student's results. Answer C literally says "standardized, norm-referenced test" and answer D has a close knit script that is easy to administer. That sure sounds a lot like a standardized test again (def. Standardized test have a manual for the person giving the test as well as a detailed script).
Ron: Yes, or you could also know that the other options are formal assessments. Frequency words is a formal assessment where you jot down a student's results. Answer C literally says "standardized, norm-referenced test" and answer D has a close knit script that is easy to administer. That sure sounds a lot like a standardized test again (def. Standardized test have a manual for the person giving the test as well as a detailed script).
Question 3: A
Ron: There is no specific grade level on these tests. 40 out of 50 is 80%. However, these tests scale back due to grade level and being at 88% seems about right, at least better than 28%. Since he did so well, it's clear that 1.7 is not where he's at.
Joey: Yeah, or look at the definition. It says he got 5.7. Since he's in third grade and did pretty well, it makes sense that it could be what a 5th grader would achieve at 7 months in. Most certainly not at a first grade level, seven months in (1.7).
Joey: Yeah, or look at the definition. It says he got 5.7. Since he's in third grade and did pretty well, it makes sense that it could be what a 5th grader would achieve at 7 months in. Most certainly not at a first grade level, seven months in (1.7).
Question 4: C
Joey: Writing in cursive or pig latin wouldn't matter (d). Having all three levels of comprehension is a good thing, so no there (a). I haven't read anything about having fewer than 10 questions affecting validity, so I'm guessing that's why "c" would be the reason why this teacher failed.... this is why I hate RICA
Ron: Think of inferential questions and evaluative comprehension. So what if the guides haven't talked about inferential comprehension. Just from that word, we know that it'll ask students to draw inferences based on what they read (and from the question itself). Imagine the different inferences a student can make about a text and still be correct. In the Three Little Pigs, students may make an inference that the third pig was the wisest and therefore out-tricked the wolf and successfully escaped. Another student could note that the other two pigs were lazy and didn't take the time to build a brick house like the third pig. Both students have successfully made correct inferences even though their answers are not the same.
Ron: Think of inferential questions and evaluative comprehension. So what if the guides haven't talked about inferential comprehension. Just from that word, we know that it'll ask students to draw inferences based on what they read (and from the question itself). Imagine the different inferences a student can make about a text and still be correct. In the Three Little Pigs, students may make an inference that the third pig was the wisest and therefore out-tricked the wolf and successfully escaped. Another student could note that the other two pigs were lazy and didn't take the time to build a brick house like the third pig. Both students have successfully made correct inferences even though their answers are not the same.
Question 5: B
Joey: Progression is a fancy way of saying the results are comprehensive and that assessment is ongoing. This hits a lot of those planning principles we have read.
Ron: Another way is process of elimination. Answer A is only focusing on two or more specific reading assessments. What if students improve? What if students progress differently? Answer C is way to spread out and includes listening and speaking, two areas not specifically covered by RICA (we are focused on reading and writing). Answer D has two red flags: grade appropriate and same instructional methods. What if students are falling behind or progressing at different pace. This leaves B.
Ron: Another way is process of elimination. Answer A is only focusing on two or more specific reading assessments. What if students improve? What if students progress differently? Answer C is way to spread out and includes listening and speaking, two areas not specifically covered by RICA (we are focused on reading and writing). Answer D has two red flags: grade appropriate and same instructional methods. What if students are falling behind or progressing at different pace. This leaves B.
Question 6: C
Ron: This is a good litmus test for how well you've been paying attention to the lectures on assessment. In fact many of these questions go back to our course material on assessment. C is the only choice worth checking as the others only look at rank and scale. A great quote from Degrasi: "The only person you should ever compete against is yourself." The same goes with assessments.
Joey: I can't believe you admit to watching that.
Ron: It's not too bad and there's literally nothing else to watch on streams. What is your reasoning?
Joey: Okay, okay. While scores are important, the main point of this content area is to focus on the student progression, which none of the other questions address specifically.
Joey: I can't believe you admit to watching that.
Ron: It's not too bad and there's literally nothing else to watch on streams. What is your reasoning?
Joey: Okay, okay. While scores are important, the main point of this content area is to focus on the student progression, which none of the other questions address specifically.
Question 7: A
Joey: Ron seems to be tired of answering these, I'll take over. Look at the question, then back at the content area 2, now back at this question again. Any particular words popping up? If you guessed, "comprehension", you'd be correct. Give yourself a gold star. Two points, Joey.
Question 8: C
Ron: You might be asking yourself, "How does this have to do with planning and organization?" My answer to you is that this misfire is the result of what happens when you don't include the fifth principle: being inclusive to readers of all levels.
Joey: Also, the other answers have nothing to do with the principles. Like, at all.
Joey: Also, the other answers have nothing to do with the principles. Like, at all.
Question 9: D
Joey: This is the only answer that actually assesses students on what they said last.
Question 10: A
Joey: Sound matching task is the only task we actually talked about in our unit.
Question 11: B
Joey: Simple definition, even I got this right. If you got this wrong, reread this.
Question 12: C
Joey: Textbook answer. Boom!
Question 13: A
Joey: Students need to be part of the LEA. It gets them to recognize how their words can be used to create print.
Question 14: B
Joey: Big books aren't things students will see in their everyday life. Heck, I've spent the last year without looking at a single non-Rica book.
Question 15: D
Joey: Not knowing directionality is something that has to be addressed immediately. "A" is close, but it's what print works to achieve that we need to look at.
Question 16: A
Joey: This is a stretch. Not exactly a print question, but it begs the same question: understanding text. Let's break it apart - only A does that.
Question 17: B
Joey: This is just a definition kind of question.
Question 18:
Joey: This is an easy one. When one approach doesn't work, switch to the other. That's the heart of whole-part and part-whole approaches.
Question 19: C
Joey: Typical RICA question I encountered last time. Two answers seem right, B and C. You should know why instruction should be incremental in difficulty.
Question 20: D
Joey: I honestly don't know how why this one is right. My guess is that this is the only answer that targets reading and phonics instruction. That's it folks, I'll be working on the next answers with Ron next time.
Question 21: C
Joey: Welcome back, Ron. It's gotta be C, seeing that etymology is a great start to teaching spelling.
Ron: I agree. I looked at all the answers and honestly thought it was going to be a "no", since limousine is such a unique word. However, looking at the answers made me change my mind. C talked about etymology and while multiculturalism is great, it has nothing to do with spelling.
Ron: I agree. I looked at all the answers and honestly thought it was going to be a "no", since limousine is such a unique word. However, looking at the answers made me change my mind. C talked about etymology and while multiculturalism is great, it has nothing to do with spelling.
Question 22: D
Joey: Honestly, I thought it was A. However, there's not enough to go on based on the information given. D is the most general answer.
Ron: I agree with what you said on A. The students are at a pre-phonetic level, which means they aren't able to connect letters to sounds. If this is true, the students will need to be checked for phonemic awareness. This may need to be addressed before any spelling lessons can be given.
Ron: I agree with what you said on A. The students are at a pre-phonetic level, which means they aren't able to connect letters to sounds. If this is true, the students will need to be checked for phonemic awareness. This may need to be addressed before any spelling lessons can be given.
Question 23: C
Joey: C is exactly what our content area is all about. Orthographic patterns is an important element of finding words for your students.
Ron: To go further, while A and B are both specific patterns, they don't hold no connections for the students. Who cares if -ime and -ou are common rimes, students will make no connection between those words if they are common. Only C captures that idea.
Ron: To go further, while A and B are both specific patterns, they don't hold no connections for the students. Who cares if -ime and -ou are common rimes, students will make no connection between those words if they are common. Only C captures that idea.
Question 24: C
Joey: This is unfair. We didn't talk about graphophonemic stuff in this content area. It's C because that's what the answer book says.
Ron: It was mentioned in content area 3, where we talked about graphemes. It's just phonemes in written form and since pre-communicative stage is in the initial pre-phonetic stage, students have not mastered the ability to assign letters to sounds just yet. This is exactly what C represents. Sight words and reading instruction will never work. From what I hear, kindergarten kids (who I hope not to see for a long while) always love chanting and singing... this leaves us with C.
Joey: Aren't you going to be in a kindergarten class in a few months?
Ron: Shut up.
Ron: It was mentioned in content area 3, where we talked about graphemes. It's just phonemes in written form and since pre-communicative stage is in the initial pre-phonetic stage, students have not mastered the ability to assign letters to sounds just yet. This is exactly what C represents. Sight words and reading instruction will never work. From what I hear, kindergarten kids (who I hope not to see for a long while) always love chanting and singing... this leaves us with C.
Joey: Aren't you going to be in a kindergarten class in a few months?
Ron: Shut up.
Question 25: B
Ron: IRI is there to address a student's reading strengths. Letter A is the textbook definition of IRI, but it doesn't answer our question. C has nothing to do with what are doing. C and D don't even address the IRI in general, which leaves us C.
Joey: This is one of those things that is hidden in our text. The purpose of the IRI is to ensure students will get the comprehension; only C addresses that.
Joey: This is one of those things that is hidden in our text. The purpose of the IRI is to ensure students will get the comprehension; only C addresses that.
Question 26: C
Ron: If the teacher chose to use guided reading with the entire class, the problem with the initial five students still remains. If anything it'll get worse. That leaves A out. Writing assignments are good for asssessments but we're trying to see why the group is going badly, which B does not answer. D is similar in that it's another assessment. The lesson itself is going badly and that leaves us with just C.
Joey: Yeah, it was also stated in our review here. We said that a good reading group will consist of people of similar reading levels. Only C matches this.
Joey: Yeah, it was also stated in our review here. We said that a good reading group will consist of people of similar reading levels. Only C matches this.
Question 27: A
Joey: This is... bam! Write in our review verbatim.
Ron: That's a big word. Good job!
Joey: Thanks, jerk.
Ron: That's a big word. Good job!
Joey: Thanks, jerk.
Question 28: B
Joey: You can take this one.
Ron: This is right out of Professor Samson's lecture of "I do, We do, You do." It's an important go-to idea for increasing responsibility to accountability to your students. The student is struggling with the "You do" portion and it would be imperative to scale that responsibility back with a better reader. It's something I observe a lot of the times in my student teaching class.
Ron: This is right out of Professor Samson's lecture of "I do, We do, You do." It's an important go-to idea for increasing responsibility to accountability to your students. The student is struggling with the "You do" portion and it would be imperative to scale that responsibility back with a better reader. It's something I observe a lot of the times in my student teaching class.
Question 29: A
Ron: This was too easy. Reading a storybook will not deal with phonics unless you're explicitly teaching it and the only answer that even comes close to analyzing literature would be figurative language. We only know that there are big story books, leaving option A as the only correct answer.
Joey: I agree. This requires a bit of backtracking to understand what a big story book is.
Ron: I think everyone knows what a big story book is and one of the most basic literary elements is story structure.
Joey: I agree. This requires a bit of backtracking to understand what a big story book is.
Ron: I think everyone knows what a big story book is and one of the most basic literary elements is story structure.
Question 30: C
Ron: No real need for in depth analysis here. Take it away, Joey.
Joey: Yup, C is literally the only set of examples that would work. I'm on fire!
Ron: Oh, do we need a fire extinguisher?
Joey: I was speaking, figuratively.
Joey: Yup, C is literally the only set of examples that would work. I'm on fire!
Ron: Oh, do we need a fire extinguisher?
Joey: I was speaking, figuratively.
Question 31: C
Joey: Here, the student is making a connection between something in the book and something in his personal life.
Ron: Not much else to add since this is a textbook answer.
Ron: Not much else to add since this is a textbook answer.
Question 32: A
Ron: The first thing we can do is analyze what an expository text is. It's either a social studies textbook or an encyclopedia. Now, let's look at which of these would best make use of scanning: reading a chapter or locating information. Certainly feels like the latter.
Joey: I agree with you. All of the choices are just reading, but only one of them is looking for a specific piece of information.
Joey: I agree with you. All of the choices are just reading, but only one of them is looking for a specific piece of information.
Question 33: C
Ron: Since the teacher wants to have the student comprehend the vocabulary in content area, we're not concerned of phonics. That means A and D are out. B seems like something that could work for this content-area, but C specifically targets what students need to learn to do better.
Joey: That works for me. C also will help students understand the words better through context.
Joey: That works for me. C also will help students understand the words better through context.
Question 34: D
Joey: This is straight from our lesson today. When looking for terms in an encyclopedia, you need to model students how to scan and find single bits of information.
Ron: That sure sounds like it'd work. Do people use encyclopedias still?
Joey: I use Wikipedia, and that's sort of the same thing.
Ron: That sure sounds like it'd work. Do people use encyclopedias still?
Joey: I use Wikipedia, and that's sort of the same thing.
Question 35: B
Ron: A and C are focusing on phonics instruction; we're concerned with how students can read and understand social studies notebooks. Knowing that social studies books are expository texts helps a lot, leaving only B left.
Joey: B and D are the only close answers, as they aim to improve comprehension, which A and C don't include.
Joey: B and D are the only close answers, as they aim to improve comprehension, which A and C don't include.
Question 36: A
Ron: Oh yea, an elimination question. Let's check what works. Graphic organizers are there to help students organize. Check, B is correct. Using them as previews, also check. C is correct. Each organizer helping students as they read, also check. D is correct. This means A is incorrect, which is correct.
Joey: Correct. Actually, can you imagine a graphic organizer only having three to five words. That'd be a disaster.
Joey: Correct. Actually, can you imagine a graphic organizer only having three to five words. That'd be a disaster.
Question 37: D
Joey: The key to answering this question is seeing that word, habits. Only observing student behavior will the teacher know the actual habits.
Ron: I agree. C is completely way off, we're not talking about anything related to phonemic awareness as we're looking at student habits. "A" won't work because the students writing in their responses doesn't measure their independent reading, but their comprehension. "B" and "D" both sound right, but "B" focuses on their reading level, not what they actually do. People can have reading levels and terrible reading habits, like a certain someone who'd rather watch a movie instead of reading a book.
Joey: Whatever. Movies are so much better. I mean how awesome would it be would it be if we had RICA: The Movie, instead of having to go over each of these chapters.
Ron: I agree. C is completely way off, we're not talking about anything related to phonemic awareness as we're looking at student habits. "A" won't work because the students writing in their responses doesn't measure their independent reading, but their comprehension. "B" and "D" both sound right, but "B" focuses on their reading level, not what they actually do. People can have reading levels and terrible reading habits, like a certain someone who'd rather watch a movie instead of reading a book.
Joey: Whatever. Movies are so much better. I mean how awesome would it be would it be if we had RICA: The Movie, instead of having to go over each of these chapters.
Question 38: B
Ron: Independent reading is important, regardless of the student's language preference. This eliminates "D" right off the bat. "A" won't work because most parents are already aware of the predicament their students face and it's slightly condescending. "C" is great, but we're focused on language barriers that this answer doesn't face. This leaves us with "B".
Joey: Yeah, also, this is the only answer that actually gives students the opportunity to have access to more books in their native tongue.
Joey: Yeah, also, this is the only answer that actually gives students the opportunity to have access to more books in their native tongue.
Question 39: B
Ron: Both "B" and "D" address the fact that the student needs more challenging reading materials. However, we should all know that it's better to give students the choice to pick what they want to read. Offering them great alternatives will give them greater autonomy over their reading ability.
Joey: Yeah, "B" is the right choice because we always want to make students responsible for their academic behavior. One of the things that RICA keeps drilling into teachers is that we're facilitators that guide students to make the right choice.
Joey: Yeah, "B" is the right choice because we always want to make students responsible for their academic behavior. One of the things that RICA keeps drilling into teachers is that we're facilitators that guide students to make the right choice.
Question 40: D
Joey: Intervention is incredibly important for students and these answers give us a glimpse of what could go wrong. Time alone won't help improve a child's reading developmental skills. "D" shows us the consequence of not intervening when needed unlike the check engine light.
Ron: Umm, you mean exactly like a check engine light.
Joey: No, no... unlike that. I put a piece of tape over it and presto, no problem.
Ron: Umm, you mean exactly like a check engine light.
Joey: No, no... unlike that. I put a piece of tape over it and presto, no problem.
Question 41: B
Joey: Directionality is the way we read text. English readers read from left to right and so Spanish speakers. Ergo, B is correct.
Ron: That's correct. Can you imagine doing daily assessments on word identification skills? That's not going to help them learn to read; it will give you insight to how to teach them better. There is no negative transfer of literary skills to other languages; research shows the opposite to be true. Finally, you should know not to clump people together as they may all have different learning needs.
Ron: That's correct. Can you imagine doing daily assessments on word identification skills? That's not going to help them learn to read; it will give you insight to how to teach them better. There is no negative transfer of literary skills to other languages; research shows the opposite to be true. Finally, you should know not to clump people together as they may all have different learning needs.
Question 42: C
Joey: Seek and find. Right there in the text, we talked about how chants can be used to help students work on their phonemic awareness. Anything to add?
Ron: Not much, except that language play really gets students motivated and is great tool for this teacher to use. The teacher is already doing a lot of explicit teaching techniques and throwing something fun would be a great way to balance his lesson.
Ron: Not much, except that language play really gets students motivated and is great tool for this teacher to use. The teacher is already doing a lot of explicit teaching techniques and throwing something fun would be a great way to balance his lesson.
Question 43: D
Ron: If we want to help with the students' reading level, we most certainly can't just throw random phrases together, especially for EL learners. This takes "A" right out. Having comprehension questions would be good for an informal assessment, but we need to improve their reading ability, not comprehension skills. "C" sounds right until I saw the looking at Greek and Latin roots part, something that would be the goal of intermediate EL students. It was also oddly specific and pointed out morphemic analysis which again, is not a reading ability that'll help his students directly.
Joey: Or, you can look at the strategy we talked about. Visual aids and charts are great ways to help with instructional reading as stated above.
Joey: Or, you can look at the strategy we talked about. Visual aids and charts are great ways to help with instructional reading as stated above.
Question 44: A
Joey: Print concepts, there it is again. We know that this transfers from Italian to English. Not knowing Italian at all, Daniele will be at a disadvantage; he'll have to be retaught this.
Ron: Yep! Yep! Yep!
Ron: Yep! Yep! Yep!
Question 45: A
Ron: "B" is very ineffective. We need to remember that how vocabulary words are presented is very important: they all need to share some similarity, either via structure or through content-area. "C" also follows this suit. As a teacher, you need to direct content that meets learning standards, not the whims of the class. Not sure why you would reteach something to students they already know. There is no benefit in that. "A" is ideal because you are using context to teach students meaning.
Question 46: D
Joey: Only "D" actually gives a student a strategy to learn a word. You are the facilitator, remember.
Question 47: A
Ron: We are looking at semantic clues, which means we're looking at surrounding text. "D" is way off base and "C" is the obvious wrong answer. "B" uses clues; nice trick, but we're too smart. We know that word order isn't any part of understanding vocabulary in our lesson.
Question 48: D
Joey: At first I thought it was B, because you are making a list of attributes for each word. But, you're not. You are using a diagram and organizing words for each phrase.
Question 49: B
Ron: Advanced students learning vocabulary. Check. Using morphemic clues. Check. Sounds like....
Joey: Prefix, suffix, and roots. We're breaking apart a word into digestible parts.
Joey: Prefix, suffix, and roots. We're breaking apart a word into digestible parts.
Question 50:
Good luck, everyone on your RICA! - Joey
The test is a rehash of a lot of what we learned in literature class. We got this. -Ron
Good luck, everyone on your RICA! - Joey
The test is a rehash of a lot of what we learned in literature class. We got this. -Ron