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Study Guide

Field 93: Professional Knowledge—Early Childhood
Sample Selected-Response Questions

Practice Questions

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Subarea I–Foundations of Early Childhood Education

Objective 0001: Understand the foundations of the early childhood profession; the administration, organization, operation, and evaluation of early childhood programs; the profession's code of ethical conduct; and issues, trends, and state and national standards that affect early childhood programs.

1. Which of the following criteria is most important when evaluating an early childhood education program?

  1. Does the program offer an appropriate variety of educational activities and materials that it rotates constantly?
  2. Are most or all of the students in the program progressing at approximately the same rate?
  3. Does the teaching staff consist entirely of licensed early childhood professionals?
  4. Are the program's defined goals and the regulations governing the program being met?
Enter to expand or collapse answer. Answer expanded
Correct Response: D.
Objective 0002: Understand professional roles and expectations and the rights and responsibilities of early childhood educators and others involved in the education of young children.

2. Which of the following expresses the primary reason that early childhood professionals are required to participate in ongoing professional development activities?

  1. There is a direct correlation between participation in teacher training activities and higher student scores on standardized achievement tests.
  2. Knowledge of the latest educational research and teaching methods promotes increased teacher effectiveness in the classroom.
  3. Participating in periodic opportunities to compare experiences outside of the classroom decreases teacher burnout.
  4. Many new teachers fail to recognize how further training will build on the foundation provided by their teacher preparation program.
Enter to expand or collapse answer. Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.
Objective 0002: Understand professional roles and expectations and the rights and responsibilities of early childhood educators and others involved in the education of young children.

3. At the beginning of the school year, Mr. Benally learns that Kayla, a student with special needs, will be in his class. Mr. Benally meets with the special education teacher to review the goals in Kayla's Individualized Education Program (IEP). Which of the following best describes Mr. Benally's responsibilities with regard to Kayla's IEP goals?

  1. choosing and prioritizing Kayla's IEP goals for instructional planning
  2. incorporating Kayla's IEP goals into classroom activities across the curriculum
  3. setting up a reward system to use whenever Kayla attains an IEP goal
  4. providing information on which of Kayla's IEP goals need modification to correspond to classroom goals
Enter to expand or collapse answer. Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.
Objective 0003: Understand processes by which young children learn and identify practices for providing children with positive learning experiences and environments that promote exploration and learning.

4. As a kindergarten teacher makes her plans for the upcoming school year, she intends to take advantage of a wide variety of resources in the community. For example, in conjunction with a unit on "Community Helpers," she will arrange a trip to the fire station. Likewise, for a unit on "The Foods We Eat," the class will visit a local farmers' market. Such activities are especially important in an early childhood program because they:

  1. provide children with direct personal experiences that promote conceptual understanding.
  2. foster the children's awareness and appreciation of the resources in their own community.
  3. motivate local citizens to reflect on how to support school programs for the children in their community.
  4. prompt the children to recognize the relevance of school to themselves and their families.
Enter to expand or collapse answer. Answer expanded
Correct Response: A.

Subarea II–Promoting Child Development and Learning

Objective 0004: Understand how to create and sustain responsive and respectful learning environments that encourage positive interactions and promote all children's active exploration and learning.

5. A teacher wishes to modify an infant room to better support the gross-motor needs of children who are making the transition from the crawling stage to the prewalking stage. The teacher could best accomplish this goal by:

  1. arranging tables, chairs, and play equipment around the room so that children can easily reach one object while holding on to another.
  2. creating a small obstacle course using blocks, pillows, and toys through which the children can maneuver.
  3. creating a matted area with soft, sturdy materials that children can use to pull themselves erect and support themselves.
  4. placing favorite items on shelves at just the right height to allow most children to reach them from a standing position.
Enter to expand or collapse answer. Answer expanded
Correct Response: C.
Objective 0004: Understand how to create and sustain responsive and respectful learning environments that encourage positive interactions and promote all children's active exploration and learning.

6. The children in a class of three year olds typically arrive between 7:45 and 8:15 in the morning. After greeting each child by name, the teacher could best facilitate each child's transition into the classroom by:

  1. reading a story to the class as children continue to arrive.
  2. allowing children to self-select from a variety of activities, such as puzzles or play dough.
  3. having children deposit their things at their cubbies and then sit down on the circle rug.
  4. helping children form small groups and participate in role-playing in the drama center.
Enter to expand or collapse answer. Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.
Objective 0005: Understand factors and procedures in planning effective and appropriate learning goals and experiences for young children.

7. In the upcoming school year, a preschool teacher plans to make sociodramatic play an important feature of the program. This decision would be especially appropriate for children of this age because such play:

  1. encourages cooperation and communication.
  2. promotes individuals' awareness of their own strengths and needs.
  3. fosters self-help/adaptive skills.
  4. provides practice in working toward a common goal.
Enter to expand or collapse answer. Answer expanded
Correct Response: A.
Objective 0005: Understand factors and procedures in planning effective and appropriate learning goals and experiences for young children.

8. Which of the following learning center activities would be most appropriate for promoting a kindergarten student's understanding of the concept of classification?

  1. arranging plastic rings on a cone in order from largest to smallest
  2. examining the veins in a leaf with a magnifying lens
  3. sorting manipulatives into piles based on size and color
  4. using scissors to cut construction paper into strips of varying lengths
Enter to expand or collapse answer. Answer expanded
Correct Response: C.
Objective 0006: Understand appropriate instructional methodologies and how to provide effective experiences that promote young children's development and learning.

9. A third-grade teacher is responsible for planning a weekly forty-minute computer lab for her class. Which of the following would be the most appropriate principle on which to base the computer lab lessons?

  1. Computer lab activities should focus on teaching discrete computer skills in the context of games in which individuals try to beat their own personal best scores.
  2. Computer lab activities should support classroom instruction through assignments differentiated according to individuals' computer proficiency.
  3. Computer lab activities should be devoted to individuals' use of the programs most relevant to their own interests, whether graphics, word processing, or games.
  4. Computer lab activities should consist primarily of individualized drill-and-practice tasks based on students' needs in specific academic areas.
Enter to expand or collapse answer. Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.
Objective 0006: Understand appropriate instructional methodologies and how to provide effective experiences that promote young children's development and learning.

10. A second-grade teacher is planning to begin a unit about insects by having a classroom discussion. Which of the following questions posed by the teacher would most likely promote students' use of higher-order thinking skills?

  1. "Who can tell me the name of the insect in this picture?"
  2. "Why do we have insects in our environment?"
  3. "How many hundreds of ants do you think live in one colony?"
  4. "Which insects are most often found around our homes?"
Enter to expand or collapse answer. Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.

Subarea III–Child Guidance and Inclusive Learning Communities

Objective 0008: Understand positive guidance and socialization strategies that support young children's development and learning.

11. In general, which of the following would likely be a first-grade teacher's best strategy for fostering students' sense of confidence and self-efficacy?

  1. complimenting students on their work regardless of the quality of the finished product
  2. establishing a series of competitions designed to ensure that each student will have the experience of being the "winner"
  3. planning engaging tasks that students will be able to accomplish through their own efforts
  4. choosing a different "student of the week" every week, rotating through the class roster over the course of the year
Enter to expand or collapse answer. Answer expanded
Correct Response: C.
Objective 0008: Understand positive guidance and socialization strategies that support young children's development and learning.

12. At the end of a week punctuated by arguments and aggressive incidents, a preschool teacher decides that she needs to help the children develop a greater sense of community. Earlier in the year, the teacher involved the children in creating classroom rules, which included being polite and helpful, respecting each other's property, and not hurting others. Which of the following additional strategies would be most effective in creating the type of climate the teacher envisions?

  1. calling a meeting to remind the class of the rules, discussing the number of conflicts the teacher has seen, and warning that any incidents will result in serious consequences from now on
  2. asking the school counselor to visit the classroom to make a presentation about the importance of sharing materials and getting along with one another
  3. immediately intervening at the first sign of an incident, making everyone involved take a time-out, and requiring students to apologize to each other afterward
  4. regularly holding discussions about how to create a safe and happy classroom and taking advantage of opportunities to affirm acts of kindness by individual students
Enter to expand or collapse answer. Answer expanded
Correct Response: D.
Objective 0009: Understand human diversity and identify strategies for creating an inclusive learning community that is responsive to all children and that promotes appreciation and respect for diversity.

13. During individual exploration time, a preschool teacher observes four-year-old Juan as he walks over to the kitchen area to play with Linda. The following interaction occurs:

Juan: Can I help you cook?

Linda: No, boys don't cook, only girls.

Juan: But I know how to cook.

Linda: Just girls.

In this situation, the teacher's most appropriate response would be to:

  1. take some of the cooking items that Linda is using and set them up at a table to allow Juan to pretend to cook.
  2. suggest that Juan may want to play in another area for now and come back when Linda is playing elsewhere.
  3. affirm Juan's statement that boys can cook and remind Linda that children in their classroom do not exclude others.
  4. send Linda to the time-out area for a few minutes and require her to apologize to Juan before she may resume playing in the kitchen area.
Enter to expand or collapse answer. Answer expanded
Correct Response: C.
Objective 0009: Understand human diversity and identify strategies for creating an inclusive learning community that is responsive to all children and that promotes appreciation and respect for diversity.

14. Warren is a third grader who has moderate mental retardation. Each morning Warren spends two hours in Mr. Gupta's general education classroom, where he participates in language arts and science activities. In conjunction with the current science unit, Mr. Gupta is planning an experiment that he believes may pose some difficulties for Warren. Which of the following strategies would be most appropriate for Mr. Gupta to use in this situation?

  1. pairing Warren with an aide or peer partner who can provide natural support as the two perform the experiment together
  2. asking Warren to be his helper while he demonstrates the required techniques and procedures to the class
  3. having students perform the experiment later in the day when Warren is receiving services in the resource room
  4. planning a special language arts project for Warren to work on while the rest of the class conducts the experiment
Enter to expand or collapse answer. Answer expanded
Correct Response: A.

Subarea IV–Family and Community Relationships

Objective 0010: Understand the roles of families in early childhood programs and family-centered practices and identify strategies for engaging families in achieving identified goals for children.

15. Several parents/guardians have confessed to a toddler teacher that they are feeling anxious about how well their children will handle being in the toddler program, which will be their first school experience. The teacher's best response to these families would be to:

  1. invite them to visit and observe in the classroom for as long as it takes to feel reassured that their children are engaged and comfortable in their new surroundings.
  2. explain that all parents/guardians feel this way initially and advise them to leave quickly to avoid communicating their own feelings of anxiety to their children.
  3. promise to provide each family with a daily written report on their child's activities, behaviors, and general state of mind during the first week of school.
  4. introduce the parents/guardians who are feeling anxious to others who feel the same way and suggest that these families get together to commiserate.
Enter to expand or collapse answer. Answer expanded
Correct Response: A.
Objective 0010: Understand the roles of families in early childhood programs and family-centered practices and identify strategies for engaging families in achieving identified goals for children.

16. Before the opening of school, a teacher in an infant classroom contacts the children's families to schedule home visits. One family has repeatedly cancelled scheduled visits, and the teacher has gotten the strong impression that they do not want her to visit their home. Which of the following would be the teacher's best response to the family in this situation?

  1. asking whether the visit could be held somewhere in the family's neighborhood, such as a playground or community center, as appropriate
  2. asking the family directly if they have some reason for objecting to the teacher's visiting their home
  3. stressing that, to work as effectively as possible with any child, the teacher must observe that child in his or her most familiar environment
  4. offering to keep the visit short and to use it primarily to get an idea of the child's physical surroundings
Enter to expand or collapse answer. Answer expanded
Correct Response: A.
Objective 0011: Understand how to establish and sustain effective relationships with families, other professionals, and community agencies and organizations to support children's learning and development.

17. As part of a community outreach initiative, employees from a local business will be allowed to donate an hour per week volunteering in a local elementary school. Which of the following would likely be the most appropriate way for a first-grade teacher to use the services of such volunteers?

  1. asking them to conduct lessons with small groups of students
  2. having them oversee recess while the teacher does administrative tasks
  3. assigning them to prepare materials for mailings to families
  4. pairing them with students to read stories together in the book corner
Enter to expand or collapse answer. Answer expanded
Correct Response: D.
Objective 0011: Understand how to establish and sustain effective relationships with families, other professionals, and community agencies and organizations to support children's learning and development.

18. In the second half of the school year, Ms. Chee begins giving her third graders brief homework assignments on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights. Several students have been turning in work that is careless or incomplete or failing to submit their homework entirely. Which of the following would be Ms. Chee's best strategy for addressing this issue?

  1. informing parents/guardians of the homework schedule and asking them to initial their children's completed homework
  2. requiring students to work on any incomplete or missing homework during the following day's recess
  3. keeping track of each student's record of homework submission and raising the topic during regular parent-teacher conferences
  4. giving out stickers or other rewards to students who submit their homework complete and on time
Enter to expand or collapse answer. Answer expanded
Correct Response: A.

MULTIPLE-SUBAREA PASSAGE

Use the information below to answer the two questions that follow.

A teacher observes 21-month-old Keisha as she wraps a doll in a blanket. First, Keisha lays the doll on the carpet and places the blanket over it. She then pulls off the blanket, sets the doll aside, and lays the blanket on the carpet. After spending several minutes spreading out the blanket, she places the doll on it. She repositions the doll repeatedly, smoothing out the blanket each time. Finally, nearly twenty minutes after she began the activity, she pulls the edges of the blanket around the doll and nods in satisfaction.

Objective 0003: Understand processes by which young children learn and identify practices for providing children with positive learning experiences and environments that promote exploration and learning.

19. This episode best illustrates how blocks of time for unstructured play can promote young children's:

  1. exploration of the physical qualities of unfamiliar materials.
  2. willingness to engage in risk-taking behaviors.
  3. resolution of issues in their lives that are causing them distress.
  4. persistence in accomplishing self-selected tasks.
Enter to expand or collapse answer. Answer expanded
Correct Response: D.
Objective 0007: Understand how to use a variety of assessment strategies to gather information about children's development and interests, plan appropriate learning experiences, monitor children's progress, and modify teaching to enhance children's development and learning.

20. Which of the following would likely be the teacher's best response to Keisha's activity?

  1. reflecting on how she might have subtly guided Keisha to achieve her objective more efficiently
  2. planning a series of class activities and discussions related to the concept of wrapping
  3. writing a brief description of the episode as a record of Keisha's behavioral functioning
  4. prompting Keisha to describe the activity to her classmates during the next circle time
Enter to expand or collapse answer. Answer expanded
Correct Response: C.