PPR Prep

6.On the first day of class, a high-school teacher begins the class by asking students to do this activity:

Pull your chairs together into groups of four. Take 5 minutes to introduce each other by completing this sentence: "Hi, my name is ___; five years from now, I would like to be _____." Be ready to introduce one of your group members to the whole class.

This activity primarily addresses which of the following instructional goals?

• It demonstrates that the teacher values oral language in this class

• It begins to create a nurturing, inclusive classroom community

• It focuses students' attention on career choices

• It introduces the students to a collaborative class environment

A grade 4 teacher has several beginning level ELL students in his science class. The students rarely speak in class, one communicates using monosyllables in English and by pointing, and another speaks only in Spanish. Which of the following instructional adaptations would best promote the students' proficiency in English?

• Giving the ELL students flashcards of high-frequency English words and content-area vocabulary

• Having the ELL students practice letter/ sound associations for the English alphabet

• Doing teacher read-alouds of books on concepts the class is covering and integrating oral language activities that invite the ELL students to participate in class discussions

• Having the ELL students write words lists of science vocabulary words and matching them to illustrations of the concept

Which of the following scenarios correctly describes a teacher's responsibility in integrating a special education student into a mainstream classroom?

• The teacher meets with ARD committee to specify assistance and resources needed to meet the student's educational

• The teacher is responsible for meeting the instructional requirements specified in the student's IEP

• The teacher is responsible for initially assessing the student's content-area abilities and implementing developmentally appropriate instruction

• The teacher is expected to make minimal adjustments to content-area instruction but is required to offer differentiated instruction for the special education student

A high-school biology teacher assigns a collaborative research project; students will be working in groups of five to integrate their research into a poster presentation. Which of the following teaching strategies would most effectively promote active, productive engagement by all members of each group?

• The teacher suggests that each group member complete the research project independently and then the group comes together to pool the information into the group project

• The teacher shows students scenes from several movies showing characters collaborating to solve a problem. The teacher leads a discussion in which students identify key behaviors needed for effective collaborative work.

• The teacher breaks up the assignment into major tasks and has each group assign a member to be responsible for each major task.

• The teacher breaks up the assignment into sequenced steps and clearly explains individual and group expectations for effective completion of each step.

Which of the following scenarios best represents an individual teacher's responsibilities in adhering to procedures for administering state-mandated exams?

• The teacher needs to follow all rules and regulations prior to the exam date, such as administering benchmarks, going over practice materials, and preparing the classroom area as designated by state and district policies

• Because TEKS are reflected in the readiness standards, the teacher should proceed with the scheduled curriculum and lesson plans

• The teacher should conduct Internet searches for materials relevant to Common Core State Standards and integrate these materials into exam preparation

• The teacher should make sure students understand that their grades will be impacted by their performances on the state-mandated exam

In Texas, students are designated Limited English Proficient (English Language Learner) if

• on the basis of an English language arts teacher’s recommendation, the student is believed to be unable to understand English sufficiently to succeed academically.

• parents request in writing that the child be placed in a bilingual education program.

• the mandatory home language survey shows that a language other than English is spoken at home and state-approved tests show that the student’s current level of English proficiency does not support academic success.

• the student’s teachers meet to discuss the student’s proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, writing, and general academic readiness and they determine that the child will benefit from a special language program.

In working with mainstreamed ELL students, which of the following strategies would enable a grade 3 teacher to adapt lessons to promote higher levels of English proficiency as described by ELPS?

• The teacher schedules a meeting with an ESL teacher to ask for handouts and worksheets in basic areas of grammar

• The teacher uses formal and informal assessments to determine ELL students’ competency based on their performance and to adjust instruction to meet students’ instructional needs

• The teacher schedules a parent-teacher conference to give parents guidelines for integrating English into the home environment

• The teacher asks the ELL students to stay in during lunch and recess for tutoring and for correcting problems in homework and class assignments

A grade 9 teacher whose ELL students are not meeting satisfactory standards on the campus benchmarks is concerned that these low achievement levels will have a negative impact on the students’ persistence in developing higher levels of English proficiency. The teacher’s concern demonstrates awareness of

• the connection between the belief that success is possible and the motivation to learn.

• the difficulty of promoting English proficiency in students who lack basic language abilities.

• the lack of correlation between ELPS and day-to-day classroom activities.

• the reality that ELLs need long-term bilingual education in order to sustain academic progress.

A grade 6 teacher is planning a unit on water and related concepts of conservation, ecology, and human needs. The teacher wants to stimulate reflection, critical thinking, and inquiry among the students. Which of the following initial learning activities would most effectively engage students in the instructional goals?

• The teacher shows students the famous scene in the film adaptation of Helen Keller’s life where the young Helen realizes that words are signifiers as she feels water running over her hands

• The teacher asks students to brainstorm about the importance of water in their lives

• The teacher has students work in groups to create a diary of water-related events that impact them in a single day and rate each event as (1) essential, (2) important, or (3) unnecessary

• The teacher has students do Internet research on drought-stricken areas in the United States

A teacher creates a World Holidays and Celebrations Calendar in her grade 3 class. Each month, she picks one holiday, and the children prepare decorations, learn songs, read stories, and learn the history of the cultural or national significance of the holiday. This activity primarily addresses which of the following instructional goals?

• To promote students’ appreciation of cultural and national diversity

• To address community-based efforts to make the curriculum more culturally diverse

• To provide content-area instruction in a variety of delivery methods

• To help students connect school discussions of culture to their own families’ experiences