Answers to English as a Second Language (ESL)/Generalist EC-6 Sample Questions
Answer 1: c
The combined use of syntax, phonetics, and an expansive vocabulary characterize human language acquisition. There are some language theorists who argue that language acquisition is innate in humans, while others theorize that behavioral conditioning has a lot to do with the way children acquire language. It is likely that many theories apply, but syntax, the manipulation and variable placement of words to indicate meaning, is a strictly human characteristic. Dogs can acquire vocabulary sometimes estimated to be up to 50 words and parrots can accurately copy human speech, but syntax, the placement and use of words to connote different meanings, is the missing ingredient. With regard to body language, it is plausible that dogs recognize body language more readily than humans, but that is likely because humans have less need of reading signals and body language because they have language skills.
Answer 2: c
The object is to pick out the fallacy. It was believed for a long time that simultaneous exposure to two languages was confusing to young children and posed an obstacle to learning. This view was later discredited by research showing that simultaneous language learning provides additional benefits in the area of cognitive development and concept formation. However, research also indicates that dual language learners do better in a bilingual classroom environment than in one where only English is used. It is true, also, that children learn languages more easily than mature adults who are more accustomed to and inflexible in their language habits.
Answer 3: c
Children of all cultures respond affirmatively to pictures, so tools like word-associated pictorial flash cards or computer software designed to do the same thing are important ESL learning tools. Rote memorization can discourage an ESL student's natural desire to learn the new language. Developing dual language word lists is a typical tool of bilingual classrooms, but ESL classes are taught in English. However, ESL teachers must always be aware of cultural habits, customs, preferences, and language patterns of the first language learned as this knowledge takes advantages of the diverse strengths of different cultures.
Answer 4: a
One of the challenges posed for ESL teachers is teaching across a variety of subjects—Math, Science, Social Studies, Arts and Physical Education. The prudent ESL teacher makes use of a broad variety of graphic organizers. Both a Venn diagram and a network tree may be suitable to some classrooms, but it's important for an ESL teacher to be acquainted with a variety of formats so that content area lessons may be customized to fit the class and the occasion. The chief advantage of graphic organizers is that they compile information within the subject area in a way that shows the relationships among different concepts. A T-Chart may be used to have students make graphic lists of the various types of insects, birds, animals, etc. A story map may help ESL students in reading.
Answer 5: b
Story action maps, story stars, and storyboards are some of the simplest graphic organizers and are suitable for ESL students at the elementary level. Each of these options lends itself to grouping concepts with which the student may be already familiar, albeit in the first language learned. It is important for ESL students to transfer prior learned skills into English and graphic organizers to make it possible to establish natural groupings and relationships. Some graphic organizers, such as the compare-and-contrast organizer, may be too difficult for elementary students in the early grades. Instead simple graphic organizers can provide a way for ESL students to make the necessary links between learned content in their native language and the concepts of plot action, character, crisis points, and other elements.
Answer 6: d
A double grading stratagem for ESL essays and compositions is just one of the many ways in which the ESL teacher may assess student learning. The point is not to accommodate ESL students, but rather to recognize that ESL students need to be evaluated with regard to language capabilities in different areas. Content areas may be graded differently than grammar and syntax, for example. The ESL teacher should correlate activities with mainstream teachers but, because the ESL focus is on language acquisition, assessment is augmented by easier and shorter content materials. Easier and shorter assessments encourage rather than frustrate language acquisition.
Answer 7: a
It is very common for students encountering new languages to lapse into a "silent period." The phenomenon occurs throughout the newcomer English language learner population and the duration of time for such a period can be lengthy. The silent period may last as long as one year, but the teacher should consider other possibilities, too. Answer option "d" reflects the right idea but arrives at the wrong conclusion. A low affective filter aids language acquisition, but a high "affective filter" is an obstacle. The term "affective filter" refers to the anxiety produced by the new language learning challenge and the shock of exposure to the new culture. The teacher should not add to the student's anxiety by forcing communication, because the situation often corrects itself as the student becomes more comfortable.
Answer 8: c
For ESL teachers teaching English and mathematics to a class, the language standards should be simplified but the math standards should be the same as those required of other students in the state of Texas. The way to do this is by minimizing the impact of language differences and through team teaching. Through the collaborative efforts of team teaching strategies, the non-ESL teachers can reinforce the foundational building blocks provided by the ESL teacher. Except for purposes of example where simplified math concepts may be used to create a comfortable classroom environment, mathematics teaching should equip students to succeed in the adopted culture. Moreover, many ELLs may have received and succeeded at high academic performance levels at school in their native country.
Answer 9: b
It's acceptable for teachers to use slang phrases or colloquialisms in the classroom so long as they are identified as such. This helps the ELL adapt to the new culture where colloquial or slang phrases are commonly used. Reading aloud to ELLs is a way of providing a comfortable exposure to new words and concepts for ELL students so it is not likely than such language simplification would meet with hostility. The ESL teacher should also be well-versed in the gestural language of other cultures, because many locally accepted gestures may be considered rude or insulting by newcomers. It might be a good idea to discuss the meaning of gestures in different cultures to avoid this potential problem. For instance, making a "V" gesture with two fingers and the palm turned inward is an insult in some cultures.
Answer 10: b
Repetition of language structure reinforces language learning, but the teacher was more likely trying to demonstrate that English places the adjective before the noun, whereas Spanish places the adjective after the noun. For instance, the Spanish phrase "agua caliente" translates to "hot water" in English, but literally reads "water hot." Having students compose simple phrases with the adjective before the object being described would help to create the desirable new language pattern—the black car, the blonde-haired woman, and the dark sky, for example.