WGU C909 (Elementary Reading Methods and Interventions)
Study Guide
Introduction: This guide covers the essential components of effective reading
instruction, including foundational skills, comprehension strategies, differentiation, and
assessment. The answers are structured to be clear, concise, and illustrative of the core
concepts you need to know.
Domain 1: Foundations of Literacy and Assessment
1. What are the five essential components of effective reading instruction, as
identified by the National Reading Panel?
ANSWER ✓ Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Fluency, Vocabulary, and Comprehension.
2. What is the primary purpose of a diagnostic reading assessment?
ANSWER ✓ To identify a student's specific strengths and weaknesses in reading to
inform targeted instruction. (e.g., using the DIBELS Deep to pinpoint a deficit in
phoneme segmentation).
3. A student who can read words accurately but struggles to understand the text is
likely having difficulty with which component of reading?
ANSWER ✓ Comprehension.
4. Define "scaffolding" in the context of literacy instruction.
ANSWER ✓ Providing temporary support to help students master a skill they cannot yet
do independently, which is gradually removed as proficiency increases. (e.g., using a
graphic organizer to help a student structure their thoughts before writing a summary).
5. What is the difference between formative and summative assessment?
ANSWER ✓ Formative assessment is used during instruction to monitor progress and
adjust teaching (e.g., an exit ticket). Summative assessment is used after instruction to
evaluate learning at a point in time (e.g., a unit test or state exam).
6. A student who consistently confuses the sounds /b/ and /d/ is demonstrating a
weakness in what?
ANSWER ✓ Phonemic awareness, specifically in sound discrimination.
, 7. What is the purpose of a screener or benchmark assessment?
ANSWER ✓ To quickly identify students who may be at risk for reading difficulties and
require additional support.
8. Describe the Simple View of Reading.
ANSWER ✓ It is a formula: Reading Comprehension = Decoding x Linguistic
Comprehension. It illustrates that both word recognition and language understanding
are necessary for strong reading comprehension.
9. If a student has strong decoding skills but weak linguistic comprehension, what
will their reading comprehension be like?
ANSWER ✓ It will be weak. According to the Simple View of Reading, if one factor is
low, the overall product (comprehension) is compromised.
10. What is the role of background knowledge in reading comprehension?
ANSWER ✓ Background knowledge provides a mental framework that helps students
connect new information from the text to what they already know, dramatically
improving understanding and retention.
Domain 2: Phonological Awareness and Phonics
11. What is phonological awareness?
ANSWER ✓ The broad understanding of the sound structure of language, including
words, syllables, and onset-rimes.
12. What is phonemic awareness?
ANSWER ✓ A subset of phonological awareness; the specific ability to hear, identify,
and manipulate individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken words.
13. Provide an example of a phoneme blending task.
ANSWER ✓ The teacher says the sounds /c/ /a/ /t/, and the student blends them to say
the word "cat."
14. Provide an example of a phoneme segmentation task.
ANSWER ✓ The teacher says the word "ship," and the student segments it into its
individual sounds: /sh/ /i/ /p/.
Study Guide
Introduction: This guide covers the essential components of effective reading
instruction, including foundational skills, comprehension strategies, differentiation, and
assessment. The answers are structured to be clear, concise, and illustrative of the core
concepts you need to know.
Domain 1: Foundations of Literacy and Assessment
1. What are the five essential components of effective reading instruction, as
identified by the National Reading Panel?
ANSWER ✓ Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Fluency, Vocabulary, and Comprehension.
2. What is the primary purpose of a diagnostic reading assessment?
ANSWER ✓ To identify a student's specific strengths and weaknesses in reading to
inform targeted instruction. (e.g., using the DIBELS Deep to pinpoint a deficit in
phoneme segmentation).
3. A student who can read words accurately but struggles to understand the text is
likely having difficulty with which component of reading?
ANSWER ✓ Comprehension.
4. Define "scaffolding" in the context of literacy instruction.
ANSWER ✓ Providing temporary support to help students master a skill they cannot yet
do independently, which is gradually removed as proficiency increases. (e.g., using a
graphic organizer to help a student structure their thoughts before writing a summary).
5. What is the difference between formative and summative assessment?
ANSWER ✓ Formative assessment is used during instruction to monitor progress and
adjust teaching (e.g., an exit ticket). Summative assessment is used after instruction to
evaluate learning at a point in time (e.g., a unit test or state exam).
6. A student who consistently confuses the sounds /b/ and /d/ is demonstrating a
weakness in what?
ANSWER ✓ Phonemic awareness, specifically in sound discrimination.
, 7. What is the purpose of a screener or benchmark assessment?
ANSWER ✓ To quickly identify students who may be at risk for reading difficulties and
require additional support.
8. Describe the Simple View of Reading.
ANSWER ✓ It is a formula: Reading Comprehension = Decoding x Linguistic
Comprehension. It illustrates that both word recognition and language understanding
are necessary for strong reading comprehension.
9. If a student has strong decoding skills but weak linguistic comprehension, what
will their reading comprehension be like?
ANSWER ✓ It will be weak. According to the Simple View of Reading, if one factor is
low, the overall product (comprehension) is compromised.
10. What is the role of background knowledge in reading comprehension?
ANSWER ✓ Background knowledge provides a mental framework that helps students
connect new information from the text to what they already know, dramatically
improving understanding and retention.
Domain 2: Phonological Awareness and Phonics
11. What is phonological awareness?
ANSWER ✓ The broad understanding of the sound structure of language, including
words, syllables, and onset-rimes.
12. What is phonemic awareness?
ANSWER ✓ A subset of phonological awareness; the specific ability to hear, identify,
and manipulate individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken words.
13. Provide an example of a phoneme blending task.
ANSWER ✓ The teacher says the sounds /c/ /a/ /t/, and the student blends them to say
the word "cat."
14. Provide an example of a phoneme segmentation task.
ANSWER ✓ The teacher says the word "ship," and the student segments it into its
individual sounds: /sh/ /i/ /p/.
