MTTC Test (Lower Elementary Test-
Graded A
1. A second-grade teacher is planning a unit on structure and properties of matter.
Which of the following statements about scientific phenomena should be used as an
anchoring phenomena for this grade?
A. An ice cube melts in a glass but becomes solid again when the water is frozen.
B. Shadows are much cooler than areas of ground where sunlight strikes.
C. Some things cling to a balloon after it has been rubbed on a cloth.
D. A match changes its appearance after it burns. - ANS-A. CORRECT. The
phenomenon of frozen water melting and re-freezing is a good anchor because it is
observable, accessible across cultures, requires additional instruction, relates to both
structure and properties of matter, and lends itself to investigations, including those
related to temperature and phase changes.
B. Shadows are engaging, observable phenomena; however, they are not examples of
matter and therefore are not a good anchor for this unit.
C. Items clinging to a balloon is an engaging and observable phenomenon; however,
electric charge as a property of matter is beyond the scope of second-grade learning
and therefore not an appropriate anchor.
D. The change in a match after burning is an interesting and observable phenomenon;
however, it would fit best in a unit on physical and chemical changes, rather than in an
introduction to structure and properties of matter, and it would be more appropriate for
older students than for second-grade students.
10. A third-grade teacher plans a lesson on the beliefs and histories of the Anishinaabek
tribes of Michigan. Which of the following activities would best promote students'
understanding of the beliefs and histories of the Anishinaabek tribes of Michigan?
A. investigating the traditional foods common to the Anishinaabek tribes of Michigan
B. listening to audio recordings of oral testimonies of the Anishinaabek tribes of
Michigan
,C. reviewing the accounts of European settlers interacting with the Anishinaabek tribes
of Michigan
D. researching the borrowing of words from the languages of the Anishinaabek tribes of
Michigan into English - ANS-A. While food is part of the Anishinaabek culture, food is
only narrowly related to beliefs and histories.
B. CORRECT. Listening to audio recordings preserves the authenticity of the primary
sources so that they cannot be misinterpreted or mistranslated.
C. The accounts of European settlers would reflect their own perspectives and not
necessarily the beliefs and histories of the Anishinaabek peoples.
D. Researching words that have been borrowed into English could lead to information
regarding the history of the tribes, but not in a targeted way.
11. To introduce the geographic theme of places and regions, a first-grade teacher
leads the class on a tour of the school grounds and its immediate environment. The
students note the following observations.
-school buildings
-playground equipment
-trees and plants
-cars in the parking lot
-road work and construction
-birds and squirrels
Later, the teacher leads the students in dividing the list into two lists. This activity can
best be incorporated into a lesson designed to help students reach which of the
following understandings?
A. A place can be described by either its absolute location or its relative location.
B. A place includes both physical characteristics and human characteristics.
C. The local community near the school differs from other communities.
D. The local community near the school is one part of a larger region. - ANS-A. The
students are observing objects that can be used to describe relative locations, but that
is not the focus of the exercise.
B. CORRECT. The students are observing their environment to list objects that are both
natural and made by people.
C. The students are discussing what they see in their school community, but no other
community is mentioned.
,D. While this is a true statement, none of the information gathered by the students
would support that finding.
12. A third-grade teacher plans a lesson on the three branches of government that will
be based on student-centered activities involving classroom rules. The teacher will
divide the class into three groups. The first group will be responsible for writing new
rules for the class, the second group for determining how these rules will be upheld and
enforced, and the third group for determining if the new rules violate or contradict any of
the rules and norms previously established in the classroom. Which of the following
topics in civics would be most effectively demonstrated in this activity?
A. popular sovereignty
B. checks and balances
C. consent of the governed
D. equal protection under the law - ANS-A. Popular sovereignty is the principle that the
authority of a government is derived from the rights of the people, which is not what is
being modeled in this lesson.
B. CORRECT. The system of checks and balances was created so that each branch of
the government (e.g., the executive branch, judicial branch, and legislative branch) is
empowered to prevent overreach by other branches.
C. Consent of the governed is the theory that the citizens of a country give their
permission for the government to operate, and permission is not discussed in this
scenario.
D. Equal protection under the law is a principle that means a law must treat every
person the same as it would treat others in similar circumstances, which is not an issue
in this lesson.
13. The teachers of an urban prekindergarten class plan a student field trip to a farm to
learn about the roles of farms and farmers in providing food for the community, the tools
and resources they use, and the goods and services they provide. Before the field trip,
the teachers could best use which of the following strategies to activate the children's
prior knowledge?
A. having children vote on the most interesting farm activities and farm animals and
graphing the results as a class
B. asking children about what they know and want to know about farms and creating
illustrations of the responses on a poster
, C. creating a Venn diagram with the children in which they record the similarities and
differences between different types of familiar foods
D. walking with children around the school grounds to observe animals and machinery
to form a comparison with what they will see at the farm - ANS-A. Voting and graphing
the results would be a good math activity to do after the field trip, but it would not be an
appropriate way to activate the children's prior knowledge.
B. CORRECT. Having a discussion and using visual models will help the children
recognize and identify what they already know about farms and farmers.
C. A Venn diagram will focus the children's attention on the types of food, not the roles
of the farms and farmers in providing food for the community.
D. This activity could scaffold animals and machinery for the children, but it will not help
them think about what they already know about farms.
2. A kindergarten science classroom investigates changing the speed and direction of
an object with a push or a pull. Which of the following activities most appropriately
supports the students in analyzing and interpreting data?
A. comparing different observations of what occurred
B. distinguishing between opinions and evidence in an argument
C. describing how specific images support a scientific explanation
D. making valid claims to determine an optimal design solution to a problem - ANS-A.
CORRECT. This investigation offers students the opportunity to observe how the speed
and/or direction of an object changes with a push or a pull (e.g., pushing or pulling a toy
car with various amounts of force). The descriptions of what they observed and the
comparisons of different outcomes provide data that can be used for interpretation and
analysis with the help of the teacher.
B. The concept of change due to force is the focus of the lesson and, while opinions and
evidence will be discussed, distinguishing them isn't the result of analyzing the data. In
this scenario, students are more engaged in the practice of argument.
C. Students are working with objects in this lesson, not viewing images, and they are
working toward the practice of developing an explanation.
D. Students are investigating how speed and direction can change, but not in reference
to a specific goal, such as designing an optimal solution. This scenario is more about
the practices of engaging in argument and designing solutions than in analyzing and
interpreting data.
Graded A
1. A second-grade teacher is planning a unit on structure and properties of matter.
Which of the following statements about scientific phenomena should be used as an
anchoring phenomena for this grade?
A. An ice cube melts in a glass but becomes solid again when the water is frozen.
B. Shadows are much cooler than areas of ground where sunlight strikes.
C. Some things cling to a balloon after it has been rubbed on a cloth.
D. A match changes its appearance after it burns. - ANS-A. CORRECT. The
phenomenon of frozen water melting and re-freezing is a good anchor because it is
observable, accessible across cultures, requires additional instruction, relates to both
structure and properties of matter, and lends itself to investigations, including those
related to temperature and phase changes.
B. Shadows are engaging, observable phenomena; however, they are not examples of
matter and therefore are not a good anchor for this unit.
C. Items clinging to a balloon is an engaging and observable phenomenon; however,
electric charge as a property of matter is beyond the scope of second-grade learning
and therefore not an appropriate anchor.
D. The change in a match after burning is an interesting and observable phenomenon;
however, it would fit best in a unit on physical and chemical changes, rather than in an
introduction to structure and properties of matter, and it would be more appropriate for
older students than for second-grade students.
10. A third-grade teacher plans a lesson on the beliefs and histories of the Anishinaabek
tribes of Michigan. Which of the following activities would best promote students'
understanding of the beliefs and histories of the Anishinaabek tribes of Michigan?
A. investigating the traditional foods common to the Anishinaabek tribes of Michigan
B. listening to audio recordings of oral testimonies of the Anishinaabek tribes of
Michigan
,C. reviewing the accounts of European settlers interacting with the Anishinaabek tribes
of Michigan
D. researching the borrowing of words from the languages of the Anishinaabek tribes of
Michigan into English - ANS-A. While food is part of the Anishinaabek culture, food is
only narrowly related to beliefs and histories.
B. CORRECT. Listening to audio recordings preserves the authenticity of the primary
sources so that they cannot be misinterpreted or mistranslated.
C. The accounts of European settlers would reflect their own perspectives and not
necessarily the beliefs and histories of the Anishinaabek peoples.
D. Researching words that have been borrowed into English could lead to information
regarding the history of the tribes, but not in a targeted way.
11. To introduce the geographic theme of places and regions, a first-grade teacher
leads the class on a tour of the school grounds and its immediate environment. The
students note the following observations.
-school buildings
-playground equipment
-trees and plants
-cars in the parking lot
-road work and construction
-birds and squirrels
Later, the teacher leads the students in dividing the list into two lists. This activity can
best be incorporated into a lesson designed to help students reach which of the
following understandings?
A. A place can be described by either its absolute location or its relative location.
B. A place includes both physical characteristics and human characteristics.
C. The local community near the school differs from other communities.
D. The local community near the school is one part of a larger region. - ANS-A. The
students are observing objects that can be used to describe relative locations, but that
is not the focus of the exercise.
B. CORRECT. The students are observing their environment to list objects that are both
natural and made by people.
C. The students are discussing what they see in their school community, but no other
community is mentioned.
,D. While this is a true statement, none of the information gathered by the students
would support that finding.
12. A third-grade teacher plans a lesson on the three branches of government that will
be based on student-centered activities involving classroom rules. The teacher will
divide the class into three groups. The first group will be responsible for writing new
rules for the class, the second group for determining how these rules will be upheld and
enforced, and the third group for determining if the new rules violate or contradict any of
the rules and norms previously established in the classroom. Which of the following
topics in civics would be most effectively demonstrated in this activity?
A. popular sovereignty
B. checks and balances
C. consent of the governed
D. equal protection under the law - ANS-A. Popular sovereignty is the principle that the
authority of a government is derived from the rights of the people, which is not what is
being modeled in this lesson.
B. CORRECT. The system of checks and balances was created so that each branch of
the government (e.g., the executive branch, judicial branch, and legislative branch) is
empowered to prevent overreach by other branches.
C. Consent of the governed is the theory that the citizens of a country give their
permission for the government to operate, and permission is not discussed in this
scenario.
D. Equal protection under the law is a principle that means a law must treat every
person the same as it would treat others in similar circumstances, which is not an issue
in this lesson.
13. The teachers of an urban prekindergarten class plan a student field trip to a farm to
learn about the roles of farms and farmers in providing food for the community, the tools
and resources they use, and the goods and services they provide. Before the field trip,
the teachers could best use which of the following strategies to activate the children's
prior knowledge?
A. having children vote on the most interesting farm activities and farm animals and
graphing the results as a class
B. asking children about what they know and want to know about farms and creating
illustrations of the responses on a poster
, C. creating a Venn diagram with the children in which they record the similarities and
differences between different types of familiar foods
D. walking with children around the school grounds to observe animals and machinery
to form a comparison with what they will see at the farm - ANS-A. Voting and graphing
the results would be a good math activity to do after the field trip, but it would not be an
appropriate way to activate the children's prior knowledge.
B. CORRECT. Having a discussion and using visual models will help the children
recognize and identify what they already know about farms and farmers.
C. A Venn diagram will focus the children's attention on the types of food, not the roles
of the farms and farmers in providing food for the community.
D. This activity could scaffold animals and machinery for the children, but it will not help
them think about what they already know about farms.
2. A kindergarten science classroom investigates changing the speed and direction of
an object with a push or a pull. Which of the following activities most appropriately
supports the students in analyzing and interpreting data?
A. comparing different observations of what occurred
B. distinguishing between opinions and evidence in an argument
C. describing how specific images support a scientific explanation
D. making valid claims to determine an optimal design solution to a problem - ANS-A.
CORRECT. This investigation offers students the opportunity to observe how the speed
and/or direction of an object changes with a push or a pull (e.g., pushing or pulling a toy
car with various amounts of force). The descriptions of what they observed and the
comparisons of different outcomes provide data that can be used for interpretation and
analysis with the help of the teacher.
B. The concept of change due to force is the focus of the lesson and, while opinions and
evidence will be discussed, distinguishing them isn't the result of analyzing the data. In
this scenario, students are more engaged in the practice of argument.
C. Students are working with objects in this lesson, not viewing images, and they are
working toward the practice of developing an explanation.
D. Students are investigating how speed and direction can change, but not in reference
to a specific goal, such as designing an optimal solution. This scenario is more about
the practices of engaging in argument and designing solutions than in analyzing and
interpreting data.
