1
NYSTCE CST Multisubject Part 1 (241)|
Questions and Answers Review|
2025/2026
A second-grade teacher notices that one student struggles to sound out unfamiliar words but
reads high-frequency words fluently. What’s the best instructional focus?
Focus on phonics and decoding strategies—he's memorized common words but can’t apply
letter-sound rules to new ones yet.
A student consistently spells “came” as “kam.” What stage of spelling development does this
show?
It's the phonetic stage—they’re spelling based on how the word sounds, but haven’t learned
the conventional spelling patterns yet.
An ELL student can speak and understand English well but struggles with academic vocabulary
in science. What kind of instruction would help most?
Direct vocabulary teaching using visuals and context clues, especially focusing on tier 2 and
3 words.
During guided reading, a teacher asks, “Why do you think the character felt that way?” What
reading skill is being developed?
Making inferences—they’re learning to read between the lines and connect clues to
understand feelings and motives.
, 2
A student skips words and lines when reading aloud. What skill might need support?
Tracking print—they may need help with left-to-right directionality or visual tracking
strategies.
A 3rd grade teacher uses sentence frames like “The main idea is _____ because _____.” What’s
the purpose of this?
Scaffolding writing—it helps students organize their thoughts and write clear explanations.
If a student can decode well but has poor comprehension, what should a teacher focus on?
Teaching strategies like summarizing, predicting, and questioning to build meaning, not just
word reading.
A student reads fluently but can't retell the story in sequence. What would be a good next step?
Practice sequencing skills—maybe with graphic organizers or retelling activities to
strengthen story structure understanding.
What kind of writing task helps students use informational text structures?
Having them write how-to instructions or reports—they’ll use cause/effect,
compare/contrast, etc.
, 3
If a teacher reads a poem aloud and asks students to clap on rhyming words, what skill is being
targeted?
Phonological awareness—they're tuning into the sounds in words, which is key in early
reading.
Why might a teacher use a K-W-L chart before and after a nonfiction text?
To activate prior knowledge (K), set a purpose for reading (W), and reflect on new learning
(L).
A student writes “frend” instead of “friend.” What’s this mistake called?
It’s a phonetic spelling error—they’re using what they hear, not how the word is actually
spelled.
When a teacher has students sort words by prefixes, what concept are they teaching?
Word structure (morphology)—they’re learning how parts like “un-” or “re-” change
meaning.
If a student reads “horse” instead of “house,” what kind of reading error is that?
It’s a visual similarity error—they’re guessing based on similar-looking letters, not reading
carefully.
, 4
What’s the benefit of using decodable texts in early reading?
They give beginners practice using phonics patterns they’ve already learned, boosting
confidence and accuracy.
Why would a teacher give a running record?
To check fluency and accuracy and figure out which reading level or skills a student needs
support with.
A child reads “the dog runned fast.” What does this show about their language development?
They’ve learned the past tense rule but haven’t learned exceptions yet—it’s a sign of
progress, not a problem.
A teacher models using context clues to figure out unknown words. What’s this strategy called?
Think-aloud—it helps students see the thought process behind decoding and comprehension.
If a student can identify the main idea but struggles to give supporting details, what’s the next
instructional focus?
Teaching how to find and explain evidence from the text that backs up the main idea.
A kindergarten teacher sings rhyming songs and plays syllable games. What’s the goal of this?
Building phonemic awareness—kids are learning to hear and play with the sounds in
language.
NYSTCE CST Multisubject Part 1 (241)|
Questions and Answers Review|
2025/2026
A second-grade teacher notices that one student struggles to sound out unfamiliar words but
reads high-frequency words fluently. What’s the best instructional focus?
Focus on phonics and decoding strategies—he's memorized common words but can’t apply
letter-sound rules to new ones yet.
A student consistently spells “came” as “kam.” What stage of spelling development does this
show?
It's the phonetic stage—they’re spelling based on how the word sounds, but haven’t learned
the conventional spelling patterns yet.
An ELL student can speak and understand English well but struggles with academic vocabulary
in science. What kind of instruction would help most?
Direct vocabulary teaching using visuals and context clues, especially focusing on tier 2 and
3 words.
During guided reading, a teacher asks, “Why do you think the character felt that way?” What
reading skill is being developed?
Making inferences—they’re learning to read between the lines and connect clues to
understand feelings and motives.
, 2
A student skips words and lines when reading aloud. What skill might need support?
Tracking print—they may need help with left-to-right directionality or visual tracking
strategies.
A 3rd grade teacher uses sentence frames like “The main idea is _____ because _____.” What’s
the purpose of this?
Scaffolding writing—it helps students organize their thoughts and write clear explanations.
If a student can decode well but has poor comprehension, what should a teacher focus on?
Teaching strategies like summarizing, predicting, and questioning to build meaning, not just
word reading.
A student reads fluently but can't retell the story in sequence. What would be a good next step?
Practice sequencing skills—maybe with graphic organizers or retelling activities to
strengthen story structure understanding.
What kind of writing task helps students use informational text structures?
Having them write how-to instructions or reports—they’ll use cause/effect,
compare/contrast, etc.
, 3
If a teacher reads a poem aloud and asks students to clap on rhyming words, what skill is being
targeted?
Phonological awareness—they're tuning into the sounds in words, which is key in early
reading.
Why might a teacher use a K-W-L chart before and after a nonfiction text?
To activate prior knowledge (K), set a purpose for reading (W), and reflect on new learning
(L).
A student writes “frend” instead of “friend.” What’s this mistake called?
It’s a phonetic spelling error—they’re using what they hear, not how the word is actually
spelled.
When a teacher has students sort words by prefixes, what concept are they teaching?
Word structure (morphology)—they’re learning how parts like “un-” or “re-” change
meaning.
If a student reads “horse” instead of “house,” what kind of reading error is that?
It’s a visual similarity error—they’re guessing based on similar-looking letters, not reading
carefully.
, 4
What’s the benefit of using decodable texts in early reading?
They give beginners practice using phonics patterns they’ve already learned, boosting
confidence and accuracy.
Why would a teacher give a running record?
To check fluency and accuracy and figure out which reading level or skills a student needs
support with.
A child reads “the dog runned fast.” What does this show about their language development?
They’ve learned the past tense rule but haven’t learned exceptions yet—it’s a sign of
progress, not a problem.
A teacher models using context clues to figure out unknown words. What’s this strategy called?
Think-aloud—it helps students see the thought process behind decoding and comprehension.
If a student can identify the main idea but struggles to give supporting details, what’s the next
instructional focus?
Teaching how to find and explain evidence from the text that backs up the main idea.
A kindergarten teacher sings rhyming songs and plays syllable games. What’s the goal of this?
Building phonemic awareness—kids are learning to hear and play with the sounds in
language.
