ILTS 305 ELEMENTARY EDUCATION STUDY GUIDE
2026 – COMPLETE CONTENT REVIEW &
PREPARATION RESOURCE
I. Language and Literacy (35 Questions)
1. A first-grade teacher writes the word "cat" on the board and asks students to say the
individual sounds they hear. This activity is primarily assessing:
A. Phonemic awareness
B. Phonics
C. Vocabulary
D. Fluency
Answer: A. Phonemic awareness
2. Which of the following student behaviors is the best early indicator of phonological
awareness?
A. Knowing all the letters of the alphabet
B. Being able to clap the syllables in a word
C. Reading high-frequency sight words
D. Writing a complete sentence
Answer: B. Being able to clap the syllables in a word
3. A student who consistently writes "hr" for "her," "bot" for "boat," and "lik" for "like" is
demonstrating a need for instruction in:
A. Consonant blends
B. Vowel digraphs and silent-e patterns
C. Initial consonant sounds
D. Sentence structure
Answer: B. Vowel digraphs and silent-e patterns
4. During a reading conference, a teacher notes that a student can decode words accurately
but reads very slowly and with little expression. To best support this student, the teacher
should focus on developing:
A. Phonics skills
B. Reading fluency
C. Phonemic awareness
D. Background knowledge
Answer: B. Reading fluency
,5. The term "morphology" refers to the study of:
A. The sounds of a language.
B. The structure of words, including roots and affixes.
C. The social uses of language.
D. The rules for forming grammatical sentences.
Answer: B. The structure of words, including roots and affixes.
6. A fourth-grade teacher wants to help students understand the meaning of the word
"unbearable." The most effective strategy is to:
A. Have students look up the definition in a dictionary.
B. Analyze the word parts: prefix *un-* (not), root bear (endure), suffix -able (able to).
C. Use the word in a teacher-created sentence.
D. Have students draw a picture of something that is unbearable.
Answer: B. Analyze the word parts...
7. A student reads the sentence, "The dog barked at the mailman," but says "banked" instead
of "barked." The teacher prompts the student to look at the word again and think about what
would make sense. This cueing system is:
A. Syntactic
B. Semantic
C. Graphophonic
D. Pragmatic
Answer: B. Semantic
8. The primary goal of a "writers' workshop" model is to:
A. Ensure all students master grammatical rules.
B. Produce a perfectly polished final draft for every writing piece.
C. Engage students in the recursive processes of writing, including drafting, revising, and editing.
D. Focus exclusively on creative writing.
Answer: C. Engage students in the recursive processes of writing...
9. Which instructional strategy is most effective for teaching the difference between fact and
opinion?
A. Giving students a worksheet to complete independently.
B. Explicitly defining the terms and using think-alouds to analyze examples from a persuasive
text.
C. Having students memorize definitions.
D. Asking students to write a fictional story.
Answer: B. Explicitly defining the terms and using think-alouds...
,10. A teacher uses a K-W-L chart (What I Know, What I Want to Know, What I Learned) before
and after a unit on weather. This strategy primarily supports comprehension by:
A. Building and activating background knowledge.
B. Teaching decoding skills.
C. Improving reading rate.
D. Assessing spelling proficiency.
Answer: A. Building and activating background knowledge.
II. Mathematics (35 Questions)
11. A student is solving 48 + 25 by breaking it into (40 + 20) + (8 + 5). The student is using
which strategy?
A. The standard algorithm
B. Compensation
C. Regrouping
D. Decomposing by place value
Answer: D. Decomposing by place value
12. Which model is most effective for introducing the concept of fractions?
A. A number line
B. An area model (e.g., a partitioned circle or rectangle)
C. A set model (e.g., a group of objects where some are a different color)
D. All of the above are equally effective for an initial introduction.
Answer: B. An area model (e.g., a partitioned circle or rectangle)
13. A third-grade class is learning about multiplication. The teacher uses arrays (rows and
columns) to represent problems like 4 x 5. The main benefit of using arrays is that they help
students:
A. Memorize facts more quickly.
B. See multiplication as repeated addition and understand the commutative property.
C. Learn the standard algorithm for long multiplication.
D. Prepare for algebraic equations.
Answer: B. See multiplication as repeated addition and understand the commutative
property.
14. Which of the following word problems requires multiplicative reasoning rather than
additive reasoning to solve?
A. Jane has 15 stickers. She gives 7 to her friend. How many does she have left?
B. There are 4 boxes. Each box has 6 crayons. How many crayons are there in all?
C. Sam ran 3 miles on Monday and 5 miles on Tuesday. How many miles did he run altogether?
, D. A rope is 12 feet long. A 5-foot piece is cut off. How long is the remaining rope?
Answer: B. There are 4 boxes. Each box has 6 crayons...
15. A student incorrectly answers ¼ + ½ = 2/6. The error most likely stems from a
misunderstanding of:
A. The meaning of the numerator.
B. The meaning of the denominator.
C. The need for a common denominator when adding.
D. How to simplify fractions.
Answer: C. The need for a common denominator when adding.
16. The mathematical practice standard "Look for and make use of structure" involves
students:
A. Persevering in solving difficult problems.
B. Seeing complicated things as single objects or as being composed of several objects.
C. Checking their answers using a different method.
D. Using appropriate tools strategically.
Answer: B. Seeing complicated things as single objects or as being composed of several
objects.
17. Which geometric concept is best introduced by having students identify and sort everyday
objects like boxes, cans, and balls?
A. Symmetry
B. Two-dimensional shapes
C. Three-dimensional solids
D. Angles
Answer: C. Three-dimensional solids
18. A teacher asks students to measure the length of their desk using paper clips and then
using pencils. The primary learning goal of this activity is to understand:
A. Standard units of measurement.
B. The importance of using a ruler.
C. The concept of a unit and why consistent units are needed.
D. How to compare two objects.
Answer: C. The concept of a unit and why consistent units are needed.
19. The data shown in a bar graph is best suited for:
A. Showing change over time.
B. Comparing quantities across different categories.
C. Showing parts of a whole.
2026 – COMPLETE CONTENT REVIEW &
PREPARATION RESOURCE
I. Language and Literacy (35 Questions)
1. A first-grade teacher writes the word "cat" on the board and asks students to say the
individual sounds they hear. This activity is primarily assessing:
A. Phonemic awareness
B. Phonics
C. Vocabulary
D. Fluency
Answer: A. Phonemic awareness
2. Which of the following student behaviors is the best early indicator of phonological
awareness?
A. Knowing all the letters of the alphabet
B. Being able to clap the syllables in a word
C. Reading high-frequency sight words
D. Writing a complete sentence
Answer: B. Being able to clap the syllables in a word
3. A student who consistently writes "hr" for "her," "bot" for "boat," and "lik" for "like" is
demonstrating a need for instruction in:
A. Consonant blends
B. Vowel digraphs and silent-e patterns
C. Initial consonant sounds
D. Sentence structure
Answer: B. Vowel digraphs and silent-e patterns
4. During a reading conference, a teacher notes that a student can decode words accurately
but reads very slowly and with little expression. To best support this student, the teacher
should focus on developing:
A. Phonics skills
B. Reading fluency
C. Phonemic awareness
D. Background knowledge
Answer: B. Reading fluency
,5. The term "morphology" refers to the study of:
A. The sounds of a language.
B. The structure of words, including roots and affixes.
C. The social uses of language.
D. The rules for forming grammatical sentences.
Answer: B. The structure of words, including roots and affixes.
6. A fourth-grade teacher wants to help students understand the meaning of the word
"unbearable." The most effective strategy is to:
A. Have students look up the definition in a dictionary.
B. Analyze the word parts: prefix *un-* (not), root bear (endure), suffix -able (able to).
C. Use the word in a teacher-created sentence.
D. Have students draw a picture of something that is unbearable.
Answer: B. Analyze the word parts...
7. A student reads the sentence, "The dog barked at the mailman," but says "banked" instead
of "barked." The teacher prompts the student to look at the word again and think about what
would make sense. This cueing system is:
A. Syntactic
B. Semantic
C. Graphophonic
D. Pragmatic
Answer: B. Semantic
8. The primary goal of a "writers' workshop" model is to:
A. Ensure all students master grammatical rules.
B. Produce a perfectly polished final draft for every writing piece.
C. Engage students in the recursive processes of writing, including drafting, revising, and editing.
D. Focus exclusively on creative writing.
Answer: C. Engage students in the recursive processes of writing...
9. Which instructional strategy is most effective for teaching the difference between fact and
opinion?
A. Giving students a worksheet to complete independently.
B. Explicitly defining the terms and using think-alouds to analyze examples from a persuasive
text.
C. Having students memorize definitions.
D. Asking students to write a fictional story.
Answer: B. Explicitly defining the terms and using think-alouds...
,10. A teacher uses a K-W-L chart (What I Know, What I Want to Know, What I Learned) before
and after a unit on weather. This strategy primarily supports comprehension by:
A. Building and activating background knowledge.
B. Teaching decoding skills.
C. Improving reading rate.
D. Assessing spelling proficiency.
Answer: A. Building and activating background knowledge.
II. Mathematics (35 Questions)
11. A student is solving 48 + 25 by breaking it into (40 + 20) + (8 + 5). The student is using
which strategy?
A. The standard algorithm
B. Compensation
C. Regrouping
D. Decomposing by place value
Answer: D. Decomposing by place value
12. Which model is most effective for introducing the concept of fractions?
A. A number line
B. An area model (e.g., a partitioned circle or rectangle)
C. A set model (e.g., a group of objects where some are a different color)
D. All of the above are equally effective for an initial introduction.
Answer: B. An area model (e.g., a partitioned circle or rectangle)
13. A third-grade class is learning about multiplication. The teacher uses arrays (rows and
columns) to represent problems like 4 x 5. The main benefit of using arrays is that they help
students:
A. Memorize facts more quickly.
B. See multiplication as repeated addition and understand the commutative property.
C. Learn the standard algorithm for long multiplication.
D. Prepare for algebraic equations.
Answer: B. See multiplication as repeated addition and understand the commutative
property.
14. Which of the following word problems requires multiplicative reasoning rather than
additive reasoning to solve?
A. Jane has 15 stickers. She gives 7 to her friend. How many does she have left?
B. There are 4 boxes. Each box has 6 crayons. How many crayons are there in all?
C. Sam ran 3 miles on Monday and 5 miles on Tuesday. How many miles did he run altogether?
, D. A rope is 12 feet long. A 5-foot piece is cut off. How long is the remaining rope?
Answer: B. There are 4 boxes. Each box has 6 crayons...
15. A student incorrectly answers ¼ + ½ = 2/6. The error most likely stems from a
misunderstanding of:
A. The meaning of the numerator.
B. The meaning of the denominator.
C. The need for a common denominator when adding.
D. How to simplify fractions.
Answer: C. The need for a common denominator when adding.
16. The mathematical practice standard "Look for and make use of structure" involves
students:
A. Persevering in solving difficult problems.
B. Seeing complicated things as single objects or as being composed of several objects.
C. Checking their answers using a different method.
D. Using appropriate tools strategically.
Answer: B. Seeing complicated things as single objects or as being composed of several
objects.
17. Which geometric concept is best introduced by having students identify and sort everyday
objects like boxes, cans, and balls?
A. Symmetry
B. Two-dimensional shapes
C. Three-dimensional solids
D. Angles
Answer: C. Three-dimensional solids
18. A teacher asks students to measure the length of their desk using paper clips and then
using pencils. The primary learning goal of this activity is to understand:
A. Standard units of measurement.
B. The importance of using a ruler.
C. The concept of a unit and why consistent units are needed.
D. How to compare two objects.
Answer: C. The concept of a unit and why consistent units are needed.
19. The data shown in a bar graph is best suited for:
A. Showing change over time.
B. Comparing quantities across different categories.
C. Showing parts of a whole.
