Free Praxis Elementary Exam Flashcards

The ability to hear, identify, and manipulate individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken words. A critical pre-reading skill. Activities include blending (/c/-/a/-/t/ = cat), segmenting, and rhyming. Differs from phonics, which involves print.

The relationship between letters and sounds. Systematic phonics instruction teaches letter-sound correspondences in a planned sequence. Approaches include synthetic (blending sounds), analytic (analyzing words), and analogy-based phonics.

The ability to read with accuracy, speed, and expression. Components: automaticity (effortless word recognition), rate (appropriate pace), and prosody (expression, phrasing). Build through repeated reading, modeling, and readers theater.

Active techniques for understanding text: predicting, questioning, visualizing, summarizing, making connections, inferring, and monitoring comprehension. Explicit instruction in strategies improves understanding across content areas.

Building word knowledge through direct instruction and wide reading. Effective strategies: teach word parts (prefixes, roots, suffixes), context clues, multiple exposures, semantic mapping, and word relationships.

Recursive stages of writing: prewriting (brainstorming, organizing), drafting, revising (content and organization), editing (grammar, mechanics), and publishing. Not strictly linear—writers move back and forth between stages.

Assessment framework: Ideas (content, focus), Organization (structure, flow), Voice (author's personality), Word Choice (precise vocabulary), Sentence Fluency (variety, rhythm), and Conventions (grammar, spelling, punctuation).

Three factors determining reading difficulty: quantitative (Lexile, word frequency), qualitative (text structure, purpose, knowledge demands), and reader-task considerations (motivation, purpose). Use for selecting appropriate texts.

The value of a digit based on its position in a number. Each place is 10 times the place to its right. Understanding place value is foundational for multi-digit operations, decimals, and number sense.

Intuitive understanding of numbers, their magnitude, and relationships. Includes mental math, estimation, reasonableness of answers, and flexible thinking about numbers. Develops through exploration and meaningful problems.

Instructional approach moving from hands-on materials (concrete) to pictures/drawings (representational) to symbols/numbers (abstract). Supports conceptual understanding before procedural fluency. Also called concrete-pictorial-abstract.

Polya's four steps: understand the problem, devise a plan, carry out the plan, look back. Strategies include drawing pictures, making tables, working backward, finding patterns, and using simpler numbers.

Fractions represent parts of a whole, parts of a set, or division. Equivalent fractions have the same value. Comparing fractions requires common denominators or benchmarks. Understanding must precede operations.

The ability to think logically about math. Includes inductive reasoning (finding patterns), deductive reasoning (applying rules), and justifying solutions. Students should explain their thinking and critique others' reasoning.

Understanding what can be measured and appropriate units. Key concepts: choosing correct tools/units, precision, conversion between units, and real-world applications. Common systems: customary and metric.

Location (absolute and relative), Place (physical and human characteristics), Human-Environment Interaction, Movement (people, goods, ideas), and Regions (formal, functional, perceptual). Framework for geographic thinking.

Primary sources are firsthand accounts from the time period (diaries, photos, artifacts). Secondary sources interpret or analyze primary sources (textbooks, documentaries). Students should analyze both types critically.

Essential skills: reading legends/keys, understanding scale, using compass rose, interpreting different map types (political, physical, thematic). Students should create and analyze maps for geographic understanding.

Duties and responsibilities of citizens in a democracy. Includes voting, jury duty, obeying laws, paying taxes, and community involvement. Elementary instruction focuses on classroom democracy and community participation.

Basic concepts: wants vs. needs, scarcity (limited resources, unlimited wants), opportunity cost (what you give up), supply and demand, and goods and services. Use real-world examples appropriate for elementary students.

Chronological thinking (sequence, time), historical comprehension (context), analysis (cause-effect, perspectives), research, and decision-making. Help students think like historians rather than memorize facts.

Understanding and respecting different cultures, traditions, and perspectives. Includes studying various cultures, recognizing bias, appreciating contributions of diverse groups, and developing cultural competence.

Systematic approach to inquiry: observe, question, hypothesize, experiment, analyze data, draw conclusions, communicate results. In elementary, emphasize asking questions and designing fair tests rather than rigid steps.

Basic: observing, classifying, measuring, communicating, inferring, predicting. Integrated: identifying variables, formulating hypotheses, designing experiments, interpreting data. Develop through hands-on investigation.

Living things: characteristics of life, cells, classification. Life cycles: stages of growth. Ecosystems: food chains/webs, habitats, adaptations. Heredity: inherited vs. learned traits. Evolution and diversity of life.

Matter: states, properties, changes. Energy: forms, transformations, conservation. Forces and motion: gravity, friction, simple machines. Sound: vibration, pitch, volume. Light: reflection, refraction, absorption.

Earth materials: rocks, minerals, soil. Earth systems: weather, water cycle, climate. Earth processes: erosion, plate tectonics, earthquakes, volcanoes. Space: solar system, moon phases, seasons, day/night.

Establish and enforce safety rules. Proper use of equipment. Eye protection when needed. Handle materials appropriately. Know emergency procedures. Model safe practices. Age-appropriate activities and materials.

Iterative problem-solving: identify problem, research, brainstorm solutions, select best option, build prototype, test and evaluate, redesign. Integrates science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).

Hierarchy of cognitive skills: Remember, Understand, Apply, Analyze, Evaluate, Create (revised version). Use to design questions and activities at various levels. Higher-order thinking requires lower-level foundations.

Clear statements of what students should know or be able to do. Should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). Guide instruction and assessment. Use action verbs aligned to Bloom's Taxonomy.

Tailoring instruction to meet individual needs. Can differentiate content (what), process (how), product (show learning), and environment. Based on readiness, interest, and learning profile. All students access grade-level content.

Connecting learning across subject areas through themes, projects, or concepts. Makes learning meaningful and efficient. Example: studying butterflies integrates science, reading, writing, and art. Requires careful planning.

Temporary support to help students succeed with challenging tasks. Types: modeling, graphic organizers, guided practice, think-alouds, sentence frames. Gradually removed as students gain independence.

Framework for flexible instruction: multiple means of engagement (why of learning), representation (what of learning), and action/expression (how of learning). Proactively plans for diverse learners.

Ongoing assessment during instruction to monitor learning and adjust teaching. Examples: exit tickets, thumbs up/down, questioning, observations, draft work. Low-stakes, provides immediate feedback.

Evaluation at the end of learning to measure achievement. Examples: unit tests, final projects, standardized tests. Higher-stakes, used for grades and accountability. Should align with learning objectives.

Scoring guide describing criteria and levels of performance. Types: holistic (overall score) and analytic (separate scores per criterion). Should be shared with students before the task. Improves consistency and feedback.

Collection of student work over time showing growth and achievement. Can be working (process) or showcase (best work). Student reflection is key component. Demonstrates progress beyond single test scores.

Using assessment data to inform teaching decisions. Includes analyzing patterns, identifying misconceptions, grouping students, and adjusting instruction. Continuous cycle of assess, analyze, plan, teach.

Reliability: consistency of results across time, raters, or items. Validity: assessment measures what it claims to measure. Both essential for quality assessment. High-stakes tests require evidence of both.

Students work together in structured groups toward common goals. Elements: positive interdependence, individual accountability, face-to-face interaction, social skills, group processing. Examples: jigsaw, think-pair-share.

Teacher-led instruction with clear objectives, modeling, guided practice, and independent practice. Effective for teaching skills and procedures. Includes checking for understanding throughout.

Students construct understanding through investigation and questioning. Teacher facilitates rather than lectures. Levels range from structured (teacher provides question and method) to open (student-driven).

Visual tools for organizing information. Types: Venn diagrams (compare), webs (brainstorm), flowcharts (sequence), T-charts (contrast), concept maps (relationships). Support comprehension and writing across subjects.

Small-group reading instruction with texts at students' instructional level. Teacher introduces text, students read independently with support, group discusses and responds. Allows targeted instruction and observation.

Teacher verbalizes thinking while performing a task to model cognitive processes. Makes invisible thinking visible. Used for reading comprehension, problem-solving, and writing. Students then practice the strategy.

Pausing after asking a question before calling on students. Research shows 3-5 seconds improves response quality and participation. Allows processing time for all learners. Also pause after student responses.

Howard Gardner's theory that intelligence includes: linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, musical, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalistic. Implies varied instructional approaches.

Vygotsky's concept: the gap between what learners can do independently and with guidance. Learning occurs best in this zone. Teachers provide scaffolding to help students progress. Too easy or too hard limits learning.