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ILTS Literacy Content Exam Practice 2025 –
Comprehensive Study Guide with Practice
Questions, Test Strategies, and Answer
Explanations for Illinois Licensure
Question 1: Which of the following actions by an elementary teacher best demonstrates an awareness of the interconnection among literacy skills across the curriculum? a. Giving students time for rereading their content-area textbooks and discussing the material with their classmates b. Setting aside a weekly time slot for students to visit the school library and check out content-area texts the teacher has put on hold for them c. Providing students with opportunities to read and write about fiction and nonfiction texts related to concepts they are studying in content-area lessons d. Obtaining multiple copies of each content-related classroom library book so that more students have access to grade-level informational texts - - correct ans- - d. Obtaining multiple copies of each content-related classroom library book so that more students have access to grade-level informational texts Rationale:
- a. Giving students time for rereading their content-area textbooks and discussing the material with their classmates: This promotes comprehension and oral language skills related to content, but doesn't explicitly integrate reading and writing skills across the curriculum.
- b. Setting aside a weekly time slot for students to visit the school library and check out content-area texts the teacher has put on hold for them: This encourages content-area reading, but doesn't necessarily connect reading and writing skills or demonstrate a broad awareness of literacy across all subjects.
- c. Providing students with opportunities to read and write about fiction and nonfiction texts related to concepts they are studying in content-area lessons: This action directly integrates reading and writing skills with content-area learning, fostering deeper understanding and demonstrating an awareness of the interconnectedness of literacy skills across the curriculum. Students are using literacy skills to explore and process content knowledge.
- d. Obtaining multiple copies of each content-related classroom library book so that more students have access to grade-level informational texts: While increasing access to informational texts supports reading comprehension in content areas, it doesn't inherently demonstrate a focus on the interconnection among various literacy skills (reading, writing, speaking, listening) across the curriculum. Correct Answer: C Question 2: An entering-level ELL has acquired grade-level literacy skills in the home language. Which of the following features of the home language would be most likely to support the transfer of basic literacy skills from the student's home language to English? a. The home language's writing system is alphabetic as is English b. The vocabulary of the home language shares some cognates with English c. The home language includes several phonemes found in English d. The syntax of the home language is similar to that of English - - correct ans- - a. The home language's writing system is alphabetic as is English Rationale:
- a. The home language's writing system is alphabetic as is English: When both languages use an alphabetic system, the student can transfer their understanding of the relationship between letters and sounds, even if the specific letter-sound correspondences differ. This foundational understanding of how written language represents spoken language is a significant support.
- b. The vocabulary of the home language shares some cognates with English: Cognates (words with shared origins and similar meanings and spellings) can aid vocabulary acquisition, but the fundamental process of decoding and encoding written language relies on understanding the writing system.
- c. The home language includes several phonemes found in English: Shared phonemes (speech sounds) can help with pronunciation, but the way these sounds are represented in writing (grapheme-phoneme correspondence) is determined by the writing system.
- d. The syntax of the home language is similar to that of English: Similar sentence structures can aid comprehension and production of language, but the initial transfer of literacy skills is more directly related to the mechanics of reading and writing, which are heavily influenced by the writing system. Correct Answer: A
able to screen the responses before students post them. Which of the following forms of technology would best achieve the teacher's goals for this activity? a. A class website b. A group email c. A social network d. A group blog - - correct ans- - d. A group blog Rationale:
- a. A class website: While a website can host student writing, it typically doesn't have built-in features for interactive posting and pre-moderation of student responses in the way a blog does.
- b. A group email: Email is not ideal for real-time interaction and threaded discussions. Screening individual emails before they are sent to the entire group would be cumbersome.
- c. A social network: Many social networking platforms allow for posting and commenting, but pre-moderation features for educational accounts can vary and might not be as straightforward as on a blog designed for this purpose. Privacy and safety settings would also be a significant consideration.
- d. A group blog: Many blogging platforms designed for educational use offer features that allow students to post their reflections and reply to classmates' posts. Crucially, many also provide moderation tools that enable the teacher to review and approve posts before they become visible to the entire class, meeting the teacher's requirement for screening responses. Correct Answer: D Question 5: Reading research conducted using scientific-based research methods has identified which of the following areas as one of the five essential components of an effective reading instruction program? a. vocabulary development b. letter formation c. oral language development d. spelling skills - - correct ans- - a. vocabulary development Rationale:
The National Reading Panel (NRP) report, a significant synthesis of scientific-based reading research, identified five essential components of effective reading instruction:
- Phonemic Awareness: The ability to hear, identify, and manipulate the individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken words.
- Phonics: The understanding of the relationships between written letters (graphemes) and the sounds (phonemes) they represent.
- Fluency: The ability to read text accurately, quickly, and with expression.
- Vocabulary: The knowledge of words and their meanings.
- Comprehension: The ability to understand^1 what is being read. Among the options provided, vocabulary development is one of these five essential components.
- b. letter formation: While important for writing, letter formation is not one of the five essential components of reading instruction identified by the NRP.
- c. oral language development: While foundational for literacy, oral language development is a broader skill set and not specifically listed as one of the five essential components of reading instruction in the NRP report. However, it strongly supports reading development.
- d. spelling skills: Spelling is related to reading (encoding vs. decoding) but is not one of the five essential components of reading instruction as defined by the NRP. Correct Answer: A The sentences below are from an elementary student's creative writing piece. The student's spelling in this excerpt is representative of the student's overall spelling performance? The children new they wood get in truble. The lessons were easy for them to learn. The student's spelling is most characteristic of students in which stage of spelling development? a. semiphonetic stage
b. What word am I trying to say: /f/ /i/ /sh/? c. What whole word does /f/...?ish? make? d. How many sounds do you hear in the word fish? - - correct ans- - b. What word am I trying to say: /f/ /i/ /sh/? In general, at which point during the school year should a teacher administer a diagnostic reading test and for what instructional purpose should the results be used? a. At regular intervals throughout the school year, to monitor students' progress and to guide and inform ongoing instructional planning b. At the beginning of the school year, to determine students' reading levels and where reading instruction should begin for each student c. At the beginning, middle, and end of the school year, to compare student's growth in key areas of reading to established, grade-level benchmarks d. At any time that ongoing formative assessments reveal that a student is not progressing sufficiently in a particular area of reading, to develop an intervention plan - - correct ans- - d. At any time that ongoing formative assessments reveal that a student is not progressing sufficiently in a particular area of reading, to develop an intervention plan At the beginning of the school year, the results of a screening assessment indicate that a first-grade student has limited letter-identification skills. Which of the following strategies would be most effective for the teacher to use first to promote the student's development of letter knowledge? a. Showing the student the class alphabet chart, pointing to each letter, and having the student trace the corresponding letter on a letter worksheet
b. Singing the traditional alphabet song to the student and inviting the student to point to each corresponding letter on an alphabet chart as the teacher sings c. Reading an alphabet book aloud to the student, repeating each letter's name, and asking the student to identify the object depicted with the letter on each page d. Linking letter-name and sound instruction for each unknown letter, and having the student practice forming each target letter while saying its name - - correct ans- - d. Linking letter-name and sound instruction for each unknown letter, and having the student practice forming each target letter while saying its name and sound According to research, students generally have the most difficulty learning sound-letter relationships for letters whose sounds are not part of the letter's name. For which of the following sets of letter-sound correspondences should a teacher allow more instructional time? a. m-/m/ and n-/n/ b. h-/h/ and w-/w/ c. b-/b/ and d-/d/ d. f-/f/ and s-/s/ - - correct ans- - b. h-/h/ and w-/w/ A first-grade teacher provides students with an activity sheet with pictures of common objects on it, along with write-on lines beneath each picture. The teacher displays a flash card with the letter d on it and says to the students, "Which object on your sheet begins with the letter d? Write the letter d under the picture whose name begins with /d/." Which of the following areas of early literacy is most directly supported by this activity?
a. liked b. camped c. tried d. petted - - correct ans- - b. camped Which of the following words would be the most appropriate for a second-grade teacher to use when providing instruction to students on the closed-syllable pattern VC/CV? a. howling b. brother c. flicker d. public - - correct ans- - d. public A fifth-grade teacher identifies several students who frequently confuse and misspell words in their writing that end in the suffixes - able and - ible. The teacher gives the students a word sort activity in which they read and categorize words with two suffixes. Which of the following instructional strategies would be the most effective step to take next in addressing the students' needs? a. Telling students to list the words above in a notebook and to add additional words ending in - able or - ible to their lists as they encounter them in reading b. Having students memorize and study the spellings of the words listed in the chart and then giving them a spelling quiz on the word
c. Asking students to look for a spelling generalization that can be made after comparing the words from both lists and to learn expectations to the rule d. Giving students a writing assignment in which they must include and spell correctly -
- correct ans- - c. Asking students to look for a spelling generalization that can be made after comparing the words from both lists and to learn expectations to the rule A third-grade teacher is working with a group of students who have achieved grade-level benchmarks for accuracy and rate, but who need to improve their prosody. The teacher plans a sequence of fluency lessons designed to address the students' needs. Which of the following activities would be most effective for the teacher to use first in this sequence? a. Teacher modeling by reading a target passed aloud b. Teacher and students choral reading a target passage together aloud c. Teacher and students taking turns echo reading a target passage aloud d. Students taking turns partner reading a target passage to each other aloud - - correct ans- - a. Teacher modeling by reading a target passed aloud A first-grade teacher is looking for a decodable text to give a small group of students to reinforce their word-reading development. The students have already received instruction in single consonants, consonant blends, and short vowel sounds. The students have also been taught basic high-frequency grade-level sight words. Which of the following sentences could be included in a decodable text that is appropriate for these students? a. Jon gets a hit with his bat and runs fast.
d. Using context to self-monitor reading accuracy - - correct ans- - c. Recognizing common vowel terms automatically According to current research in the field of reading, which of the following strategies would be most effective in developing students' academic language knowledge? a. Limiting social language in the classroom and requiring students to use formal English b. Promoting students' engagement in extensive and diverse independent reading c. Providing students with opportunities to determine word meaning through contextual analysis d. Diagramming complex sentences that exemplify various academic language structures - - correct ans- - b. Promoting students' engagement in extensive and diverse independent reading Students in a fifth-grade class are reading complex content-area text. To support their comprehension of the text, the teacher has students read the text several times. During the first reading, the teacher has students focus on the meaning of new vocabulary. During the second reading, the teacher has students use the new vocabulary to identify and discuss the text's key ideas and details. the teacher's approach to instruction related to this text best demonstrates the teacher's awareness of: a. the value of promoting students' word consciousness and wide reading b. the complexity of academic language structures used in content-area texts c. the importance of interrelating vocabulary development and concept learning
d. the role of vocabulary development in supporting students' later academic achievement - - correct ans- - c. the importance of interrelating vocabulary development and concept learning A third-grade teacher is preparing to teach an economics unit in social studies class. Which of the following graphic organizers would be most effective for the teacher to use to activate students' prior knowledge of vocabulary and concepts associated with the topic of banking (deposits, loans, interest)? a. Flow chart b. Venn diagram c. Bridge map d. KWL chart - - correct ans- - d. KWL chart Fourth-grade students have read an informational text about types of storms, and they are having a classroom discussion about extreme weather. During the discussion, they work together on the partially completed grid below as they decide which features are characteristic of the various storm types. (use grid) This type of activity is most likely to promote student's vocabulary development by strengthening which of the following word-related skills? a. Demonstrating understanding of words by relating them to their synonym b. Defining words in relation to the content-area texts they are reading c. analyzing the nuances of meaning between related words
d. audible, audience, auditorium - - correct ans- - d. audible, audience, auditorium A sixth-grade class is learning about rocks as part of a science unit on Earth's systems. The teacher has assigned students to read the passage below: Magma is hot, molten material that moves deep beneath Earth's crust. When magma moves upward toward Earth's surface, it cools and hardens. As it cools, elements within the magma combine into various minerals. Given enough space to grow, these minerals from visible crystal shapes as the magma cools. If the magma cools slowly, the crystals can grow very large. Magma that cools rapidly, during a volcanic eruption for example, will turn into a rock called basalt that has very small crystals only visible with a microscope. Which of the following student responses to the passage most clearly suggests to the teacher that the student is applying inferential comprehension skills? a. Magma is melted material that hardens into crystals as it cools b. Large crystals would take - - correct ans- - b. Large crystals would take a long time to form from the magma Which of the following statements is most accurate regarding the relationship between reading comprehension and reading fluency? a. Students must understand the content of a text before they can read it accurately b. Reading rate is more important to comprehension than are reading accuracy and prosody c. Students who are able to read a text with automaticity are better able to attend to the meeting of the text
d. Prosody is a discrete element of successful reading that is not directly related to reading comprehension - - correct ans- - c. Students who are able to read a text with automaticity are better able to attend to the meeting of the text A fourth-grade teacher describes to students how to recognize various text organizational structures (e.g. cause/effect, comparison/contrast, problem/solution) and how to use text structure to aid in reading comprehension. The teacher then models how to apply the text-structure strategy with a passage from an informational social studies text. Which of the following steps should the teacher take next in this lesson? a. Providing guided practice of the skill with a different text b. Assessing understanding of the passage through text-dependent questions c. Providing independent practice of the skill on the same text d. Having the students apply the skill to be a different text using think-aloud - - correct ans- - a. Providing guided practice of the skill with a different text A third-grade teacher is planning to conduct a close reading of a non-fiction historical narrative. The teacher is selecting general-academic and content-specific words from the text to teach explicitly to the class during the reading. Which of the following pre- reading strategies would best address the linguistic needs of an emerging-level English language learner in the class? a. Selecting Tier One words from the text to pre-teach to the student explicitly b. Providing the student with a vocabulary notebook for writing down unknown words c. Having the student look through the text and identify unfamiliar words by circling them
c. alliteration d. simile - - correct ans- - c. alliteration A fourth-grade teacher wants to promote students' ability to analyze a sequential text structure. First, the teacher introduces signal words and phrases such as "and then finally." Next, the teacher asks students to identify the signal words and phrases in a selected text. Which of the following activities would be most appropriate for students to engage in next? a. Creating lists of signal words and phrases used for various organizational structures b. Explaining how specific signal words and phrases affect meaning in the selected text c. Creating a graphic organizer that illustrates the selected text's organizational structure d. Brainstorming additional topics to explore using a sequential organizational structure
- correct ans- - b. Explaining how specific signal words and phrases affect meaning in the selected text Which of the following elements would most likely be found in a work of science fiction? a. a first-person narration that focuses on thoughts and feelings b. a humorous parody of contemporary social codes of behavior c. a nonlinear plot that unfolds in flashback and flash forward
d. a moral conflict between human and nonhuman characters - - correct ans- - d. a moral conflict between human and nonhuman characters Read the passage below from a folktale; then answer the question that follows. There was one wax child, Ngwabi, who used to talk about what it was like during the day. "We can never know what the world is like," he said to his brothers and sisters. "When we come out of our hut everything is quite dark and we see so little." Ngwabi's brothers and sisters knew that what he said right, but they accepted they would never know what the world looked like. There were other things that they had which the other children did not have, and they contented themselves with these. They knew, for instance, that other children felt pain: wax children never experienced pain, and for this they were grateful. But poor Ngwabi still longed to see the world. In his dreams, he saw the hills in the distance and watched the clouds that brought rain. He saw paths that led this way and that through the bush, and he longed to be able to - - correct ans- - b. the need to determine one's own destiny A first-grade teacher plans to use a graphic organizer to guide students in identifying and analyzing key ideas and details in an informational text. Which of the following types of graphic organizers would be most appropriate for the teacher to use for this purpose? a. Venn diagram b. KWL charts c. Flow chart
