LETRS Unit 1 Session 7 Check For Understanding
LETRS Unit 1 Session 7 provides an in-depth exploration of assessments within the reading curriculum. It emphasizes the critical role of early identification in addressing reading difficulties, challenging the common misconception that most first-grade students struggling with reading will naturally catch up by third grade without intervention.
This session underscores the importance of implementing effective assessment practices to inform timely instructional adjustments, ensuring that students receive the support they need to succeed.
QUESTION:
Some very smart people have dyslexia.
true
false
ANSWER:
True
EXPLANATION:
Dyslexia affects reading skills but doesn’t impact intelligence. Many highly intelligent people, including successful professionals, have dyslexia.
QUESTION:
Dyslexia may be inherited.
true
false
ANSWER:
True
EXPLANATION:
Research shows that dyslexia often runs in families, indicating a genetic component to the condition.
QUESTION:
Children who can’t read by age 9 never will.
true
false
ANSWER:
False
EXPLANATION:
With appropriate interventions and support, children can still learn to read, even if they face challenges by age 9.
QUESTION:
Around 10-15 percent of the population have dyslexia.
true
false
ANSWER:
True
EXPLANATION:
Studies estimate that 10-15% of people have dyslexia, though the severity can vary.
QUESTION:
Dyslexia is seeing things backward.
true
false
ANSWER:
False
EXPLANATION:
Dyslexia is not just about reversing letters or words; it mainly involves difficulties with processing language and phonological awareness.
QUESTION:
You can’t identify dyslexic children before they enter school.
true
false
ANSWER:
False
EXPLANATION:
Signs of dyslexia can be observed in preschoolers, such as difficulty with rhyming, recognizing letters, or remembering letter sounds.
QUESTION:
School improvement requires long-term commitment.
true
false
ANSWER:
True
EXPLANATION:
Sustainable school improvement demands consistent, ongoing efforts from educators, administrators, and communities.
QUESTION:
A research-based curriculum alone can turn schools around.
true
false
ANSWER:
False
EXPLANATION:
While important, curriculum alone isn’t enough; effective teaching, leadership, and support systems are equally crucial.
QUESTION:
Dyslexia affects far more boys than girls.
true
false
ANSWER:
False
EXPLANATION:
Dyslexia affects both boys and girls, though boys may be diagnosed more frequently due to behavioral differences in how they respond to reading challenges.
QUESTION:
All but 2-5 percent of children can learn to read.
true
false
ANSWER:
True
EXPLANATION:
Most children, even those with reading challenges, can learn to read with appropriate instruction, though a small percentage may need more specialized interventions.
QUESTION:
Large-scale studies have shown that about half of first-graders who struggle with reading will catch up by third grade without any special interventions.
true
false
ANSWER:
False
EXPLANATION:
Research indicates that without targeted interventions, many children who struggle early with reading will continue to face difficulties later on.
QUESTION:
What is the primary purpose of progress-monitoring assessments?
a. They serve as a rough indicator of mild, moderate, or severe risk in basic reading skills.
b. They predict how well students will perform on outcome assessments.
c. They help teachers determine if a particular instructional approach is working to bring a student closer to a target level of reading skill.
d. They reveal detailed information about a student’s academic knowledge and ability.
ANSWER:
C
EXPLANATION:
Progress-monitoring assessments help teachers determine if a specific instructional approach is effective. They track students’ growth over time and ensure that interventions are working to move students closer to their reading goals.
QUESTION:
Which characteristics describe typical outcome assessments? Select all that apply.
a. designed to measure passage comprehension
b. frequently, repeatedly administered (three or more times per year)
c. useful for comparing individuals to norms for a given age or grade level
d. useful for identifying students who need early, intensive intervention
ANSWER:
a & c
EXPLANATION:
Outcome assessments are designed to measure comprehension (a) and compare students’ performance to age or grade-level norms (c). These tests typically evaluate overall reading proficiency rather than frequent tracking of progress.
QUESTION:
Which is a common limitation of screening measures?
a. They are expensive and time-consuming to administer.
b. The imprecision of the measures results in false positives—children identified as lacking sufficient reading skills even though they will later develop adequate reading skills.
c. There are few effective means by which to measure children’s word-recognition skills.
d. Test designers have difficulty determining benchmarks that accurately predict which students will pass outcome assessments later on.
ANSWER:
B
EXPLANATION:
Screening measures often produce false positives, identifying children as at risk for reading difficulties even though some will eventually develop adequate skills without intensive intervention. This imprecision can lead to unnecessary concern or interventions.
QUESTION:
For an assessment to be useful in a school setting, which three psychometric criteria are the most important?
a. normed, valid, detailed
b. valid, reliable, predictive
c. concurrent, valid, efficient
d. reliable, valid, efficient
ANSWER:
D
EXPLANATION:
For an assessment to be effective in education, it must be reliable (consistent results), valid (accurately measuring what it claims), and efficient (administered with minimal time and cost).
You may also visit:
| LETRS Unit 1 Session 1 check for understanding |
| LETRS Unit 1 Session 2 check for understanding |
| LETRS Unit 1 Session 3 |
| LETRS Unit 1 Session 4 |
| LETRS Unit 1 Session 5 |
| LETRS Unit 1 Session 6 |
LETRS Unit 1 Session 7: Understanding Morphology -The Hidden Power of Word Structure
There’s this quiet moment in every literacy teacher’s career — when you realize a student can sound out every word perfectly but still has no idea what they just read. That’s the moment LETRS Unit 1, Session 7 speaks to. This session takes us deeper into the morphological side of language — the study of how words are built from meaningful parts.
It’s where we stop asking, “Can they read?” and start asking, “Do they understand what they read?”
The Core of Session 7: Morphology as Meaning
By the time we reach Session 7, we’ve already explored phonology, orthography, and how the brain processes language. Now, LETRS zooms out to reveal the next layer: morphology, the relationship between base words, prefixes, and suffixes.
For example, when students encounter words like unhappiness or misunderstanding, they’re not just reading — they’re decoding meaning.
Breaking down unhappiness into un- (not) + happy (root) + -ness (state of) turns a big word into something logical and manageable.
Morphological awareness transforms guessing into understanding.
A Real Classroom Moment
I once taught a bright 3rd grader named Mia. She could read fluently — at least that’s what her progress reports said. But when I asked her what “careless” meant, she smiled and said, “Someone who cares a lot!”
That’s when I realized how easily children get lost when we don’t teach word structure. I introduced her to the idea that words are made up of parts that carry meaning. Once she saw that care + less actually meant “without care,” her confidence soared. Within weeks, she began spotting prefixes and suffixes in every text we read — it was like she’d found a secret code.
Why Morphology Matters So Much
Session 7 teaches us that morphology isn’t just vocabulary; it’s comprehension, spelling, and even decoding all rolled into one.
Students who understand how words are built can:
- Decode multisyllabic words faster
- Infer meanings of unfamiliar words
- Develop a stronger sense of grammar and syntax
- Retain new vocabulary longer
Morphological instruction gives children tools to think about language, not just repeat it.
Beyond the Surface — Teaching for Deep Word Knowledge
Many of us grew up memorizing vocabulary lists. But memorization is brittle; it breaks under pressure. When students understand morphemes — the smallest units of meaning — learning becomes flexible.
Session 7 pushes teachers to move from word lists to word relationships:
- Connect predict, predictable, prediction, predictor
- Compare happy, happily, unhappy
- Explore construct, construction, reconstruct
It’s not just semantics; it’s cognitive development in action.
The Human Side: Words as Bridges, Not Barriers
I still remember a student who said, “English is so unfair.” And honestly, they weren’t wrong. It’s full of borrowed words, exceptions, and oddities. But LETRS reminded me that when we show children the building blocks of words, English stops feeling unfair. It starts making sense.
Morphology gives children control over language — a kind of quiet empowerment. They stop seeing reading as a guessing game and start seeing it as a puzzle they can solve.
What I Took Away
- Morphology deepens comprehension. Understanding how words are structured helps readers grasp shades of meaning.
- It’s the bridge between phonics and vocabulary. When phonics ends, morphology begins — and together they build lifelong readers.
- Explicit instruction is non-negotiable. Kids won’t discover prefixes or suffixes on their own. We have to teach them deliberately.
Final Thought
LETRS Unit 1 Session 7 reminds us that language is logical even beautiful, when we slow down enough to see its structure. Morphology turns confusion into clarity, one root at a time. And when children finally start to understand that every long, intimidating word is just a combination of meaningful parts, you can almost see the relief on their faces.
