Educ 385 All Exam Questions (2017 Winterim)

Advisory and Teaming

You are a 6th grade teacher at a Junior High School. Every morning you greet the same 20 students in your advising period. After having received first quarter grades the previous Friday and coming back from a long weekend, you greet each of your students on Tuesday morning. Lucy, a student who is usually very cheerful and excited in the mornings does not greet you back. After a second glance, you notice that Lucy has some unusual bruising on her arms. What do you do?
Alexxis has always expressed an interest in science but has recently been sleeping during class the past two weeks. The teacher knows that she has started her cross country season but is concerned that her grade in the class will drop. As the instructor, what do you do?
Paul has never enjoyed the curriculum in school but has always gone to his classes and completed the work. He’s expressed to his teachers that he would rather be working on his family’s farm but his parents were clear about him completing school. You’ve noticed that Paul’s attitude has been different in your class and is less motivated during the lessons and you’re worried that he will drop out. What do you do?
You are having an advising session with one of your 8th grade students, Steve, because they haven’t been focused during class and their quality of work has been dropping. During the session, Steve seems uninterested in the conversation and gives vague responses. What do you do?
You are an eighth grade math teacher at a middle school. It’s the beginning of the second semester and you notice that one of your students, Kate, has become unenthusiastic about math class the last few lessons. You see that she is not completing her homework or putting little to no effort into the assignments due for the class. During first semester she was getting A’s on all of her assignments now she is barely showing C level work. What do you do?
You work with the 7th grade teaching team in your middle school teaching science. There are three other teachers within this team that teach math, social studies, and English. All of the teachers have been very excited and collaborative with team teaching throughout the school year except for Mrs. Kubeny, the math teacher. You want to team up with her and teach a combined lesson however up to this point she has been completely unwilling to teach any combined lessons. What do you do?
You are a seventh grade math teacher. Your principal has requested that you and the other content teachers start bridging disciplines and make connections throughout classes. However, every time you have a planning meeting, the English teacher, Mrs. Smith, claims it would be impossible to cover the same topics and feels she is covering more complex ideas. What do you do?

Ben is a 7th grade student that you had in a math class the previous year. Ben did very well in your class and demonstrated some very advanced levels of thinking. Ben comes up to you after school one day and tells you that he is really struggling in math with his new teacher, Mr. Smith. This is not the first time that a student has come to you with negative comments about Mr. Smith’s teaching. What do you do?

You are an eighth grade social studies teacher in a true middle school. Your students are working in groups of 5 to create a PowerPoint on Greek gods. You notice that one group of your students are arguing about which Greek god they would like to revolve their project around. The assignment is due tomorrow. What do you do?

You are a seventh grade English teacher in a Junior High School. It is November and you assign another group project in which students have to create a skit. Several students Olivia, Karen, Ken and Ben come to you to discuss their frustration with group projects. They inform you that they always feel like they are doing a majority of the work in their group. What do you do?

Three of your students, Sarah, Joe and Mike, are working on a role-play assignment. You notice they are all fighting over the lead role. What do you do?

A middle school science class is working on stations with groups of four to five. You notice Kevin quickly becoming bored with the work. He starts to distract other groups around him. What do you do?

Needs of the Adolescent

1. Aiden is a boy in your 7th grade math class. Throughout many lessons, Aiden has trouble staying in his seat. He is constantly getting up, walking around, and bouncing while sitting. One day he tells you “my legs hurt” after sitting down all of class. What do you do?

2. Leslie is a girl in your 8th grade social studies class, which is right after P.E. Lately you have been noticing others talk about how bad Leslie smells. This is really starting to take a toll on Leslie’s self-esteem. What do you do?

3. Amy is a girl in your 6th grade language arts class. Amy has developed more than the other girls her age and has been the target of some recent bullying, such as sexual remarks from the boys in class, and girls calling her a “whore”. Lately, Amy’s grades have dropped immensely. What do you do?

4. Anna had always been a quiet girl. However, recently she has become much more chatty to the point where it is causing distractions to herself and others during class time. Although you are happy to see that she has come out of her shell, you still want to ensure that your students are provided the best possible learning environment. What do you do?

5. Ben is a very smart kid. However, his humor is at a higher level than most and comes off as sarcastic and aggressive at times. This has caused many misunderstandings between Ben and his classmates and Ben and yourself. What do you do?

6. Austin has a “what’s in it for me” attitude. He doesn’t do anything that he doesn’t believe will benefit him. This is causing him to lose relationships he had prior to his change in behavior. What do you do?

7. Britney is a student in your 7th grade English class. You have been told by her science and math teacher that Brittney is struggling in class, but you have found that Britney learns very well in your poetry unit of class. Britney’s math and science teacher want to hold her back one more year, but you know that Britney can excel when incorporating linguistic intelligence into her curriculum. What do you do?

8. All the students tease Michael in class because he has dyslexia and is reading at a 4th grade level. You notice Michael has been missing many reading assignments, and doesn’t speak in class. When you approach Michael why he has been missing assignments, he responds that he has been busy with swim practices. You believe Michael can build his self efficacy by him focusing on bodily-kinesthetic Intelligence into his learning. What do you do?

9. Kim is a student in your 8th grade science class. Kim struggles to stay quiet your lectures, and blurts out during class. Kim also distracts students by talking to them during work time. You want to allow Kim to use her strengths in intrapersonal intelligence in the classroom effectively to correct her behavior without hurting her self esteem and efficacy. What do you do?

Honoring Diversity

Raquel comes into your 7th grade homeroom class with no jacket in the dead of winter. As her teacher, you approach the student. Raquel says she forgot her jacket at home. For the next week, Raquel comes to school without a jacket. What do you do?
You are guiding a reading discussion in your 8th grade English class about a protagonist who happens to be homeless. A student in your class, Trevor, says that he connects with this character because he is also homeless. The other students were unaware that their peer was homeless and start to bombard Trevor with questions. What do you do?
You are a 6th grade language arts teacher in an urban middle school in Milwaukee. State assessments are coming up and you are reviewing practice problems with your class. One question in particular reads, “Where in the garage does your dad keep the power drill?” Your students look puzzled and silence falls over the room. What do you do?
You teach in a middle school. Caroline is a 14-year-old student in your class. Caroline comes to you saying her group of friends has been pressuring her to smoke. She is worried about not fitting in and losing her friends. What do you do?
Jeremy is a 12-year-old boy in your 7th grade English class. He comes to you stating he has been feeling really down lately. He doesn’t feel like he fits in with his peers anymore and believes nobody would miss him if he were gone. What do you?
Emma is an 11-year-old in your Social Studies class. It is clear Emma has been reserved lately. She doesn’t talk to her peers anymore and her grades have been dropping. After school you find her crying in the hallway. What do you do?
You are teaching 6th graders about the Trail of Tears. When introducing names of different First Nation tribes, you notice students begin to mock the and banter the different tribe names. When attempting to explain why their behavior was inappropriate, a student says, “I don't really care about what happened to the Indians anyways.” What do you do?
Adam, an eighth grade student comes into the classroom and says to his friend Stefanie, “long time no see”. Stefanie tells Adam that saying is racist and would prefer for him not to greet her in that manner. Adam tells Stefanie he’s not a racist and that he doesn't see color. Stefanie becomes frustrated with Adam. What do you do?
You are at a restaurant with a friend. A group of black males were shocked when the manager asked them to pay up front for their meals. Nearby there is a table of white young people eating but they were allowed to pay after they had finished their meal. When the group of young men refused to pay upfront, staff called the police claiming that they were being disruptive. You witness the entire encounter. What do you do?
You are teaching in a 6th grade homeroom class when one of your students approaches you about the unexpected death of their father as a result of a car accident. While talking to the student they ask you about heaven and what you believe. What do you do?
Partway through the school year, a student in your 8th grade math class, Maria, decides to transition from a female to a male named Todd. You have noticed the other students have been distancing themselves from Todd. You want to make sure everyone feels included and safe in your classroom. What do you do?
In your 7th grade English class you have noticed Jacob’s handwriting slowly getting more and more difficult to read. When you confront him about it and tell him he needs to write more clearly so you can read his work he responds by saying, “I am a boy. I don’t have to write neatly.” What do you do?

Learning Environments

Learning Environments Exam Questions

Emily Waszak

You are an 8th grade Social Studies teacher. You plan to have many small group projects and activities throughout the year and you want to arrange your classroom to reflect this. You have noticed that your class have cliques this year and they stray away from interacting with others. You want to see your student’s branch out as well as have a seating arrangement with limited distractions. What do you do?
You’re a 7th grade Math teacher. You have assigned seating in your classroom and you haven’t had any problems with the arrangement so far. It’s the start of the second quarter and your students have been talking with you about having free choice to pick their seats for the upcoming quarter. You have the desire to reward you students for their good behavior but you are worried that your students will be disruptive and will talk during class. There is a girl in your class, Mary, who is shy and you are concerned that she will sit in the back of the classroom and will not interact with her peers or during class time. What do you do?
You’re a 2nd grade teacher. On one side of your classroom you have a long wall of windows that shows the streets and city. On the other side of your classroom you have a door with a window that shows faculty and students passing by. A girl in your class, Lucy, has ADHD and cannot seem to focus in your class. What do you do?
You are an 8th grade science teacher. During your biology lecture you notice that one of your students, Alex, is talking to his friend instead of taking notes. This bothers you and you decide to talk to him about it and ask him to stop. Alex argues that his grades are good and that he cooperates in class discussions and group work. What do you do?
You are an 8th grade teacher. Zach, Ema, and Woody are your students that have EBD (emotional behavioral disorder) and are 85% included in the general education classroom. In the past they’ve had issues behaving appropriately for substitute teachers. You have a two day in-service next week. What do you do?
You are a 7th grade science teacher. You ask your student, Jimmy, to help you move a telescope. While moving the telescope Jimmy drops it and yells “damn it” in front of the whole class. You have a strict policy against swearing. What do you do?
You are an 8th grade English teacher and your unit plan is creative writing. Your lessons are known for focusing around holidays. You have a new student in your class who is Jehovah’s Witness and her family doesn’t celebrate holidays or birthdays. What do you do?
You are a 6th grade science teacher. It is half way through the semester and your class has been bonding nicely. Sally is a new student who has just moved to the area. You are concerned with how your students will respond to having Sally in the class. What do you do?
You are a 7th grade math teacher. Between classes you see a group of girls picking on Roger in the hall. Roger is a shy boy from a single parent home and doesn’t do well with confrontations. What do you do?
You are a 5th grade social studies teacher. Your student Jimmy is always on his IPad because his mother is constantly messaging Jimmy. She is constantly worried about his safety due to his asthma, even though it is well managed and quite mild. You worry that this relationship is unhealthy and is causing distractions in your class. What do you do?
You are a 5th grade English teacher. The class is working individually to write a short book that integrates the skills and knowledge that they have learned throughout the semester. Your student Thomas Paine is writing a book called Common Sense. His family is not supportive of his writing efforts and constantly provides negative reinforcement. You feel that Tomas is quite a gifted writer. However, you feel that the strained relationship is holding Thomas back. What do you do?
You are an 8th grade music teacher. Every day over the past two weeks you have been getting emails from Mark's parents, Mrs. and Mr. Olson, wondering on how he is doing in class. You have responded to them professionally but now the emails have become very repetitive and time consuming for you. What do you do?

Teacher Behavior and Instruction

You teach 8th grade math. Alex, a young boy with autism comes to you during lunch period in distress. He says he refuses to go to his next class because the teacher makes him talk and work with other kids everyday. What do you do?
You are a new science teacher for a 7th grade class. After a few months, parents start to complain that your focus on peer teaching and team projects over traditional lectures is just you being lazy. What do you do?
You are an 7th grade history teacher. You are currently teaching your students about the American Revolution. You have noticed that one of your students, Oscar, has become increasingly distracted during class and doodles in his notebook instead of listening and participating. One day during class he states “Learning this stuff is worthless. When will I ever need to know any of this?” What do you do?
You are an 8th grade math teacher. You have noticed that many of your students are struggling with the current unit of study. You have been trying your hardest to help your students learn the content, and you end up extending the unit. However, at the end of the unit, you still find that the majority of your students are struggling with the concepts. What do you do?
You are a second year, 6th grade teacher. You prefer to utilize mostly Student-Centered strategies within your classroom. A veteran 6th grade teacher, Mr. Jacobs, prefers to use Teacher-Centered strategies. One day he approaches you and expresses his disapproval with your teaching style. He believes that student-centered strategies are not very effective. What do you do?
You are a 7th grade literacy teacher. One of your students, Maryam, listens to all of the class books on audiotape. She usually downloads them to her iPod and brings earbuds to put in when there is independent reading time in class. Marcus, another student in your class, comes to talk to you after school because he doesn’t think it is fair that Maryam can listen to her iPod when everybody else is reading. What do you do?
You are a first year 8th grade science teacher. During your lunch breaks, you often meet with your supervisor to talk about your progress in the classroom and on your state requirements. Despite reminding your supervisor that you have to teach a class after lunch, you often finish slightly after the lunch bell and end up returning to your classroom after the students have arrived. One day, your student Jamie stands up and announces that it is unfair that you can punish students for being late but you are late all the time. What do you do?
You teach 7th grade social studies. One student, Jacob, finds out you have the same video game console as him. He asks you if you can play games together sometime because all of his friends exclude him when they play. What do you do?
You are a 6th grade health teacher. The upcoming unit requires that you do a lesson on shaken baby syndrome as required by state law. You know that one of your students, Jared, had a brother who was shaken at a daycare center. You are apprehensive about teaching this subject to the class but don’t want to glaze over it. What do you do?

Curriculum and Assessment

You just landed your first job as a 7th grade social studies teacher! Congratulations! Your new school’s administrator has hired you to teach a class that has yet to be designed. There is no material to build off of in order for you to create your own curriculum. You want to think about the first steps in designing the curriculum. What do you do?
You are an 8th grade science teacher. The school you are working in has recently transitioned from the traditional period scheduling to block scheduling, dividing the day into 90 minute increments. The hope is to increase the use of interdisciplinary activities, especially between the core subjects and the arts. You want to be successful using this new model of teaching, but are unsure how to incorporate the arts into your classroom. What do you do?
While teaching 8th grade English classes, you are attend a teaching conference to pursue professional development. While browsing through the seminar guide, you spot one titled “Scaffolding with Formative Assessment.” After attending the seminar, you want to use more formative assessment in your classroom. Consider how formative assessment relates to summative assessment. You want to scaffold formative assessment into your classroom to increase student learning. What do you do?