Effective Practices in Early Childhood Education, 3e (Bredekamp)
Chapter 5 Adapting for Individual Differences
1) Twin brothers Johnny and Joey were placed in two different classes at their child care center.
Their father is a train conductor and facilitated an interest in trains. Their parents have begun to
notice that while they still look identical, they are developing different play interests. Johnny
likes to spend most of his time reading about and coloring pictures of trains, while Joey likes to
build train tracks and train stations. What best explains the boys’ similarities and differences?
A) nature
B) nurture
C) risk factors
D) transactional theory of development
2) All of the following statements are true regarding temperament, except
A) it is shown in children’s emotions, activity level, and attention
B) it has genetic and biological roots
C) it is an individual difference
D) it is a gender difference
3) Which term refers to how enthusiastic children are about learning and how they engage in
learning?
A) cognitive differences
B) temperament
C) approaches to learning
D) protective factors
4) Which of the following statements regarding individual and cultural differences is true?
A) There are individual differences within a culture.
B) All cultural norms can be blindly applied to all individuals of that culture.
C) All individuals in the same culture group will act the same.
D) Making assumptions about a cultural group will never lead to stereotyping.
5) What might be an indication of a gifted child?
A) not having many friends
B) desire to work independently
C) the ability to tell jokes
D) the ability to learn new skills
6) What is differentiating instruction?
A) teachers providing interrelated learning opportunities that help facilitate children’s mastery of
new skills and content knowledge
B) allowing each child to receive his/her own assignments or a private lesson to facilitate that
child’s understanding of class content
C) organizing small groups of children to play games together without competing
D) behaviors, tendencies, or typical patterns that children use in learning situations
7) Eve enjoys solving problems with numbers. What kind of intelligence is she displaying,
according to Gardner?
A) interpersonal
B) linguistic
C) logical
D) spatial
8) What is part of planning a differentiated environment?
A) making a floor plan of the design of the classroom
B) creating different places in the room for children to learn
C) making sure that you have different color toys
D) a strategy to provide specific content instruction
9) What is true about Response to Intervention?
A) it is a special education approach
B) it only involves the child’s teachers
C) it can be applied to all children
D) it is a screening for interests
10) What is thought to be the biggest difference between the genders?
A) Girls are less mature at birth.
B) Girls are more mature at birth.
C) Boys are larger and stronger than girls.
D) Girls spend more time on visual-spatial tasks.
11) How is physical development determined?
A) the time of year a child is born
B) cognitive abilities
C) biology and experience
D) language skills
12) Which is the best reason why teachers should use the technique of differentiated instruction
in their classrooms?
A) Differentiated instruction creates multiple paths for children of different abilities, interests,
and learning experiences.
B) Differentiated instruction is a new requirement of the No Child Left Behind act.
C) Differentiated instruction allows teachers to provide children with their own unique
assignments.
D) Differentiated instruction allows the teacher to provide one-on-one lessons away from the
other children.
13) Susie likes to play alone and often struggles to play with her classmates, because she has
trouble communicating with others. She enjoys drawing big circles on white paper with the red
crayon. When the red crayon is unavailable, Susie becomes very frustrated. Susie may be
exhibiting symptoms of which exceptionality?
A) attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
B) visual impairment or blindness
C) Down Syndrome
D) Autism Spectrum Disorder
14) Which is an example of person-first language?
A) mentally disabled child
B) special needs child
C) delayed child
D) child with special needs
15) Which is an example of a functional skill?
A) skipping
B) playing an instrument
C) long division
D) potty training
16) Describe the importance of understanding individual differences in young children.
17) What is resilience? What risk factors and protective factors affect the young child’s ability to
be resilient?
18) Describe Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences. Select one of his intelligences and offer
examples of how a teacher would plan for a child demonstrating that intelligence.
19) Describe the learning cycle of differentiating instruction.
Chapter 5 – Adapting for Individual Differences