CHAPTER 2
Chapter 2 True/False Questions
Circle T if the statement is true; circle F if the statement is false.
T F 1. Aesthetic, affective, cognitive, language, physical and social development are all
interdependent.
T F 2. According to the principle of ‘orderly sequence’ changes in child development occur
evenly and smoothly from one step to the next.
T F 3. Teachers use their understanding of child development to accelerate children’s learning
and to help children get ahead.
T F 4. You can expect most children in the five-year-old class to exhibit very similar abilities
in their language and physical development.
T F 5. “How many birds do you see in that tree?” is an example of an open-ended question.
T F 6. The adult who helps a child learn to put on her snow gear by starting with putting on the
coat first, then buttoning the coat, and then putting on her mittens is using the strategy of
successive approximation.
T F 7. The first phase of the Cycle of Learning is exploration.
T F 8. The Zone of Proximal Development represents the difference between what a child
already knows and what she might learn with support from someone else.
T F 9. The United States has no common set of standards for the content of early childhood
programs nationwide.
T F 10. The same activity can sometimes be used to address multiple content standards.
Chapter 2 Multiple Choice
Circle the best answer.
11. Jack and Jerome are both five years old. Jack’s language development is more advanced
than Jerome’s. Jerome is more physically coordinated and stronger than Jack. These
children illustrate which developmental principle?
a. Normative sequence
b. Holistic development
c. Variation of rates
d. Cumulative and delayed effects
12. Which of the following statements is an example of children’s active learning?
1. Tom is talking to himself as he tries to solve a problem.
2. LaTesha is counting each jump as she jumps rope.
3. Raymond is wandering around the room, looking for something to do.
a. All the above
b. None of the above
c. 1 and 2 but not 3
d. 2 and 3 only
13. Why should the level of skills required for activities vary if all the children in the group are
the same age?
a. The children will be at different developmental levels.
b. The children will be coming from different cultural backgrounds.
c. Different children will be interested in different subjects.
d. The children will use the activities to learn more than one skill at a time.
14. Why do teachers offer a variety of small group activities for children every day?
1. The children will be at different developmental levels.
2. The children will be coming from different cultural backgrounds.
3. Different children will be interested in different subjects.
4. The children will use the activities to learn more than one skill at a time.
a. All the above
b. 1 and 2
c. 3
d. 1, 2 and 3
15. Which of the following are good reasons for studying child development as an early
childhood educator?
a. To keep current with the constantly changing knowledge base for the field.
b. To have a sound basis for decision making in the classroom.
c. To better understand variations in children’s development among youngsters in
the classroom.
d. All of the above
16. A person’s learning style refers to:
a. The way a person forms letters and numerals.
b. The speed with which a person learns to red and write.
c. The amount of creativity a person brings to routine learning tasks.
d. The way a person processes information and experiences.
17. What intelligence fits this description? “Child is reflective and sensitive to his or her inner
moods.”
a. Musical learner
b. Intrapersonal learner
c. Logical-mathematical learner
d. Interpersonal learner
18. What intelligence fits this description? “Child learns best doing experiments and exploring
patterns/relationships.”
a. Musical learner
b. Interpersonal learner
c. Logical-mathematical learner
d. Interpersonal learner
19. Two children are playing a card game. Your book describes a teaching strategy called
behavior reflections. Which of the following is an example of a behavior reflection?
a. It’s great how you’re cooperating.
b. I like the way you are working together.
c. You each have five cards left to play.
d. Is this your favorite card game?
e. a and b
20. Which of the following ideas is most closely related to the teaching strategy of scaffolding?
a. Children learn best through indirect instruction
b. If children are taught specific cognitive skills, their intellectual development accelerates
c. Children learn best through direct instruction
d. There is a point in children learning processes when the help of a more experienced child
or an adult is useful.
21. Which of the following is a characteristic of effective praise?
a. Children are told that they did a good job.
b. Using a child’s name personalizes the praise statement.
c. Children’s actions are compared to previous performance.
d. Children who have been praised get to stand out from their peers
22. Four-year-old Maureen points to a blue block and calls it green. According to your text, an
appropriate response would be which of the following?
a. “No, that’s not right. Try it again.”
b. “You think that block is green. That color is blue. Let’s find some other things colored
blue.”
c. You should say nothing to the child.
d. “You really need help with your colors.”
23. The teacher asks the children, “What do you think will happen if we add this block to the top
of the tower?” What should the teacher do next?
a. Ask a follow-up question immediately.
b. Wait several seconds before saying anything else.
c. Put the block on top so children can see what will happen as they answer.
d. Offer his own idea — “I think it might fall down– is that what you think?”
24. Which of the following statements is an appropriate challenge?
a. I bet you can’t find 10 words that start with “R” on the next page.
b. Would you like to try?
c. Why do sheep have such thick coats?
d. Let’s figure out how many different ways there are to put these blocks together.
25. The teacher says, “Corey, I’m so glad to see you. Here’s a place for you next to Austin.”
This is an example of which teaching strategy?
a. Scaffolding
b. Guided Practice
c. Invitation
d. Behavior reflection
26. Which of the following is a “do it signal?”
1. Look up here.
2. Here is what you have to do first.
3. Show me something that is not a circle.
4. What will happen if we put 5 on this side and 5 on that side?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. 1 and 3
27. Which of the following scenarios provides an example of scaffolding?
a. A teacher reading a story book to a group of children.
b. Two three-year-olds playing side by side in the water table.
c. A kindergartner rolling out balls of modeling dough.
d. A first-grade child encouraging a three-year-old to name farm animals in a picture book.
28. Amanda is watching some other children create pieces of art via the process of crayon resist.
She asks, ’How do they do that?” Amanda is entering what phase of the Cycle of Learning?
a. Exploration
b. Practice
c. Review
d. Acquisition
e. Generalization
29. Last week William had a chance to try crayon resist (an art technique). He has wanted to do
crayon resist every day since. William is demonstrating what phase of the Cycle of Learning?
a. Exploration
b. Practice
c. Review
d. Acquisition
e. Generalization
30. What resource do standards provide to early childhood programs?
a. The basis for adult teaching practices.
b. The basis for what routines are most suitable for young children.
c. The basis for how to accommodate culture in the classroom.
d. The basis for what children can reasonably be expected to know and do in the program
over time.
e. All the above
Chapter 2 Short Answer Questions
Give a short, concise answer to each statement.
31. Based on your readings, name two classroom practices that support the developmental
principle, variation of rates.
32. Rodney and Sarah are playing with some tabletop blocks. Identify four areas of development
and what the children might be learning as they play in relation to their development.
33. Jack has finished reading his first chapter book. Give an example of ineffective praise.
Give an example of effective praise.
34. Jack and Jill, two four-year-olds, are building a road with blocks. Give an example of an
open-ended question. Give an example of a behavior reflection.
35. Who develops the standards that describe what children might be reasonably expected to know
and do at different ages or in different grades? Provide at least three sources.
Chapter 2 Essay Questions
Give complete responses to each statement.
36. Name and define 4 of the 8 intelligences according to Howard Garner. Discuss the
implication these have for teachers in early childhood classrooms.
37. The children are interested in learning about rocks. Describe three different activity types
that you might use to address this content and provide a brief example of each.
38. Draw a diagram depicting the phases in the Cycle of Learning. Describe each phase and the
implications that these phases have in terms of early childhood practices.
Chapter 2
Essay: Give complete responses to each statement.