NES Elementary Education Subtest I (110) Practice Tests

Competencies 0001–0004 make up about 60% of the test. They ask you to apply knowledge of the foundations of language development and emergent literacy; apply knowledge of the development of phonics, spelling, vocabulary, fluency, and word analysis and reading comprehension skills; understand literary, informational, persuasive, and functional texts and graphic sources, and more.

• Competency 0001: Apply knowledge of the foundations of language development and emergent literacy. Skills tested: Demonstrate knowledge of the foundations of language development, including concepts related to English language acquisition, varying factors affecting language development (e.g., physical, emotional, developmental, environmental), the role of oral language development in emergent literacy, and the importance of building on students' current language skills to promote their language and literacy development; Demonstrate knowledge of effective listening skills for a variety of purposes and audiences and strategies for promoting development of students' listening skills to support their language and literacy development; Demonstrate knowledge of concepts of print and the alphabetic principle and strategies for promoting students' development of concepts of print, letter knowledge, letter formation, and letter-sound correspondence; Demonstrate knowledge of and distinction between phonological and phonemic awareness skills and the role of phonological and phonemic awareness in emergent literacy and strategies for developing students' phonological and phonemic awareness skills.
• Competency 0002: Apply knowledge of the development of phonics, spelling, vocabulary, fluency, and word analysis and reading comprehension skills. Skills tested: Demonstrate knowledge of the role of phonics in developing accurate, automatic word recognition and strategies for promoting development of phonics; Demonstrate knowledge of and strategies for promoting sight-word, high-frequency word, and spelling development at all stages of reading development; Demonstrate knowledge of and strategies for promoting vocabulary and word analysis skills at all stages of reading development; Demonstrate knowledge of fluency (i.e., accuracy, rate, and prosody) and factors affecting fluency at all stages of reading development; Demonstrate knowledge of and strategies for promoting literal, inferential, and evaluative reading comprehension skills at all stages of reading development.
• Competency 0003: Understand literary, informational, persuasive, and functional texts and graphic sources. Skills tested: Demonstrate knowledge of the characteristics of various literary genres, story elements, and literary devices and strategies for promoting students' comprehension and analysis of literary texts; Recognize diverse genres of children's literature and the importance of selecting and including developmentally appropriate literary texts and materials to engage and motivate students; Demonstrate knowledge of the characteristics and features of various types of informational, persuasive, and functional texts and strategies for promoting students' comprehension of various types of texts and analysis of text structures; Demonstrate knowledge of the characteristics and features of various types of graphic sources, such as advertisements and editorial cartoons; how visual elements can be used to convey a particular message, meaning, or theme; and strategies for promoting students' comprehension and analysis of graphic sources.
• Competency 0004: Apply knowledge of the foundations of writing, the writing process, conventions of Standard American English, and the modes of communication. Skills tested: Demonstrate knowledge of the beginning stages of writing and the elements of effective writing, speaking, and listening, including appropriate language styles and registers; Apply knowledge of the writing process (i.e., prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing) and ways to avoid plagiarism; Demonstrate knowledge of the processes and procedures for collecting, evaluating, developing, and presenting research (e.g., exploring issues, posing problems, generating questions, determining the credibility of resources); Demonstrate knowledge of the structures and key elements of various modes of communication (i.e., intrapersonal, interpersonal, and academic) and ways to incorporate nonverbal, gestural, aural, visual, spatial, or technological elements to communicate; Apply knowledge of the conventions of Standard American English in written and oral communication, including correct spelling, capitalization, punctuation, grammar, and word usage.

Competencies 0005–0007 make up about 40% of the test. They ask you to apply knowledge of the fundamental concepts related to civics, government, and economics; apply knowledge of the fundamental concepts and major developments related to U.S. and world history; apply knowledge of the fundamental concepts related to geography and social studies inquiry.

• Competency 0005: Apply knowledge of the fundamental concepts related to civics, government, and economics. Skills tested: Recognize the basic structures, functions, and purposes of government, including the constitutional principles and democratic foundations of U.S. government; Recognize the roles and powers of national, state, and local governments and of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government in the United States; Demonstrate knowledge of the principles of democratic civic involvement and the practices, rights, and responsibilities of citizenship; Demonstrate knowledge of the organization of politics in the world, characteristics of different forms of government, and factors that affect international relationships and foreign policy; Recognize basic economic concepts and characteristics of economic systems, functions of currency, and the costs and consequences of economic choices; Demonstrate knowledge of ways in which competition, markets, and prices influence the financial behavior of businesses, governments, and individuals; Demonstrate knowledge of the role of economics in establishing and maintaining local, national, and global networks of economic interdependence.
• Competency 0006: Apply knowledge of the fundamental concepts and major developments related to U.S. and world history. Skills tested: Demonstrate knowledge of significant eras, themes, people, and chronological relationships between events in U.S. and world history; Recognize the geographic, social, political, scientific, technological, economic, and cultural characteristics of past civilizations; Demonstrate knowledge of significant social, political, scientific, technological, economic, and cultural developments in U.S. and world history; Recognize the causes and consequences of major U.S. and world conflicts; Recognize how geographic, social, political, economic, and cultural processes have interacted to shape historical patterns of human population; Demonstrate knowledge of historical analysis and interpretation, including differentiating between historical facts and historical interpretations, recognizing multiple perspectives, and recognizing the tentative nature of historical interpretations.
• Competency 0007: Apply knowledge of the fundamental concepts related to geography and social studies inquiry. Skills tested: Apply knowledge of major geographic concepts and themes (e.g., location, place, region, population density); Recognize the significant physical and human features of places and regions; Analyze interactions between the environment and human societies; Demonstrate knowledge of population trends, migration patterns, and the characteristics of various cultural groups; Demonstrate knowledge of how to use maps, charts, and other visual tools to locate, interpret, and convey social studies information; Demonstrate knowledge of the basic principles and procedures used in social studies inquiry; Demonstrate knowledge of the processes and procedures for conducting and presenting social studies research; using primary, secondary, and tertiary resources; and evaluating resources for credibility (e.g., reliability, accuracy, intended audience, bias).