NES Elementary Education Subtest I with Literacy (113) Practice Tests

Competencies 0001–0002 make up about 30% of the test. They ask you to apply knowledge of emergent and beginning literacy, phonological and phonemic awareness, and phonics based on the body of research that is the science of reading; apply knowledge of vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension based on the body of research that is the science of reading.

• Competency 0001: Apply knowledge of emergent and beginning literacy, phonological and phonemic awareness, and phonics based on the body of research that is the science of reading. Skills tested: Demonstrate knowledge of emergent literacy, including alphabet knowledge and the alphabetic principle; concepts of print; and the developmental continuum of phonological awareness; Demonstrate knowledge of evidence-based instructional strategies for promoting students' development of phonological awareness, development of concepts of print, development of alphabet knowledge, and understanding of the alphabetic principle; Demonstrate knowledge of the developmental continuum of phonemic awareness and of the role of phonemic awareness in accurate decoding and encoding; Demonstrate knowledge of evidence-based instructional strategies for promoting the development of students' phonemic awareness; Demonstrate knowledge of the distinction and relationship between phonological awareness and phonemic awareness and their role in reading development; Demonstrate knowledge of evidence-based instructional strategies for developing students' knowledge of letter-sound correspondences, phonics patterns, and decoding and encoding words that follow common phonics patterns, as well as irregularly spelled high-frequency words; Demonstrate knowledge of the six common English syllable types, common syllable division patterns, and evidence-based strategies for developing students' ability to apply knowledge of syllable types and division patterns to support accurate decoding and encoding; Demonstrate knowledge of evidence-based instructional strategies for providing differentiated instruction in phonological awareness, phonemic awareness, and phonics in order to address the individual language and literacy needs of all learners.
• Competency 0002: Apply knowledge of vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension based on the body of research that is the science of reading. Skills tested: Demonstrate knowledge of the development and acquisition of expressive and receptive vocabulary and the relationship between language, fluency, and overall comprehension; Demonstrate knowledge of evidence-based instructional strategies for promoting students' development and acquisition of expressive and receptive vocabulary (e.g., academic, disciplinary, and content-related vocabulary; connotative and denotative word meanings); Demonstrate knowledge of evidence-based instructional strategies for promoting students' understanding and application of structural and morphemic analysis skills to support comprehension; Demonstrate knowledge of the principal components of oral reading fluency (i.e., accuracy, rate, and prosody) and factors affecting fluency at all stages of reading development; Demonstrate knowledge of evidence-based instructional practices, resources, and strategies for promoting students' oral reading fluency (i.e., accuracy, rate, and prosody) at all stages of reading development; Demonstrate knowledge of the relationship between fluency and vocabulary knowledge in supporting overall comprehension at all stages of reading development; Demonstrate knowledge of evidence-based strategies for promoting students' literal, inferential, and evaluative comprehension and for supporting students' analysis of literary and informational texts; Demonstrate knowledge of evidence-based instructional strategies for providing differentiated instruction in skills related to oral reading fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension of literary and informational texts in order to address the individual language and literacy needs of all learners.

Competencies 0003–0004 make up about 30% of the test. They ask you to understand literary, informational, persuasive, and functional texts and graphic sources; apply knowledge of the foundations of writing, the writing process, conventions of Standard American English, and the modes of communication.

• 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).