FTCE Professional Education Practice Exam

How can read-aloud activities benefit students' reading skills?

1. They encourage word skipping

2. They promote memorization of texts

3. They help decode challenging words

4. They limit engagement with the text

The correct answer is: They help decode challenging words

Read-aloud activities significantly enhance students' reading skills by providing opportunities to decode challenging words. When teachers or peers read aloud, they model proper pronunciation, intonation, and phrasing. This exposure is vital for students as they hear how words are used in context and can tune into the sounds of language, which aids in recognizing spelling patterns and understanding meanings. Through these activities, students often encounter unfamiliar vocabulary in a supportive environment, allowing them to develop strategies for decoding those words. Being able to listen to text while following along helps them improve their own reading fluency and comprehension, making challenging texts more accessible. This dual engagement—listening while reading—reinforces their decoding skills and builds confidence as they practice these skills in real-time. The other options highlight actions that do not align with the constructive goals of read-aloud activities. Encouraging word skipping is counterproductive to developing reading fluency. Promoting memorization of texts can lead to a superficial understanding rather than deep comprehension and critical thinking. Limiting engagement with the text contradicts the interactive nature of read-aloud sessions, which are intended to spark discussion and interest in the material.