CALT Principles of Multisensory Structured Language (MSL) Education 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A student with dyslexia can decode words accurately but reads very slowly. According to MSL principles, what should the therapist target next?
- Comprehension strategies using graphic organizers
- Fluency and automaticity of phonological decoding (Correct answer)
- Sight word memorization to bypass decoding
- Vocabulary enrichment through wide reading
Correct answer: Fluency and automaticity of phonological decoding
Once accuracy is established, MSL instruction targets fluency and automaticity so that decoding becomes fast and effortless.
Question 2: Which of the following MSL instructional techniques specifically engages the kinesthetic-tactile pathway for phoneme awareness?
- Listening to rhyming songs
- Tapping or pushing chips into a segmenting mat while saying each phoneme (Correct answer)
- Viewing phoneme-grapheme charts
- Repeating words after the therapist
Correct answer: Tapping or pushing chips into a segmenting mat while saying each phoneme
Physically tapping or moving manipulatives while segmenting phonemes engages the kinesthetic-tactile sensory channel, a hallmark of MSL instruction.
Question 3: In MSL instruction, why is it important to teach concepts in isolation before blending them into connected text?
- Isolated practice is more motivating for students with dyslexia
- Mastery at the isolated skill level ensures the student is not overwhelmed by competing demands during connected reading (Correct answer)
- Connected text introduces vocabulary that distracts from decoding practice
- Isolated practice meets IEP legal requirements before text use
Correct answer: Mastery at the isolated skill level ensures the student is not overwhelmed by competing demands during connected reading
Teaching skills in isolation first reduces cognitive load, ensuring the student fully masters each component before applying it in more complex connected text.
Question 4: Which feature distinguishes MSL instruction from traditional phonics programs?
- MSL relies on implicit discovery of phonics rules through reading practice
- MSL integrates simultaneous auditory, visual, and kinesthetic-tactile modalities with explicit, structured language content (Correct answer)
- MSL focuses primarily on reading comprehension rather than decoding
- MSL uses only oral language activities without written components
Correct answer: MSL integrates simultaneous auditory, visual, and kinesthetic-tactile modalities with explicit, structured language content
MSL is distinguished by its simultaneous multisensory engagement combined with explicit, structured language instruction, unlike traditional phonics programs that may not incorporate all modalities.
Question 5: A CALT is selecting materials for a student who struggles with phonological awareness. Which activity is MOST consistent with MSL principles for this deficit?
- Having the student read aloud from a decodable book
- Using Elkonin boxes with physical chips to segment spoken words into phonemes (Correct answer)
- Asking the student to define vocabulary words from a word list
- Having the student copy sentences from the board
Correct answer: Using Elkonin boxes with physical chips to segment spoken words into phonemes
Elkonin boxes with physical chips directly target phonological awareness through multisensory segmentation, engaging auditory and kinesthetic-tactile pathways simultaneously.
Question 6: What is the significance of teaching both decoding and encoding together in MSL instruction?
- Encoding practice is required by most state literacy standards
- Reading and spelling are reciprocal processes that reinforce phoneme-grapheme knowledge from both directions (Correct answer)
- Encoding helps students memorize irregular words more efficiently
- Teaching both skills simultaneously reduces total instructional time needed
Correct answer: Reading and spelling are reciprocal processes that reinforce phoneme-grapheme knowledge from both directions
Decoding (reading) and encoding (spelling) are reciprocal processes; practicing both reinforces phoneme-grapheme associations bidirectionally, strengthening overall literacy skills.
Question 7: Which MSL principle is MOST directly violated if a therapist skips vowel team instruction because a student finds it boring?
- Multisensory engagement
- Systematic and sequential progression through structured language content (Correct answer)
- Diagnostic-prescriptive teaching
- Cognitive load management
Correct answer: Systematic and sequential progression through structured language content
Skipping a planned concept in the structured scope and sequence violates the systematic and sequential principle, which requires teaching all elements in their prescribed order.
CALT Principles of Multisensory Structured Language (MSL) Education 5
A student with dyslexia can decode words accurately but reads very slowly.
According to MSL principles, what should the therapist target next?