CSET Multiple Subjects Subtest 1: Reading, Language, and Literature; History and Social Science
The CSET Multiple Subjects: Subtest I: questions focus on Language and Linguistics, Written and Non-Written Communication, and Reading Comprehension. The tricky part of the English question is they focus, primarily, on how well you understand the pedagogy of English (that is how students learn, and how best to teach, English).
Language and Linguistics
To teach English, you must first know the basics of the English language. So, the Multiple Subjects: Subtest I exam tests you on the fundamental components of human language (phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and the role of pragmatics). One of the foundational aspects of language is phonemic awareness – the ability to hear, identify, and manipulate phonemes. After you master that, make sure you understand the alphabetic principles, the parts of speech, and know basic sentence structures (simple, compound, and complex).
You also need to understand how a child’s first language develops, how a child can develop a second language, and the observable milestones for each development. And you should be familiar with the major theories associated with language acquisition.
Literacy development is another big aspect of Language and Linguistics. You need to understand the process of literacy development and how to assess it. Become familiar with concepts like decoding, comprehension, word recognition, spelling, accuracy, rate and prosody.
Big Concept to Know: Phonemic Awareness. Make sure you THOROUGHLY understand what phonemic awareness is.
Big Concept Resource: https://www.begintoread.com/articles/phonemic-awareness.html
Non-Written and Written Communication
Writing questions appear on the exam, and focus mainly on two aspects of writing: strategies and applications. Writing strategy questions cover the five steps of the writing process- outline, note-taking, rough draft, revision, final draft. You also need to know about specific writing concepts such as principles of organization, transitions, point-of-view, word choice, task, purpose, and audience.
Also, for writing you should know the four principles of composition (appropriate structure, logical development of ideas, appropriate vocabulary, and context). You need to recognize the characteristics of different writing genres (argument, informative, narrative, summaries, letters, and research reports). Also, you should know how to teach students to create arguments and then support their claims.
Non-written communication addresses genres like storytelling, narratives, persuasive pieces, research presentations, and poetry recitations. But the aspects of communication still hold. Non-written communication questions address how the speaker best communicates their idea.
Big Concept to Know: The Writing Process.
Big Concept Resource: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/1/1/
Reading Comprehension and Analysis
Reading comprehension and analysis is the last major area the Multiple Subjects: Subtest I English questions address. The reading questions measure how well you, the test-taker, understand what you’re reading. The test provides various reading passages and asks you to identify the main idea, reason for word choice, and other relevant questions to gauge your comprehension.
You should be familiar with characteristics of different genres, including novels, short stories, folktales, fairy tales, and poems. Make sure you understand how to analyze the structure of a reading passage, looking the structure, organization, and purpose of informational texts.
Big Concept to Know: Text Complexity
Big Concept Resource: https://www.generationready.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Beginners-Guide-to-Text-Complexity.pdf
Social Sciences
The Social Sciences portion of the Multiple Subjects: Subtest 1 can be divided into three main categories: Ancient Civilizations, United States History, and California History. The tricky part is the CSET test requirements weave geography and history together, so that you must know both to really have a shot at answering the questions correctly.
Ancient Civilizations
The Social Studies portion of the Multiple Subjects: Subtest 1 can be divided into three main categories: Ancient Civilizations, United States History, and California History. The CSET test complicates things by weaving geography and history requirements together, so you must know both to really have a shot at answering the questions correctly.
For ancient civilizations, the first thing to know is how geography impacted the Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Kush, Hebrew, Greek, Indian, Chinese and Roman civilizations. So, what are some examples of geography impacting these civilizations? Just take a look:
- The Egyptians were surrounded by desert on three sides and the Mediterranean Sea on one side. This geography placement insulated Egypt from its enemies, as any invading force would have to cross a desert or sail across the Mediterranean to reach Egypt.
- The Greek city-states, while Greek in name, were very independent in culture and values (think Athens v. Sparta) due to the difficulty of overland travel in the mountainous Greek topography.
- Israel (the ancient Hebrew nation) is in a trade intersection of multiple major civilizations – giving it a distinct advantage in trade.
Also, you should know about the major intellectual contributions of these ancient civilizations.
Ancient civilizations also applies to the Medieval and Early Modern civilizations. Questions from this section look at the influence of physical geography on the civilizations of the Chinese, Japanese, African, Arabian, Mesoamerican, Andean Highland, and European civilizations. (See above examples for how geography impacts civilizations). You MUST know the causes for the decline of the Western Roman Empire, as well as the rise of feudalism in Europe and Japan during the “Dark Ages” (the period between 600 A.D. – 1400 A.D.) You should be familiar with Pre-Columbian American art, architecture, and science. Also, you need to know about the influence of Christianity and Islam on Europe and the Middle East during this time, as well as the cause and influence of the Renaissance.
P.S. Check out the Magna Carta – it’s a big deal.
Big Concept: How Geography impacts Civilizations
Big Concept Resource: https://ancienthistory.mrdonn.org/geography.html
United States History
United States history is not nearly as broad, but you need to know specific details. The big concepts to know for U.S. History begin with why Western European countries began exploring the Americas (see this page about the Northwest Passage), how the economic idea of Mercantilism influenced American colonization (article about Mercantilism), and how slavery developed in the New World (in-depth analysis about Bacon’s Rebellion). You really need to know about the Revolutionary War (the War for Independence), specifically, the colonial political and military leaders, the impact of the war on Americans, France’s role in the war, and the key ideas outlined in the Declaration of Independence.
Moving forward in history, you need to know about the political system in the U.S.- such as how citizens participate, the Articles of Confederation, the factors leading to the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights (see article above), the major principles of the U.S. Constitution and – this one is VERY IMPORTANT – the separation of powers outlined in the U.S. Constitution.
Once you understand the political ideology of the new republic, look at U.S. expansionism (like Manifest Destiny) and the government’s policies toward American Indians during this time of expansion. As the U.S. expanded, the question of slavery became even more polarizing and important. Eventually, this would lead to the Civil War and subsequent Reconstruction. While specific Civil War battles are unlikely to be on the Multiple Subjects: Subtest I, you should know about the implications of Reconstruction on the South, such as the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendment, the role of Blacks and women in this time, and Jim Crow laws. Reconstruction eases into the industrialization of America – the second Industrial Revolution – and the immigration it encouraged. So be familiar with the response of Nativism and the impact of industrialization on the U.S.
Big Concept to Know: The ensured rights of the U.S. Constitution, specifically the separation of powers, federalism, and the concept of a Democratic Republic.
Big Concept Resource: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bO7FQsCcbD8
California History
California history focuses somewhat on Pre-Columbian civilization in California, so make sure you know the geography, economic activities, folklore, and religion of American Indians in California. Also, you should really understand the impact of Spanish exploration on California – such as the impact of the mission system.
Make sure you know the impact of the gold discovery on the culture, politics, social fabrics, and economy of California.
Finally, you need to know about the key principles in California’s Constitution – such as progressive-era reforms of the referendum and recall – as well as the similarities and differences between California’s Constitution and the U.S. Constitution. You should know about migration to California (during the Dust Bowl and in the 1950s) – and the cultural, social, political, and economic impact of migration. You should know the factors leading California’s water system – and its relationship to geography – as well as the development and locations of California’s major economic activities (mining, agriculture, entertainment, recreation, aerospace, electronics, and international trade).
Big Concept: The Mexican-American War – because it changed California immensely. Who controlled California before the war, then after the war, how this timeline relates to the Gold rush and when California became a U.S. state are all important details to know.
Big Concept Resource: https://www.history.com/topics/mexican-american-war
IMPORTANT NOTE:
On Part II of the CSET Subtest I test guide, it does state that non-history, social studies skills will appear on the test. This includes economic concepts like scarcity, opportunity cost, supply and demand, the business cycle, and fiscal and monetary policy. For political science, this includes concepts like reading a map and a globe, geographic systems (like the water cycle), and cultural diffusion. This can also include concepts related to philosophy, anthropology or general concepts relating to human migration.
And that is some basic information about CSET Subtest 1 exam.