PRACTICAL CASE: Inclusion, accessibility and Universal Design for Learning in the English area in a Year 5 Primary classroom in a rural school

PART A — PRACTICAL CASE TO BE DEVELOPED

SCHOOL CONTEXT

The case takes place in a Grouped Rural School (CRA) located in the Sierra Norte of the Comunidad de Madrid, in the area surrounding Buitrago de Lozoya. The socio-cultural environment is of a medium-to-low level, with an economy based primarily on extensive livestock farming, rural mountain tourism and small local businesses. The school is notable for its strong community roots, its privileged natural setting alongside the Lozoya valley, and a firm commitment to sustainability and the 2030 Agenda.

We are in the third term of the school year. The teaching team's priority objective is the development of interdisciplinary projects that connect students' learning with the conservation of the local natural environment.

CLASS GROUP

The class group in question is Year 5 of Primary Education, configured as a mixed-year group in this section of the CRA, with a total of 14 students. Given the low class ratio, the classroom atmosphere is very close-knit and affectionate, although notable heterogeneity is observed in terms of learning pace and levels of linguistic competence in the foreign language (English), which range between an initial A1 level and a developing A2 according to the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages).

STUDENTS

Within the group, three diverse profiles are identified that require differentiated educational attention:

• Hugo (Student with specific educational support needs due to specific learning difficulties — Dyslexia): He has a recent diagnosis of developmental dyslexia. He shows significant difficulties in reading decoding, spelling in English (due to the phonological opacity of the language) and the processing speed of written texts. His listening comprehension and motivation towards communicative and hands-on tasks are excellent. He requires an educational response of Level II (additional mainstream measures) focused on text accessibility, visual scaffolding and flexibility in assessment tools.
• Aitana (Student with specific educational support needs due to High Intellectual Abilities): She displays great curiosity, a very fast learning pace, excellent communicative competence in English and strong leadership skills. She tends to become demotivated if tasks are repetitive or excessively guided. She requires curricular enrichment through extension tasks and active mediation or creative roles.
• Marc (Student with ADHD — inattentive subtype): He has difficulties sustaining attention, planning complex tasks and organising his workspace and materials. He benefits greatly from clear routines, fragmented instructions, visual support and the use of interactive manipulative and digital resources.

RESOURCES AND STAFF

For the development of educational practice, the following human and material resources are available:

• Foreign Language Specialist (English): Responsible for the design, implementation and assessment of the didactic plan.
• Therapeutic Pedagogy Teacher (PT): Provides support within the mainstream classroom for 2 hours per week, coinciding with English sessions, which facilitates co-teaching and shared instruction to attend to the diversity of Hugo and Marc.
• Language Assistant: A native speaker, present in the classroom 1 hour per week to facilitate interaction and speaking activities.
• Material resources: A trolley of digital tablets with internet connection, an Interactive Digital Whiteboard (PDI), various manipulative materials and an ecological school garden adjacent to the classroom.

DEVELOPMENT QUESTIONS

1. UDL Design and Implementation / Level II: How would you design and sequence a learning situation in this third term (for example, the creation of a digital and interactive "Eco-Guide" to local fauna and flora in English) that integrates the Level II response measures for Hugo (dyslexia) and guarantees the active participation and enrichment of all students (including Aitana and Marc) under the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL)? Pay particular attention to the specific methodological strategies for teaching English as an L2 in this context.

2. Competence-Based Assessment: Propose a detailed design of the assessment process for this learning situation in the Foreign Language (English) area, specifying the curricular assessment criteria of the Comunidad de Madrid that are mobilised, the formative, shared and ongoing assessment tools adapted to the needs of the students (Hugo, Aitana and Marc), and the levels of attainment to ensure equitable, barrier-free assessment.

PART B — 30 MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS

Question 1. In accordance with Real Decreto 157/2022, which establishes the minimum teaching requirements for Primary Education, how is basic knowledge defined? a) It comprises the learning objectives expressed in terms of observable and measurable behaviours at the end of each cycle. b) It comprises the compulsory minimum contents that must be memorised sequentially in each of the areas of knowledge. c) It comprises the knowledge, skills and attitudes that constitute the contents of an area and whose learning is necessary for the acquisition of specific competences. d) It comprises the evaluable learning standards that determine the academic performance of students.

Question 2. Within the framework of the LOMLOE, which of the following options best defines the purpose of the Plurilingual Competence? a) To use different languages, spoken or signed, appropriately and effectively for learning and communication. b) To master, at a native and identical level, the grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation of at least two foreign languages. c) To translate complex texts in writing between the mother tongue and the languages of instruction at the school. d) To know the philological history and etymological origins of the languages of the European Union.

Question 3. According to the inclusion regulations of the Comunidad de Madrid (Decreto 24/2018), what mainly characterises Level II educational response measures? a) They are extraordinary measures aimed at students with NEAE that involve significant curricular adaptations and placement in specialist units. b) They are mainstream measures aimed at a class group or an individual student, of a methodological or organisational nature, which do not alter the essential elements of the curriculum. c) They are general school-wide measures aimed at raising awareness within the educational community and organising shared spaces. d) They are additional specialist support measures provided exclusively outside the mainstream classroom by healthcare professionals.

Question 4. The regulations governing bilingual schools in the Comunidad de Madrid, in the school language domain, emphasise: a) The imposition of a single compulsory vehicular language for all non-linguistic areas of the Primary curriculum. b) The right of families to choose their children's participation in the bilingual programme within the Madrid education system. c) The complete elimination of the foreign language in the first cycle of Early Childhood Education. d) The requirement that all science subjects be taught exclusively in English from the third year of Primary Education onwards.

Question 5. According to Real Decreto 157/2022, what are assessment criteria? a) The operational descriptors indicating the level of digital competence achieved by the teaching staff. b) The quantitative grading tools used to assign a numerical mark to students' academic records. c) The methodological guidelines for the design of complementary activities outside school. d) The benchmarks that measure the degree of acquisition of specific competences and the degree of attainment of the objectives of each area.

Question 6. In accordance with the LOMLOE, the assessment of students in the Primary Education stage shall be: a) Global, continuous and formative in nature, and shall take into account students' progress across the full range of learning processes. b) Summative, final and punitive in nature, focused on standardised written examinations at the end of each term. c) Homogeneous and uniform, applying identical scales with no possibility of methodological adaptation or flexibility. d) Selective and classifying, with the aim of grouping students according to their academic performance from the first cycle.

Question 7. In Decreto 61/2022, which establishes the organisation and curriculum of the Primary Education stage for the Comunidad de Madrid, the specific competences of the areas are closely linked to: a) Traditional contents divided strictly into conceptual topics. b) The operational descriptors of the exit profile of students at the end of compulsory education. c) The tutorial action plan and the school's internal regulations. d) The entrance examinations to compulsory secondary education.

Question 8. In the design of a learning situation, the challenge or final task set must be characterised by: a) Being a mechanical exercise of direct translation and memorisation of irregular verbs. b) Being a real-life problem or activity, contextualised, meaningful and requiring the integrated mobilisation of basic knowledge. c) Being limited to an individual multiple-choice exam completed on paper under strict time conditions. d) Being unrelated to students' interests in order to guarantee the scientific objectivity of the subject of study.

Question 9. According to the LOMLOE, in which year of Primary Education will schools carry out a diagnostic assessment of the competences acquired by their students? a) In the 2nd year of Primary Education. b) In the 3rd year of Primary Education. c) In the 4th year of Primary Education. d) In the 6th year of Primary Education.

Question 10. The exit profile of students at the end of compulsory education, according to RD 157/2022, constitutes: a) The specification of the essential learning outcomes and key competences that students must have acquired and developed upon completing compulsory education. b) An administrative document that is only completed for students who present learning difficulties. c) A list of quantitative grades for the core subjects of the final year. d) The digital portfolio of artistic productions created throughout the student's schooling.

Question 11. Which of the following options describes the components of the "4 Cs" model in the CLIL approach (Content and Language Integrated Learning)? a) Context, Creativity, Collaboration, Comprehension. b) Content, Communication, Cognition, Culture. c) Curriculum, Classroom, Control, Correction. d) Cohesion, Coherence, Competence, Communication.

Question 12. For a student with dyslexia (such as Hugo) learning English as an L2, which approach to teaching reading and writing has the greatest scientific support? a) The whole-language approach based solely on the visual memorisation of whole words. b) The multisensory structured phonics approach (Multisensory Structured Phonics), which explicitly associates phonemes, graphemes and gestures. c) Repetitive individual copying of lists of decontextualised vocabulary. d) Prolonged silent reading of complex texts with no scaffolding or audio support whatsoever.

Question 13. The Total Physical Response (TPR) method, developed by James Asher, is based didactically on: a) The association of listening comprehension with physical action and bodily movement before requiring verbal production. b) The exclusive learning of English grammar through the translation of physical education texts. c) The use of moderate physical punishment to correct pronunciation errors in the classroom. d) The priority development of literacy through the use of handwriting worksheets and fine-motor tracing.

Question 14. In the teaching of a foreign language, what is understood by "scaffolding" in oral production tasks? a) The process of immediate and systematic correction of any grammatical error made by the student. b) The provision of temporary supports (such as sentence starters, visual supports and key vocabulary) to guide the student's production. c) The administration of individual oral examinations without prior preparation in a high-pressure environment. d) The exclusive use of the teacher's mother tongue to explain the most complex syntactic structures.

Question 15. Which of the following instruments is the most appropriate for carrying out formative, shared assessment of the speaking skill in an English project in Year 5 of Primary Education? a) A written objective test involving filling in gaps with the correct verb form. b) An illustrated self-assessment and peer-assessment rubric, with clear achievement descriptors that students are familiar with beforehand. c) A checklist that records only the number of pronunciation errors made. d) A final oral examination consisting of direct translation of isolated sentences in front of the teacher.

Question 16. According to Stephen Krashen's Comprehensible Input hypothesis (i + 1), the English teacher should provide students with: a) Texts and discourse well below their current level to avoid any hint of frustration. b) Linguistic input that contains elements one step beyond their current level of competence, supported by context and visual elements. c) Exclusively native-speed audio materials with no methodological adaptations from the very first day of class. d) Lists of abstract grammatical rules explained theoretically in the students' mother tongue.

Question 17. The Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) approach to teaching English primarily promotes: a) The precise memorisation of formal language structures and their choral repetition. b) The use of language in real contexts to carry out meaningful interactions, prioritising fluency and communicative effectiveness. c) The literal translation of classical Anglo-Saxon literary works into Spanish. d) The learning of English phonetics through transcription of symbols from the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA).

Question 18. In Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) methodology, what is the correct sequence of the phases of a session or teaching unit? a) Examination — Theoretical explanation — Repetitive exercises. b) Pre-task — Task cycle — Language focus (Post-task). c) Text reading — Written translation — Vocabulary memorisation. d) Warm-up — Individual test — Final written grade.

Question 19. The role of the Language Assistant in the Primary Education classroom should primarily focus on: a) Completely replacing the specialist English teacher, taking on the class tutorship and grading of students. b) Carrying out administrative tasks such as marking written examinations and preparing photocopies in the department. c) Enhancing students' oral communicative competence, modelling natural pronunciation and introducing socio-cultural aspects of their home country. d) Delivering lecture-style grammar lessons during sessions when the specialist is not present.

Question 20. In reading comprehension in a foreign language, the "scanning" strategy consists of: a) Reading a text quickly to gain a general overview or idea of its overall content. b) Translating the complete text line by line, noting the meaning of each word in a bilingual dictionary. c) Searching quickly and selectively for a specific piece of information (such as a number, a name or a date) in the text. d) Reciting the text aloud paying exclusive attention to intonation and phonetic rhythm.

Question 21. According to Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development, students in Year 5 and Year 6 of Primary Education (approximately 10 to 12 years of age) are generally in transition between: a) The sensorimotor stage and the pre-operational stage. b) The concrete operations stage and the formal operations stage. c) The intuitive stage and the symbolic stage. d) The stage of heteronomous morality and social anomy.

Question 22. Lev Vygotsky defines the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) as: a) The physical free-play space where students interact without the presence or supervision of an adult. b) The distance between the actual level of development (what can be done independently) and the potential level of development (what can be done with the help of a more capable guide or peer). c) The genetically determined limit of intelligence that prevents a student from learning a foreign language. d) The period of childhood in which egocentric speech disappears completely.

Question 23. According to Jerome Bruner, the concept of the "Spiral Curriculum" implies that: a) Key topics and concepts must be taught recurrently over time, progressively increasing their level of complexity and depth. b) The curriculum must be strictly circular, repeating exactly the same contents year after year without variation. c) Students must study contents in a disordered and random manner according to their daily mood. d) Artistic subjects must be the central axis around which all other subjects revolve in a subordinate manner.

Question 24. Howard Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences suggests that the English teacher should: a) Classify students using a single Intelligence Quotient (IQ) test in order to group them into homogeneous performance levels. b) Focus L2 teaching exclusively on linguistic-verbal intelligence through traditional written tasks. c) Offer a variety of learning and expression pathways (musical, spatial, kinaesthetic-bodily, interpersonal, etc.) so that all students can access the curriculum. d) Avoid the use of songs, drawings or movement-based activities as these are considered a waste of academic time.

Question 25. According to David Ausubel's theory of Meaningful Learning, for this type of learning to occur it is an essential condition that: a) The student receives information in a purely rote and repetitive manner without understanding its usefulness. b) The new information is related in a substantive and non-arbitrary manner to the prior knowledge the student already possesses. c) The teacher applies a strict system of rewards and punishments based on behaviourism. d) Activities are always carried out individually and in complete silence within the classroom.

Question 26. In integrating digital technologies into the English area, the SAMR model (developed by Ruben Puentedura) proposes four levels of technological integration which are: a) Selection, Adaptation, Mediation and Realisation. b) Substitution, Augmentation, Modification and Redefinition. c) Software, Application, Multimedia and Networks. d) Simplicity, Accessibility, Motivation and Rigour.

Question 27. To work on SDG 15 (Life on Land) in the English area in a rural CRA, the most coherent didactic strategy from a competence-based approach is: a) Requiring students to copy and translate a Wikipedia text about global deforestation. b) Designing an action-research project in which students create bilingual posters to protect the biodiversity of their own natural environment. c) Memorising a list of 50 English words for types of exotic trees found in the Amazon rainforest. d) Watching a two-hour documentary in English with no subtitles and no prior or subsequent scaffolding activities.

Question 28. Which of the following actions effectively promotes co-education and gender equality in the foreign language classroom? a) Using traditional textbooks in which women are represented solely in domestic caring roles. b) Organising debates in which leadership and spokesperson roles are assigned equitably, and highlighting the contributions of female scientists and writers from English-speaking countries. c) Physically separating boys and girls in the classroom to avoid conflicts during role-plays. d) Assuming that the use of the English language is intrinsically neutral and requires no critical reflection on stereotypes.

Question 29. In accordance with Ley Orgánica 3/2018 (LOPDGDD) on the protection of personal data and the guarantee of digital rights, in order to publish a video of students performing a theatrical piece in English on the school website: a) It is sufficient to have the direct verbal authorisation of the participating students on the day of the recording. b) It is essential to have prior, express, written and informed consent from the parents, mothers or legal guardians of children under 14 years of age. c) It may be published freely as it is a compulsory school activity included in the didactic plan. d) It is sufficient to pixelate only the face of the student who presents learning difficulties or specific needs.

Question 30. From the perspective of Neuroeducation applied to the Primary classroom, authors such as Francisco Mora highlight that: a) The brain only learns that which excites it and which meaningfully arouses its curiosity and attention. b) The sustained attention of a 10-year-old child can be maintained optimally during theoretical explanations lasting more than 60 consecutive minutes. c) The learning of a second language must be based on stress and evaluative pressure in order to accelerate cerebral plasticity. d) Physical movement and positive emotions negatively interfere with the consolidation of long-term memory.