Ohio Assessments for Educators (OAE) Early Childhood Practice Exam

Which lesson is most effective for a kindergarten student who has developed phonemic awareness?

1. Writing and outlining shapes of words

2. Learning to read high-frequency words

3. Sounding out and blending the letters in words

4. Learning to rhyme words

The correct answer is: Sounding out and blending the letters in words

The effectiveness of sounding out and blending the letters in words for a kindergarten student who has developed phonemic awareness lies in the direct application of their understanding of sounds to the reading process. Phonemic awareness involves recognizing and manipulating the sounds in spoken words, which is foundational for decoding written text. By focusing on sounding out and blending, the student can take the individual phonemes they’ve learned and connect them to the letters of the alphabet, facilitating the transition from spoken to written language. This skill is crucial for developing fluent reading abilities, as it allows children to break down unfamiliar words into manageable sounds and combine them to form words they can pronounce. Engaging in activities like recognizing high-frequency words, writing, or rhyming would certainly contribute to literacy development but do not build directly on the skill set of a student who has already shown proficiency in phonemic awareness. Blending and sounding out words utilizes their developed skills actively, reinforcing their understanding of how sounds correlate with letters, which is the key focus for a student ready to advance in reading.