TEXES Science of Teaching Reading Practice Test

How is phonemic awareness most beneficial to emergent literacy?

1. It improves students' pronunciation of individual spoken words

2. It helps students understand the directionality of printed text

3. It enhances listening comprehension

4. It prepares students to match their listening comprehension with phonetic sounds

The correct answer is: It prepares students to match their listening comprehension with phonetic sounds

Phonemic awareness is a crucial skill in emergent literacy because it involves the ability to hear, identify, and manipulate individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken words. This skill lays the foundation for phonics, which connects sounds to their corresponding letters and written forms. By preparing students to match their listening comprehension with phonetic sounds, it facilitates the development of decoding skills necessary for reading. When children can hear and manipulate sounds, they are better equipped to understand the relationships between sounds and letters, which is vital for developing reading skills. This ability is particularly beneficial when it comes to learning to read; as they encounter text, their existing knowledge of sounds can help them decode new words. Consequently, this foundational skill greatly supports their overall literacy development by establishing a strong connection between spoken language and written language.