Mississippi Foundations of Reading Practice Test

What describes an approach to reading instruction that focuses on the relationships between letters and sounds?

1. Phonological awareness

2. Phoneme

3. Phonics

4. Rhyme

The correct answer is: Phonics

The approach that focuses on the relationships between letters and sounds is phonics. Phonics instruction involves teaching students how to connect the sounds of spoken language with the letters and spellings that represent those sounds in written language. This method helps learners understand how to decode words and promotes reading proficiency by enabling them to sound out unfamiliar words as they encounter them in text. Phonics lays the foundation for developing reading skills by emphasizing how letters can be combined to form sounds, which are then blended together to read words. It is a systematic approach that is essential for beginning readers, as it provides strategies they can use to tackle new vocabulary independently, enhancing their overall literacy development. While phonological awareness refers to a broader understanding of sounds in spoken language, including the ability to recognize and manipulate larger units of sound, it does not directly address the relationship between letters and sounds. The term "phoneme" specifically describes the smallest unit of sound in language, but it is not an instructional approach. Rhyme involves the similarity of sounds at the ends of words and is more focused on sound play rather than the functional aspects of reading instruction. Thus, phonics is the most accurate description of the reading instruction approach that emphasizes the connection between letters and sounds.