Oregon Educator Licensure Assessments (ORELA) Practice Exam

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What refers to a child's ability to recognize the separate sound units of words?

  1. Sound blending

  2. Phoneme segmentation

  3. Phoneme isolation

  4. Phoneme identity

The correct answer is: Phoneme segmentation

The correct choice refers to phoneme segmentation, which is the skill that allows a child to identify and separate the individual sounds, or phonemes, within a word. This ability is crucial for developing reading and spelling skills, as it involves breaking down words into their component sounds. For example, in the word "cat," a child utilizing phoneme segmentation would recognize the sounds /k/, /a/, and /t/ as distinct units. This skill helps children understand how words are constructed and how different sounds can combine to form different meanings. While other options may involve different aspects of phonological awareness, they do not specifically pertain to the ability to recognize and isolate the individual sounds within words, which is the essence of phoneme segmentation. Sound blending, phoneme isolation, and phoneme identity address related but distinct skills in phonological awareness.