How can teaching word recognition be best described?

• A. Teaching begins with whole-word recognition
• B. Teaching begins by showing the relationship between individual sounds and letters
• C. Teaching focuses on grammar rules
• D. Teaching uses only visual cues

Answer: (B)

The main idea being tested is how best to build word recognition through instruction. The most effective description is teaching by establishing the relationship between individual sounds and letters, then teaching students to blend those sounds to form words. This phonics-based approach gives learners concrete tools: they learn which letters correspond to which sounds, how to blend sounds together to read new words, and how to segment words into sounds for decoding. With this foundation, students can recognize familiar words quickly and also tackle unfamiliar words they encounter in text, which is essential for fluent reading.

Starting with whole-word recognition focuses on recognizing words as whole units without teaching how to decode unfamiliar spellings, which can leave learners stuck when they meet new words. Focusing on grammar rules targets syntax and sentence structure rather than word-level decoding skills. Relying on visual cues alone ignores the sound system of English, making it hard to read unfamiliar words that don’t look familiar or that have irregular spellings. In contrast, linking sounds to letters builds transferable decoding skills that support robust, long-term word recognition.