What is the first step in acquiring reading skills?

What is the first step in acquiring reading skills?

• A. Encoding, which is the process of hearing a word and spelling it.
• B. Vocabulary memorization.
• C. Comprehension strategies training.
• D. Decoding, which involves sounding out words using phonics and phonological awareness.

Answer: (D)

Decoding is the first essential step in learning to read. It means turning printed letters into spoken sounds and blending those sounds to pronounce words. Phonics gives the rules for letter-sound relationships, and phonological awareness helps students notice and manipulate smaller sound units like sounds and syllables. This ability to map print to sound lets a reader access the words on the page, which is necessary before meaning, vocabulary growth, or strategies for understanding text can really take hold. Without decoding, the words stay invisible; you can’t apply comprehension or build fluency until you can read the words aloud. The description here—sounding out words using phonics and phonological awareness—captures that foundational decoding skill.

Decoding is the first essential step in learning to read. It means turning printed letters into spoken sounds and blending those sounds to pronounce words. Phonics gives the rules for letter-sound relationships, and phonological awareness helps students notice and manipulate smaller sound units like sounds and syllables. This ability to map print to sound lets a reader access the words on the page, which is necessary before meaning, vocabulary growth, or strategies for understanding text can really take hold. Without decoding, the words stay invisible; you can’t apply comprehension or build fluency until you can read the words aloud. The description here—sounding out words using phonics and phonological awareness—captures that foundational decoding skill.