Classroom reading scores are likely to be higher when phonics instruction is a central organizing component of the regular classroom program in kindergarten and first grade.

• True

• False

If students have poor decoding skills, text reading should be focused on high-frequency or predictable text.

• True

• False

Answer explanation

Decodable text allows students to depend on the alphabetic code instead of guesswork, picture clues, or memorization. That is its purpose.

Good readers may need less phonics instruction than poor readers or students at risk.

• True

• False

Students who can read decodable text with increasing accuracy and fluency can begin to employ comprehension strategies such as retelling and summarizing with teacher support.

• True

• False

A balanced program should have about the same amount of time devoted to phonics in kindergarten, first, and second grade.

• True

• False

Answer explanation

Practice time will vary depending on the age and level of the student.

Beginner text that uses rhyme and repetition of phrases to help students predict words from context is an important part of the phonics lesson.

• True

• False

Answer explanation

Predictable books are not suited for beginning decoding instruction, in which the goal is reading the words accurately out of context. Decodable text serves the specific purpose of providing ample practice using and reading words with phonic elements that have been taught.

Applying phonics in word reading requires both phonological and orthographic learning.

• True

• False

There is more to word recognition than phoneme-grapheme correspondence.

• True

• False

It's best not to complicate a phonics lesson by focusing on the words' meanings.

• True

• False

Answer explanation

Knowing what a word means facilitates word recognition, so it is important to teach word meanings to beginning readers.

An effective word chain uses words that change only one sound at a time.

• True

• False