Oregon Educator Licensure Assessments (ORELA) Practice Exam

What does phonics knowledge involve?

1. Understanding the study of poetic meter

2. Corresponding letters to sounds

3. Developing high-frequency word recognition

4. Analyzing word structures with affixes

The correct answer is: Corresponding letters to sounds

Phonics knowledge is fundamentally about the relationship between letters and sounds. This skill enables learners to decode words by understanding how specific letters correspond to particular sounds in spoken language. Mastery of phonics is essential for reading development, as it helps individuals break down words into manageable parts and sound them out phonetically, facilitating the transition from spoken to written language. While the other choices relate to aspects of literacy, they do not specifically capture the essence of phonics. Understanding poetic meter pertains to the rhythm and pattern of poetry, high-frequency word recognition involves memorization of commonly used words rather than decoding, and analyzing word structures with affixes focuses on morphology rather than the direct connection between letters and their corresponding sounds. Therefore, the core concept of phonics knowledge lies in the correspondence of letters to sounds.