Oregon Educator Licensure Assessments (ORELA) Practice Exam

What is systematic sight word instruction aimed at developing?

1. Understanding of phonics

2. Automatic recognition of high frequency words

3. Word analysis skills

4. Knowledge of affixes

The correct answer is: Automatic recognition of high frequency words

Systematic sight word instruction is specifically designed to enhance the automatic recognition of high frequency words. This type of instruction focuses on teaching students to recognize certain words by sight rather than sounding them out. High frequency words often appear in texts and are crucial for reading fluency. By developing the ability to quickly and effortlessly recognize these words, students can improve their reading speed and comprehension, allowing them to focus on larger phrases and meanings within the text instead of getting bogged down by decoding each word. While understanding phonics, word analysis skills, and knowledge of affixes are important components of literacy development, they are not the primary focus of systematic sight word instruction. Phonics teaches the relationships between letters and sounds, word analysis involves breaking words into parts for decoding or understanding, and knowledge of affixes helps in understanding word meanings. Systematic sight word instruction, in contrast, centers specifically on the quick recognition of words that students frequently encounter in their reading, which supports overall reading proficiency.