Which activity best demonstrates a student applying sound-letter relationships to read a new word?

• A. Sounding out and blending the letters in words such as mat and sat
• B. Recognizing high-frequency words by sight
• C. Rereading a familiar text
• D. Writing a sentence using a target word

Answer: (A)

Using sound-letter relationships to read a new word means decoding by mapping letters to their sounds and blending those sounds to form the word. Sounding out and blending the letters in words like mat and sat shows exactly this process: you hear the phonemes, translate them to letters, and blend them to read the unfamiliar word. Recognizing high-frequency words by sight relies on memory of whole words rather than decoding the individual sounds, so it doesn’t demonstrate applying phonics to new words. Rereading a familiar text focuses on fluency and comprehension built from previously learned words, not decoding a fresh word. Writing a sentence uses spelling and production rather than reading aloud by applying sound-letter relationships.