PALS-Pre-K looks at beginning sounds, rhymes, and nursery rhymes. Which area is NOT included in PALS-Pre-K?

• A. Beginning sounds
• B. Rhymes
• C. Nursery rhymes
• D. Letter naming

Answer: (D)

PALS-Pre-K focuses on early phonological awareness, which means how children hear and play with sounds in spoken language. It includes tasks that look at beginning sounds, rhymes, and nursery rhymes because these activities build the ability to notice sound patterns, which is essential for later decoding skills.

Letter naming, on the other hand, is not part of PALS-Pre-K. That area targets print knowledge and letter recognition, which is a different strand of early literacy typically addressed separately or in later assessments. The included areas—beginning sounds, rhymes, and nursery rhymes—support listening, sound discrimination, and rhythm awareness, laying the groundwork for reading.