Which essential component of reading instruction should be included in a code-emphasis phonics lesson plan?

• A. Phonemic awareness.
• B. High-frequency word memorization.
• C. Silent reading practice.
• D. Picture labeling.

Answer: (A)

Phonemic awareness is the ability to hear, identify, and manipulate the individual sounds in spoken language. In a code-emphasis phonics lesson, this skill is essential because decoding hinges on recognizing that words are made up of discrete sounds that map to letters. When students can segment words into phonemes and blend those sounds to pronounce them, they gain the foundation needed to connect each sound to its written symbol and to blend sounds into words. This strong auditory skill supports accurate decoding, encoding, and eventually fluent reading. While high-frequency word memorization, silent reading practice, and picture labeling have their places in literacy, they do not directly establish the core ability to manipulate sounds that is central to phonics instruction focused on code-based decoding.