Which principle focuses on connecting sounds to letters and spelling to prevent reading problems, especially for students who begin school without these skills?

• A. Link Sounds and Letters
• B. Teach the Basics Clearly
• C. Daily Reading Practice
• D. Vocabulary Building

Answer: (A)

Connecting sounds to letters is the foundation of phonics, giving students the tool to decode unfamiliar words and to spell them. For learners who begin school without these skills, establishing clear sound–letter mappings prevents reading problems by turning spoken language into readable print. When students see how a sound corresponds to a letter or letter pattern, they can blend sounds to read and segment sounds to spell, building a solid early literacy base. Other principles—like simply practicing reading every day, building vocabulary, or teaching the basics clearly—support literacy, but they don’t directly provide the essential link between phonemes and graphemes that enables decoding from the start.