A kindergarten teacher reads a storybook to the class and identifies features of the text while reading in order to reinforce concepts of print. Which reading strategy is most effective for this purpose?

• A. Discussing the author's life
• B. Asking for a class vote of favorite illustrations
• C. Connecting background knowledge to the topic of the book
• D. Talking about how the /sh/ sound is represented by the grapheme sh

Answer: (D)

Focusing on how spoken sounds map to written symbols builds concepts of print by showing that print carries meaning and uses letters to represent sounds. During a read-aloud, explicitly noting that the /sh/ sound is written as “sh” helps kindergarteners see the link between a sound and its printed representation, supporting early decoding and print awareness.

The other ideas center on author background, illustrations, or general background knowledge, which don’t directly reinforce how print works or how letters and sounds connect in written language.