In a first-grade reading sample, a student consistently substitutes or omits words in a sentence. Which area should the teacher target?

• A. Phonological awareness
• B. Word identification
• C. Morphology
• D. Accuracy

Answer: (D)

When a student consistently substitutes or omits words, the focus is on accuracy in oral reading—the ability to read the text correctly word by word. This pattern shows that the reader is not reliably matching the printed words to the spoken words, which disrupts fluency and comprehension.

Phonological awareness is about hearing and manipulating sounds, which can affect decoding but doesn’t directly describe the specific reading errors of substituting or omitting words. Morphology deals with word structure and meaning from prefixes, roots, and suffixes, which isn’t the primary issue here. Word identification relates to recognizing and decoding words, but the description points most directly to accuracy—the overall correctness of what is read.

To target accuracy, use strategies that promote correct word reading and self-correction: guided repeated readings with feedback, explicit practice on troublesome words, pointing to each word while reading to reinforce alignment between print and speech, and teaching self-monitoring so the student can notice and fix mistakes as they occur.