Which activity targets phonological awareness?

• A. Phonics-based letter-sound mapping using flashcards.
• B. Reading aloud to practice fluency.
• C. Clapping syllables and rhyming games.
• D. Memorizing sight words.

Answer: (C)

Phonological awareness is the ability to hear, identify, and manipulate sounds in spoken language, including processes like syllable clapping and recognizing rhymes. Clapping syllables helps students segment words into their separate syllables, while rhyming games highlight how different words share the same ending sounds. These activities train the ear to notice sound patterns and structures, which is the core of phonological awareness and a crucial foundation for later decoding skills.

Activities like phonics-based letter-sound mapping focus more on linking sounds to letters and decoding, not on hearing sound structures in speech. Reading aloud for fluency emphasizes speed, expression, and flow, not specifically identifying sound units. Memorizing sight words builds word recognition without engaging the sound structure of spoken language.