Which phoneme awareness skill involves recognizing the initial sound in a word, such as the first sound in 'paste'?

Which phoneme awareness skill involves recognizing the initial sound in a word, such as the first sound in 'paste'?

• A. Phoneme Identity
• B. Rhyming Identity
• C. Phoneme Isolation
• D. Phoneme Substitution

Answer: (C)

This item tests phoneme isolation, the ability to identify a specific phoneme’s position in a word. In the word "paste," the first sound is /p/, so recognizing that initial sound demonstrates isolating the starting phoneme. This skill is a building block for blending and decoding. The other options involve different tasks—identifying the same sound across words, spotting whether two words rhyme, or substituting one sound for another—none of which focus on naming the initial sound of a single word.

This item tests phoneme isolation, the ability to identify a specific phoneme’s position in a word. In the word "paste," the first sound is /p/, so recognizing that initial sound demonstrates isolating the starting phoneme. This skill is a building block for blending and decoding. The other options involve different tasks—identifying the same sound across words, spotting whether two words rhyme, or substituting one sound for another—none of which focus on naming the initial sound of a single word.