Which list contains components of phonological awareness?

• A. Word awareness; Rhyming & Alliteration; Syllable awareness; Phonemic awareness
• B. Digraph; Homophone; Dyspraxia; McGruffrey Readers
• C. Reading; Writing; Speaking; Listening
• D. Phonics; Grammar; Semantics; Pragmatics

Answer: (A)

Phonological awareness is about recognizing and working with sounds in spoken language. Its components include identifying word units in sentences, noticing rhymes and initial sound patterns (alliteration), detecting and counting syllables, and manipulating individual sounds (phonemes) through blending and segmenting. The list that includes word awareness; rhyming and alliteration; syllable awareness; and phonemic awareness covers all of these skills, making it the best fit.

Other options mix in terms from related areas that aren’t the components of phonological awareness. Digraph and homophone relate to sound-letter relationships or word sounds but don’t themselves describe the awareness of sound structure. Dyspraxia is a motor coordination issue, and McGruffrey Readers appears to be a program name rather than a phonological skill. Descriptions like Reading, Writing, Speaking, Listening point to language activities or domains rather than specific phonological skills. And Phonics, Grammar, Semantics, Pragmatics groups skills at different linguistic levels, with phonics focusing on letter-sound relationships rather than the sound structure awareness that phonological tasks target.