Foundational Skills: Phonics, Word Analysis, and Fluency
What to Know
Phonics questions test letter-sound patterns: short and long vowels, vowel teams (ai, ea, oa), r-controlled vowels (ar, or, er), digraphs (sh, ch, th), blends (bl, str), and silent e. Word analysis covers syllables, base words, prefixes, suffixes, and compound words. Fluency means reading accurately, at a good rate, and with expression. Punctuation (periods, commas, question marks) gives clues for phrasing and expression.
Traps to Watch
- Silent e changes the vowel: cap becomes cape; hop becomes hope.
- Vowel teams say one sound: rain, beach, boat.
- Digraph vs. blend: In a digraph (sh), the letters make one new sound; in a blend (st), you hear both sounds.
- Syllable counting: Count vowel sounds, not letters. Table has two syllables.
- Fluency is not speed. Reading fast with errors is not fluent.
Worked Example
Which word has a long a sound? Choices: cat, cake, car, cap. Only cake has the silent-e pattern that makes the a say its name. Car is r-controlled, and cat/cap are short a.
Rule of Thumb
When decoding a new word, cover the ending, read the base word, then add the ending back. For fluency, read aloud and pause at punctuation.