Connecticut Foundations of Reading Test (FORT) Practice

What level of phonological awareness involves recognizing how words rhyme?

1. Word sentences

2. Onset and rimes

3. Beginning phoneme

4. How words rhyme

The correct answer is: How words rhyme

Recognizing how words rhyme is a specific skill within phonological awareness that falls into the category of identifying similar sound patterns at the end of words. This level of phonological awareness is essential for developing a child's ability to manipulate sounds within words, which greatly contributes to their reading and spelling skills. When children can hear and recognize rhymes, they are engaging in phonological awareness by noticing the sound structures that make the words sound alike. This skill not only aids in vocabulary development but also lays the groundwork for understanding more complex phonetic concepts in the future. Rhyming activities often serve as an effective and enjoyable way to help children develop their phonological awareness skills, preparing them for tasks like writing poetry or decoding written text later on. Other levels of phonological awareness, such as onset and rimes, deal with different aspects of sound manipulation and are not specifically focused on rhyming, which makes recognizing how words rhyme a critical foundational skill in early literacy development.