What does blending involve in phonological awareness?

Blending in phonological awareness specifically refers to the process of combining individual phonemes, which are the smallest units of sound in speech, to form words. This skill is fundamental in early literacy development, as it enables children to hear sounds in isolation and stitch them together to make coherent words. For instance, when a child hears the sounds /c/, /a/, and /t/, they need to blend these sounds together to say "cat." Blending is crucial for reading because it facilitates understanding how letters correspond to sounds and how those sounds come together to create meaningful language.

The other options focus on different aspects of phonological processing. For instance, breaking words into phonemes involves segmenting sounds, which is the opposite of blending. Separating syllables into onsets and rimes addresses syllable structure rather than the merging of phonemes. Identifying word meanings in context pertains to vocabulary development rather than phonological skills. Understanding these distinctions highlights the importance of blending as a skill distinct from other phonological awareness activities.