What does phonemic awareness refer to?

Phonemic awareness is a crucial aspect of early literacy that specifically focuses on the ability to hear, identify, and manipulate the individual sounds, or phonemes, in spoken words. This skill is essential for developing reading and writing abilities because it allows children to understand how sounds combine to form words. By recognizing and manipulating these sounds, students can improve their decoding skills, which are vital for fluent reading.

For instance, if a child can break down the word "cat" into its individual phonemes /k/, /æ/, and /t/, they are exercising phonemic awareness. This understanding helps them to sound out words when reading and to apply this knowledge when spelling. Therefore, option B accurately captures the heart of phonemic awareness and its significance in the learning process.