What instructional focus should be developed for students struggling with blends in single-syllable words?

Focusing on foundation skills in phonemic awareness is crucial for students struggling with blends in single-syllable words. Phonemic awareness involves the ability to hear, identify, and manipulate individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken words. This foundational skill is essential for understanding how sounds combine to form blends, which are two or more consonants that together produce a unique sound, like 'bl' in 'black' or 'str' in 'street.'

By strengthening their phonemic awareness, students will become more proficient in recognizing and articulating these blends, enabling them to decode words more accurately. This foundational skill directly supports their reading development and builds a pathway to more advanced reading and writing tasks. Developing phonemic awareness ensures that students have the necessary tools to tackle more complex reading materials in the future.

Other instructional focuses, such as intermediate reading strategies, advanced comprehension techniques, or complex vocabulary acquisition, do not address the immediate need for foundational skills and may lack the necessary emphasis on sound recognition and manipulation essential for mastering blends.