Which foundational reading skill is essential for becoming a proficient reader?

The essential foundational reading skill for becoming a proficient reader is the ability to manipulate letter sounds, also known as phonemic awareness. This skill involves recognizing, blending, segmenting, and manipulating sounds in spoken language, which is critical for decoding written words. Developing phonemic awareness enables children to understand the relationship between sounds and letters, and it lays the groundwork for reading fluency and comprehension. Mastery of sounds is crucial because it directly impacts a reader's ability to decode unknown words, facilitating the transition from novice to skilled reading.

Other options, while important to reading as a whole, do not serve as foundational skills in the same way. Writing essays and comprehending complex texts build upon the initial skills of reading, and fluency is a proficiency that develops after a reader has acquired phonemic awareness and decoding skills. Therefore, manipulating letter sounds is the bedrock upon which proficient reading is built.