In the context of the MoCA Language Arts, what does ‘phonemic awareness’ refer to?

Phonemic awareness refers specifically to the ability to identify and manipulate sounds in spoken words. This foundational skill is crucial for developing reading and writing abilities. Phonemic awareness helps learners understand that words are made up of individual sounds (phonemes), which can be segmented, blended, or manipulated to form new words.

For example, if a student can recognize that the word "cat" consists of the sounds /k/, /æ/, and /t/, they are demonstrating phonemic awareness. This skill lays the groundwork for later phonics instruction, where students learn the relationship between sounds and their corresponding letters or letter combinations.

In contrast, the other options focus on different aspects of language arts, such as reading fluency, writing coherence, and understanding literary devices, which play significant but distinct roles in language proficiency.