Ace the Connecticut FORT 2026 – Read, Understand, Conquer!

The choice that highlights an example of a decoding strategy is the use of onset and rime to sound out words. This method involves breaking a word into its initial sound (the onset) and the vowel and any following consonants (the rime). For example, in the word "cat," the onset is "c," and the rime is "at." This strategy enables readers to decode unfamiliar words by relying on their knowledge of letter sounds and patterns, making it a fundamental skill in developing literacy.

On the other hand, using context clues to guess words can be more about comprehension than decoding, as it relies on the surrounding text to infer meanings. Using illustrations to interpret text involves visual aids to support understanding, which does not directly teach how to pronounce or read the words. Focusing only on sight words limits the development of decoding skills because it does not promote the ability to sound out or manipulate unfamiliar words. Hence, using onset and rime effectively empowers students to enhance their phonemic awareness and word identification skills, crucial components in reading development.