Which of the following best describes the phonics approach?

The phonics approach centers on the relationship between sounds (phonemes) and letters (graphemes), which is fundamental for teaching children how to read and write. This approach emphasizes decoding words by teaching learners to recognize the sounds associated with each letter or combination of letters, enabling them to blend these sounds together to form words. Essentially, phonics instruction helps students understand how written language corresponds to spoken language, setting a strong foundation for reading skills. It is a systematic method that builds a child’s ability to read unfamiliar words through the knowledge of letter-sound relationships.

This focus distinguishes phonics from the other options. For instance, teaching grammar through writing cannot capture the specific sound-letter relationship crucial to phonics. Identifying themes in stories is more related to comprehension and literary analysis rather than the foundational skills of reading. Memorizing sight words involves recognizing specific words by sight rather than understanding their sound-letter connection, which is key in phonics instruction. Thus, the emphasis on the sound-letter relationship makes this option the best description of the phonics approach.