New York State Teacher Certification Examinations (NYSTCE) Early Childhood Practice Test

Which principle involves understanding that letters represent sounds in words?

1. Phonetic awareness

2. Alphabetic principle

3. Conventions of written English

4. Graphophonics

The correct answer is: Alphabetic principle

The principle that involves understanding that letters represent sounds in words is the alphabetic principle. This concept is foundational in reading and literacy development, as it highlights the relationship between phonemes (the smallest units of sound) and graphemes (the letters or combinations of letters that represent those sounds). Mastering this principle allows children to decode written words, as they learn to associate specific sounds with their corresponding letters and letter combinations. In practice, when children grasp the alphabetic principle, they begin to understand that writing is a systematic representation of speech, and they can apply this knowledge to read and write effectively. This understanding is crucial for developing reading fluency and comprehension skills. The other options, while related to literacy, focus on different aspects; for example, phonetic awareness emphasizes recognizing and manipulating sounds in spoken words rather than their written representation, while conventions of written English pertain to grammar and sentence structure. Graphophonics connects sounds with their corresponding letters but is a more specific term that doesn't encompass the full breadth of the alphabetic principle.