Which component of literacy instruction focuses on the ability to recognize and manipulate the sounds of letters?

The correct choice, phonemic awareness, refers specifically to the understanding and manipulation of the sounds that make up spoken words. This includes skills such as recognizing individual sounds (phonemes) in words, blending sounds to form words, and segmenting words into their constituent sounds. Phonemic awareness is foundational for reading and writing, as it enables learners to decode words by breaking them down into their constituent sounds.

In contrast, vocabulary development encompasses the process of acquiring new words and their meanings, which is more about comprehension and word knowledge rather than sound manipulation. Text complexity refers to the difficulty level of texts that students read, focusing on factors like sentence structure, vocabulary, and thematic depth, rather than sound recognition. Reading fluency involves the ability to read with speed, accuracy, and expression, which presupposes a certain level of phonemic awareness but does not directly address it. Therefore, phonemic awareness is uniquely focused on the sounds of letters and is essential for early reading success.