Reading Instruction Competence Assessment (RICA) Practice Test

Which of the following is not a strategy to teach letter recognition?

1. Tactile and kinesthetic activities

2. Direct instruction on forming letters

3. Listening to phonemic sounds

4. Using children’s names for letter practice

The correct answer is: Listening to phonemic sounds

Listening to phonemic sounds focuses on the auditory aspects of language, which involves recognizing and manipulating sounds in spoken words rather than visual letters. This approach is essential for developing phonemic awareness, a critical component of reading, but it does not directly contribute to letter recognition. In contrast, strategies like tactile and kinesthetic activities, direct instruction on forming letters, and using children’s names for letter practice are all visual and experiential methods that help learners identify and remember letters. Hence, they are effective in teaching letter recognition. In contrast, focusing solely on phonemic sounds means the activity is not directly addressing how to recognize letters themselves.