How does phonics instruction support literacy development?

Phonics instruction plays a critical role in literacy development by teaching students the relationship between letters and sounds, which is essential for decoding words. This process involves helping learners understand how individual sounds (phonemes) correspond to letters or groups of letters (graphemes) in written language. By mastering these connections, students gain the ability to sound out unfamiliar words, which promotes reading fluency and comprehension.

Decoding skills acquired through phonics not only boost reading abilities but also enhance spelling, as students learn how words are constructed. This foundational skill set is particularly important in early literacy development, where the ability to independently read and pronounce words paves the way for further reading and cognitive skills.

The other options do not align with the core purpose of phonics instruction. Memorizing sight words alone does not equip students with the skills needed for decoding; grammatical rules are not a focus in phonics; and while creative writing is a valuable aspect of literacy, it does not directly contribute to the decoding skills that phonics instruction aims to develop.