A prekindergarten student recognizes that there are seven words in the spoken sentence, "The bird flies high in the sky." What skill is the child demonstrating?

The child is demonstrating phonological awareness by recognizing that there are seven words in the spoken sentence. Phonological awareness is the ability to hear and manipulate the sound structures of language, which includes recognizing syllables, onsets, rimes, and individual words in sentences. In this case, the student has successfully identified the individual words within a spoken sentence, showcasing their understanding of the segmentation of speech into distinct units, or words.

Other skills listed, such as print awareness, refer to understanding the form and function of written language, including concepts like how to hold a book or the directionality of text. Letter-sound correspondence involves recognizing the connection between letters and their associated sounds, a critical aspect of reading development. Oral language fluency pertains more to the flow and ease of speech rather than analyzing sentence structure or components. Thus, the child’s ability to identify the number of words emphasizes their phonological awareness rather than these other skills.