Question 13

The teacher's initial focus is on base words.

Mr. Phan's approach to teaching involves demonstrating letter cards with digraphs and writing words that include these digraphs, which are fundamental components of the base words. This strategy helps students understand how these components come together to form words, which is crucial for determining the meaning of “unactionable.”

A) Prefixes

While prefixes are an important aspect of word formation, Mr. Phan does not focus on prefixes during his lesson on digraphs. The lesson centers around understanding the sounds and words formed with specific digraphs rather than breaking down the meaning of prefixes.

B) Suffixes

Suffixes are also not the focus of Mr. Phan’s lesson. His activities do not involve adding or analyzing suffixes, but rather emphasize the sounds associated with digraphs in base words, making suffixes irrelevant to the lesson's objective.

C) Base words

This option is correct as Mr. Phan introduces words that incorporate the digraphs, which are essential to understanding how base words are formed. By focusing on base words, he sets the foundation for students to comprehend more complex words like “unactionable.”

D) Phonemes

Although phonemes play a role in phonics instruction, Mr. Phan's lesson specifically highlights digraphs, which are combinations of phonemes. The primary goal is to link these sounds to the base words rather than focusing solely on individual phonemes.

Conclusion

The correct answer, base words, directly aligns with Mr. Phan’s teaching strategy, which emphasizes understanding the structure of words through digraphs. Other options, such as prefixes, suffixes, and phonemes, do not accurately reflect the teacher's initial focus in the lesson, thereby reinforcing why base words are crucial for determining the meaning of “unactionable.”