Mississippi Foundations of Reading Practice Test

What is meant by "word families"?

1. Words with different meanings

2. Common orthographic rimes

3. Words learned through whole language

4. Vocal effects on pronunciation

The correct answer is: Common orthographic rimes

"Word families" refer to groups of words that share a common orthographic rime, which is the vowel and any following consonants within a syllable. For example, words like "cat," "bat," "hat," and "rat" all belong to the same word family because they share the same ending sound and spelling pattern. This concept is essential in teaching reading and phonics, as recognizing these patterns helps students decode unfamiliar words and understand the relationship between them. The other options do not accurately define word families. While words with different meanings might be part of a vocabulary curriculum, they do not imply any shared sounds or spellings required to be considered part of a word family. The mention of whole language learning involves a broader approach that encompasses context and meaning but does not specifically deal with phonetic patterns. Lastly, vocal effects on pronunciation focus on how words sound rather than on the word structure and patterns found in a word family.