What is one method used to assess informal orthographic awareness?

The method of circling a word in a sentence is a valuable technique for assessing informal orthographic awareness because it requires students to recognize and identify printed words within the context of a sentence. This activity engages their competence in distinguishing words from other elements of text, such as spaces and punctuation, which is fundamental to developing orthographic awareness. It emphasizes visual recognition and spatial awareness in reading, and helps educators gauge whether students can differentiate between various words based on their visual representation.

While the other methods listed also relate to aspects of literacy development, circling words specifically targets the recognition of word boundaries and illustrates a practical way to assess a student's understanding of written language in a straightforward manner. For example, dividing compound words or segmenting words into phonemes relates more to phonological awareness and the internal structure of words rather than recognizing words as entities in a text. Evaluating comprehension directly pertains more to understanding the meaning of the text rather than the ability to recognize how words are structured visually in written language.