What is the focus of synthetic instruction in phonics?

The focus of synthetic instruction in phonics is on blending sounds into words. This phonics approach involves teaching students to recognize individual sounds (phonemes) in words and then combine, or synthesize, those sounds to form complete words. By emphasizing the blending of sounds, students learn how to construct words from their constituent parts, which is a fundamental skill in developing reading ability. This method allows learners to apply their understanding of phonetic sounds directly to the reading process, facilitating decoding and improving overall fluency.

In contrast, other choices like breaking words into parts relate more to analytic instruction, teaching vocabulary through context emphasizes comprehension strategies rather than phonics, and reading aloud with expression focuses on prosody and comprehension instead of the foundational skill of blending sounds. Thus, the focus of synthetic instruction is specifically aligned with the blending of sounds into words to enhance reading proficiency.