What aspect of knowledge helps students identify words and decode unfamiliar ones?

Orthographic knowledge plays a crucial role in helping students identify words and decode unfamiliar ones. This aspect of knowledge involves understanding the spelling patterns and structures of words, including how letters are combined to form syllables and words. With strong orthographic knowledge, students can recognize familiar sequences of letters, apply phonetic rules, and utilize their understanding of word formation to approach new or unfamiliar words.

By recognizing common spelling patterns and associations between sounds and letters, students enhance their ability to decode, which is essential for reading fluency and comprehension. The focus here is on the visual representation of words and how students learn to interpret and manipulate these representations as they encounter new vocabulary. This understanding is foundational for developing reading skills, especially as students encounter more complex texts with unfamiliar vocabulary.