When teaching sound-letter relationships, teachers should use what practice?

Using multi-sensory modalities with varied instructional strategies is effective in teaching sound-letter relationships because it engages multiple senses, making learning more holistic and memorable for students. This approach caters to various learning styles, helping students who may identify more strongly with auditory, visual, or kinesthetic learning. By incorporating different methods—such as using visual aids, hands-on activities, auditory components, and interactive games—teachers create a more engaging learning environment that can reinforce student understanding and retention of sound-letter relationships in a way that is dynamic and effective.

In contrast, relying solely on auditory methods may leave out crucial visual cues that are important for letter recognition and sound association. Repetitive writing exercises can become tedious and may not provide the rich, varied experiences that support deeper understanding. Standardized testing does not support the direct teaching of sound-letter relationships; rather, it assesses knowledge in a more formalized manner and does not promote the kind of interactive, multi-faceted learning that is beneficial in early education.