What does phonemic awareness involve?

Phonemic awareness refers specifically to the ability to recognize, manipulate, and work with the individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken words. This skill is foundational to developing reading ability, as it involves tasks such as blending sounds to form words, segmenting words into their constituent sounds, and manipulating sounds to make new words. For example, being able to isolate the initial sound in "cat" or change the first sound in "bat" to create "pat" showcases phonemic awareness.

The other options touch on important aspects of literacy and language development but do not define phonemic awareness. Understanding word meanings relates more to vocabulary development, while reading text fluently involves the ability to read with speed and accuracy. Integrating language arts into all subjects pertains to instructional strategies rather than an individual's sound manipulation skills. Thus, the focus of phonemic awareness is on the manipulation of sounds, making it the correct choice.