California Teacher Credentialing Examination (CSET) 2026 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

Understanding punctuation is not a part of phonological awareness because phonological awareness specifically refers to the ability to recognize and work with sounds at the level of phonemes, syllables, and larger units like onsets and rimes. It involves skills such as the ability to identify and manipulate sounds in spoken language, which includes recognizing rhymes and understanding syllable structures.

While punctuation is essential for reading comprehension and writing, it pertains to the visual aspects of written language rather than the auditory processing of sounds. Therefore, it does not fit within the scope of phonological awareness, which is fundamentally concerned with the sound structures of language, rather than its written form or punctuation usage.