What is the main focus of phonics in early literacy?

The main focus of phonics in early literacy is indeed associating letters with their sound values. Phonics instruction helps children understand the relationship between the sounds of spoken language and the letters or groups of letters that represent those sounds in written language. This foundational knowledge enables young readers to decode new words, which is a critical skill for developing reading proficiency. By learning the sound values associated with letters and letter combinations, students can start to sound out words, making connections between spoken language and text, and ultimately improving their reading fluency.

The other choices address different aspects of literacy and language acquisition but do not capture the primary goal of phonics as effectively. Creating complex phrases and focusing on high-frequency words are more advanced skills that typically build upon the foundational phonics knowledge. Teaching writing skills is also important, but it primarily involves different strategies and is not the central focus of phonics instruction, which is specifically aimed at developing decoding skills in reading.