Which indicator notes recognizing and naming as many as 10 letters, especially those in own name?

• A. Produces the correct sounds for 10-20 letters
• B. Identifies letter-sound correspondences
• C. Uses and appreciates books
• D. Recognizes and names as many as 10 letters, especially those in own name

Answer: (D)

Recognizing and naming letters is about letter-name knowledge—the ability to name letters as symbols. The indicator that focuses on recognizing and naming as many as ten letters, especially those in a child’s own name, targets this exact skill. Naming letters, and seeing those in familiar words like their own name, shows a child’s early familiarity with the alphabet and print, which lays the groundwork for later reading success. It reflects print awareness and orthographic knowledge that predict how easily a child will learn letter sounds and decoding later on.

In contrast, other options describe related but different abilities: producing correct sounds for letters taps into letter-sound knowledge and phonemic awareness; identifying letter-sound correspondences is about mapping letters to sounds; using and appreciating books measures engagement with books and broader literacy experiences rather than naming letters.