Which scenario best illustrates a child in the consolidated alphabetic phase?

The selected scenario best illustrates a child in the consolidated alphabetic phase, as it demonstrates the ability to use their understanding of word structure and vocabulary knowledge to derive the meaning of a new word. In this phase, a child has moved beyond simply decoding letters and sounds in isolation and is starting to recognize whole words and their meanings. The child’s ability to interpret "inactive" as meaning "not active" indicates they are using both their decoding skills and their understanding of morphemes, which is a significant milestone in reading development.

In contrast, the other scenarios depict various stages of reading development. The first scenario describes a child still engaged in basic phonemic awareness by sounding out individual letters, which is characteristic of earlier phases. The second scenario reflects a misreading that suggests confusion with letter-sound combinations or a lack of contextual understanding in reading. The third scenario shows an attempt to relate an unfamiliar word to a familiar concept rather than decoding the word itself, indicating the child may still rely on context clues rather than independent word recognition. Each of these examples highlights different aspects of reading development that are typical of earlier stages, rather than the consolidated alphabetic phase.