Which example represents a synthetic activity in literacy instruction?

A synthetic activity in literacy instruction focuses on the processes involved in building words and understanding the connection between sounds and written language. When decoding words, students are actively engaging in breaking down the components of the words—such as phonemes (sounds) and graphemes (letters) —and blending these elements to form complete words. This ability to synthesize sounds into recognizable words is a foundational skill in reading and literacy development.

In contrast, listening to a book being read primarily involves receptive skills and does not require the active manipulation of language. Discussing a story's themes or summarizing a text also involves higher-order thinking and comprehension skills rather than the syntactic process of word formation. Therefore, decoding words is the clearest example of a synthetic activity, as it directly involves the reconstruction of language elements to create meaning.