In which stage of Spelling Development do children systematically use letters to represent the speech sounds they hear?

The correct answer is the Phonetic Stage, which is characterized by children's ability to systematically use letters to correspond to the sounds they hear in speech. During this stage of spelling development, children begin to grasp the concept that letters represent specific sounds (phonemes), which allows them to spell words based on their phonetic sounds, even if they do not adhere to conventional spelling rules.

For example, a child might spell the word "cat" as "kat," demonstrating the understanding of the sounds but not the correct spelling. This stage marks a significant step in literacy as it reflects children's growing awareness of the alphabetic principle—the idea that letters and combinations of letters represent sounds in spoken words.

In contrast, the other stages represent different levels of spelling development. The Correct Stage involves understanding and consistently applying conventional spellings, while the Transitional Stage includes a moving away from phonetic spelling to more conventional patterns. The Semiphonetic Stage typically reflects an early phase where children may use only some letters to represent sounds, often leaving out others. Therefore, the Phonetic Stage specifically captures the systematic and intentional use of letters to represent sounds that characterizes this developmental phase.