What is the key characteristic of the LIPS method in reading?

The LIPS (Let's Start Down the Path to Reading) method is primarily recognized as a phonemic awareness program. This approach emphasizes the understanding and manipulation of individual sounds in spoken words, which is foundational for successful reading and spelling. Phonemic awareness is critical because it allows students to discern the distinct sounds within words, which is necessary for decoding and encoding words when they read and write.

By focusing on phonemic awareness, the LIPS method helps learners to develop essential skills such as blending sounds to form words and segmenting words into their individual sounds. This foundational component of literacy is crucial for helping students, particularly those with reading difficulties, to become effective readers. Other methods that emphasize spelling improvement, comprehension strategies, or handwriting do not specifically focus on this vital aspect of understanding the relationship between sounds and letters, which is why the LIPS method is distinctly categorized as a phonemic awareness program.