Arkansas Foundations of Reading Test (FORT)

Which approach does whole language reading instruction use?

1. Bottom-up

2. Interactive

3. Phonics-based

4. Top-down

The correct answer is: Top-down

Whole language reading instruction is an approach that focuses on developing reading comprehension through strategies such as predictors, cues, and interactive discussions rather than decoding. Options A, B, and C all refer to more traditional methods of teaching reading, with B and C focusing more specifically on the process of learning to read. Whole language instruction emphasizes reading enjoyment and developing contextual understanding, rather than segmenting words into individual sounds or learning all the letters and their corresponding sounds. Therefore, the correct answer is D Top-down.