Print directionality is foundational because it teaches students to do what?

• A. Track print from left to right and top to bottom
• B. Jump between pages
• C. Read only pictures
• D. Skip lines

Answer: (A)

Print directionality refers to the path our eyes follow as we read printed text. For languages that read left to right, this means learning to move along the line from the beginning to the end and then move down to the next line, continuing in the same pattern. This predictable eye movement is foundational because it gives children a clear route to follow as they read word by word, helping them connect letters to sounds and understand how sentences flow across a page. When students can track print from left to right and top to bottom, they’re less likely to lose their place, skip words, or misread lines, which supports fluent, efficient reading.

The other behaviors described don’t align with how text is read. Jumping between pages isn’t how readers engage with a single piece of text, reading only pictures ignores the printed words altogether, and skipping lines disrupts the natural, left-to-right, top-to-bottom progression readers rely on. So the best understanding is that print directionality teaches students to track print from left to right and top to bottom.