Final answer:
Students who say 'bat' and then 'at' are practicing the segmenting strategy, which involves breaking down words into individual sounds to enhance phonemic awareness.
Step-by-step explanation:
The students are using sound manipulation strategies with phonemes, the individual sounds in words. When they say the word 'bat' and then the word 'at', they are utilizing the segmenting strategy. Segmenting is breaking down a word into its individual sounds or phonemes to understand how each component contributes to the word. This is a critical skill in the development of phonemic awareness, which is essential for reading and spelling.