Final answer:
The task of identifying the middle sound in 'hit' is an example of the phonemic awareness skill called phoneme isolation.
Step-by-step explanation:
The task of identifying the middle sound in the word hit involves the phonemic awareness skill known as phoneme isolation. Phoneme isolation is the ability to isolate a single sound from within a word. This skill is particularly important in early reading development, as it allows students to understand how different sounds contribute to a word's structure.