First Grade - ELA
1: Environment
Unit 1: Habitats and Homes
Lesson 1
My Environment
Students are asked to read or sound out the room labels on the "Exploring My Home" pages and to add missing first letters, using finger-pointing to follow the sounds as an adult pronounces each word. Students are prompted to copy words after an adult writes them if they cannot sound them out, and to attempt to read a short paragraph aloud in Activity 3. Students practice handwriting and tracing of one-syllable words such as "bed" and "bath" on the Bb page.
Lesson 2
What Is a Map?
Students are asked to complete and fill in scrambled labels on the "Map of a House" sheets for items such as bed, sink, chair, couch and to locate and name those items. Option 2 explicitly instructs students to "sound out each word and to spell it the way it sounds," and Option 1 offers guided sounding-out as they write letters. Handwriting pages have students practice one-syllable words (map, mom) and trace/write letters M and H while copying those words.
Lesson 6
Exploring Animal Habitats
Students practice handwriting and copying the words "zebra" and "zoo," providing an explicit, one-syllable regularly spelled example ('zoo') for reading/writing. Students are encouraged to "sound out the words in the story or to read it back to you," which asks them to decode words in their dictated story. Students label drawings and complete simple sentence frames ("I am a ____. I live in the ____."), which requires them to write and attempt to read single words in context.
Lesson 7
Tools in My Environment
In Activity 3 students are prompted to "sound out the words and identify letter sounds" and to "read the names of the tools ... using her finger to point at the letters as you sound them out," providing direct decoding practice. Activity 3 also asks students to write the names of tools or at least the beginning letter, reinforcing grapheme-phoneme connections during word reading and writing. Activity 4 has students practice writing the words "it" and "inch," giving direct practice with one-syllable words in both reading and handwriting.
Lesson 11
Amazing Me
The lesson asks students to "review the words beneath each face, encouraging your child to read the words aloud," and includes labeled pictures (e.g., A Snake, A Flower, A Big Animal) and emotion words (happy, sad, scared, surprised) for students to read. The skills list explicitly includes "Recognize some words by sight" and "Read or attempt to read own story," and Activity 3 asks students to read ideas aloud after recording them. These elements require students to read single-word labels and short phrases during the activities.
Unit 2: Weather
Lesson 1
Reading the Skies
Students are asked to read or follow the text of Whatever the Weather, and the lesson encourages independent reading with finger tracking. In Activity 2 students match weather words to pictures (Option 1) or select words from a word box and write the matching word beneath each picture (Option 2); the word list includes one-syllable words such as sun, rain, snow, and clouds. The skills list explicitly includes identifying beginning letters and sounds, which targets phonics awareness.
Lesson 2
Types of Precipitation
Students are asked to read the word for each type of precipitation (rain, snow, hail) printed at the top of the activity page and then label pictures with the correct letter or word. Students reread specific pages in the two books that highlight precipitation vocabulary and discuss the different types of precipitation. Students trace and write the words "rain" and "round" while practicing the letter R, providing additional practice with one-syllable vocabulary in writing.
Lesson 4
Simulating Weather
Students are asked to read the words of the Weather Song aloud and to follow along by pointing to each word, which gives practice with word-by-word reading. The Skills list notes that students should "Recognize that written words are separated by spaces" and "Know the difference between individual letters and printed words," which supports basic word recognition. The teacher prompts students to find specific words in the song (for example, locate the word "clouds" and the word "rain") and to identify initial letters and letter counts.
Lesson 5
Fall
Students practice the letter F and the words "fun" and "fall" in the Handwriting activity, tracing and writing the words. In the picture activity students write the names of three circled items, circle the beginning letter of each word, and are asked to use each word in a sentence. Students are also prompted to read directions aloud and to copy sentences, providing some practice with word recognition and reading simple words.
Lesson 6
Winter
Students are prompted to sound out words as they attempt to read their dictated story aloud, with adult help available to "sound out words as needed." The lesson provides a vocabulary list of one-syllable words (COLD, SNOW, FREEZE) and includes handwriting practice tracing and copying the words "wind" and "winter," as well as letter W formation. In Snowflake Math students are asked to circle the beginning letter of number words to help them sound out those words.
Lesson 7
Spring
Students are asked to attempt to read each short spring poem aloud (e.g., "Rain, rain go away...", "I found an egg..."). The poems contain many regularly spelled one-syllable words such as rain, go, play, egg, I, found, picked, and look. Students are also asked to identify and underline rhyming words, which requires attending to word endings and spoken patterns.
Lesson 8
Summer
Students are given a word bank of short one-syllable words (beach, hot, trip, swim, pool) and prompted to fill blanks in a short story using those words. Students are asked to read the story aloud or read along with an adult, and Option 2 asks students to copy whole words into blanks or write the first letter of a word. Students match picture-word prompts to words and select the appropriate word using context clues.
Final Project
Weather Games
Students are asked to match written weather and season words with pictures in the "Weather Memory" activity, requiring them to read and recognize words such as "winter," "spring," "fall," "rain," and "wind." Students are invited to read aloud the book Whatever the Weather and may read pages 8–15 of Oh Say Can You Say What's the Weather Today?, providing opportunities to decode words in connected text. Students write or cut and paste the names of the seasons in Activity 1, practicing recognition and production of seasonal words in print.
Unit 3: Community
Lesson 1
On the Town
Students read and select community vocabulary words to complete sentences (Option 1 and Option 2), which requires them to read words such as "Park" and "School." Students practice letter-sound correspondence and handwriting for the letter P and trace the words "park" and "people" in Activity 4. The lesson lists skills including "Recognize letters and their sounds" and "Recognize some words by sight," indicating opportunities for basic word-level practice.
Lesson 3
Jobs in the Community
Students are asked to read the names of community helpers in Activity 1 and to circle the first and last letters and name and sound out each letter. In Activity 2 and the chart activity students are asked to attempt to read the names, circle beginning letters, and practice sounding out words while recording sightings. In Activity 5 students are encouraged to say a sentence aloud about each worker and attempt to write the words they can sound out, then attempt to read what they wrote.
Lesson 4
Goods and Services in the Community
Students are asked to read the names of buildings, goods, and services on the activity page, and they are prompted to 'sound out the words' if they need help. Students are instructed to circle the beginning letter of each word, which practices initial-letter recognition and letter-sound correspondence. Students cut out word cards and match them to pictures, giving them practice reading and connecting printed words to meanings.
Lesson 7
A Citizen with Character
Students are asked to attempt to read the short statements on the "Respect" activity page (Activity 1), which contains many one-syllable words that they must decode as they read. Activity 7 asks students to practice the letter Kk and to write/trace the one-syllable words "kid" and "kind." Students also read short texts aloud ("A Lesson in Honesty" and "The Boy Who Cried Wolf"), providing additional opportunities to decode one-syllable words in context.
2: Similarities and Differences
Unit 1: Amazing Attributes
Lesson 1
Describe It
Option 1 directs students to "circle the first letter in each word and sound out the word," then copy or cut-and-paste the words beneath the matching pictures, which has students practice sounding-out and letter identification. Option 2 asks students to write words from a provided word box under pictures and to think of two additional descriptive words, which requires reading and producing word forms. Activity 4 has students write or copy a sentence describing an object, giving practice with reading/writing words in context.
Lesson 2
Animal Attributes
Students are presented with labeled pictures (e.g., lizard, box, tree, dog, fork, chair, ant) that they are asked to read or write in Options 1 and 2. The handwriting page has students trace and copy the one-syllable word "ant" and other animal names. In Option 2 of several activities, students are asked to write the names of living and nonliving objects, which requires producing words such as "dog," "box," and "fish."
Lesson 4
How Does It Feel?
Students are asked to read each texture word from the word box and circle the beginning letter (Option 1), and Option 2 has students record and use words from the list beneath pictured objects. The Skills list explicitly includes "Recognize and name letters (LA)," and Activity 3 asks students to write a sentence about an object's texture using those words. The word box contains one-syllable regularly spelled words such as wet, soft, hard, and cold that students will encounter when reading and writing.
Lesson 5
How Old?
Students are asked to read short questions aloud or attempt to read them independently (e.g., "Where is your mommy?"; "How many dogs do you have?") and to reread those questions while the instructor points out question marks. The skills list explicitly includes "Attempt to read written text," and several activities prompt children to match written ages (numbers) to pictures and to record names or initial letters for characters. Activity 4 has students practice writing and copying the words "old" and "order," providing exposure to printed words in isolation.
Unit 2: Senses
Lesson 1
My Five Senses
Students are asked to attempt to read the book My Five Senses and to refer to a Senses Word List, copying each word three times. Students practice recognizing beginning consonant sounds and identifying beginning letters on pages, and they match word labels to senses in cut-and-paste or writing-on-web activities. Students write or copy simple sentences about senses (example: I smell with my nose) and dictate sentences describing sensing experiences, providing opportunities to read and produce single-word labels.
Lesson 2
Senses and Body Parts
Activity 4 asks students to practice the letter S and to trace the words "sense" and "see," giving direct letter and word-level writing practice. The read-aloud story "Jackie's Day at the Pet Store" contains many regularly spelled one-syllable words (for example: dog, pet, door, fur, soft, see) that students hear during the activity. Several activities (Name That Sense Organ, Matching Sensing Body Parts) require students to point to or identify body parts in response to situations that use single-syllable vocabulary.
Lesson 8
Writing About Our Senses
Students are asked to attempt to read the completed popcorn report after filling in blanks, providing opportunities to decode words in context. Students are prompted to write or dictate and copy a sentence describing the popcorn, and to attempt to write words in the blanks (with the option to record the first letter and have an adult finish the word). The activity pages include simple vocabulary (e.g., felt, hard, yellow, sour, pop) that students may encounter and read aloud.
Unit 3: We're the Same, We're Different
Lesson 1
You're Special
Students are asked to attempt to read each question aloud and are encouraged to "sound out the words for his answers" and to write the letters they hear, which promotes phonetic decoding. The lesson's skills list includes "Represent spoken language with phonetic spelling (LA)," reinforcing phonetic attempts at spelling. Handwriting practice includes letter formation (Uu) and practicing the word "unique," giving some connection to letter–sound work and word-level writing.
Lesson 3
Different Personalities
Activity 1 asks students to attempt to sound out vocabulary words and, if unable, to circle the first and last letters and tell the sounds those letters make, which requires sounding out and letter-sound identification. Students are asked to read and circle personality words that describe themselves, providing opportunities to practice decoding words in context. Activity 4 has students trace and write the word "quiet," giving repeated exposure to the letter sequence and word form.
Lesson 5
Shapesville
Students are asked to point to the title and "sound out the letters in the word," which asks them to apply letter-sound knowledge. Students are encouraged to "read or attempt to read own story or simple text" and to attempt to read their dictated description aloud to family. The activities prompt students to read the book aloud if able and to identify shapes and words while the story is read.
Lesson 7
Different Homes
In Activity 1 (Big, Bigger, Biggest) students are asked to read the three words in each row and to record the correct word beneath the picture, giving them practice reading single-syllable words such as "big," "small," "tall," and "long." Option 2 explicitly has the child write the comparison word beneath the correct picture, requiring the student to identify and produce the printed word form. The Handwriting activity asks students to write a sentence about their home, which gives additional opportunity to encode and work with regularly spelled one-syllable words in context.
Lesson 9
Different Modes of Transportation
In Activity 1 (Option 1) students fill in the first letter for pictured words like __ar (car), __oat (boat), __rain (train), and __orse (horse), directly tying letters to one-syllable transportation words. In Activity 1 (Option 2) students must write the entire label for each mode of transportation, requiring them to spell and decode words such as car, train, boat, and horse. Activity 2 and Activity 4 ask students to choose or write modes of transportation and copy a sentence with blanks for transportation words, giving additional opportunities to read and spell single-syllable words in context.
Lesson 10
Wants and Needs
Students practice handwriting the letter N and trace/write the word "need." Students read and label picture-word pairs (e.g., car, home, pool, meal, bike) on multiple activity pages and are asked to identify each item as a want or a need. Students complete matching and survey tasks that require reading the provided single-word labels next to images.
3: Patterns
Unit 1: Identifying and Creating Visual Patterns
Lesson 4
Extending a Pattern
The activity directions (Option 2) ask the child to "read the words for each pattern" and to create and extend patterns using named objects (fork, spoon, crayon, marker, penny, paper clip). The extension suggestion explicitly lets the child "write the names of the objects he used for patterns on a separate sheet of paper," which requires reading and writing object words shown on the student pages.
Lesson 6
Shapes and Patterns
In Activity 2 (Reading Patterns, Option 1 and Option 2) students are instructed to "circle the beginning letter of each word in the pattern" and to "sound out each word and create each pattern with his attribute blocks." Option 2 explicitly directs students to "read the words that describe the pattern" before creating patterns that match the written words. The Words to Practice section asks students to write the words shape, color, and size on handwriting paper, giving additional opportunities to decode and produce short words.
Unit 2: Patterns in Sounds, Words, and Actions
Lesson 1
Word Patterns
Students are asked to circle the repeating word parts in word pairs such as hat/bat/cat, hen/pen, and frog/dog and to add another word that follows the same pattern (Activities Option 1 and 2). Students label pictures with words, match cut-apart words that rhyme (Bear Hugs activities), read or are encouraged to read nursery rhymes and the Bear Hugs story, and record rhyming words they hear. Students also write or copy sentences using two rhyming words and are prompted to say rhyming words aloud.
Lesson 2
Making Word Patterns
Students read and practice many regularly spelled one-syllable words (e.g., cat, run, sun, hat, log, tip, dip, bun, fun) when they attempt to read the Word Patterns lists and complete the "It's Time to Rhyme" sentences. Students cut, sort, and label words into word families (e.g., -un, -it, -at), then use those grouped words to practice reading aloud and to generate new words by changing initial letters. Students also identify and record rhyming one-syllable words in books and write sentences containing rhyming one-syllable words, reinforcing letter–sound correspondences and decoding practice.
Lesson 3
Poetry Patterns
Students are asked to read poems aloud and "read or attempt to read simple text" (Skills), which includes one-syllable rhyming words such as be/me, dog/frog, fish/dish. In Activity 1 students circle rhyming words and are prompted to point to or write rhyming words from poems. Activity 3 directs students to identify words that rhyme and "circle the parts of the words that follow the same pattern," linking pronunciation to letter patterns.
Lesson 4
Sentence Patterns
Students read and form sentences aloud using provided lists of nouns and verbs (e.g., girl, boy, dog, runs, eats) in the Making Sentences and Completing a Sentence Pattern activities. Students read single-word options to fill blanks and copy simple sentences from books, and they are asked to point to capitals and periods and to underline/circle nouns and verbs. Students also read aloud and choose words in Part A/B/C tasks and act out sentences using single-word subjects and verbs.
Lesson 7
Making Sound and Action Patterns
The activity pages display and require handling one-syllable words such as "smack," "stomp," "slap," "clap," and "tap," and ask students to cut out the sound words and place them to form patterns. Option 2 is described as suited for strong readers who do not require visual cues, implying students will work directly with printed words. Students are asked to perform or listen to the written sound words they assemble, which involves reading the single-syllable words aloud.
Unit 3: Patterns in Your World
Lesson 2
Patterns of Growth
Activity 2 directs students to sound out plant-part words and record the first letter of each word when labeling the diagram. A word box lists target words (root, stem, leaf, petal) that students use to label plant parts. Activity 6 has students copy the words plant, grow, and part five times each after a modeled writing, giving practice with several one-syllable words.
Lesson 4
Daily Routines
Students read and interact with labeled pictures on the My Morning Routine page that include many one-syllable words and short phrases (examples: get, dressed, brush, teeth, put, shoes, out, bed). Students copy or dictate sentences on handwriting paper and write steps on the A Routine for ______ page, which requires them to read and write single-word labels and short phrases. Students record activities and times in Activity 3, providing additional opportunities to read and write common one-syllable words in context.
Lesson 6
Seasonal Weather Patterns
Students are asked to read and fill in season names on the "Seasons and Months" activity page and to complete fill-in-the-blank exercises asking for seasons in sequences. The "Weather Patterns" page presents a word box with single-syllable weather words (cold, warm, cool, hot) and season names for students to match beneath months and seasons. Activity 4 has students copy the months of the year on handwriting paper, which requires reproducing and reading word forms.
4: Change
Unit 1: Changes on Planet Earth
Lesson 5
Changes in Location
Students read and respond to sentences describing locations (e.g., 'The mouse is in front of the TV.' and 'The cat is ___ the chair.') and move or place cutouts accordingly. Students fill in blanks on activity pages and may write simple prepositional phrases (Option 2) that include one-syllable content words such as cat, dog, chair, desk, and boat. Students match words from a word box to pictures (e.g., selecting 'under' or 'beside'), requiring word-level recognition in context.
Lesson 9
Heat Causes Change
Students read and use a word box containing the words "ice," "steam," and "water" to label three pictures on the activity page. Students draw and label the states of matter and arrange them along a cold-to-hot arrow, requiring them to match written words to pictures. Students copy or write a sentence about an observation on handwriting paper, practicing letter-sound correspondences while producing printed words.
6: Reading
Unit 1: Semester 1
Lesson 1
Letter Sounds Review I
Students blend and sound out individual letter sounds to form CVC words during Building Words (Activity 3.2), for example spelling and sounding /s/ /a/ /t/ to read "sat." Students create and read words in at and ap word families (Activities 4.2 and 5.1), reading words such as sat, mat, fat, pat, cap, map, tap, and sap. Students read the decodable reader "Tap and Pat" and are prompted to sound out words on their own, using letter-sound knowledge and pointing to letters as they decode. Multiple activities require students to say letter sounds, blend them into one-syllable words, and write those decoded words (Activities 4.1, 5.2, and 5.4).
Lesson 2
Letter Sounds Review II
Students repeatedly practice decoding CVC and word-family words through explicit blending and sounding activities: Activity 3.2 models blending /b/ /i/ /g/ to form "big" and then has students build and read words (rib, dig, fit, pig, man, bad). Multiple word-family activities (Day 4 Activity 4.2 and Day 3 Activity 3.3) have students read, sort, cut, and glue words in the it, in, ig, ip and at, ap families. Activities require students to sound out and write one-syllable words (Activity 1.1 sat/sap/etc.; Activity 5.1 writing pin, pig, rip; Activity 2.3 ending letters) and the Skills list explicitly includes "Decode regularly spelled one-syllable words."
Lesson 3
Letter Sounds Review III
Students practice decoding explicitly: the Skills list names "Decode regularly spelled one-syllable words" and includes blending, segmenting, and isolating initial/medial/final sounds. In Activity 3.2 (Building Words) students use letter cards to create many three-letter words, say them slowly to blend sounds, write them, and then read them aloud. Activities 2.2, 3.3, and 4.2 have students sort and read short-o and short-u word-family words, saying each word slowly and placing/categorizing words by vowel pattern. In Activity 5.2 students read the short reader The Bug aloud, point to each word, and sound out unfamiliar words by saying each sound slowly.
Lesson 4
Letter Sounds Review IV
Students build and read many three-letter (CVC) words using letter cards and are asked to say each sound slowly and read the words aloud (Activity 3.2). Students complete a Short Vowel Sort by naming pictures, cutting them out, and placing them in boxes for short a, e, i, o, u to map sounds to spellings (Activity 2.2). Students build and read words from word-family endings (et, en, eg, ed), read and sort those words, and read a decodable one-syllable reader aloud (Activities 4.3 and 5.2). Students also write words under pictures and trace/write target letters while saying their sounds, reinforcing decoding of regularly spelled one-syllable words (Activities 4.1 and 5.1).
Lesson 5
Adding s, More Word Families, Ending with ck
The Skills list explicitly includes "Decode regularly spelled one-syllable words," and multiple activities require students to build, read, and sound out one-syllable words (Activities 2.2, 3.1, 4.2, and 5.1). Students build and read CVC and word-family words (an, ab, ag, am, ad, ack/eck/ick/ock/uck), practice blending and segmenting (word chains and word-building cards), and read a one-syllable reader aloud (Activity 4.3: Ducks Are Fun). Sentence dictation and plural-writing pages require students to write and read one-syllable words in context (Activity 3.2, Activity 5.3).
Lesson 6
Open Syllables and Digraph th
Students practice decoding one-syllable words by building and reading CVC and open-syllable words with lowercase letter cards (Activities 2.2, 3.1, 4.2). They read and write words that contrast closed and open syllables (he/hen, so/sob, met/me, bed/be) and blend/segment sounds as they add or remove consonants to change words. Students read and spell one-syllable digraph words (this, thin, with, math, them, path) and complete dictation and reader tasks that require decoding those words in isolation and in simple sentences.
Lesson 7
Consonant Digraphs ch, sh, wh, ph
Students read and decode many one-syllable words containing taught consonant digraphs in multiple activities (e.g., Activity 1.2 lists: chop, chip, chin; shop, ship, shin). Students build and spell one-syllable words with letter cards (Activity 3.2 groups: shop, ship, dish, fish, chap, chat, chin, chip, whip, when, why). Students sort and match pictures to digraph sounds (Activity 2.2 and sorting pages), complete fill-in-the-blank and dictation tasks with one-syllable words (Activities 5.1 and 4.2), and read a simple connected reader containing one-syllable target words (Activity 3.3).
Lesson 8
Blends with s
Students decode and spell many one-syllable target words in word-building activities (Groups 1–3 ask students to spell and read words such as snag, snap, smog, skit, spit, spot, risk, disk, dusk, stick). Students sort pictures by initial s blends and complete Fill in the Blanks tasks requiring them to supply beginning blends for single-syllable words (snail, smoke, stamp, skunk, desk, snake). Students practice segmenting and blending sounds in word chains and writing activities, and they read a decodable reader aloud while pointing to each word.
Lesson 9
Blends with l
Students practice decoding initial consonant blends by watching a blends video and sorting pictures into columns for gl, pl, cl, bl, sl, and fl (Activity 1.2). Students build and spell many one-syllable target words with letter and word-building cards (Activities 2.1, 3.1) and practice oral blending and segmenting (skills list and word-building prompts). Students read and write dictated one-syllable words (Activities 2.2, 3.2), complete fill-in-the-blank pages that require adding initial blends (Activity 4.1), and use word chains that change one sound to form new one-syllable words (Activity 4.2).
Lesson 10
Blends with r
Students identify and name pictured words with initial r blends (e.g., crab, frog, truck) and place cut-out pictures into columns by beginning blend, then say the words aloud. Students build and spell target words using letter cards (e.g., spell crab, crib, brag, drag, frog, grip) and write words by sounding them out on the Writing Words pages. Students create words from the Alphabet Soup, read the words they made, read the short reader aloud, and write dictated sentences containing one-syllable blend words.
Lesson 11
Ending Blends
Students read and identify ending blends in many regularly spelled one-syllable words (e.g., ask, dusk, crisp, nest, mask, desk, lamp, stamp, camp, jump, elf, self, mint, tent, golf, plant). Students practice segmenting and blending individual sounds (/n/ + /d/ = /nd/, /m/ + /p/ = /mp/, etc.), spell words with letter cards, and write dictated one-syllable words onto labeled pages (nd, mp, lf, nt). Students also read a short reader independently and decode words in dictated sentences and word chains that change one letter at a time.
Lesson 12
Double ll, ss, ff, zz (FLOSS)
Students read, spell, and underline many one-syllable FLOSS words (hill, fizz, dress, stuff, off, pass, buzz, sniff, well, miss) using letter cards and word-building activities. Students answer the three FLOSS questions (one syllable, one short vowel, ends in l/s/f/z) and give thumbs up/down to decide spelling, and they read a connected reader (Huff and Puff) and complete dictation sentences containing one-syllable words. Skills and activities require students to blend, segment, and isolate initial, medial, and final sounds in single-syllable words and to orally produce and read those words.
Lesson 13
Glued Sounds ng and nk
Students are asked to sound out and blend one-syllable words with ng endings (e.g., hang, king, song, lung) by breaking words into onset and rime (/h/ + /ang/) and reading new words formed by changing onsets (ring, wing, ding). Students build, read, sort, and glue words into ng and nk word-family columns (ang, ing, ong, ung and ank, ink, onk, unk) and read word lists aloud. Students complete fill-in-the-blank pages to supply missing glued sounds, write dictated one-syllable words (sing, long, skunk, stink), and read a decodable reader (King Hank) that contains these one-syllable patterned words.
Lesson 14
Three-Letter Beginning Blends
Students are asked to spell and read one-syllable words containing three-letter blends (e.g., scrap, scrub, strap, stress, spring, sprint, splash, split, quilt, shrim p/shrimp, squid) in multiple activities (Activities 1.2, 2.2, 2.3, 3.1, 4.2). The skills list and activities explicitly require students to sound out, blend, and segment sounds (e.g., "ask your child to read them, helping her sound out the words as needed," "sound out the letter sounds as she reads the words," and "orally produce single-syllable words by blending sounds, including consonant blends"). Students also complete fill-in-the-blank and word-sort pages that require decoding and reading of one-syllable words with regular spellings.
Lesson 15
More Ending Blends
Students spell and read many one-syllable words using word-building cards (Activity 2.2: pact, act, left, raft, drift, craft, kept, wept, slept, etc.). Students identify and underline ending blends in one-syllable words (Activity 3.1: bulb, gold, milk, yelp, melt) and sort, read, and glue lists of one-syllable words by their ending sounds (Activity 3.2 Word Sort pages). Students decode and read aloud words they build in Alphabet Soup and in Reader #15 and write dictated sentences that contain one-syllable words (Day 5 Sentence Dictation).
Lesson 16
R-Controlled Vowels (ar)
Students explicitly decode and read regularly spelled one-syllable ar words when they use lowercase letter cards and ar word-building cards to spell and read examples such as bar, far, car, tar, jar, par (Activity 1.2). They practice reading and changing CVC to ar words (pat → part; had → hard; ham → harm; cat → cart) and complete fill-in-the-blank pages that require writing blends to finish one-syllable words (ba___ → barn, sha___ → shark, fa___ → farm, sca___ → scarf) (Activities 2.1, 3.2). Multiple activities require students to read, spell, write, and sort one-syllable words with r-controlled vowels and ending r blends (word building, word sorts, word chains, sentence dictation, and reader practice across Days 2–5).
Lesson 17
Semester Review
Students build and read one-syllable words in Activity 1.2 by spelling and then reading words such as bank, flags, lick, chop, rash, nest, black, brush, shelf, and stand. Students practice writing and decoding one-syllable words in Activity 2.3 (sang, fly, thick, pill, fluff, tank, spring, card) and answer phonics-based questions about patterns (FLOSS, Bossy R, open syllable). Students play a word-building game in Activity 3.1 that has them select vowels, consonants, blends, and endings to form and read one-syllable words and they read words from their Word Collection and readers aloud.
Unit 2: Semester 2
Lesson 1
Long Vowels a and i with Silent e
Students practice decoding one-syllable words in multiple focused activities: they transform tap to tape and slid to slide to hear how silent e changes vowel sounds (Activity 2.2 and 3.2), build and read lists of one-syllable long-a and long-i words using letter cards (Activity 2.3, 3.2, 4.1), and complete sorting and word-building pages that require identifying and reading short vs. long vowel one-syllable words (Day 2 and Day 3 activities). The lesson also has students read a decodable reader aloud and complete a spelling test that uses regularly spelled one-syllable words (Activity 5.1 and Activity 4.2). The Skills list explicitly includes "Decode regularly spelled one-syllable words."
Lesson 2
Long Vowels o, u, and e with Silent e
Students manipulate lowercase letter cards to spell and read one-syllable words (e.g., rob→robe, hop→hope, cub→cube, cut→cute) and verbally identify short vs. long vowel sounds. They sort and read picture-word sets for short and long vowels (/e/ vs /ē/, /o/ vs /ō/, /u/ vs /ū/) and write words into vowel-sorted columns (e.g., nose, rope, hope, cube, mute). Students read a decodable reader aloud, complete a spelling test of one-syllable words (hope, cube, note, doze, rule, dome, tube, use, them), and read and practice sight words aloud.
Lesson 3
Hard and Soft c and g
Students practice decoding C- and G-initial words across multiple activities: they read and sort hard/soft c and g word lists (Activities 2.1, 3.1, 4.1), highlight the letter after c or g to determine its sound (Activity 2.1 and 3.1), and build/spell words with lowercase letter cards (Activities 2.2, 3.2, 4.2). The spelling test (Activity 4.3) and word-building tasks require students to read, sound out, and write one-syllable words such as cent, race, cage, face, gem, gave, go, gust, mice, age. The Skills section explicitly lists "Decode regularly spelled one-syllable words," and students are instructed to sound out, blend, and segment single-syllable words throughout the lesson.
Lesson 4
More R-Controlled Vowels (er, ir, or, ur)
Students practice decoding one-syllable words by building and reading word lists (e.g., Activity 1.2: chat -> chart; lists of dart, spar, smart, start, arm, cards). They spell and read multiple one-syllable r-controlled words in word-building groups (Day 2 and Day 4 groups: fort, corn, fork, horn, form, storm, turn, burn, dirt, bird, skirt, etc.). Students complete decoding tasks (cut-and-sort pages for er/ir/ur, fill-in-the-blanks with pictured one-syllable words, and a spelling test composed largely of one-syllable words) that require sounding out, blending, and reading aloud.
Lesson 5
Long a Spellings ai, ay
Students read, spell, and build many one-syllable words that use long a spellings (ai, ay, and silent e) in Activities 2.2, 3.1, and 3.2 (e.g., way, may, pay, mail, rain, paint, sail, bait). Students sort ai words, underline ai in example words, and complete a spelling test (Activity 4.2) that requires writing and decoding one-syllable words such as may, paint, brain, way, play, snail, jail, say, tray. Students also read the short reader (The Gray Day) and are asked to read sentences and identify long a words in connected text (Day 5 and Weekly Message #5).
Lesson 6
Long e Spellings ee, ey, ea
Students sort and read words aloud in Activity 1.2, placing words like "neck" versus "these" on Short e and Long e pages and then reading the words they grouped. In Activity 2.1 students highlight ee, ea, and ey spellings and read the long-e words (see, meet, team, key, eat, sea), and in Activity 2.2 and 3.1 students build, spell, and read one-syllable words (tree, free, keep, bee, see, meet, feed, bead, bean, team). Students also read one-syllable target words in the reader, write dictated sentences containing long-e words, and complete a spelling test that includes one-syllable words like see, eat, and three.
Lesson 7
Long i Spellings y, igh, ie
Students read, sound out, and blend one-syllable long-i words during word-building activities (e.g., spell cry, fry, sly, shy; fight, light, night; pie, tie, die, lie). They sort and categorize words into columns labeled for i_e, y, igh, and ie, cutting, gluing, and placing one-syllable words by spelling pattern. Students also complete fill-in-the-blank sentences, a sight-word search, read the Weekly Message and Reader #7 aloud, and take a spelling test featuring one-syllable long-i words.
Lesson 8
Long o Spellings ow, oa, oe
Students read, sort, and glue single-syllable words into Short o and Long o categories (Activity 1.2), repeatedly decoding words such as rope, coat, snow, toe, bowl, goat, and road. Students build and read one-syllable words aloud using lowercase letter cards and ow/oa/oe cards (Activity 2.2) and unscramble grouped letters to form one-syllable long-o words (Activity 3.2). Students complete a spelling test in which they write and then read one-syllable long-o words (Day 4.3) and read a short connected text (Reader #8) containing long-o one-syllable words (Day 5). The Skills list explicitly includes blending, segmenting, producing primary consonant sounds, and decoding regularly spelled one-syllable words.
Lesson 9
Long u Spellings ue, ew, ou
Students read, decode, and practice one-syllable long-u words in multiple activities (e.g., Activity 2.1 asks students to spell and read ue words like due, cue, blue, glue; Activity 3.1 has students spell and read ew words such as few, chew, pew; Activity 3.2 and Activity 4.2 include ou and u_e words like soup, group, tube, mule). Students use letter cards to build words, orally blend and segment sounds (segmenting/blending skills listed under Skills), and complete decoding tasks in word sorts, word scrambles, and a spelling test that groups one-syllable words by long-u spelling pattern.
Lesson 10
Other Long Vowel Patterns
Students practice spelling and reading regularly spelled one-syllable words in Activity 1.2 where they spell and read words such as wind, sand, lamp, stand, sent, and shelf and identify that the vowel sound is short. Students build and read many one-syllable words during Alphabet Soup, Word Building (ild/ind/old/olt/ost) activities and Day 4 word building (find, kind, mind, grind, blind, hind). Students complete decoding tasks in reading, sorting, fill-in-the-blank, and a Spelling Test that require them to read, write, and self-correct one-syllable words (examples include most, kind, wild, bolt, cold, two, hold, host, find, gold).
Lesson 11
Long Vowel Sounds Review
Students are asked to decode and read one-syllable long-vowel words in multiple activities: they match spellings to example words (Activity 1.2) such as pairing a_e with "bake," sort long-a and long-e one-syllable words into columns (Activities 2.2 and 4.2), and complete word scrambles that require forming one-syllable long-vowel words (Activity 3.3 and 5.2: coat, toad, slow, clue, cube). Reader review tasks (Days 2–5) require students to reread texts, find, write, and read aloud long-vowel words from the readers (e.g., bake, day, night, boat, new), and the skills list explicitly includes "Decode regularly spelled one-syllable words," segmenting, and blending spoken single-syllable words. Multiple fill-in-the-blank and guessing activities also require students to select, write, and say single-syllable words that follow regular long-vowel spelling patterns.
Lesson 12
Other Vowel Sounds oi, oy
Students read, sort, and write many regularly spelled one-syllable words with oi/oy and other long o spellings in word-sorting and cutting/pasting activities (Activity 2.2 lists words like oil, boil, soil, boy, toy, joy). Students build and spell one-syllable words using letter cards (Activity 1.2 and 3.2) where they spell words such as soil, boil, boy, toy, and oink by sounding out letters and blends. Students read a decodable reader (Activity 5.1), complete a spelling test that requires decoding and writing one-syllable words (Activity 4.2), and are prompted to stretch and blend the oi/oy sound (Activity 2.1).
Lesson 13
Other Vowel Sounds ou, ow
Students read, sort, and pronounce numerous words with the /ou/ sound (e.g., cloud, count, howl, cow) during Activities 2.2 and 3.1 where they are asked to read each word aloud, place words in the correct ou/ow columns, and spell words using letter cards. In Activity 4.2 students complete fill-in-the-blank exercises using ou or ow to complete pictured words and then read those words, and Day 5 has students read a connected reader aloud (The Hound and the Owl) containing many target words. The Skills list also explicitly includes "Decode regularly spelled one-syllable words," and the spelling test groups students write and read rhyming one-syllable word sets (e.g., brown: crown, frown, gown; out: shout, scout, spout).
Lesson 14
Other Vowel Sounds aw, au
Students read and say lists of words aloud (e.g., saw, lawn, claw, haul, fault) during sorting and read-aloud activities. Students place words into aw/au/o columns based on spelling and sound and then read the sorted words aloud and glue them to a page. Students spell and build one-syllable words with letter cards, complete an Alphabet Soup word-building task, take a spelling test of one-syllable target words, and read a short reader independently.
Lesson 15
These Make More Than One Sound: oo and ea
Students read, sort, and pronounce many one-syllable words with vowel teams (oo and ea) during Activities 1.2, 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 3.2, and 4.1 (examples: spoon, book, moon, food, head, bread, pear, bear). Students build and spell one-syllable words using lowercase letter cards and word-building cards (e.g., spell wood, mood, zoom, seam, seat, beat). Students read a graded reader aloud and complete a spelling test that requires writing and grouping one-syllable words by vowel sound, and the skills list explicitly includes "Decode regularly spelled one-syllable words."
Lesson 16
Silent Starts: kn, wr, gn
Students read, sound out, and write many one-syllable words that begin with kn, wr, and gn (for example: know, knit, knot, knob, knack, gnat, gnaw, gnome, write, wrap, wreck, wren) during word-building, reading, sorting, and spelling-test activities. Students use lowercase letter cards to build and spell spoken one-syllable words as the teacher calls them, and they read the short reader and sentence dictation that contain these one-syllable words. Students also sort and group words by vowel sounds and by silent-beginning letter patterns, and they complete repeated reading and writing practice (sight-word practice, writing words pages, and a spelling test) with those one-syllable items.
Lesson 17
Year-End Review
Students read and identify single-syllable words on the "Which Words?" page and answer phonics-based questions about them (e.g., long o, FLOSS rule, glued sounds, consonant digraphs). Students sort and categorize one-syllable words by long vowel sounds in the Long Vowel Sounds Sorting activity and then glue them into columns. Students build, spell, and read many one-syllable words in the Alphabet Soup activities and read selected readers aloud to practice decoding in connected text. The skills list and activities require students to segment, blend, and produce single-syllable words orally and to add or substitute sounds to make new one-syllable words.