First Grade - ELA
1: Environment
Unit 1: Habitats and Homes
Lesson 6
Exploring Animal Habitats
Students are asked to complete and read short sentences such as "I am a ______.", "I live in the ______.", and "One day I ______." on the "A Day in the ___" activity page. Students are encouraged to write or copy sentences that include words starting with Z and to read the dictated story back to an adult, providing practice producing and reading sentence-level text.
Lesson 7
Tools in My Environment
Students are asked in Activity 4 to write or copy sentences that contain the i words (it and inch), and the handwriting page provides space for copying letters and words. The lesson also has students read the names of tools while pointing at letters and encourages them to write or copy tool names on the measuring sheet. These tasks put students in situations where they encounter written phrases and simple sentences.
Unit 2: Weather
Lesson 1
Reading the Skies
Students are asked to follow words with a finger while a story is read aloud, providing practice with tracking print. In Activities 2 and 3 students dictate and/or write sentences using vocabulary words, and each Student Activity Page includes a labeled "Sentence:" space for students to record a sentence. Activity 4 has students record days and write daily weather entries on a calendar, giving repeated opportunities to produce written sentences or entries.
Lesson 2
Types of Precipitation
Students are asked in Activity 6 to practice writing the letter R and the words rain and round and they "can write his own sentences or copy sentences that contain rain and round." In Activities 1 and 2 students read pages from two books (Oh Say Can You Say What's the Weather Today? and Whatever the Weather) and are asked to read words for each type of precipitation on the activity pages. The lesson also lists "Follow written directions (LA)" as a skill, and students are asked to read and follow instructions for experiments and crafts.
Lesson 4
Simulating Weather
Students are asked to read the words of the Weather Song aloud and follow along by pointing to each word as they sing, practicing left-to-right tracking and word identification. Students are prompted to find specific words (e.g., "clouds," "rain") and to find all of the capital letters in the song, with a hint that they are at the beginning of each line. These activities require students to attend to letters, words, and capitalization in printed text.
Lesson 6
Winter
Students are asked to dictate and write a story and then attempt to read it aloud, using the "Let It Snow" page with a sentence prompt "In the winter I _______." Students also practice writing or copying sentences that contain the words wind and winter on the handwriting page. The materials recommend lined paper with a center line to remind students how to size capital and lowercase letters, supporting letter-level capitalization practice.
Unit 3: Community
Lesson 1
On the Town
Students read complete sentences in Activity 2 (fill-in-the-blank) and select or copy words to finish those sentences, exposing them to sentence beginnings and end punctuation. In Activity 3 students write or dictate one or two sentences about a new community place, producing full sentences. In Activity 4 students practice handwriting words (People, Park) and letters, reinforcing word-level and letter-level conventions.
Lesson 3
Jobs in the Community
Students are asked to write a paragraph in Activity 4 using sentence prompts (e.g., "When I grow up I could be ____.") and then attempt to read what they wrote. In Activity 5 students are asked to record one simple sentence about how each worker helps and to copy sentences or dictate sentences for an adult to record. Throughout the activities students read or attempt to read their own stories and copy sentence-level text, providing practice with producing and reading sentences.
Lesson 8
Rules and Laws
Students are asked to read each sentence aloud in Activity 1 and the Student Activity Page lists full sentences (e.g., "Don't take things that aren't yours.", "Stop at a red light.") for students to read and sort. The Skills section includes "Follow print word by word (LA)," which requires students to track text across words and sentences. Activities require students to number, order, and paste sentence strips, causing them to work with sentences as discrete units.
Lesson 9
Caring for Our Communities
Students read the story "When One Person Cares," exposing them to written sentences and punctuation as part of comprehension questions. Activity 7 explicitly asks students to practice handwriting and to "write or copy sentences" that contain the c words (care, citizen). Students also engage with activity pages that display sentences and labeling (titles and words) which require reading and reproducing written language.
Final Project
I Can Make A Difference
Students are given explicit sentence starters (e.g., "I am planning to __.", "The first thing I will do is __.") that model a capitalized first word and ending punctuation. Students are asked to complete those starters in the planning and reflection sections, writing out steps and reflections in sentence form. Students also check off statements and write a short reflection sentence about their service, providing repeated opportunities to produce sentences.
2: Similarities and Differences
Unit 1: Amazing Attributes
Lesson 4
How Does It Feel?
Students are asked in Activity 3 to write or copy a sentence on handwriting paper about an object's texture: "______ feels _________." Students see example sentences in the Wrapping Up section ("We jumped in the lake." and "We jumped in the icy, cold lake and got wet.") that demonstrate sentence-like phrasing with initial capital letters and ending punctuation. Students also practice handwriting and copying sentences, which involves producing complete sentence forms.
Lesson 5
How Old?
Students are asked to record names and reminded that names begin with capital letters, and they are encouraged to write at least the beginning letter of each name. Students are told that a sentence that is a question starts with a capital letter and ends with a question mark, and they are instructed to practice writing question marks. Students reread or attempt to read the questions and are prompted to notice the question marks at the end of each sentence.
Unit 2: Senses
Lesson 1
My Five Senses
Students are asked to identify the beginning letters of each sentence in the book (Activity 1), which directs attention to the first word/first letter of sentences. In Activity 3 (Option 2) students dictate four complete sentences, hear them read back, and discuss the person/place/thing and the action, reinforcing the idea of a complete sentence. In Activity 4 students write or copy a sentence about a sense (example: "I smell with my nose."), providing practice producing sentence-level text.
Lesson 2
Senses and Body Parts
Students listen to the story "Jackie's Day at the Pet Store" read aloud and follow along as they pick up and glue sense-organs when Jackie uses a sense, exposing them to spoken and printed sentences. Students practice handwriting by tracing the letter S and the words "sense" and "see," and are asked to use each word in a sentence on the provided page.
Lesson 6
Experimenting With Our Senses
Activity 4 asks students to write or dictate and copy a sentence on handwriting paper about something they smelled or tasted, so students practice producing and copying full sentences. Activity 3 has students tell a story that is recorded and then encouraged to read aloud, giving students practice reading sentences aloud. These activities expose students to sentence-level text in both reading and writing.
Lesson 8
Writing About Our Senses
Students fill in blanks in complete sentences on the "A Sensible Report" page (e.g., "My popcorn felt _______ before it popped."). Students are asked to attempt to read the report aloud after completing it. Students write, dictate, or copy a sentence about popcorn on handwriting paper (Activity 4) and may write a sentence or phrase for each sense on the "Sensing My Day" page.
Unit 3: We're the Same, We're Different
Lesson 4
Interests and Hobbies
Students are asked to dictate and then copy or write a few sentences that describe a hobby (Activity 1), which requires producing sentence-level writing. Students complete the "My Interest" sheet by recording an interest on the first blank line of each sentence and answering five sentence prompts (Activity 2). Students are encouraged to read the Hobby Survey questions aloud (Activity 3) and to use words such as "you" and "yes" in a sentence during handwriting practice (Activity 4).
Lesson 5
Shapesville
Students are asked to write or copy a sentence on handwriting paper that describes an interest or personality trait (Activity 4). Students are asked to dictate a short description of their personality/interests, record their ideas, and attempt to read their description aloud (Activity 2 and Skills: read or attempt to read own story or simple text).
Lesson 8
Different Holidays and Traditions
Students are asked to write three sentences about their favorite holiday (Activity 3), with the option to copy dictated sentences. Activity 5 requires each holiday page to include "A sentence about the holiday" and provides two example sentences that begin with a capital letter and end with a period. The examples and copying option give students opportunities to produce and view sentences with initial capitalization and ending punctuation.
Lesson 9
Different Modes of Transportation
Students are asked in Activity 4 to write or copy a sentence on handwriting paper using the prompt "I have ______ in/on a _________," which presents a capitalized first word and an ending period. In Activity 3 students tell a story that is recorded and then attempt to read it aloud, giving them experience with spoken sentences and printed text. In Activity 1 students fill in the first letter of words, which gives practice attending to initial letters of words.
Final Project
Differences Make the World Go 'Round
Students are prompted to write and complete sentences about themselves and a child from another country using sentence stems (e.g., "I live in...", "I like to eat..."). The lesson includes model sentences with initial capitalization and ending periods (e.g., "I live in America. Jung Wei lives in China."). Several activity pages present explicit sentence prompts for students to fill in or illustrate.
3: Patterns
Unit 1: Identifying and Creating Visual Patterns
Lesson 1
What Is a Pattern?
Students are asked in Activity 7 to write or copy three sentences describing a pattern using prompts that begin "First, there is _____ . Next there is _____ . Then there is _____ ." Day 2, Option 1 also asks students to describe patterns using the sentence frame "First, there is ______. Next, there is ___________. Next, there is __________...." Students are asked to point to each item as they describe it and to read aloud during the Busy Bugs story, with encouragement to read the title and follow along.
Lesson 3
What Comes Next?
Students are asked to write or copy a sentence on handwriting paper that asks a question: "What do you see after the ________?" The activity explicitly reviews that sentences that ask questions end in question marks. Students therefore practice producing a sentence form that requires correct ending punctuation and practice writing full sentences.
Lesson 4
Extending a Pattern
Students are asked in Activity 4 to copy or write a sentence on handwriting paper about a pattern they made, which has them produce and reproduce sentence-level text. Option 2 suggests that students may also write the names of objects they used for patterns on a separate sheet of paper, giving additional opportunities to produce written language. The student activity pages include sentence-like prompts with fill-in-the-blank items (e.g., "The first object in the pattern is a _____"), so students engage with sentence fragments and complete short written responses.
Unit 2: Patterns in Sounds, Words, and Actions
Lesson 4
Sentence Patterns
The lesson explicitly tells students that "sentences begin with a capital letter and end with punctuation, such as a period." The Introduction directs students to see that a sentence "starts with a capital letter and usually ends with a period," and Activity 4 has students point to beginning letters and periods in picture-book sentences. Multiple activities have students read, copy, and form sentences using sentence starters (e.g., "The ___ ___ ..."), which foregrounds the beginning of the sentence and its ending punctuation.
Lesson 5
Story Patterns
Students are asked to dictate or write a sentence describing each event in the beginning, middle, and end of a story (Activity 2 and Activity 3). Students can copy or write a sentence from their created story on handwriting paper (Activity 4). Students are encouraged to attempt to read their story aloud after writing, which involves producing complete sentences.
Final Project
Patterns Video
Students are asked to write or dictate scripts on four "Video Script" pages and to fill in sentence-stem prompts such as "This is a ______________ pattern" and "First comes ______________." Students practice reading words from a book or poem for the word/rhyming and book patterns and rehearse what they will say on camera. The activity pages require students to produce short, ordered utterances for each pattern (e.g., "First comes..., Then...").
Unit 3: Patterns in Your World
Lesson 1
Patterns in Nature
Students are asked in Activity 4 (Handwriting) to write or copy a sentence from the day's reading onto handwriting paper, which gives them practice working with full sentences. The skills list includes "Practice reading simple texts," which requires students to read sentences and could involve noticing sentence structure during reading.
Lesson 4
Daily Routines
Students are asked in Activity 4 to write or dictate and copy a sentence describing one of their routines, giving them practice producing a full sentence. In Activity 2 students can dictate a sentence about each step or write on the lines at the bottom of the boxes, providing additional opportunities to compose sentence-level text. The sample daily schedule and the activity page labels show example short sentences or phrases (e.g., "Wake up and get ready," "School begins") that students can model when writing their own sentences.
Lesson 9
Counting Patterns
Students are asked to write or dictate and then copy a sentence about the clowns (Activity 4), providing direct practice with sentence construction. The instructions explicitly tell students that a sentence "begins with a capital letter, and ends with a period," and ask students to identify the subject (noun) and verb (predicate) in their sentences. Students also practice producing complete sentences orally and in writing, which requires attention to capitalization and ending punctuation.
Lesson 10
Tracing Patterns
Activity 4 asks students to "write or copy a sentence on handwriting paper about his favorite holiday," which has students produce or reproduce a complete sentence. The handwriting activity requires students to work with sentence-level text and likely exposes them to sentence beginnings and endings when copying a model.
Lesson 11
Patterns in Graphs
Activity 4 asks the child to write a sentence on handwriting paper describing whether an object was able to sink or float. The activity explicitly requires composing a sentence, giving students an opportunity to produce sentence-level writing.
4: Change
Unit 1: Changes on Planet Earth
Lesson 1
What Causes Change?
Students complete sentence stems on the "Write About a Change" page (e.g., "Once I saw __________ change." and "__________ changed because __________.") and are asked to attempt to read their completed paragraph aloud. The skills list includes "Read or attempt to read own dictated story (LA)," which implies students will produce and read short written sentences. Several activity pages present before/after captions and labeled prompts that use conventional sentence form.
Lesson 3
Changing Position
The skills list includes "Demonstrate understanding of the organization and basic features of print," which broadly targets print conventions. In Activity 1, students find words in the index, locate the page, and write or copy the sentence from the book that contains the word; the student activity page provides lines for recording those sentences. Several activities require students to read or copy text (e.g., copying two sentences for "inertia"), giving incidental exposure to sentence forms with capitalization and ending punctuation.
Lesson 4
Changes in the Environment
Students are asked to illustrate or write two sentences about a time when weather caused them to change an activity (Activity 1). Activity 4 instructs students to write or copy a sentence on handwriting paper about their favorite season, and handwriting practice is included as a skill.
Lesson 5
Changes in Location
Students are asked to complete and write full sentences in several activities (e.g., Activity 1 Option 2 asks the child to write an entire prepositional phrase after the subject; Activity 2 Option 2 asks the child to write simple sentences describing the mouse's location). The Nature Relations activity asks students to record three or four sentences such as "The bush is beside the tree." The materials present example sentences with an initial capital letter and ending punctuation in the printed text.
Lesson 7
Living Things Change
Students are asked in Activity 4 to write or copy a sentence on handwriting paper that describes how something changes in size. The Student Activity Pages and instructions include short model sentences and commands (e.g., "Color the rabbit brown in the summer.") that students will read and reproduce. These tasks give students exposure to complete sentences in print and require producing at least one sentence.
Unit 2: Characters Change
Lesson 1
What's in a Name
Students are given an explicit rule that "Names always begin with capital letters" and a skill target to "Capitalize dates and names of people." In Activity 1 students rewrite sentences such as "chrysanthemum loved her name." and "Mrs. twinkle's first name was delphinium." to correct the capitalization of names. Students also write their own name on the activity page and place letters in order in the Name Craft, which requires them to produce and display correctly capitalized personal names.
Unit 3: A First Look at History - Change Over Time
Lesson 1
People and Families Change
Students are asked to write a sentence about one way they have changed (Activity 3: Handwriting). Students fill in prompted sentence stems on the "Writing About Change" student page (e.g., "My family used to...", "Then ____ changed.") and dictate or copy sentences during Activity 5. Students are encouraged to read their ideas aloud after writing, which involves producing complete sentences.
Lesson 4
Past and Present
Students are asked in Activity 8 to write a sentence on handwriting paper describing how life in the past was different, and earlier prompts (e.g., "One thing the young person did is," and the story-recording task) require students to produce written sentences. Several student pages provide lines for written responses and spaces for dictation that lead students to compose sentences about comparisons and historical clues. Students also dictate and copy sentences when their ideas are recorded for them.
Lesson 5
Exploring the Past
Students are asked to write one sentence about each element of culture in Activity 4 and to "draw and write or dictate descriptions" in Activity 1, which requires composing sentences. Multiple student activity pages include lined areas and large blank rectangles intended for writing sentences (e.g., Culture pages for Homes and Houses, Clothes and Fashion, Food and Eating, Travel and Transport). The timeline and presentation tasks require students to assemble written pages into a book and present their sentences to family.
Final Project
My Past, Present and Future
Students are asked to write or dictate complete sentences such as "In the past __________" and "Today __________" when creating the comparison pages. Multiple activity pages include sentence prompts and lines (for example, "I was different because," "Now I am," and "My family was different in the past because ______") that require students to produce written sentence responses.
6: Reading
Unit 1: Semester 1
Lesson 1
Letter Sounds Review I
Students are asked to point to each word as the Weekly Message is read, notice spaces between words, and are told that a sentence is a group of words that has meaning. Students are directed to identify that the Weekly Message contains two sentences and to point to and circle a period and an exclamation point while hearing explanations of their functions. Activities also require students to read left to right/top to bottom and to point to words in the Tap and Pat reader as they read.
Lesson 2
Letter Sounds Review II
Students reread the Weekly Message and are asked to point to each word as they read it and to circle the period and the question mark (Activity 1.1). Students are asked on the first page of the reader to point to the period and the question mark and are reminded that sentences end with periods, question marks, or exclamation points (Activity 5.3). Students are also asked to begin reading on the first page and in the correct place and to point to each word as they read, reinforcing sentence-level reading and print directionality.
Lesson 4
Letter Sounds Review IV
Students are asked to examine the Weekly Message and answer "How many sentences does this message have? To find out, look at the end marks for each sentence," then circle periods, exclamation points, and question marks in different colors (Activity 1.1). Students read short sentences aloud while pointing to each word on the "Reading Sight Word Sentences" page and practice following words left to right and top to bottom (Skills list and Activity 3.1). The skills list explicitly includes "Recognize the distinguishing features of a sentence," indicating students are expected to attend to sentence features during activities.
Lesson 5
Adding s, More Word Families, Ending with ck
In Activity 1.1 students are asked to circle the period, exclamation point, and question mark and answer what each punctuation mark does, and they count how many sentences the Weekly Message contains. The teacher prompts students to point to the first word in each sentence and underlines the uppercase letters at the start of each sentence, explicitly linking sentence-beginning with capitalization. In Activity 5.3 students write dictated sentences and are reminded that sentences begin with uppercase letters, should have spaces between words, and end with periods.
Lesson 6
Open Syllables and Digraph th
Students put mixed-up words back together to form complete sentences and are asked explicitly, "What kind of letter does every sentence begin with?" Activity 5.3 reminds students that sentences begin with uppercase letters, that they should leave spaces between words, and that these sentences end with periods. Activity 5.2 asks why names like Meg, Dan, and Sam start with uppercase letters and Activity 5.2/Reader #6 draws attention to an exclamation point and its effect on reading aloud.
Lesson 7
Consonant Digraphs ch, sh, wh, ph
The skills list and Activity 5.3 explicitly address sentence features: students are reminded that sentences begin with uppercase letters, should have small spaces between words, and end with periods, and they write and then read dictated sentences ("The moth is on the dish."; "I chat with a fox in a hut."). Activity 3.3 asks students to point to each word as they read, which practices tracking from the start of a sentence. The lesson also includes reading and rereading the Weekly Message and books while pointing to words, giving students practice working with printed sentences.
Lesson 8
Blends with s
Students are asked to read the Weekly Message and then circle the period in one color and the exclamation point in another (Activity 1.1), giving direct practice identifying ending punctuation. Students complete a Sentence Dictation task (Activity 5.2) where they write sentences heard aloud and are explicitly reminded to "think about how sentences begin and end" and that the dictated sentences end with periods. Students are also asked to point to each word as they read the reader (Activity 4.3), practicing reading across a sentence and attending to sentence boundaries.
Lesson 9
Blends with l
Students are asked to circle periods and a question mark in the Weekly Message (Activity 1.1), which has them identify ending punctuation. In Making Sentences (Activity 5.1) students use word cards that include uppercase and lowercase forms and are explicitly reminded that a sentence must start with an uppercase letter; the materials note that words like "The," "This," "they," and "a" appear in both uppercase and lowercase to reinforce sentence-start capitalization. In Sentence Dictation (Activity 5.2) students write dictated sentences and are reminded to "think about how sentences begin and end," and in Reader #9 they are instructed to point to each word as they read, reinforcing the concept of the first word and word order.
Lesson 10
Blends with r
Students are asked to circle the periods in the Weekly Message (Activity 1.1), giving direct practice identifying ending punctuation. In Activity 5.3 (Sentence Dictation) students write full sentences and are reminded to "think about how sentences begin and end," which prompts attention to sentence boundaries. Students are also asked to point to each word as they read the reader (Activity 4.2), reinforcing tracking of sentence-level text left-to-right.
Lesson 11
Ending Blends
The lesson's Skills list explicitly includes "Recognize the distinguishing features of a sentence." In Activity 5.2 (Sentence Dictation), students write full sentences as you read them, are reminded to "think about how sentences begin and end," and are asked to read the sentences when finished. Several reading activities (Weekly Message, Reader #11) ask students to point to and read words in continuous text, supporting practice with sentence-level reading.
Lesson 12
Double ll, ss, ff, zz (FLOSS)
Students are asked to circle end marks in Weekly Message #12 and name them (Activity 1.1), directly practicing recognition of sentence-ending punctuation. Students are instructed to write the sentence "The bugs buzz." and to begin it with an uppercase letter and end it with a period (Activity 4.1), giving explicit practice with capitalization and ending punctuation. During sentence dictation (Activity 5.2) students are reminded to think about how sentences begin and end and then read the sentences they wrote, reinforcing the conventions of sentence structure.
Lesson 13
Glued Sounds ng and nk
The lesson's skills list explicitly includes "Recognize the distinguishing features of a sentence." Activity 5.2 asks students to make sentences and specifically tells them that words that begin with an uppercase letter should come at the beginning of a sentence. Activity 5.3 has students write sentences from dictation, reminds them to "think about how sentences begin and end," and provides model sentences that include ending punctuation.
Lesson 14
Three-Letter Beginning Blends
Students write dictated sentences on blank handwriting pages and are reminded to pay attention to how sentences begin and end, which requires them to notice the first word, capitalization, and ending punctuation. Students read the sentences aloud after writing them, reinforcing their recognition of sentence boundaries and features. Students are also asked to point to each word as they read the Weekly Message, practicing left-to-right tracking and identification of the sentence's first word.
Lesson 15
More Ending Blends
Students are asked (in the Skills list) to "Recognize the distinguishing features of a sentence," establishing that sentence features are an instructional target. Students write three dictated sentences in Activity 5.1 and are reminded to "pay attention to how sentences begin and end," providing practice with sentence starts and ending punctuation; the model sentences include initial capitalization and periods. Students also point to words as they read the Weekly Message and during reading tasks, reinforcing awareness of sentence boundaries and print conventions.
Lesson 16
R-Controlled Vowels (ar)
The Skills list explicitly includes "Recognize the distinguishing features of a sentence." Activity 5.3 (Sentence Dictation) asks the child to write sentences while being reminded to "pay attention to how sentences begin and end" and explicitly notes that questions end with a question mark. Activity 2.1 asks the child why "Jack" begins with an uppercase letter, prompting recognition of capitalization for a proper noun.
Lesson 17
Semester Review
The Skills and Introduction lists explicitly include "Recognize the distinguishing features of a sentence" and call out "Beginning sentences with capital letters" and "Ending sentences with periods, question marks, and exclamation points." In Activity 3.2 (Sentence Dictation) students write three dictated sentences and are reminded to "pay attention to how sentences begin and end," then read the sentences aloud. In Activity 4.2 (My Own Reader) students plan and write their own short book, which requires them to begin sentences and apply capitalization and ending punctuation on their pages.
Unit 2: Semester 2
Lesson 1
Long Vowels a and i with Silent e
The lesson lists as a skill that students will "Recognize the distinguishing features of a sentence." In Day 5, Activity 5.2 students write dictated sentences and are told to "pay attention to how sentences begin and end," and are specifically reminded that questions end with a question mark. Students also read the sentences aloud after writing them, practicing sentence-level reading with attention to boundaries.
Lesson 2
Long Vowels o, u, and e with Silent e
In Activity 1.1 the child is asked why "Tim" is spelled with an uppercase letter, prompting attention to capitalization. In Day 5 Activity 5.1 the child is asked to point to the quotation marks around "Are we there yet?" and is told they mark someone speaking, drawing attention to punctuation. In Activity 5.2 the child writes dictated sentences with an explicit reminder to "pay attention to how sentences begin and end," and then reads them back.
Lesson 3
Hard and Soft c and g
Students will engage in Sentence Dictation (Activity 5.3) where they write the sentences "The red gem is huge." and "Many mice are in the cage." as the teacher reads them and are reminded to "pay attention to how sentences begin and end." The lesson's skills list explicitly includes "Recognize the distinguishing features of a sentence," and students are asked to read the sentences aloud after writing them.
Lesson 4
More R-Controlled Vowels (er, ir, or, ur)
The Skills list explicitly includes "Recognize the distinguishing features of a sentence." Activity 5.3 (Sentence Dictation) directs students to write two sentences as the teacher reads them and tells them to "pay attention to how sentences begin and end." Students are asked to read the sentences aloud after writing them, and earlier activities have students read the Weekly Message aloud and follow print left-to-right, providing practice with sentence-level text.
Lesson 5
Long a Spellings ai, ay
The lesson's Skills list explicitly includes "Recognize the distinguishing features of a sentence." In Activity 5.2 (Sentence Dictation), students write two full sentences as the teacher reads them and are told to "pay attention to how sentences begin and end." After writing, students read the sentences back to the teacher.
Lesson 6
Long e Spellings ee, ey, ea
The Skills list explicitly includes "Recognize the distinguishing features of a sentence." In Activity 4.2 students make sentences from word cards and are reminded that words that begin with an uppercase letter should come at the beginning of a sentence. In Activity 5.2 students write dictated sentences and are told to "pay attention to how sentences begin and end," then read their sentences aloud. These activities require students to compose, write, and read sentences while attending to sentence beginnings and endings.
Lesson 7
Long i Spellings y, igh, ie
The Skills list explicitly includes "Recognize the distinguishing features of a sentence." Activity 5.3 (Sentence Dictation) has students write dictated sentences and is introduced with a reminder to "pay attention to how sentences begin and end," requiring attention to first word and ending punctuation. Activity 1.2 asks the student why "Mike" is capitalized, directly prompting recognition of capitalization of a proper noun.
Lesson 8
Long o Spellings ow, oa, oe
Students are asked to write two dictated sentences and are reminded to pay attention to how sentences begin and end (Activity 5.2 Sentence Dictation). Students copy and then read sentences that visibly begin with a capital letter and end with a period, so they practice producing sentence-initial capitalization and sentence-final punctuation in writing. Students are also directed to reread the weekly message and to point to words and sentences, giving additional opportunities to see sentence boundaries in connected text.
Lesson 9
Long u Spellings ue, ew, ou
The Skills section explicitly lists "Recognize the distinguishing features of a sentence." In Activity 5.2 students write dictated sentences and are reminded to "pay attention to how sentences begin and end." In Activities 1.3 and 3.1 students read sentences aloud while the adult points to the words and they underline or point to words in sentences.
Lesson 10
Other Long Vowel Patterns
The Skills list explicitly includes "Recognize the distinguishing features of a sentence." Activity 3.1 tells students to write specific sentences and reminds them to "think about how sentences begin and end." Activity 5.2 has students write dictated sentences while being reminded to pay attention to how sentences begin and end, and several activities require students to read sentences aloud after writing them.
Lesson 11
Long Vowel Sounds Review
The lesson's Skills list explicitly states that students will "Recognize the distinguishing features of a sentence." Activity 1.1 has students point to and read the Weekly Message aloud, engaging them with full sentences. Activity 3.1 has students write words from a word bank into sentence blanks and then read those completed sentences aloud, giving practice with sentence-level reading and composition.
Lesson 12
Other Vowel Sounds oi, oy
The Skills list explicitly includes "Recognize the distinguishing features of a sentence." In Activity 4.1 students make sentences from word cards and are reminded that words that begin with an uppercase letter should come at the beginning of a sentence. In Activity 5.2 students write dictated sentences and are told to "pay attention to how sentences begin and end," and the provided dictated sentences include initial capitalization and ending periods.
Lesson 13
Other Vowel Sounds ou, ow
The lesson's Skills list explicitly includes "Recognize the distinguishing features of a sentence." Activity 5.2 (Sentence Dictation) has students write two dictated sentences and instructs them to "pay attention to how sentences begin and end," and then asks students to read the sentences aloud. Several activities require reading and rereading connected text (Weekly Message, Reader #13), giving students opportunities to see sentence forms in context.
Lesson 14
Other Vowel Sounds aw, au
The lesson's Skills list explicitly includes "Recognize the distinguishing features of a sentence." Activity 5.2 (Sentence Dictation) has students write dictated sentences and instructs the student to "pay attention to how sentences begin and end." Activity 1.1 asks the child to point to and read words in the Weekly Message and to read the message aloud, giving practice with sentence boundaries and reading from left to right.
Lesson 15
These Make More Than One Sound: oo and ea
The Skills list explicitly includes "Recognize the distinguishing features of a sentence." In Activity 5.2 (Sentence Dictation), students write sentences as they are read and are told to "pay attention to how sentences begin and end," then read the sentences aloud. In Activity 4.2 (Question Words) students write complete question sentences using provided question words, giving practice with sentence formation.
Lesson 16
Silent Starts: kn, wr, gn
The Skills list explicitly includes "Recognize the distinguishing features of a sentence," showing this goal. Activity 5.3 (Sentence Dictation) has students write two dictated sentences and is accompanied by the instruction: "Remind him to pay attention to how sentences begin and end." Activity 3.3 has students follow along as sentences are read and point to words, reinforcing sentence boundaries and word-level tracking.
Lesson 17
Year-End Review
The Skills list explicitly includes "Recognize the distinguishing features of a sentence" and the Introduction lists "Beginning and ending sentences." In Activity 2.2 (Sentence Writing), students are directed to write one or two sentences for pictures, are reminded to "think about how sentences begin and end," and are asked to read their sentences aloud. Multiple activities require students to produce written sentences (Sentence Writing) and to read messages and readers aloud, providing practice with sentence-level reading and writing.