Foundations Reading: Ten Explicit Phonics Lessons
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Use this sequence with any beginning reader who needs these skills, regardless of age. Teach one lesson at a time, revisit difficult sounds and move forward only when ready. The adult models, practices together, and then checks the learner independently. Print or copy the tasks. About 10 to 15 minutes per session is a flexible suggestion, not a legal attendance requirement. This is a beginning sequence, not a complete phonics curriculum.
1. Hearing sounds
Teach and model: Say /m/ /a/ /p/ slowly, then blend the sounds into map. Ask the child to repeat. The letter a stands for the short vowel sound in map.
Guided reading: map, mat, pan, sat. Point to each letter or digraph, say the sounds, then blend the whole word. Have the learner practice with you.
Independent practice: Which word has /m/ at the start: map or sat? Say the sounds in pan. Write mat after saying each sound.
Writing: Form each letter from left to right and leave spaces between words. An adult may support handwriting separately from decoding.
2. Short a blending
Teach and model: Point to each letter in c-a-t and say /k/ /a/ /t/, then blend cat. Repeat with m-a-n. A sound is spoken; a letter is written.
Guided reading: cat, man, tap, cap. Point to each letter or digraph, say the sounds, then blend the whole word. Have the learner practice with you.
Independent practice: Read the words. Change the first sound of cat to /m/. Write tap from dictation.
Writing: Form each letter from left to right and leave spaces between words. An adult may support handwriting separately from decoding.
3. Short i
Teach and model: The short i sound is heard in sit. Blend s-i-t. Compare sat and sit: the middle sound changes.
Guided reading: sit, pin, tin, lip. Point to each letter or digraph, say the sounds, then blend the whole word. Have the learner practice with you.
Independent practice: Say the middle vowel sound in pin. Change pin to tin by changing one letter. Write lip.
Writing: Form each letter from left to right and leave spaces between words. An adult may support handwriting separately from decoding.
4. Short o
Teach and model: The short o sound in hot differs from short a in hat. Blend h-o-t, then h-a-t. Some accents pronounce vowels differently, so model the local spoken sounds.
Guided reading: hot, pot, dog, log. Point to each letter or digraph, say the sounds, then blend the whole word. Have the learner practice with you.
Independent practice: Read the words. Which begins with /d/? Change log to dog. Write pot.
Writing: Form each letter from left to right and leave spaces between words. An adult may support handwriting separately from decoding.
5. Review and check
Teach and model: Review short a, i and o. Say the sounds in a word and blend them. Do not ask a child to memorize the page.
Guided reading: map, sit, hot, pin, cat. Point to each letter or digraph, say the sounds, then blend the whole word. Have the learner practice with you.
Independent practice: Ask the child to read the five words without a model. Dictate sat and dog. Record correctly read words and level of help.
Writing: Form each letter from left to right and leave spaces between words. An adult may support handwriting separately from decoding.
6. Short u
Teach and model: The short u sound is heard in sun. Blend s-u-n. Contrast sun and son as spoken words only; do not use son as a decodable word for this lesson.
Guided reading: sun, run, cup, mud. Point to each letter or digraph, say the sounds, then blend the whole word. Have the learner practice with you.
Independent practice: Which word starts with /r/? Say all three sounds in cup. Write mud.
Writing: Form each letter from left to right and leave spaces between words. An adult may support handwriting separately from decoding.
7. Short e
Teach and model: The short e sound is heard in pen. Blend p-e-n. Compare pen and pin to hear the vowel difference.
Guided reading: pen, hen, red, bed. Point to each letter or digraph, say the sounds, then blend the whole word. Have the learner practice with you.
Independent practice: Which two words rhyme: pen and hen, or pen and dog? Change bed to red. Write hen.
Writing: Form each letter from left to right and leave spaces between words. An adult may support handwriting separately from decoding.
8. Two letters one sound: sh
Teach and model: The letters s and h together can stand for one sound /sh/, as in ship. Say /sh/ /i/ /p/ and blend ship. A digraph uses two letters for one sound.
Guided reading: ship, shop, fish, dish. Point to each letter or digraph, say the sounds, then blend the whole word. Have the learner practice with you.
Independent practice: Find sh in ship and fish. Say the sounds in shop. Write fish.
Writing: Form each letter from left to right and leave spaces between words. An adult may support handwriting separately from decoding.
9. Two letters one sound: ch
Teach and model: The letters c and h together can stand for /ch/, as in chip. Say /ch/ /i/ /p/ and blend. Compare chip with ship.
Guided reading: chip, chin, chat, chop. Point to each letter or digraph, say the sounds, then blend the whole word. Have the learner practice with you.
Independent practice: Change ship to chip by changing sh to ch. Say the sounds in chin. Write chat.
Writing: Form each letter from left to right and leave spaces between words. An adult may support handwriting separately from decoding.
10. Review and check
Teach and model: Review the taught short vowels and the digraphs sh and ch. Ask the learner to say the sounds and blend before guessing.
Guided reading: sun, bed, fish, chip, map. Point to each letter or digraph, say the sounds, then blend the whole word. Have the learner practice with you.
Independent practice: Read the five words without a model. Dictate red and shop. Tell an adult one word that rhymes with bed.
Writing: Form each letter from left to right and leave spaces between words. An adult may support handwriting separately from decoding.
Practice Sentences
After the relevant sounds are taught, read: “Sam sat.” “The sun is hot.” “A fish is in the dish.” Teach the common words the, a, is and in explicitly as needed; do not assume every spelling pattern has been taught. Ask who or what each sentence is about. Give the learner time to read and understand, not just race through words.