A comprehensive, systematic phonics and early reading program grounded in the science of reading. Students develop phonological awareness, master the alphabet, decode CVC words and beyond, build fluency with decodable texts, and comprehend stories—all while celebrating literacy as God's gift that allows us to read His Word.
Develop full phonemic awareness: blend, segment, and manipulate phonemes in spoken words
Master all 26 uppercase and lowercase letters with their primary sounds and proper formation
Decode CVC words, consonant digraphs, and consonant blends with 90%+ accuracy
Read 50+ high-frequency words automatically and use them in context
Read decodable texts fluently with expression and comprehend story elements
Apply phonics skills to spell simple words and write sentences
Understand that reading God's Word is a precious gift and privilege
Click any week to see daily lesson details.
Introduce the Bible as God's special book. Learn how to hold a book, identify the front cover, and understand that books tell us stories.
Book handling and print awarenesshands-onRecognize own name in print. Discuss how God knows our names and calls us by name (Isaiah 43:1).
Name recognition and letter awarenesshands-onClap syllables in names and simple words. Sing songs with rhythmic clapping to celebrate God's creation.
Syllable awarenessgameListen to rhyming words in songs and stories. Identify rhyming pairs like 'cat/hat' and 'Noah/boa'.
Rhyme recognitiondiscussionPractice tracking print left to right. Parent reads aloud while child follows along, understanding that words carry meaning.
Directionality and concept of wordread-aloudIntroduce letter A (uppercase and lowercase). Learn the short /a/ sound. Connect to Adam, the first person God created.
Letter recognition and sound associationhands-onIntroduce letter B. Learn the /b/ sound. Form the letter with playdough and find B words in the room.
Letter recognition and sound associationhands-onIntroduce letter C. Learn the /c/ sound. Discuss God's creation and sort pictures that begin with /c/.
Letter recognition and beginning sound sortinghands-onIntroduce letter D. Learn the /d/ sound. Hear the story of David and identify /d/ words.
Letter recognition and sound associationdiscussionIntroduce letters E and F. Learn short /e/ and /f/ sounds. Review A-F with a letter hunt game.
Letter recognition and sound reviewgameIntroduce letter G. Learn the /g/ sound. Emphasize that God is the most important word that starts with G.
Letter recognition and sound associationhands-onIntroduce letter H. Learn the /h/ sound. Discuss heaven as our home with God someday.
Letter recognition and sound associationdiscussionIntroduce letter I. Learn short /i/ sound. Connect to God's name 'I AM' (Exodus 3:14).
Letter recognition and sound associationhands-onIntroduce letter J. Learn the /j/ sound. Celebrate Jesus' name and practice writing J.
Letter recognition, sound, and formationhands-onIntroduce letters K and L. Learn /k/ and /l/ sounds. Connect to God's kingdom and His love for us.
Letter recognition and sound associationhands-onIntroduce letter M. Learn the /m/ sound. Hear about Moses and practice forming M in a sensory tray.
Letter recognition and sound associationhands-onIntroduce letter N. Learn the /n/ sound. Discuss Noah's obedience to God.
Letter recognition and sound associationdiscussionIntroduce letter O. Learn short /o/ sound. Talk about obeying God and parents.
Letter recognition and sound associationhands-onIntroduce letters P, Q, and R. Learn /p/, /kw/, and /r/ sounds. Connect to praying, being quiet before God, and rejoicing.
Letter recognition and sound associationhands-onReview letters A-R with songs, games, and letter matching. Celebrate progress with praise to God.
Letter recognition reviewgameIntroduce letter S. Learn the /s/ sound. Discuss Jesus as our Savior.
Letter recognition and sound associationhands-onIntroduce letter T. Learn the /t/ sound. Talk about trusting God in all things.
Letter recognition and sound associationhands-onIntroduce letter U. Learn short /u/ sound. Pray for understanding of God's Word.
Letter recognition and sound associationhands-onIntroduce letters V, W, and X. Learn /v/, /w/, and /ks/ sounds. Connect to victory in Jesus, God's Word, and examining Scripture.
Letter recognition and sound associationhands-onIntroduce letters Y and Z. Learn /y/ and /z/ sounds. Complete the alphabet and celebrate finishing all 26 letters!
Letter recognition and sound associationgameReview all 26 letters in order with the alphabet song. March and celebrate each letter.
Letter sequence and recognitiongameMatch uppercase letters to their lowercase partners. Practice recognizing both forms.
Letter matchinghands-onGo on a 'safari' to find objects or pictures that begin with each letter sound. Review letter-sound correspondence.
Beginning sound identificationgamePractice writing uppercase and lowercase letters with proper formation. Focus on letters in own name.
Letter formationhands-onPlay alphabet bingo to reinforce quick letter recognition. Celebrate mastery of the alphabet!
Rapid letter recognitiongameIdentify the first sound in spoken words. Sort pictures by their beginning sounds.
Initial sound isolationhands-onGenerate rhyming words for simple words. Play rhyming games with names like 'Paul/ball' and 'Ruth/truth'.
Rhyme productiongameListen for and identify the last sound in words. Practice with simple CVC words.
Final sound isolationhands-onIdentify the middle (vowel) sound in simple words. Use sound boxes to segment words.
Medial sound isolationhands-onPractice blending onset and rime (c-at → cat). Begin blending individual phonemes (/c/ /a/ /t/ → cat).
Phoneme blendinggameSegment words into individual phonemes. Use counters to represent each sound.
Phoneme segmentationhands-onChange one sound in a word to make a new word (cat → hat). Practice phoneme substitution.
Phoneme substitutiongameRemove a sound from a word to create a new word (sand → sad). Practice phoneme deletion.
Phoneme deletionhands-onAdd a sound to the beginning or end of a word (at → cat, run → runt). Practice phoneme addition.
Phoneme additiongameReview all phonemic awareness skills: blending, segmenting, and manipulating. Celebrate being sound superstars!
Phonemic awareness reviewgameIntroduce short a sound (/a/ as in apple). Identify short a in the middle of words.
Short vowel recognitionhands-onBuild and read -at family words (cat, mat, sat, pat). Understand word families.
CVC decoding with short ahands-onBuild and read -an family words (man, can, Dan, ran). Connect to 'man' in the Bible (Adam).
CVC decoding with short ahands-onExplore -ap, -ad, and -ag word families. Read simple sentences with short a words.
CVC decoding with short ahands-onRead a decodable book featuring short a words. Practice fluency and comprehension.
Reading CVC words in contextread-aloudLearn short i sound (/i/ as in igloo). Identify short i in the middle of words.
Short vowel recognitionhands-onBuild and read -it family words (sit, hit, bit, pit). Practice blending and segmenting.
CVC decoding with short ihands-onExplore -ig (big, dig, pig) and -in (pin, win, sin) word families. Discuss sin and God's forgiveness.
CVC decoding with short ihands-onMix and match letters to build various short i words. Write simple short i sentences.
CVC encoding and decodinghands-onRead a decodable book with short i words. Retell the story and identify short i words.
Reading CVC words in contextread-aloudLearn short o sound (/o/ as in octopus). Identify short o in CVC words.
Short vowel recognitionhands-onBuild and read -ot (pot, hot, dot, got) and -op (top, hop, mop, pop) words.
CVC decoding with short ohands-onExplore -ox words (fox, box, ox). Read about animals God created.
CVC decoding with short ohands-onPractice reading and spelling short o words. Use words in simple sentences.
CVC encoding and decodinghands-onRead a decodable book featuring short o. Discuss story elements and short o words.
Reading CVC words in contextread-aloudLearn short u sound (/u/ as in umbrella). Identify short u in CVC words.
Short vowel recognitionhands-onBuild and read -ug (bug, hug, mug, rug) and -un (sun, run, fun, bun) words. Thank God for the sun!
CVC decoding with short uhands-onExplore -ut (cut, but, nut) and -up (cup, pup, up) words. Practice segmenting and blending.
CVC decoding with short uhands-onSpell short u words from dictation. Write sentences using short u words.
CVC encodinghands-onRead a decodable book with short u words. Answer comprehension questions.
Reading CVC words in contextread-aloudLearn short e sound (/e/ as in elephant). Identify short e in CVC words.
Short vowel recognitionhands-onBuild and read -et (pet, get, set, wet) and -en (pen, ten, hen, men) words.
CVC decoding with short ehands-onExplore -ed (bed, red, fed, led) and -eg (leg, beg, peg) words. Read about being 'led' by God.
CVC decoding with short ehands-onPractice spelling short e words. Write simple sentences with short e words.
CVC encodinghands-onRead a decodable book featuring short e. Retell the story and identify short e words.
Reading CVC words in contextread-aloudReview all five short vowel sounds. Sort words by their vowel sounds.
Short vowel discriminationhands-onMix and match consonants and vowels to build various CVC words. Practice flexibility in decoding.
CVC decoding with mixed vowelshands-onChange one letter at a time to create new words (cat → hat → hot → hop). Practice phoneme manipulation.
Phoneme substitution in CVC wordsgameRead sentences containing CVC words with all short vowels. Focus on accuracy and comprehension.
Reading CVC words in contexthands-onRead a longer decodable story with mixed CVC words. Celebrate mastery of short vowel CVC words!
Reading fluency with CVC wordsread-aloudIntroduce sight words 'the' and 'a'. Practice reading them in sentences.
High-frequency word recognitionhands-onIntroduce sight words 'I', 'to', and 'is'. Use them in simple sentences about God's love.
High-frequency word recognitionhands-onIntroduce sight words 'and', 'we', and 'my'. Practice reading sentences with multiple sight words.
High-frequency word recognitionhands-onIntroduce sight words 'see', 'go', and 'can'. Play games to practice quick recognition.
High-frequency word recognitiongameRead decodable texts that include the 10 sight words learned. Focus on fluency.
Reading with high-frequency wordsread-aloudIntroduce sight words 'he', 'she', and 'it'. Use pronouns to describe Bible characters.
High-frequency word recognitionhands-onIntroduce sight words 'for', 'you', and 'said'. Read simple Bible verses using these words.
High-frequency word recognitionhands-onIntroduce sight words 'was', 'are', and 'have'. Practice in sentences about God's creation.
High-frequency word recognitionhands-onReview all 20 sight words learned so far with games like bingo, memory, and word hunts.
High-frequency word automaticitygameRead decodable books featuring the sight words learned. Track known words.
Reading with high-frequency wordsread-aloudIntroduce the sh digraph (/sh/ as in ship). Understand that two letters make one sound.
Digraph recognition and decodinghands-onBuild and read words with sh (shop, ship, shed, fish, wish, cash). Practice in sentences.
Decoding words with shhands-onIntroduce the ch digraph (/ch/ as in church). Connect to going to church to worship God.
Digraph recognition and decodinghands-onBuild and read words with ch (chip, chop, chat, much, rich, lunch). Use in sentences.
Decoding words with chhands-onRead a decodable book featuring sh and ch words. Identify digraphs in the text.
Reading words with digraphs in contextread-aloudIntroduce the th digraph (voiced and unvoiced). Practice words like 'that', 'this', 'thin', 'path'.
Digraph recognition and decodinghands-onBuild and read th words (them, then, with, math, bath). Use in sentences about thankfulness.
Decoding words with thhands-onIntroduce the wh digraph (/wh/ as in when). Learn question words: who, what, when, where, why.
Digraph recognition and decodinghands-onSort words by their digraphs (sh, ch, th, wh). Practice reading mixed digraph words.
Digraph discriminationhands-onRead a decodable book with all four digraphs. Discuss the story and find digraph words.
Reading words with digraphs in contextread-aloudIntroduce the ck digraph at the end of words. Learn the rule: ck comes after a short vowel.
Digraph recognition and decodinghands-onBuild and read -ack (back, pack, sack, black) and -ock (rock, lock, sock, block) words.
Decoding words with ckhands-onExplore -ick (pick, sick, kick, stick) and -uck (duck, truck, stuck, luck) words.
Decoding words with ckhands-onRead and write sentences using ck words. Practice spelling ck words from dictation.
Encoding and decoding ck wordshands-onRead a decodable book featuring ck words. Retell the story and identify ck words.
Reading words with ck in contextread-aloudIntroduce bl and cl blends. Build and read words like 'black', 'bless', 'clap', 'class'.
Decoding words with l-blendshands-onIntroduce fl and gl blends. Read words like 'flag', 'flip', 'glad', 'gloss'. Thank God for flags and gladness.
Decoding words with l-blendshands-onIntroduce pl and sl blends. Build words like 'plan', 'plot', 'slip', 'slam'.
Decoding words with l-blendshands-onMix and practice all l-blends. Sort words by their beginning blends.
Blend discrimination and decodinghands-onRead a decodable book featuring l-blend words. Celebrate reaching day 100!
Reading words with blends in contextread-aloudIntroduce br and cr blends. Build words like 'brag', 'brim', 'crab', 'crop'.
Decoding words with r-blendshands-onIntroduce dr and fr blends. Read words like 'drop', 'drum', 'from', 'frog'. Thank God for frogs!
Decoding words with r-blendshands-onIntroduce gr and pr blends. Build words like 'grin', 'grab', 'pray', 'prop'. Emphasize 'pray' and praying to God.
Decoding words with r-blendshands-onIntroduce tr blend. Read words like 'trip', 'trap', 'trust', 'track'. Connect to trusting God.
Decoding words with r-blendshands-onRead a decodable book with r-blend words. Identify and sort r-blends.
Reading words with blends in contextread-aloudIntroduce sc, sk, and sm blends. Build words like 'scan', 'skip', 'skin', 'smell'.
Decoding words with s-blendshands-onIntroduce sn and sp blends. Read words like 'snap', 'snack', 'spin', 'spot'.
Decoding words with s-blendshands-onIntroduce st and sw blends. Build words like 'stop', 'step', 'swim', 'swift'. Discuss God's swift answers to prayer.
Decoding words with s-blendshands-onIntroduce three-letter s-blends. Read words like 'scrap', 'spring', 'strip', 'strong'.
Decoding words with three-letter blendshands-onRead a decodable book featuring s-blend words. Practice fluency with blends.
Reading words with blends in contextread-aloudIntroduce final blends -nd and -nt. Build words like 'hand', 'send', 'tent', 'went'.
Decoding words with final blendshands-onIntroduce final blends -st and -sk. Read words like 'best', 'just', 'ask', 'desk'.
Decoding words with final blendshands-onIntroduce final blends -lt, -lk, and -lp. Build words like 'melt', 'milk', 'help'. Emphasize 'help' and God's help.
Decoding words with final blendshands-onIntroduce final blends -mp, -ft, and -pt. Read words like 'jump', 'gift', 'kept'.
Decoding words with final blendshands-onRead a decodable book with final blends. Identify and practice ending blends.
Reading words with final blends in contextread-aloudRead words with both beginning and ending blends (blast, plant, trust, stand).
Decoding complex blend wordshands-onSort words by their beginning and ending blends. Review all blends learned.
Blend discriminationhands-onPractice spelling words with blends from dictation. Write sentences with blend words.
Encoding words with blendshands-onPlay games to practice quick recognition and reading of blend words.
Blend automaticitygameRead a longer decodable story with many blend words. Celebrate blend mastery!
Reading fluency with blendsread-aloudPractice reading decodable texts smoothly without choppy pauses. Focus on accuracy.
Reading fluency—accuracyread-aloudLearn to notice and use punctuation marks (. ! ?) to guide expression while reading.
Reading with expressionhands-onPractice rereading familiar texts to build speed and smoothness. Track progress.
Repeated reading for fluencyhands-onPractice partner reading with a sibling or parent. Take turns and encourage each other.
Partner reading fluencygameRead a familiar story with expression and feeling. Perform for family members.
Reading with expressionread-aloudIdentify characters in stories. Discuss who the story is about and describe them.
Identifying charactersdiscussionIdentify the setting of stories. Describe where and when the story takes place.
Identifying settingdiscussionIdentify major events in a story. Sequence the beginning, middle, and end.
Identifying plot eventshands-onPractice retelling a familiar Bible story with all key details in order.
Story retellingdiscussionDraw pictures showing the characters, setting, and main events of a story.
Comprehension through illustrationhands-onAsk and answer 'who' and 'what' questions about stories read. Practice with Bible stories.
Answering literal questionsdiscussionAsk and answer 'where' and 'when' questions. Identify settings and time in stories.
Answering literal questionsdiscussionAsk and answer 'why' questions to understand character actions and story events.
Making inferencesdiscussionAsk and answer 'how' questions about story events and character feelings.
Deeper comprehensiondiscussionPractice asking and answering questions about a Bible passage. Deepen understanding of God's Word.
Comprehension of ScripturediscussionConnect stories to own life experiences. Discuss how stories remind us of things we've done or felt.
Text-to-self connectionsdiscussionCompare two stories with similar themes, characters, or events. Identify similarities and differences.
Text-to-text connectionsdiscussionFind connections between secular stories and Bible truths. Discuss how stories teach us about God's character.
Biblical connectionsdiscussionCompare characters from different stories. Discuss how they are alike and different.
Character analysishands-onCreate a book of connections made to stories read. Draw and write about connections.
Comprehension through writinghands-onIdentify unfamiliar words in read-alouds. Use pictures and context to determine meaning.
Vocabulary acquisitiondiscussionLearn vocabulary words that describe God's character: loving, faithful, mighty, holy, merciful.
Biblical vocabularydiscussionLearn that some words have similar meanings. Practice with pairs like happy/glad, big/large.
Synonym recognitionhands-onLearn that some words are opposites. Practice with pairs like hot/cold, up/down, good/bad.
Antonym recognitionhands-onPractice using new vocabulary words in sentences. Create a personal word journal.
Vocabulary applicationhands-onIntroduce sight words 'this', 'that', and 'they'. Practice reading them in sentences.
High-frequency word recognitionhands-onIntroduce sight words 'from', 'with', and 'his'. Use in sentences about God's gifts.
High-frequency word recognitionhands-onIntroduce sight words 'of', 'had', and 'but'. Practice in reading passages.
High-frequency word recognitionhands-onIntroduce sight words 'not', 'what', and 'all'. Review all 30+ sight words learned so far.
High-frequency word recognitionhands-onPlay games to practice quick recognition of 40 sight words. Celebrate progress!
High-frequency word automaticitygameIntroduce sight words 'when', 'your', and 'out'. Use in sentences about daily life.
High-frequency word recognitionhands-onIntroduce sight words 'there', 'were', and 'up'. Practice reading fluently in context.
High-frequency word recognitionhands-onIntroduce the final sight words to reach 50: 'one', 'two', 'who', 'now'. Celebrate reaching the goal!
High-frequency word recognitionhands-onReview all 50 high-frequency words. Practice reading them quickly and accurately.
High-frequency word automaticitygameRead decodable books that include many of the 50 sight words. Focus on fluency and comprehension.
Reading with high-frequency wordsread-aloudIntroduce long vowel concept: when a vowel says its name. Focus on long a sound.
Long vowel awarenesshands-onIntroduce long i sound. Identify long i in words and contrast with short i.
Long vowel awarenesshands-onIntroduce long o and long u sounds. Practice identifying them in words.
Long vowel awarenesshands-onIntroduce long e sound. Sort words by short e vs. long e sounds.
Long vowel awarenesshands-onPractice distinguishing between short and long vowel sounds. Sort and read words.
Vowel discriminationhands-onLearn the silent e rule: e at the end makes the vowel say its name. Practice with examples.
CVCe pattern recognitionhands-onTransform CVC words into CVCe words (cap → cape, kit → kite). Observe the vowel change.
Decoding CVCe wordshands-onRead CVCe words in sentences and short passages. Practice fluency with magic e words.
Reading CVCe words in contexthands-onPractice spelling CVCe words from dictation. Write sentences using magic e words.
Encoding CVCe wordshands-onRead a decodable book featuring CVCe words. Identify and discuss the magic e pattern.
Reading fluency with CVCe wordsread-aloudReview reading and spelling CVC words with all short vowels. Play review games.
CVC word masterygameReview all digraphs and blends learned. Sort and read words with these patterns.
Digraph and blend masteryhands-onReview all 50 sight words. Practice reading them in sentences and stories.
High-frequency word masterygameRead favorite decodable books with fluency and expression. Share progress with family.
Reading fluencyread-aloudCelebrate all the phonics skills mastered this year! Review the journey from sounds to reading.
Year reviewgameBegin reading a longer chapter book or extended story. Discuss characters and setting.
Sustained reading and comprehensionread-aloudMake predictions about what will happen next in the story. Confirm or revise predictions.
Making predictionsdiscussionIdentify the main idea of stories and passages. Distinguish main idea from details.
Main idea comprehensiondiscussionPractice reading simple Bible stories independently. Discuss what God teaches us through the story.
Independent reading of Scriptureread-aloudShare favorite stories read this year. Discuss why they are favorites and what was learned.
Comprehension and reflectiondiscussionRead simple Bible verses together. Celebrate the ability to read God's Word!
Scripture readingread-aloudReview the reading journey from day 1 to now. Look at early work and celebrate growth.
Reflection and growth mindsetdiscussionDiscuss how literacy is a gift that allows us to read God's Word and learn about Him. Give thanks in prayer.
Biblical perspective on literacydiscussionSet goals for summer reading and first grade. Talk about continuing to grow as a reader.
Goal settingdiscussionCelebrate completing Kindergarten phonics and reading! Read favorite books, receive a certificate, and praise God for the gift of reading.
Celebration and thanksgivinggameStart with Day 1 and work through at your own pace. Each lesson builds on the last!