Free resources

1 min read

Vowel sounds chart

OVERVIEW Vowel sounds can be long or short. Long vowels can be made with a single letter or a digraph (two letters making one sound). The sound of a in apple is a short vowel sound. The sound of...

1 min read

Phonics instruction phase three: more phonics

In Phase Three (typically the end of Kindergarten/Reception), children learn the remaining 25 phonemes. These phonemes are more difficult and/or less frequently used. Some of these 25 phonemes corr...

1 min read

Phonics instruction phase two: phonics

In Phase Two (typically in Kindergarten/Reception), children start to learn the sounds (phonemes) that letters (graphemes) make. There are 44 sounds (phonemes). Some of these sounds correspond to m...

1 min read

What is phonemic awareness?

Phonemic awareness refers to the specific ability to focus on and manipulate individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken words.Phonemic awareness is the most advanced level of phonological awareness. It...

2 min read

What is a phoneme?

A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound. A phoneme is the sound associated with a letter or group of letters. Each different sound in a word is a phoneme. For example, the letter t makes the sound ...

1 min read

Verbs in a sentence

OVERVIEW A verb is all about doing or being. Often, they are action words like sit and laugh. Download our Verbs in a sentence activity below. Read through the sentences and circle the verbs. Th...

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Short vowels: complete the words

OVERVIEW Vowel sounds can be long or short. Download our Short vowel: complete the words activity below. Fill in the gaps with the missing vowels to form ten short vowel words. This activity has...

1 min read

Comparative adjectives

OVERVIEW An adjective is a word that describes a noun (person, place, or thing). Adjectives make writing more detailed and more exciting. They tell us how something looks, smells, sounds, or fee...

1 min read

What is an exclamation?

Overview A sentence tells something. It ends with a full stop (.).A question asks something that needs an answer. It ends with a question mark (?).An exclamation is a special type of sentence tha...

1 min read

Guide to Worksheets by Common Core Standard

Our curriculum-aligned resource library contains hundreds of free downloadable activities. Feeling overwhelmed or not sure where to start? We’ve mapped all of our free resources to Common Core curr...

1 min read

The letter D

Letter identification The letter D/dThe alphabet is made up of letters that can be used to make words. Every letter has a name and can make its own sound. Many letters can make more than one sou...

1 min read

The letter H

Letter identification The letter H/hThe alphabet is made up of letters that can be used to make words. Every letter has a name and can make its own sound. Many letters can make more than one sou...

1 min read

The letter G

Letter identification The letter G/gThe alphabet is made up of letters that can be used to make words. Every letter has a name and can make its own sound. Many letters can make more than one sou...

1 min read

The letter L

Letter identification The letter L/lThe alphabet is made up of letters that can be used to make words. Every letter has a name and can make its own sound. Many letters can make more than one sou...

1 min read

The letter M

Letter identification The letter M/mThe alphabet is made up of letters that can be used to make words. Every letter has a name and can make its own sound. Many letters can make more than one sou...

1 min read

The letter V

Letter identification The letter V/vThe alphabet is made up of letters that can be used to make words. Every letter has a name and can make its own sound. Many letters can make more than one sou...

1 min read

The letter Y

Letter identification The letter Y/yThe alphabet is made up of letters that can be used to make words. Every letter has a name and can make its own sound. Many letters can make more than one sou...

1 min read

Sequencing: order the events

Overview When you read a story, pay attention to the order of events. What happened first? What happened next? If you understand the sequence of events, you will be able to understand the story ...

1 min read

What is a noun?

OVERVIEW A noun is a person, place, or thing. Nouns can be concrete or abstract. Concrete nouns are things that you can see and touch. Abstract nouns are things that you can't see, like love, or...

1 min read

Who, what, when, where, and why?

OVERVIEW Questions often start with a question word. Who? To ask about a person.What? To ask about a thing.When? To ask about a time.Where? To ask about a place.Why? To ask for a reason. Downloa...

1 min read

2D shapes

OVERVIEW Two-dimensional shapes are completely flat. Learning 2D shapes is important for future math learning. Download our 2D shapes activity below. This activity introduces 2D shapes. Can you ...

1 min read

Adding up: money

OVERVIEW Adding up money is an incredibly useful skill that your child will use throughout their life. It is most beneficial to learn adding up money after learning to skip-count in twos, fives,...

1 min read

3D shapes

OVERVIEW Three-dimensional shapes are solid. You can hold them in your hands.Download our 3D shapes activity below.This activity introduces 3D shapes. Draw a line and match each shape to an obje...

1 min read

Speech marks

OVERVIEW Speech marks show what someone has said. They go at the start and end of speech in a sentence.Download our Speech marks activity below.This activity asks children to rewrite sentences a...

1 min read

Skip-counting by fives

OVERVIEW Skip-counting is counting forward by numbers other than 1. Download our Skip-counting by fives worksheets for kids below. This activity introduces children to skip-counting. There are f...

1 min read

The main idea: part 2

OVERVIEW The main idea is the most important thing about a picture or story. Download our What is happening? activity below. Look at the picture. What is happening in the picture? Pick the main ...

1 min read

What’s the difference between learning the alphabet and learning phonics?

The alphabet teaches children the names of letters but not their sounds (phonemes). Often, the name of the letter is not the same as its most common sound (phoneme). For example, the name of the le...

1 min read

Teaching phonemes

A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound. A phoneme is the sound associated with a letter or group of letters (grapheme). Each different sound in a word is a phoneme.While there are lots to get thro...

1 min read

The phoneme /d/

Phonemes The phoneme /d/A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound. Each different sound in a word is a phoneme, and each phoneme is represented by a grapheme (a letter or group of letters).Downloa...

1 min read

Sight words list: kindergarten

Overview The ability to decode words is crucial to reading, but a number of high frequency words are still worth learning whole. For example, some words cannot be “sounded out” in the usual way ...

4 min read

How is my child assessed at school in reading?

In the USIn the US, phonics is assessed by most districts, but the screening varies by state.As children progress through phonics instruction, they move onto reading graded books and eventually cha...

2 min read

When and how do children learn phonics at school?

Phonics instruction is recommended for beginner readers. While different schools take varying approaches to teaching phonics for kids as they learn to read, in the UK phonics instruction follows a ...

1 min read

Conjunctions

OVERVIEW Conjunctions join up words, phrases, and clauses.Download our Conjunctions activity below.This activity introduces children to basic conjunctions. Read through the sentences together. C...

1 min read

Personal pronouns

OVERVIEW A pronoun is a word that is used in place of a noun. Personal pronouns are words that are used instead of a person or animal's name. Download our Personal Pronouns activity below. This ...

1 min read

Verbs: complete the sentence

OVERVIEW Add -s to the verb when a sentence is about one noun (person, animal, place, or thing). Do not add -s to the verb when a sentence is about more than one noun (person, animal, place, or ...

1 min read

Vowel teams: picture match

OVERVIEW Two vowels can work together as a vowel team. This is called a digraph, when two letters make a single sound. The first vowel in the team is bold. It says its name, making a long vowel ...

1 min read

What are synonyms and antonyms?

Overview A synonym is a word that has the same meaning as another word. An antonym is a word that has the opposite meaning to another word.Download our Synonyms and Antonyms: Big and Small and S...

1 min read

The letter U

Letter identification The letter U/uThe alphabet is made up of letters that can be used to make words. Every letter has a name and can make its own sound. Many letters can make more than one sou...

1 min read

Prepositions: picture match 1

OVERVIEW A preposition is a word that tells you where or when something is in relation to something else. Download our Prepositions 1 activity below. The activity introduces simple prepositions,...

1 min read

The letter B

Letter identification The letter B/bThe alphabet is made up of letters that can be used to make words. Every letter has a name and can make its own sound. Many letters can make more than one sou...

1 min read

The letter W

Letter identification The letter W/wThe alphabet is made up of letters that can be used to make words. Every letter has a name and can make its own sound. Many letters can make more than one sou...

1 min read

Alphabet ordering

Overview The alphabet teaches children the names of letters and the order they go in. Learning the alphabet and alphabetical order is an important initial step before children move on to decodin...

1 min read

Sentences: find the complete sentences

OVERVIEW A sentence tells a complete thought. A sentence starts with an uppercase letter and ends with an end mark. Even a simple sentence must have these pieces. Download our Find the complete ...

1 min read

Lesson plan: short vowels

Short vowel sounds are some of the first sounds kids will learn. Vowels usually make a short sound when they appear directly before a consonant.A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound. Print out or...

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Lesson plan: self and creativity

Speaking and listening activities are some of the first things children encounter when they start school. We've produced a variety of tools to help kids improve their self-expression and creativity...

3 min read

What is phonics?

Phonics in English is a coding system for language that goes beyond the 26 letters of the alphabet. It teaches children 44 phonemes (sounds such as the /f/ in funny) and more than 200 graphemes (le...

1 min read

The grapheme ire

Phonemes The grapheme ire A grapheme is a letter or group of letters that corresponds to a single phoneme (the smallest unit of sound). Download our Graphemes chart below. Print out the chart ...

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Color words

OVERVIEW Some description words tell you about the color of an object. Download our Colors activity below. This activity introduces color words. There has been a messy mistake and paint is every...

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Words with multiple meanings

OVERVIEW Some words look the same but have different meanings. Same word, different meaning: words like this are called homonyms. Bark is the noise a dog makes and the outside part of a tree. D...

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Vowel teams: complete the words

OVERVIEW Two vowels can work together as a vowel team. This is called a digraph, when two letters make a single sound. The first vowel in the team is bold. It says its name, making a long vowel ...

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Diphthongs: complete the word

OVERVIEW Two letters blended together can make a long vowel sound. These are sometimes called diphthongs.Diphthong examples:Oi and oy are different spellings that make the same vowel sound. Ow a...

1 min read

The letter R

Letter identification The letter R/rThe alphabet is made up of letters that can be used to make words. Every letter has a name and can make its own sound. Many letters can make more than one sou...

1 min read

The letter X

Letter identification The letter X/xThe alphabet is made up of letters that can be used to make words. Every letter has a name and can make its own sound. Many letters can make more than one sou...

1 min read

The phoneme /sh/: practice

overview A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound. Each different sound in a word is a phoneme, and each phoneme is represented by a grapheme (a letter or group of letters). Download our Flush: /...

1 min read

Sight words list: 1st grade

Overview The ability to decode words is crucial to reading, but a number of high frequency words are still worth learning whole. For example, some words cannot be sounded out in the usual way us...

1 min read

Uppercase: the first letter of a sentence

OVERVIEW The first word in a sentence must start with an uppercase letter. Uppercase letters are also called capital letters. Download our Uppercase letters alphabet chart and Uppercase: first l...

1 min read

What is an adjective?

OVERVIEW An adjective is a word that describes a noun (person, place, or thing). Adjectives make writing more detailed and more exciting. They tell us how something looks, smells, sounds, or fee...

1 min read

Action verbs

OVERVIEW A verb is a word that tells you what a person, animal, or thing does. An action verb is a verb that describes an action. Download our Find the action verb activity below. This activity ...

1 min read

Months of the year

OVERVIEW Months are an important part of vocabulary learning because children are often expected to write the date at the top of their work. Months always begin with an uppercase letter. Downloa...

3 min read

Daily sound practice

A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound. A phoneme is the sound associated with a letter or group of letters (grapheme). Each different sound in a word is a phoneme. For example, the letter t makes...

1 min read

Nouns in a sentence

OVERVIEW A noun is a person, place, or thing. Nouns can be concrete or abstract. Concrete nouns are things that you can see and touch. Abstract nouns are things that you can't see, like love, or...

1 min read

Number bonds

OVERVIEW A number bond is a simple addition of two numbers that add up to give the sum. These simple sums should become so familiar to your child that they can complete them almost automatically...

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Thanksgiving vocabulary

OVERVIEW Download our hilariously illustrated Thanksgiving Vocabulary activity below. Learn challenging adjectives and their synonyms before writing about your perfect Thanksgiving meal. Use the...

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Possessive pronouns

OVERVIEW A possessive noun shows who has or owns something. To make a possessive noun, add 's to a noun (a person, animal, place, or thing). Possessive pronouns can be used instead of possessive...

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What is systematic synthetic phonics?

National guidance in the US (Common Core ELA State Standards), the UK (National Curriculum, Letters and Sounds) and Australia (ACARA) promotes an integrated literacy approach using systematic synth...

1 min read

Singular possessive nouns

OVERVIEW A possessive noun shows who has or owns something. A singular noun is a single person, place or thing. To make a singular possessive noun, add 's to a noun (a person, animal, place, or ...

1 min read

Object-sorting for vocabulary learning

OVERVIEW Some things are alike. These things can go together in a group or category. Learning new vocabulary in categories allows for better comprehension and retention. Download our Sort object...

1 min read

Action verbs: complete the sentence

OVERVIEW A verb is a word that tells you what a person, animal, or thing does. An action verb is a verb that describes an action.Download our Action Verbs: Complete the sentences grammar workshe...

1 min read

Personal pronouns: complete the sentences

OVERVIEW A pronoun is a word that is used in place of a noun. Personal pronouns are words that are used instead of a person or animal's name. A subject pronoun tells who is doing something. It i...

1 min read

Sort the short and long vowel words

OVERVIEW Vowels can make short and long sounds. Vowels usually make a short sound when they appear directly before a consonant, but there are some exceptions to this rule. Long vowels sound like...

1 min read

The phoneme /j/

Phonemes The phoneme /j/A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound. Each different sound in a word is a phoneme, and each phoneme is represented by a grapheme (a letter or group of letters).Downloa...

1 min read

The phoneme /oo/ (short)

Phonemes The phoneme /oo/ (short)A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound. Each different sound in a word is a phoneme, and each phoneme is represented by a grapheme (a letter or group of letters...

1 min read

The phoneme /t/

Phonemes The phoneme /t/A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound. Each different sound in a word is a phoneme, and each phoneme is represented by a grapheme (a letter or group of letters).Downloa...

1 min read

The phoneme /r/

Phonemes The phoneme /r/A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound. Each different sound in a word is a phoneme, and each phoneme is represented by a grapheme (a letter or group of letters).Downloa...

1 min read

The grapheme air

Phonemes The grapheme air A grapheme is a letter or group of letters that corresponds to a single phoneme (the smallest unit of sound). Download our Graphemes chart below. Print out the chart ...

1 min read

The grapheme ure

Phonemes The grapheme ure A grapheme is a letter or group of letters that corresponds to a single phoneme (the smallest unit of sound). Download our Graphemes chart below. Print out the chart ...

1 min read

The grapheme v

Phonemes The grapheme v A grapheme is a letter or group of letters that corresponds to a single phoneme (the smallest unit of sound). Download our Graphemes chart below. Print out the chart or...

1 min read

The letter A

Letter identification The letter A/a The alphabet is made up of letters that can be used to make words. Every letter has a name and can make its own sound. Many letters can make more than one so...

1 min read

The letter Q

Letter identification The letter Q/qThe alphabet is made up of letters that can be used to make words. Every letter has a name and can make its own sound. Many letters can make more than one sou...

1 min read

The letter P

Letter identification The letter P/pThe alphabet is made up of letters that can be used to make words. Every letter has a name and can make its own sound. Many letters can make more than one sou...

1 min read

The grapheme or

Phonemes The grapheme or A grapheme is a letter or group of letters that corresponds to a single phoneme (the smallest unit of sound). Download our Graphemes chart below. Print out the chart o...

1 min read

The grapheme th (hard)

Phonemes The grapheme th (hard) A grapheme is a letter or group of letters that corresponds to a single phoneme (the smallest unit of sound). Download our Graphemes chart below. Print out the ...

1 min read

Common and proper nouns

OVERVIEW A noun is a person, place, or thing. A common noun names a generic person, animal, place, or thing. A proper noun names a specific person, animal, place, or thing. A proper noun always ...

1 min read

Singular or plural?

OVERVIEW Singular means one. Plural means more than one. Download our Singular or plural? activity below. Are these nouns singular or plural? Circle the correct answer. Can you think of any othe...

1 min read

Graphemes: kn

Overview A grapheme is a letter or a group of letters that represent a sound (phoneme) in a word. The grapheme kn represents the phoneme /n/. Download our Knight: kn sounds activity below. This...

1 min read

CVC words: u

Overview CVC words are short words that consist of a vowel connecting two consonants, like bug or cup. These short, three-letter CVC words are the first that children learn to read or decode, bu...

1 min read

CVC words: i

Overview CVC words are short words that consist of a vowel connecting two consonants, like big or sit. These short, three-letter CVC words are the first that children learn to read or decode, bu...

1 min read

CVC words: e

Overview CVC words are short words that consist of a vowel connecting two consonants, like bed or vet. These short, three-letter CVC words are the first that children learn to read or decode, bu...

1 min read

Imperative verbs

OVERVIEW A verb is a word that tells you what a person, animal, or thing does. Another way to describe verbs is to say that they are action words or doing words.Download our Imperatives activity...

1 min read

Even and odd numbers

OVERVIEW Even numbers can be split into twos. Odd numbers cannot be split into twos. Even numbers always end in 2, 4, 6, 8 and 0. Odd numbers always end in 1, 3, 5, 7, 9.Download our Even and od...

2 min read

Grapheme-phoneme correspondences: it's complicated

In words such as clock and kick, the grapheme ck is associated with the sound or phoneme /k/ - so there are two letters making one sound.Notice that cat, kite, and duck all contain the same /k/ sou...

1 min read

The phoneme /ch/

Phonemes The phoneme /ch/A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound. Each different sound in a word is a phoneme, and each phoneme is represented by a grapheme (a letter or group of letters).Downlo...

1 min read

The phoneme /igh/

Phonemes The phoneme /igh/A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound. Each different sound in a word is a phoneme, and each phoneme is represented by a grapheme (a letter or group of letters).Downl...

1 min read

The phoneme /ng/

Phonemes The phoneme /ng/A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound. Each different sound in a word is a phoneme, and each phoneme is represented by a grapheme (a letter or group of letters).Downlo...

1 min read

The phoneme /ow/

Phonemes The phoneme /ow/A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound. Each different sound in a word is a phoneme, and each phoneme is represented by a grapheme (a letter or group of letters).Downlo...

1 min read

The phoneme /sh/

Phonemes The phoneme /sh/A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound. Each different sound in a word is a phoneme, and each phoneme is represented by a grapheme (a letter or group of letters).Downlo...

1 min read

The phoneme /th/ (hard)

Phonemes The phoneme /th/ (hard) A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound. Each different sound in a word is a phoneme, and each phoneme is represented by a grapheme (a letter or group of letters)...

1 min read

The phoneme /th/ (soft)

Phonemes The phoneme /th/ (soft)A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound. Each different sound in a word is a phoneme, and each phoneme is represented by a grapheme (a letter or group of letters)...

1 min read

The phoneme /w/

Phonemes The phoneme /w/ A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound. Each different sound in a word is a phoneme, and each phoneme is represented by a grapheme (a letter or group of letters).Downlo...

1 min read

The grapheme ee

Phonemes The grapheme ee A grapheme is a letter or group of letters that corresponds to a single phoneme (the smallest unit of sound). Download our Graphemes chart below. Print out the chart o...

1 min read

The grapheme w

Phonemes The grapheme w A grapheme is a letter or group of letters that corresponds to a single phoneme (the smallest unit of sound). Download our Graphemes chart below. Print out the chart or...

1 min read

Irregular plural nouns

OVERVIEW Normally, you add -s or -es to a noun to make it plural. However, some nouns do not follow this rule. These change their spellings. Like foot and feet.Download our Irregular Plurals act...

1 min read

The grapheme m

Phonemes The grapheme m A grapheme is a letter or group of letters that corresponds to a single phoneme (the smallest unit of sound). Download our Graphemes chart below. Print out the chart or...

1 min read

Sentences: unscramble the words

OVERVIEW A sentence tells a complete thought. A sentence starts with an uppercase letter and ends with an end mark. Download our Unscramble the words activity below. This activity asks children ...

1 min read

Action verbs: picture match

OVERVIEW A verb is a word that tells you what a person, animal, or thing does. An action verb is a verb that describes an action. Download our Match the picture to the action verb activity below...

2 min read

Phonics instruction phase five: GPC grapheme phoneme correspondence

In Phase Five (typically in First Grade or Year 1), children learn the range of different graphemes (spellings) used to represent key phonemes (sounds) – e.g. long vowel spellings and alternative g...

1 min read

The letter J

Letter identification The letter J/jThe alphabet is made up of letters that can be used to make words. Every letter has a name and can make its own sound. Many letters can make more than one sou...

1 min read

Graphemes: tch

OVERVIEW A grapheme is a letter or a group of letters that represent a sound (phoneme) in a word. The grapheme 'tch' represents the phoneme /ch/.Download our Sketch: ‘tch’ sounds activity below....

1 min read

The phoneme /e/

Phonemes The phoneme /e/A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound. Each different sound in a word is a phoneme, and each phoneme is represented by a grapheme (a letter or group of letters).Downloa...

1 min read

The phoneme /l/

Phonemes The phoneme /l/A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound. Each different sound in a word is a phoneme, and each phoneme is represented by a grapheme (a letter or group of letters).Downloa...

1 min read

The phoneme /oa/

Phonemes The phoneme /oa/A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound. Each different sound in a word is a phoneme, and each phoneme is represented by a grapheme (a letter or group of letters).Downlo...

1 min read

The phoneme /u/

Phonemes The phoneme /u/ A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound. Each different sound in a word is a phoneme, and each phoneme is represented by a grapheme (a letter or group of letters).Downlo...

1 min read

The grapheme a

Phonemes The grapheme a A grapheme is a letter or group of letters that corresponds to a single phoneme (the smallest unit of sound). Download our Graphemes chart below. Print out the chart or...

1 min read

The grapheme aw

Phonemes The grapheme aw A grapheme is a letter or group of letters that corresponds to a single phoneme (the smallest unit of sound). Download our Graphemes chart below. Print out the chart o...

1 min read

The grapheme h

Phonemes The grapheme h A grapheme is a letter or group of letters that corresponds to a single phoneme (the smallest unit of sound). Download our Graphemes chart below. Print out the chart or...

1 min read

The grapheme j

Phonemes The grapheme j A grapheme is a letter or group of letters that corresponds to a single phoneme (the smallest unit of sound). Download our Graphemes chart below. Print out the chart or...

1 min read

The grapheme l

Phonemes The grapheme l A grapheme is a letter or group of letters that corresponds to a single phoneme (the smallest unit of sound). Download our Graphemes chart below. Print out the chart or...

1 min read

The grapheme oi

Phonemes The grapheme oi A grapheme is a letter or group of letters that corresponds to a single phoneme (the smallest unit of sound). Download our Graphemes chart below. Print out the chart o...

1 min read

The grapheme oa

Phonemes The grapheme oa A grapheme is a letter or group of letters that corresponds to a single phoneme (the smallest unit of sound). Download our Graphemes chart below. Print out the chart o...

1 min read

The grapheme r

Phonemes The grapheme r A grapheme is a letter or group of letters that corresponds to a single phoneme (the smallest unit of sound). Download our Graphemes chart below. Print out the chart or...

1 min read

The grapheme th (soft)

Phonemes The grapheme th (soft) A grapheme is a letter or group of letters that corresponds to a single phoneme (the smallest unit of sound). Download our Graphemes chart below. Print out the ...

1 min read

The phoneme /er/: practice

Overview A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound. Each different sound in a word is a phoneme, and each phoneme is represented by a grapheme (a letter or group of letters). Download our Monster...

1 min read

Dolch sight words list: kindergarten

Overview The ability to decode words is crucial to reading, but a number of high frequency words are still worth learning whole. For example, some words cannot be “sounded out” in the usual way ...

1 min read

Fry sight words list

Overview The ability to decode words is crucial to reading, but a number of high frequency words are still worth learning whole. For example, some words cannot be “sounded out” in the usual way ...

1 min read

CVC words: a

Overview CVC words are short words that consist of a vowel connecting two consonants, like cat or hat. These short, three-letter CVC words are the first that children learn to read or decode, bu...

1 min read

CVC words: o

Overview CVC words are short words that consist of a vowel connecting two consonants, like mop or dog. These short, three-letter CVC words are the first that children learn to read or decode, bu...

1 min read

Whole body listening

Overview What better way is there to show the world around you some respect than to learn how to listen?Download our illustrated Whole Body Listening poster below. Shang High the giraffe shows u...

11 min read

Is Houseparty your homeschool?

The speed at which many educators have moved to hurl the curriculum online has been nothing short of heroic. Putting together a homeschool curriculum is no easy task. 1.2 billion children are now h...

1 min read

The phoneme /h/

Phonemes The phoneme /h/A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound. Each different sound in a word is a phoneme, and each phoneme is represented by a grapheme (a letter or group of letters).Downloa...

1 min read

The phoneme /f/

Phonemes The phoneme /f/A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound. Each different sound in a word is a phoneme, and each phoneme is represented by a grapheme (a letter or group of letters).Downloa...

1 min read

The phoneme /ire/

Phonemes The phoneme /ire/A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound. Each different sound in a word is a phoneme, and each phoneme is represented by a grapheme (a letter or group of letters).Downl...

1 min read

The phoneme /n/

Phonemes The phoneme /n/A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound. Each different sound in a word is a phoneme, and each phoneme is represented by a grapheme (a letter or group of letters).Downloa...

1 min read

The phoneme /s/

Phonemes The phoneme /s/A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound. Each different sound in a word is a phoneme, and each phoneme is represented by a grapheme (a letter or group of letters).Downloa...

1 min read

The grapheme ai

Phonemes The grapheme ai A grapheme is a letter or group of letters that corresponds to a single phoneme (the smallest unit of sound). Download our Graphemes chart below. Print out the chart o...

1 min read

The grapheme ar

Phonemes The grapheme ar A grapheme is a letter or group of letters that corresponds to a single phoneme (the smallest unit of sound). Download our Graphemes chart below. Print out the chart o...

1 min read

The grapheme b

Phonemes The grapheme b A grapheme is a letter or group of letters that corresponds to a single phoneme (the smallest unit of sound). Download our Graphemes chart below. Print out the chart or...

1 min read

The grapheme ear

Phonemes The grapheme ear A grapheme is a letter or group of letters that corresponds to a single phoneme (the smallest unit of sound). Download our Graphemes chart below. Print out the chart ...

1 min read

The grapheme d

Phonemes The grapheme d A grapheme is a letter or group of letters that corresponds to a single phoneme (the smallest unit of sound). Download our Graphemes chart below. Print out the chart or...

1 min read

The grapheme p

Phonemes The grapheme p A grapheme is a letter or group of letters that corresponds to a single phoneme (the smallest unit of sound). Download our Graphemes chart below. Print out the chart or...

1 min read

The grapheme sh

Phonemes The grapheme sh A grapheme is a letter or group of letters that corresponds to a single phoneme (the smallest unit of sound). Download our Graphemes chart below. Print out the chart o...

1 min read

The phoneme /oi/

Phonemes The phoneme /oi/A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound. Each different sound in a word is a phoneme, and each phoneme is represented by a grapheme (a letter or group of letters).Downlo...

1 min read

The phoneme /y/

Phonemes The phoneme /y/ A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound. Each different sound in a word is a phoneme, and each phoneme is represented by a grapheme (a letter or group of letters).Downlo...

1 min read

The phoneme /ure/

phonemes The phoneme /ure/ A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound. Each different sound in a word is a phoneme, and each phoneme is represented by a grapheme (a letter or group of letters).Down...

1 min read

The phoneme /z/

Phonemes The phoneme /z/ A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound. Each different sound in a word is a phoneme, and each phoneme is represented by a grapheme (a letter or group of letters).Downlo...

1 min read

The grapheme e

Phonemes The grapheme e A grapheme is a letter or group of letters that corresponds to a single phoneme (the smallest unit of sound). Download our Graphemes chart below. Print out the chart or...

1 min read

The grapheme f

Phonemes The grapheme f A grapheme is a letter or group of letters that corresponds to a single phoneme (the smallest unit of sound). Download our Graphemes chart below. Print out the chart or...

1 min read

The grapheme g

Phonemes The grapheme g A grapheme is a letter or group of letters that corresponds to a single phoneme (the smallest unit of sound). Download our Graphemes chart below. Print out the chart or...

1 min read

The grapheme o

Phonemes The grapheme o A grapheme is a letter or group of letters that corresponds to a single phoneme (the smallest unit of sound). Download our Graphemes chart below. Print out the chart or...

1 min read

The grapheme qu

Phonemes The grapheme qu A grapheme is a letter or group of letters that corresponds to a single phoneme (the smallest unit of sound). Download our Graphemes chart below. Print out the chart o...

1 min read

The grapheme t

Phonemes The grapheme t A grapheme is a letter or group of letters that corresponds to a single phoneme (the smallest unit of sound). Download our Graphemes chart below. Print out the chart or...

1 min read

The grapheme si

Phonemes The grapheme si A grapheme is a letter or group of letters that corresponds to a single phoneme (the smallest unit of sound). Download our Graphemes chart below. Print out the chart o...

1 min read

The grapheme x

Phonemes The grapheme x A grapheme is a letter or group of letters that corresponds to a single phoneme (the smallest unit of sound). Download our Graphemes chart below. Print out the chart or...

1 min read

The grapheme u

Phonemes The grapheme u A grapheme is a letter or group of letters that corresponds to a single phoneme (the smallest unit of sound). Download our Graphemes chart below. Print out the chart or...

1 min read

Put the words in alphabetical order

OVERVIEW The alphabet is made up of letters that can be used to make words. Download our Put the words in alphabetical order activity below. Go through the alphabet in order, saying each letter ...

1 min read

Short vowels: complete the sentences

OVERVIEW Vowel sounds can be long or short.Download our Short vowel: complete the sentences activity below.Complete the sentence by filling in the missing short vowel word. This activity has als...

1 min read

Dolch sight words list: 1st grade

Overview The ability to decode words is crucial to reading, but a number of high frequency words are still worth learning whole. For example, some words cannot be “sounded out” in the usual way ...

1 min read

Subject-verb agreement: complete the sentence

OVERVIEW Add -s to the verb when a sentence is about one noun (person, animal, place, or thing).Do not add -s to the verb when a sentence is about more than one noun (person, animal, place, or t...

1 min read

The grapheme n

Phonemes The grapheme n A grapheme is a letter or group of letters that corresponds to a single phoneme (the smallest unit of sound). Download our Graphemes chart below. Print out the chart or...

1 min read

Plurals: -s and -es

OVERVIEW A noun names a person, place, or thing. To show that there is more than one of that person, place, or thing, you can: Add -s to most nouns.Add -es if the noun ends in -s, -ch, -sh, -x, ...

1 min read

What are consonant blends?

Blends are clusters of two or three consonants which appear together in a word. Each letter in a blend makes a sound and these sounds are then blended together. For example, in the word play, the ...

1 min read

The phoneme /aw/

Phonemes The phoneme /aw/A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound. Each different sound in a word is a phoneme, and each phoneme is represented by a grapheme (a letter or group of letters).Downlo...

1 min read

The phoneme /zh/

Phonemes The phoneme /zh/ A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound. Each different sound in a word is a phoneme, and each phoneme is represented by a grapheme (a letter or group of letters).Downl...

1 min read

The grapheme ng

Phonemes The grapheme ng A grapheme is a letter or group of letters that corresponds to a single phoneme (the smallest unit of sound). Download our Graphemes chart below. Print out the chart o...

1 min read

The grapheme i

Phonemes The grapheme i A grapheme is a letter or group of letters that corresponds to a single phoneme (the smallest unit of sound). Download our Graphemes chart below. Print out the chart or...

1 min read

The grapheme igh

Phonemes The grapheme igh A grapheme is a letter or group of letters that corresponds to a single phoneme (the smallest unit of sound). Download our Graphemes chart below. Print out the chart ...

1 min read

The grapheme oo (long)

Phonemes The grapheme oo (long) A grapheme is a letter or group of letters that corresponds to a single phoneme (the smallest unit of sound). Download our Graphemes chart below. Print out the ...

1 min read

Adjective opposites

OVERVIEW An adjective is a word that describes a noun (person, place, or thing). Adjectives that have opposite meanings, like big and small, are called antonyms. Download our The opposite of big...

1 min read

The phoneme /ai/

Phonemes The phoneme /ai/A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound. Each different sound in a word is a phoneme, and each phoneme is represented by a grapheme (a letter or group of letters).Downlo...

1 min read

The phoneme /b/

Phonemes The phoneme /b/A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound. Each different sound in a word is a phoneme, and each phoneme is represented by a grapheme (a letter or group of letters).Downloa...

1 min read

The phoneme /ear/

Phonemes The phoneme /ear/A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound. Each different sound in a word is a phoneme, and each phoneme is represented by a grapheme (a letter or group of letters).Downl...

1 min read

The phoneme /m/

Phonemes The phoneme /m/A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound. Each different sound in a word is a phoneme, and each phoneme is represented by a grapheme (a letter or group of letters).Downloa...

1 min read

The phoneme /p/

Phonemes The phoneme /p/A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound. Each different sound in a word is a phoneme, and each phoneme is represented by a grapheme (a letter or group of letters).Downloa...

1 min read

The phoneme /g/

Phonemes The phoneme /g/A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound. Each different sound in a word is a phoneme, and each phoneme is represented by a grapheme (a letter or group of letters).Downloa...

1 min read

The grapheme y

Phonemes The grapheme y A grapheme is a letter or group of letters that corresponds to a single phoneme (the smallest unit of sound). Download our Graphemes chart below. Print out the chart or...

1 min read

Long vowels: adding e

OVERVIEW Adding 'e' can turn a short vowel into a long vowel. The sound of u in cub is a short vowel sound. The sound of u_e in cube is a long vowel sound. Download our Long vowels: adding e act...

1 min read

Graphemes: ea

Overview A grapheme is a letter or a group of letters that represent a sound (phoneme) in a word. The grapheme ea represents the phoneme /ee/. Download our Dream: ea sounds activity below. This ...

1 min read

What are onset and rime?

The onset of a word is its initial sound and the rime is the string of letters that follows, as in m-ilk, where m is the onset and ilk is the rime.Teaching children to blend and segment the onsets ...

1 min read

The phoneme /oo/ (long)

Phonemes The phoneme /oo/ (long)A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound. Each different sound in a word is a phoneme, and each phoneme is represented by a grapheme (a letter or group of letters)...

1 min read

The grapheme er

Phonemes The grapheme er A grapheme is a letter or group of letters that corresponds to a single phoneme (the smallest unit of sound). Download our Graphemes chart below. Print out the chart o...

1 min read

The grapheme z

Phonemes The grapheme z A grapheme is a letter or group of letters that corresponds to a single phoneme (the smallest unit of sound). Download our Graphemes chart below. Print out the chart or...

1 min read

The phoneme /ee/

Phonemes The phoneme /ee/A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound. Each different sound in a word is a phoneme, and each phoneme is represented by a grapheme (a letter or group of letters).Downlo...

1 min read

Sort words by the number of syllables

OVERVIEW Syllables are like the 'beats' of spoken language. The number of syllables in a word is equal to the number of times you hear a vowel sound in the word. Download our Sort by the number ...

1 min read

Personal pronouns: subject and object

OVERVIEW A pronoun is a word that is used in place of a noun. Personal pronouns are words that are used instead of a person or animal's name. A subject pronoun tells who is doing something. It i...

1 min read

What are CVC words?

Phonemes The phoneme /ee/A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound. Each different sound in a word is a phoneme, and each phoneme is represented by a grapheme (a letter or group of letters). Downl...

1 min read

The phoneme /ks/

Phonemes The phoneme /ks/A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound. Each different sound in a word is a phoneme, and each phoneme is represented by a grapheme (a letter or group of letters).Downlo...

1 min read

The phoneme /o/

Phonemes The phoneme /o/A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound. Each different sound in a word is a phoneme, and each phoneme is represented by a grapheme (a letter or group of letters).Downloa...

1 min read

Short or long vowels?

OVERVIEW Vowel sounds can be long or short. Long vowels can be made with a single letter or a digraph (two letters making one sound). The sound of i in igloo is a short vowel sound. The sound of...

1 min read

Long vowels: complete the sentences

OVERVIEW Vowel sounds can be long or short. Long vowels can be made with a single letter or a digraph (two letters making one sound). The sound of a in apple is a short vowel sound. The sound of...

2 min read

What is a grapheme?

A grapheme is a letter or a group of letters that make up a single sound. Graphemes are units of writing corresponding to a single sound. A grapheme (letter) is used to represent a phoneme (sound)...

1 min read

The phoneme /ar/

Phonemes The phoneme /ar/A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound. Each different sound in a word is a phoneme, and each phoneme is represented by a grapheme (a letter or group of letters).Downlo...

1 min read

The phoneme /a/

Phonemes The phoneme /a/A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound. Each different sound in a word is a phoneme, and each phoneme is represented by a grapheme (a letter or group of letters).Downloa...

1 min read

The phoneme /or/

Phonemes The phoneme /or/A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound. Each different sound in a word is a phoneme, and each phoneme is represented by a grapheme (a letter or group of letters).Downlo...

1 min read

Statements and questions

OVERVIEW A statement is a telling sentence. It ends with a period or full stop (.). A question is an asking sentence. It ends with a question mark (?). Download our Sentences: telling or asking ...

1 min read

Rhyming words: complete the poem

OVERVIEW Words are made up of sounds. Some words end with the same sounds. These words rhyme. Download our Rhyming: complete the poem activity below. This activity introduces children to simple ...

1 min read

Short or long vowel: i

OVERVIEW Vowel sounds can be long or short. Long vowels can be made with a single letter or a digraph (two letters making one sound). The sound of i in igloo is a short vowel sound. The sound of...

1 min read

Diphthongs chart

OVERVIEW Two letters blended together can make a long vowel sound. These are sometimes called diphthongs.Diphthong examples:Oi and oy are different spellings that make the same vowel sound. Ow a...

1 min read

Vowel teams chart

OVERVIEW Two vowels can work together as a vowel team. This is called a digraph, when two letters make a single sound.This is called a digraph, when two letters make a single sound. The first vo...

1 min read

The grapheme s

Phonemes The grapheme s A grapheme is a letter or group of letters that corresponds to a single phoneme (the smallest unit of sound). Download our Graphemes chart below. Print out the chart or...

1 min read

The grapheme c

Phonemes The grapheme c A grapheme is a letter or group of letters that corresponds to a single phoneme (the smallest unit of sound). Download our Graphemes chart below. Print out the chart or...

1 min read

The phoneme /k/

Phonemes The phoneme /k/A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound. Each different sound in a word is a phoneme, and each phoneme is represented by a grapheme (a letter or group of letters).Downloa...

1 min read

The grapheme ch

phonemes The grapheme ch A grapheme is a letter or group of letters that corresponds to a single phoneme (the smallest unit of sound). Download our Graphemes chart below. Print out the chart o...

1 min read

Short or long vowel: a

OVERVIEW Vowel sounds can be long or short. Long vowels can be made with a single letter or a digraph (two letters making one sound). The sound of a in hat is a short vowel sound. The sound of a...

1 min read

Phonemes chart

Overview A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound. Each different sound in a word is a phoneme, and each phoneme is represented by a grapheme (a letter or group of letters).Download our Phonemes ...

1 min read

The phoneme /kw/

Phonemes The phoneme /kw/A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound. Each different sound in a word is a phoneme, and each phoneme is represented by a grapheme (a letter or group of letters).Downlo...

1 min read

Short or long vowel: o

OVERVIEW Vowel sounds can be long or short. Long vowels can be made with a single letter or a digraph (two letters making one sound). The sound of o in hot is a short vowel sound. The sound of o...

1 min read

The phoneme /i/

Phonemes The phoneme /i/A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound. Each different sound in a word is a phoneme, and each phoneme is represented by a grapheme (a letter or group of letters).Downloa...

1 min read

The phoneme /air/

Phonemes The phoneme /air/A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound. Each different sound in a word is a phoneme, and each phoneme is represented by a grapheme (a letter or group of letters).Downl...

1 min read

Frequently confused letters

Overview Some letters look alike. Children sometimes struggle to tell alike letters apart. When reading and writing, children need to be able to tell these apart. Download our Confusing letters...

1 min read

Short or long vowel: u

OVERVIEW Vowel sounds can be long or short. Long vowels can be made with a single letter or a digraph (two letters making one sound). The sound of u in umbrella is a short vowel sound. The sound...

1 min read

Blending and segmenting

Overview Blending and segmenting encourages children to break down words into smaller parts and then put them back together again.Syllables are like the 'beats' of spoken language. The number of...

1 min read

What are decoding and encoding?

Decoding involves translating printed words to sounds. It is literally the process of reading words in text. When a child reads the words “The ball is big”, for example, they need to understand wha...

1 min read

The phoneme /er/

Phonemes The phoneme /er/A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound. Each different sound in a word is a phoneme, and each phoneme is represented by a grapheme (a letter or group of letters).Downlo...

4 min read

How to teach vowel teams

What are vowel teams?A vowel team is a combination of letters that represent one vowel sound. They can be in the form of vowel diagraphs (e.g., ai, ea), diphthongs (e.g., oi, ou), or longer combina...

3 min read

How to teach consonant blends

What are consonant blends?Consonant blends are clusters of two or three consonants which appear together in a word. Each letter in a blend makes a sound and these sounds are then blended together. ...

1 min read

Short or long vowel: e

OVERVIEW Vowel sounds can be long or short. Long vowels can be made with a single letter or a digraph (two letters making one sound). The sound of e in bed is a short vowel sound. The sound of e...

1 min read

What are digraphs and trigraphs?

Graphemes can be made up of more than one letter. A digraph is a two-letter grapheme, a combination of two letters representing only one sound. For example, s and h together make up sh, a digraph o...

1 min read

Common digraphs: practice

Overview When two letters come together to make one sound, they are called a digraph.Download our Common digraphs: practice activity below.This activity outlines common digraphs using example wor...

1 min read

Blending and segmenting beyond CVC words

CVC words (Consonant-Vowel-Consonant) are the first words that children learn to segment and blend. After CVC words, phonics instruction moves on to slightly more complicated patterns such as CVCC ...

1 min read

Summer activities

School's out and summer is coming! As the school year winds down for many of us, it's the perfect time to reflect on students' personal growth and look forward to the summer break. Celebrate summe...

1 min read

Reality vs. fiction

OVERVIEW If something happens in real life, it is reality.If something is made up, it is fiction. Download our Which could happen in real life? activity below. Look at the two images. Which is r...

1 min read

Digraphs: double letters

OVERVIEW When two letters come together to make one sound, they are called a digraph. Some words end with -ck. These letters make just one sound, like in duck. Some words end with the double lett...

1 min read

How many graphemes are there?

In English, there are around 44 phonemes (sounds), but there are around 250 graphemes (letters or letter groups that correspond to a single sound). This is because every phoneme (sound) corresponds...

1 min read

How many phonemes are there?

There are 44* phonemes in the English language, that is, there are 44 different sounds that make up all English words.Many phonemes have more than one grapheme, that is, they can be written using d...

1 min read

What is the difference between a consonant blend and a consonant digraph?

A consonant digraph contains two letters but only makes one sound: the digraph sh makes the sound /sh/. Other common consonant digraphs are sh, ch, wh, th, ck. A blend contains two or three consona...

2 min read

How to teach r-controlled vowels

What are r-controlled vowels?An r-controlled vowel is simply a vowel that is followed by an r, like the ar in smart, the ir in girl. The r affects the sound that the vowel makes, turning it into a ...

1 min read

Common endings: ang, ing, ong, ung

Overview Sometimes, you have to remember to say the letters at the end of a word differently. You say all the letter sounds, but in a faster and stickier way, like ang, ing, ong and ung. These a...

1 min read

Common digraphs: sh, ch, th, wh, ck

Overview When two letters come together to make one sound, they are called a digraph. Download our Common Digraphs: sh, ch, th, wh, ck activity below. This activity outlines common consonant digra...

1 min read

Lowercase and uppercase letters

Overview Each letter in the alphabet can be lowercase or uppercase. Uppercase letters are also called capital letters. Download our Lowercase letters alphabet chart and Uppercase letters alphabe...

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Vowel sounds chart

Phonics instruction phase three: more phonics

Phonics instruction phase two: phonics

What is phonemic awareness?

What is a phoneme?

Verbs in a sentence

Short vowels: complete the words

Comparative adjectives

What is an exclamation?

Guide to Worksheets by Common Core Standard

The letter D

The letter H

The letter G

The letter L

The letter M

The letter V

The letter Y

Sequencing: order the events

What is a noun?

Who, what, when, where, and why?

2D shapes

Adding up: money

3D shapes

Speech marks

Skip-counting by fives

The main idea: part 2

What’s the difference between learning the alphabet and learning phonics?

Teaching phonemes

The phoneme /d/

Sight words list: kindergarten

How is my child assessed at school in reading?

When and how do children learn phonics at school?

Conjunctions

Personal pronouns

Verbs: complete the sentence

Vowel teams: picture match

What are synonyms and antonyms?

The letter U

Prepositions: picture match 1

The letter B

The letter W

Alphabet ordering

Sentences: find the complete sentences

Lesson plan: short vowels

Lesson plan: self and creativity

What is phonics?

The grapheme ire

Color words

Words with multiple meanings

Vowel teams: complete the words

Diphthongs: complete the word

The letter R

The letter X

The phoneme /sh/: practice

Sight words list: 1st grade

Uppercase: the first letter of a sentence

What is an adjective?

Action verbs

Months of the year

Daily sound practice

Nouns in a sentence

Number bonds

Thanksgiving vocabulary

Possessive pronouns

What is systematic synthetic phonics?

Singular possessive nouns

Object-sorting for vocabulary learning

Action verbs: complete the sentence

Personal pronouns: complete the sentences

Sort the short and long vowel words

The phoneme /j/

The phoneme /oo/ (short)

The phoneme /t/

The phoneme /r/