The materials include a logical phonics scope and sequence that includes common phonics generalizations and high-utility patterns. Students begin the year by reviewing what was taught in Kindergarten before learning about common word families and blends at the end of words and suffixes. In addition, they are introduced to two-syllable CVC words. Students then learn about r-controlled vowels and different graphemes to represent long vowel sounds. The materials include a Researched Based-Principles and Citations document that outlines the research used for the scope and sequence of instruction. 

Materials contain a clear evidence-based explanation for the expected sequence for teaching phonics skills. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• The program materials include a Research Base for From Sounds to Spellings document, which includes a bulleted list of research-based best practices. This includes information about phonics instruction and research citations. In the Frequently Asked Questions section, the materials state that the scope and sequence is developed based on the research of Donald Bear, Marcia Invernizzi, Shane Templeton, Francine Johnston, and Wiley Bevins, but it does not include the specific research to explain the order of the phonics sequence.  

Materials clearly delineate a scope and sequence with a cohesive, intentional sequence of phonics instruction, from simpler to more complex skills, and practice to build toward the application of skills. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• The program materials include a scope and sequence that outlines the phonics skill progression for the year. This includes:

  • In Unit 1, Weeks 1- 10, students review many previously taught phonics skills, including vowel sounds, digraphs, initial and final blends, and then learn glued sounds such as -ong, -ung, -ink, and -unk.

  • In Unit 2, Weeks 11 -18, the focus is on long and short vowel sounds in both open and closed syllables. Various vowel teams are taught, including ai, ay, ee, ea, and y as a vowel. 

  • In Unit 3, Weeks 19 - 25, the focus is on the final /k/ spelling patterns, consonant -le, and prefixes and suffixes.  

  • In Unit 4, Weeks 26 - 30, the focus is on r-influenced vowels, including -ear, -ore, -air, and -ure. 

  • In Unit 5, Weeks 31 - 35, students learn about diphthongs and review all the syllable types. 

Phonics instruction is based on high utility patterns and/or common phonics generalizations. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Phonics instruction begins with a review of common short and long vowel patterns, along with consonant digraphs and initial and final blends. Instruction then moves to double final consonants, inflectional endings, and possessive nouns. By Week 11, phonics concepts taught include all long vowel patterns, consonant -le, r-influenced vowels, and diphthongs. The program begins with a review of previously taught material and concludes with a review of the syllable types.

Materials do not include evidence of the three cueing system used to teach decoding in lesson plans or lesson resources.

The materials include a phonics target skill each week. The skill is taught on Days 1 and 3, with review and practice on Days 2 and 4. Then, students take what they learn and apply it on Day 5. All activities students engage in throughout a daily lesson incorporate the focus for the week with interleaved practice included throughout. Students practice the skills in isolation and in context and have the opportunity to both read the words and write the words, including opportunities to practice with sentence reading, dictation, and decodable readers.  

Materials include reasonable pacing of newly taught phonics skills. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In the Yearlong Scope and Sequence, the materials detail the phonics skills that should be taught each week for a total of 35 weeks of instruction. Within the weekly lesson plans, the materials note a phonics target skill for 35 weeks. Each daily lesson provides instruction on the week’s phonics skill. For example, in Unit 3, Week 3, the phonics target skill is initial blends with s and l, and the materials provide instruction on this skill throughout each day’s lesson. 

The lesson plan design allots time to include sufficient student practice to work towards automaticity. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 1, Week 5, the phonics target skill is final blends with t, l, s, -mp, -nd, and -nch. The teacher introduces the concept in Lesson 1 and reviews it in Lesson 2. Then, students learn more blends in Lesson 3, and students review them in Lesson 4. Lesson 5 puts all of it together. 

• In Unit 2, Week 13, Lesson 1, students learn the a_e spelling pattern. Students practice this spelling pattern throughout the week during phonics instruction, as well as during phonological awareness instruction. Students have the opportunity to practice building words, writing words, reading words, and discussing vocabulary of words with the a_e spelling pattern. 

• In Unit 3, Week 20, Lesson 3, students are introduced to consonant -le, specifically words with -sle and -dle. After a teacher-directed lesson, students spend five minutes with the teacher writing, blending, and reading words with the consonant -le pattern. Students practice reading words with this pattern, spending five minutes reading the sentences and circling the words with the pattern. Students then practice building words with the consonant -le pattern. Then, students spend 10 minutes doing a word sort activity with consonant -le pattern words and another 10 minutes reading a decodable text called “Paddle Games.” Students spend up to 30 minutes practicing the consonant -le phonics skill during this lesson. 

Materials contain distributed, cumulative, and interleaved opportunities for students to practice and review all previously learned grade-level phonics. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• The Grade 2 Scope and Sequence indicates specific built-in opportunities for cumulative review of previously taught concepts. For example, in Week 15, the focus is a review of long a and long e spelling patterns, which were taught in Weeks 13 - 14. In addition, Week 35 reviews all of the syllable types that were taught in Units 1 - 4.

• In Unit 1, Week 3, students learn blends with s and l. The teacher incorporates practice of previously taught skills, including s-blends, digraphs, and short vowels. 

• In Unit 1, Week 6, Lesson 2, students practice previously learned phonics skills. The materials direct teachers to “Use sound cards to practice a few of the blends, digraphs, short vowels, and other sounds that may be tricky for students.”

• In Week 2, Lesson 16, Lessons 1 - 5, the students review the sound cards with previously taught sounds.

• In Unit 2, Week 18, Lesson 3, at the beginning of the lesson, it states to “review some word cards and/or sound cards from this week and from previous weeks.” What sound cards and word cards are left up to the discretion of the teacher and their class. This type of review is found throughout the program. 

• In Unit 3, Week 23, Lesson 1, students take out word cards for the words with the prefix re-, previously taught in Week 22. Students practice reading words with the prefix re- before the teacher introduces new prefixes. 

• In Unit 4, Week 27, Lesson 5, the materials tell the teacher to review sound and word cards from the current and previous week. The teacher can decide which cards to choose from based on student need. 

The materials include opportunities to practice decoding and encoding words consistently with common and newly taught sound and spelling patterns. Students decode words, sentences, and entire stories, and they engage in encoding during Dictation practice on a whiteboard. Materials also include accuracy and automaticity practice through practice sheets with word and sentence lists that students complete with their teacher first. Students can then practice with a peer, independently, and at home. 

Lessons provide students with frequent opportunities to decode phonetically spelled words. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 2, Week 13, Lesson 1, students practice reading words with a_e on word cards. Words include page, today, and change. 

• In Unit 3, Week 20, Lesson 3, students have opportunities to decode words with -tle and -dle endings. Students practice as a group with handle, fledle, and bottle. Then, students practice reading them on a half sheet of paper with words that end in -dle or -tle.

• In Unit 4, Week 30, Lesson 2, students learn how to read words with ur, ure, and ur_e. The initial concept introduction includes reading words such as sure, cure, pure, purse, nurse, curse, and urge. 

Lessons provide students with frequent opportunities to encode phonetically spelling words. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 1, Week 5, Lesson 5, during Dictation, students write words on paper or in sound boxes. Words include rust, quilt, chant, spend, damp, crunch, and shelf. 

• In Unit 2, Week 13, Lesson 1, students practice building words with vowel consonants. Students practice with the words late, lake, take, wake, wave, save, and sale. 

• In Unit 3, Week 25, Lesson 1, students practice building words using magnetic tiles. The teacher models with the word playful, and then students practice with the words painful, useless, restless, and truthful. 

Lessons include student-guided practice and independent practice of blending sounds using the sound-spelling pattern(s) in an instructional sequence. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 2, Week 16, Lesson 1, students learn about i_e. The teacher uses word cards with i_e and has students blend them before reading. The materials also give the nonsense words vide and plide “to see if students can blend to read them (this will help ensure that students are truly blending and applying their knowledge of i_e, not just memorizing words).” 

• In Unit 3, Week 21, Lesson 1, students are introduced to reading and spelling words with -gle and -kle endings. The teacher puts the word juggle on the board and reminds students that when they see a consonant followed by -le at the end of a word, they can chunk it as a syllable. Students then blend the first syllable and read it, and the second syllable and read it and then read the whole word. They practice again with the teacher for the word twinkle. 

• In Unit 4, Week 29, Lesson 1, students are introduced to the -or spelling pattern. Students read words with the spelling on word cards, and the materials state to provide support with blending if needed. It also suggests providing the nonsense words dorth and gort to see if students are truly blending the sounds or if they are reading and memorizing. 

Materials provide opportunities for students to engage in word-level decoding practice focused on accuracy and automaticity. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 2, Week 12, Lesson 2, the teacher passes out the -old, -ost, -olt practice sheets and students work with partners to practice reading the words. Then, the students read the words as a whole group. 

• In Unit 4, Week 28, students learn the -ire and -ier spelling patterns. Throughout the week, they can practice reading words with these patterns on the IRE and IER Practice Word List. Some of the words on this list include squirts, pliers, crier, and flier. 

Throughout the materials, students have the opportunity to apply what they learn for the target phonics skill of the week to spelling. Students have the opportunity to learn the spelling pattern and practice it almost every day within the five-day lesson cycle through the use of whiteboard/dictation and worksheets. The majority of lessons include phonics practice and spelling practice through both guided and independent practice. 

Spelling rules and generalizations are aligned to the phonics scope and sequence. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 2, Week 13, students learn the long a spelling patterns a_e, ai, and ay. The teacher begins the instruction by explaining magic e and that the e makes the vowel say its name. Later, during instruction, the spelling rule for e is reinforced. The teacher says, “It’s important to pay attention to magic e. Even though it doesn’t make a sound, it changes the sound of the vowel before it.” 

• In Unit 2, Week 18, students learn the different spelling patterns for long u, including u_e, ew, ue, and u. Students engage in a written sort where the teacher says a word with the long u sound, and students write it in the appropriate column. This aligns with the phonics scope and sequence. 

• In Unit 3, Week 23, the target phonics skills are words that contain the prefixes mis-, dis-, and pre-. Students practice reading and spelling words with these prefixes, including mistake, dislike, preheat, and prepay. 

• In Unit 4, Week 27, the target skill of the week is r-influenced vowels -er, -ear, and -eer. There is a target word list provided in the materials that only includes words with these three spelling patterns. Students practice reading and spelling these words throughout the week.

Materials include explanations for spelling of specific words or spelling rules. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 1, Week 3, students learn about blends. The teacher explains that a blend is made up of two, or sometimes three, letters whose sounds get blended together. The teacher then shows the st sound card and says /s/ and /t/ say /st/. Then, students brainstorm a list of words that contain this blend.  

• In Unit 4, Week 27, the target phonics skills are r-influenced vowels, -er, -ear, and -eer.  The teacher reviews the spelling pattern and explains that the -er can also be used as a suffix. 

Students have sufficient opportunities to practice spelling rules and generalizations. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 2, Week 13, students learn long spelling patterns. Some of the practice opportunities throughout the week include a word sort in Lesson 2, dictation practice in Lesson 5, a high-frequency word practice page that includes words with long a, and several worksheets that are used during independent work time. 

• In Unit 3, Week 23, there are several practice opportunities for students to practice spelling words with the prefixes mis- and dis-. For example, one independent work option is for students to make words with the prefixes mis- and dis- using magnetic letters/tiles, letter cards, or stamps. 

Students have the opportunity to regularly read and write high-frequency words in isolation and in context through direct instruction. Students apply what they learn from explicit instruction to practice reading and writing them. Students do this in sentences, word lists, flashcards, worksheets, and decodable texts.

Students practice decoding high-frequency words in isolation. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 1, Week 1, Lesson 2, students read a set of high-frequency word flash cards. The students tap out each word on their arm. 

• In Unit 2, Week 17, the high-frequency words are also, know, follow, and show. Students practice reading these words, including on a worksheet that tells students to read the words two times. 

• In Unit 3, Week 23, the high-frequency words are animal, after, and does. During Lesson 2, students practice identifying and reading the high-frequency words in isolation from the board. During Lesson 3, students review high-frequency word flashcards from the week to promote retrieval. 

• In Unit 4, Week 26, students learn the words part, air, and large. Students read them in isolation in Lesson 2 and through the week using flashcards to promote retrieval. 

Lessons provide students with frequent opportunities to read high-frequency words in context. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 1, Week 1, students use high-frequency words in sentences. For example, one high-frequency word is said, and students read the sentence “I said that I like to write.” 

• In Unit 3, Week 23, Lesson 2, students read high-frequency words in the sentence, “The animal ran after us!” The decodable texts for Week 23, “The Misfit Kitten” and “Dog Training,” also include high-frequency words in context. 

• In Unit 4, Week 26, the high-frequency words are part, air, and large. Students can read these words in context while reading the decodable texts “Marge’s Log Carving” and “You Don’t Have to Take  Dare.”  

Lessons provide students with frequent opportunities to write high-frequency words in tasks, such as sentences, in order to promote automaticity of high-frequency words. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 2, Week 13, students learn the high-frequency words today, page, and change. In Lesson 5, Dictation, students use high-frequency words during dictation for both words in isolation and in a sentence, such as, “Today, I will change my socks.” 

• In Unit 3, Week 23, lesson 2, students write high-frequency words during the whole group High Frequency Word Instruction. Students practice writing high-frequency words on a piece of paper placed on top of a knitting screen and tracing with a crayon to create a tactile word. 

The materials include opportunities for students to learn about the different syllable types and practice reading words with one and two syllables based on the syllable type. Students also learn different affixes including their meaning, and students are given the opportunity to practice reading and writing the words. 

Materials contain explicit instruction of syllable types and routines for syllable division that promote decoding and encoding of words. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 2, Week 11, Lesson 2, the teacher displays the Closed Syllable poster and says, “In a closed syllable, the vowel is usually a short vowel. Let’s look at this word (point to hat). It is a 1 syllable word because there’s only 1 vowel. And I know it’s a closed syllable because it ends with a consonant...Since it’s a closed syllable, it’s probably going to have a short vowel...”. The teacher then continues with two-syllable words such as cactus. 

• In Unit 3, Week 20, Lesson 1, the teacher explicitly models how to identify the number of syllables in a word that has consonant le. The teacher instructs the students that a consonant -le ending is a syllable and therefore any word that ends with that pattern will have that as an additional syllable. 

Materials contain explicit instruction in morpheme analysis to decode unfamiliar words. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 3, Week 23, Lesson 2, the teacher provides instruction in morpheme analysis by teaching students how to read words that have the prefix mis or dis. The teacher begins by discussing the meaning of the prefixes. After instruction and discussion, students pair up and practice reading words with two prefixes. 

• In Unit 3, Week 24, Lesson 1, the teacher introduces the suffix “er.”  The teacher explains that sometimes words end in -er means a person who does something, while other times it is used to compare.  The teacher models with the words teacher, runner, bigger, and cleaner.  

Multiple and varied opportunities are provided over the course of the year for students to learn, practice, and apply word analysis strategies. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 3, Week 24, Lesson 3, students complete a “degrees of comparison” sheet where they match words to pictures.  Each word has the suffixes -er and -est. Students read the words and match to the appropriate picture. 

• In Unit 3, Week 25, Lesson 4, students practice using the following syllabication procedure to read new words:  circle the vowels with red; underline each consonant between the vowels; label the vowels and consonants with V and C; cut the word to divide it into syllables; label the syllable types (O, CL, ME, VT, CLE); blend to read each syllable and put the syllables together to read entire word; use the word in an example sentence to explain what it means.