1st Grade - Gateway 1

The phonemic awareness scope and sequence in IMSE's OG+ meet the expectations for Indicator 1c. The materials include a clear, evidence-based explanation for the hierarchy of phonemic awareness skills and prioritize phoneme-level instruction over phonological sensitivity tasks. Instruction continues to focus on phoneme blending, segmenting, and manipulation in a logical, research-aligned progression. The scope and sequence delineate a cohesive progression that builds toward immediate application of phonemic awareness skills. Phonemic awareness instruction is systematically aligned to the phonics scope and sequence, ensuring students practice manipulating phonemes that correspond to explicitly taught graphemes.

• Materials contain a clear, evidence-based explanation for the expected sequence for teaching phonemic awareness skills. 

  • In the IMSE's OG+ OG Plus Manual, within the Phonological Awareness Instruction section, the materials state that phonological awareness instruction is arranged into three skill levels: 

    1. Phonological Sensitivity Skills

    2. Basic Phoneme-Level Skills

    3. Advanced Phoneme-Level Skills

  • The Grade 1 materials continue to focus on basic phoneme-level skills through phoneme blending and segmenting individual phonemes within words, as well as advanced phoneme-level skills like phoneme substitution, addition, and deletions through the word chaining activity. The materials describe this instructional approach as aligned with research that states that children should receive instruction in phonemic awareness in addition to phonics (Ashby et al., 2024; NRP, 2000); that phonological sensitivity tasks should be bypassed in Kindergarten (Brady, 2020); that phonological awareness instruction should map phonemes to graphemes once letters have been explicitly taught (Piasta & Hudson, 2022; Snow et al., 1998; Stalega et al., 2024); and that the more advanced phoneme-level skills require the application of basic phoneme-level skills and support students ability to read and spell words (Foorman et al., 2016). 

    As a result of the research cited in the materials, the Grade 1 sequence of instruction focuses on phoneme blending, segmenting, and manipulation. This occurs both orally and with letters, as the materials recommend “integrating phonemic awareness tasks with letters once children have explicit instruction in phoneme-grapheme connections.”

• Materials have a cohesive sequence of phonemic awareness instruction based on the expected hierarchy to build toward students’ immediate application of the skills. 

  • According to the OG+ Scope and Sequence, the materials align phonemic awareness instruction to the sequence of introduced phonics concepts beginning with Concept 33 in Grade 1. Students begin instruction with Concept 33, and each concept includes phoneme blending and segmenting on Day 1, followed by phoneme manipulation on Days 3 and 4. The sequence is as follows: 

    • Concept 33: -ss, -ll, -ff, -zz

    • Concept 34: Compound Words

    • Concept 35: Closed/Open Syllables with VC/CV and V/CV

    • Concept 36: Two-Consonant Beginning R Blend

    • Concept 37: Two-Consonant Beginning L Blends

    • Concept 38: Two-Consonant Beginning S Blends

    • Concept 39: Two-Consonant Beginning W Blends

    • Concept 40: Ending T Blends

    • Concept 41: Ending L Blends

    • Concept 42: Remaining Ending Blends and Syllabication of 3 or More Syllables

    • Concept 43: y as a vowel /ī/

    • Concept 44: -ng/-nk

    • Concept 45: -ck

    • Concept 46: -tch

    • Concept 47: -dge

    • Concept 48: 3rd Syllable Type and 3rd Syllable Pattern: Magic E and VC/V

    • Concept 49: y as a vowel /ē/

    • Concept 50: Soft c and g

    • Concept 51: Suffix -ed /ĭd/, /d/, /t/

    • Concept 52: Suffixes -s /s/ or /z/, -es /ĭz/

    • Concept 53: 4th Syllable Type Vowel Team: ea/ee

    • Concept 54: Vowel Team: ai/ay

    • Concept 55: Vowel Team: oa/oe

    • Concept 56: Suffix -ing

    • Concept 57: Contractions with am, is, are, has, not

    The materials provide activities for students to blend, segment, and manipulate phonemes across concepts. 

• Materials attend to developing phonemic awareness skills and avoid spending excess time on phonological sensitivity tasks. 

  • In the OG+ Manual, the Grade 1 Scope and Sequence prioritizes phonemic awareness skills, particularly phoneme segmentation, blending, and manipulation, over phonological sensitivity tasks like rhyming or alliteration. Phoneme blending, segmenting, and manipulation routines are implemented from the beginning of the Grade 1 sequence in Concept 33. 

    • In Concept 33, Day 1, the materials outline a phoneme blending and segmenting activity with colored tiles or other manipulatives. Students are first guided through initial phoneme blending by the teacher who models use of the manipulatives to isolate each phoneme and then blend the phonemes to create a word. After blending five words, the materials guide the teacher to model segmenting. The teacher states: “Let’s practice pulling words apart into their individual sounds. Watch me. First, I will say the word as I pound my fist. Next, I’ll push up a tile for each sound I hear in the word. Last, I’ll slide my finger from left to right under the tiles to say the whole word again.” The teacher begins by segmenting the word less into /l/ /ĕ/ /s/. The routine continues with words fuzz, scuff, bliss, and grill. 

    • In Concept 41, Day 3, the materials outline a phoneme manipulation activity with letter tiles. The activity begins with the teacher reading the word melt and students segmenting the word melt. As outlined in the OG+ Manual, phonemic awareness routines follow a gradual release of responsibility and starting with Concept 37 in the Grade 1 sequence, students should be completing the steps independently. Students then move on to manipulate melt to felt, then to welt, weld, held, help, yelp, yell, shell, shelf, and self. 

• Materials contain a phonemic awareness sequence of instruction and practice aligned to the phonics scope and sequence. 

  • In the OG+ Manual, the Grade 1 phonemic awareness routines incorporate the specific phonemes that correspond with the graphemes taught in phonics lessons to build phoneme awareness. 

    • In Concept 35, Day 3, the phonics instruction focuses on closed and open syllables with VC/CV and V/CV syllable patterns. The accompanying phonemic awareness activity for the lesson aligns to this focus through phoneme manipulation. Students use letter tiles to manipulate the closed syllable bed to red, then rad, sad, had, ham, him, hit, bit, bot, tot, cot, cut, and rut. Students then manipulate the open syllable no to so, then go, mo (as part of a syllable in a word like moment), me, be, we, he, and hi. This phoneme manipulation activity reinforces the phonics focus by requiring students to manipulate phonemes within closed and open syllables that reflect the syllable patterns introduced in the concept. 

    • In Concept 46, Day 1, the phonics instruction introduces the trigraph -tch representing /ch/. The accompanying phonemic awareness activities for the lesson focuses on  phoneme blending and segmenting aligned to the phonics target. Students use colored tiles or other manipulatives to blend words containing the /ch/ phoneme, including  batch, pitch, match, glitch, and stitch. Students also segment the words with the target phoneme, including  itch, catch, ditch, sketch, and twitch. These blending and segmenting activities reinforce the phoneme /ch/ that is explicitly taught in the phonics lessons.

The phonemic awareness instruction in IMSE's OG+ meets the expectations for Indicator 1d. The materials include systematic and explicit instruction in phonemic awareness through consistent, teacher-led routines that emphasize blending, segmenting, and manipulating phonemes. Lessons follow a clear instructional progression that begins with explicit teacher modeling and moves toward supported and independent student practice. Teacher-facing materials provide clear examples and structured guidance for modeling phoneme-level skills, ensuring instructional consistency across lessons. Embedded corrective feedback routines support the teacher in responding to student errors during blending, segmenting, and phoneme manipulation, reinforcing accurate phoneme production and supporting students’ progress toward mastery throughout the year.

Note: This indicator is analyzed at the lesson level to examine the instructional progression within and across lessons. Repeated references to a single week or lesson reflect the structured sequence of explicit instruction and guided practice, which is representative of how the materials support this skill throughout the year.

• Materials include systematic, explicit instruction in sounds (phonemes). 

  • In Concept 37, Day 1, Phonemic Awareness: Blending and Segmenting, the teacher follows a sequence that begins with modeling, moves into supported practice, and then transitions to independent student responses. During blending, the teacher introduces the activity by saying, “Let’s practice taking sounds that are by themselves and saying them together to make a word.” The teacher produces the phonemes for each word slowly and clearly, beginning with /b/ /l/ /ĕ/ /d/. Students respond by pushing up one tile at a time while stating each phoneme: /b/, /l/, /ĕ/, /d/. After producing all phonemes individually, students slide their fingers under the row of tiles from left to right and say the blended word bled. The teacher confirms the word and provides a contextual sentence (“My knee bled a little when I scraped it on the sidewalk”) before moving to the next item. The same process continues as students blend additional words containing consonant blends and short vowels, including cloth, flux, flag, and plot.

    • During segmenting, the teacher introduces the task with  modeling: “Now let’s practice pulling words apart into their individual sounds. The word is glob.” Students repeat the word while pounding a fist to emphasize the whole word. The teacher then models isolating phonemes, and students push up tiles one at a time as they say /g/, /l/, /o/, /b/. After isolating each sound, the teacher prompts students to slide their fingers under the tiles from left to right and restate the full word glob.

  • In Concept 43, Day 1, Phonemic Awareness: Blending and Segmenting, the lesson introduces more complex phoneme patterns, including consonant digraphs and blends. During blending, students listen to phonemes such as /sh/ /ī/, /f/ /l/ /ī/, /p/ /r/ /ī/, /s/ /l/ /ī/, and /d/ /r/ /ī/, and combine them to produce words including shy, fly, pry, sly, and dry. The routine follows a predictable sequence in which the teacher presents phonemes, students repeat them, and then students produce the full word.

    • During segmenting, students pull apart words containing blends and the long i vowel. The teacher presents words such as why, cry, fry, sky, and try, and students repeat each word, pound their fist to represent the whole word, segment it into individual phonemes (for example /w/ /ī/ or /hw/ /ī/, depending on dialect), and then restate the full word. 

• Materials provide the teacher with examples for instruction in sounds (phonemes). 

  • In Concept 37, Day 1, Phonemic Awareness: Blending and Segmenting, or blending, the teacher says, “Let’s practice taking sounds that are by themselves and saying them together to make a word,” and models the sequence of sounding out /b/ /l/ /ĕ/ /d/, pushing up tiles, and naming the blended word. For segmenting, the teacher says, “The word is glob. Repeat,” then models the pounding routine, pushing up tiles while stating /g/ /l/ /ŏ/ /b/, and prompting students to read the word by sliding their fingers under the tiles. Teacher tips reinforce correct technique by instructing students to use their off-hand when pounding and their dominant hand for pushing up tiles and sliding their fingers from left to right.

  • In Concept 43, Day 1, Phonemic Awareness: Blending and Segmenting, for blending, the teacher says, “Let’s practice taking sounds that are by themselves and saying them together to make a word. We’re going to try something new this week, where we practice doing this with only listening and speaking, no tiles.” The teacher produces the sounds /sh/ /ī/ and prompts students to repeat them. The teacher then asks, “What’s the word?” and students pound their fist while saying shy. The teacher confirms the response and provides contextual meaning: “I feel a little shy at first when I meet new people.” The same model is used for fly, pry, sly, and dry.

    • For segmenting, the teacher begins with, “Now let’s practice pulling words apart into their individual sounds. We’re going to practice doing this with only listening and speaking, no tiles.” The teacher models the full sequence with the word why by providing a sentence, prompting repetition, guiding students to pound their fist while saying the word, eliciting segmented phonemes, and finally asking students to repeat the whole word. Students follow the same modeled steps for words such as cry, fry, sky, and try.

• Materials include teacher guidance for corrective feedback when needed for students. 

  • In Concept 37, Day 1, Phonemic Awareness: Blending and Segmenting, Additional Support, after students attempt a blend or segment routine, the teacher continues to monitor accuracy and respond as needed. The additional support section instructs the teacher to provide small-group practice for students who exhibit difficulty with phoneme blending or segmenting. The materials recommend reviewing earlier blending and segmenting lists, reversing the order of word lists, and repeating activities throughout the week to offer additional opportunities for skill development.

  • The OG+ Fidelity Companion includes explicit corrective feedback routines for blending, segmenting, and phoneme manipulation. The materials outline a consistent process for addressing errors: pause and praise, identify the error, model the correction, and prompt the student to practice the corrected response. These steps appear in the Phonemic Awareness: Blending and Segmenting section and provide the teacher with clearly defined actions when students produce incorrect responses.

    • For blending errors, the materials give a detailed example in which a student blends /j/ /ŭ/ /m/ /p/ as jum. The teacher responds by stating, “Good job stating the short vowel sound,” then identifies the error and explains the correct sequence by modeling the ending blend /mp/. The teacher demonstrates the articulated sounds /m/ and /p/ and blends the word jump, then prompts the student to blend the phonemes again.

    • For segmenting errors, the materials provide an example where a student segments jump as /j/ /ŭ/ /mp/. The teacher acknowledges the correct initial sounds and explains that the ending blend consists of two separate phonemes. The teacher models pulling apart each sound—/j/ /ŭ/ /m/ /p/—and instructs the student to repeat the corrected segmentation.

    • For phoneme manipulation during word chaining. In one example, a student incorrectly pulls the o tile instead of the u tile when spelling mug. The teacher affirms the correct consonant tiles and then contrasts the vowel sounds, stating that o spells /ō/ and u spells /ŭ/, modeling the associated articulatory cues. The teacher directs the student to remove the incorrect tiles and try again, prompting the student to spell mug using the correct vowel tile. Another corrective example addresses confusion between p and b. The teacher identifies the difference between the voiced and unvoiced sounds, models the correct initial phoneme for bug, and guides the student to choose the b tile.

The daily phonemic awareness instruction in IMSE's OG+ meets the expectations for indicator 1e. The materials provide systematic, explicit phonemic awareness instruction aligned to the scope and sequence, progressing from phoneme isolation, blending, and segmenting to more advanced phoneme manipulation tasks. Lessons include consistent teacher modeling and guided practice, with regular opportunities for students to manipulate sounds within increasingly complex word structures. Phonemic awareness instruction is intentionally connected to phonics, with phoneme–grapheme correspondences introduced and reinforced through structured routines and cumulative review. Teacher directions include clear articulation guidance and visual cues to support accurate pronunciation. 

• Daily phonemic awareness instruction aligns to the scope and sequence, progressing from isolation, blending, and segmenting to more advanced phoneme manipulations, with phoneme-grapheme correspondences introduced to connect sounds to letters. 

  • In Concept 34, Day 1, Phonemic Awareness: Blending and Segmenting, the materials provide explicit, teacher-guided instruction in blending and segmenting compound words. During this whole-group activity, the teacher guides students through blending phonemes to form compound words using colored tiles to represent individual sounds. For example, the teacher states the phonemes /s/ /ŭ/ /n/ /f/ /ĭ/ /sh/ while pushing up one tile for each sound. The teacher and students then slide their fingers under the tiles from left to right while stating the word sunfish. The materials also include guided practice in segmenting compound words. The teacher states the word sunset in isolation and within context, and the teacher and students push up one colored tile for each sound in the word as they segment it. Both the blending and segmenting routines continue with multiple compound words. 

  • In Concept 44, Day 3, Word Chaining (Phoneme Manipulation), the materials provide explicit, teacher-guided instruction in manipulating phonemes within words containing the velar nasal units -ng and -nk. During this whole-group activity, the teacher guides students through substituting and deleting sounds in CCVCC or CVCC words with -ng or -nk endings. The teacher and students use the IMSE's OG+ Word Building Kit to represent phonemes with letter tiles, supporting connections between sounds and letters. The teacher begins by stating the word bring and using it in a sentence to establish meaning. Students repeat the word while pounding their offhand fist. Students then pull one letter tile at a time while stating each sound in the word and blend the sounds together to say the full word, with -ng and -nk each represented by a single tile. The teacher then directs students to change bring to ring and uses the new word in a sentence. Students repeat the word, remove the appropriate tile to make the change, state each sound, and blend the sounds together to read the new word. This routine continues through multiple word changes, providing repeated practice with phoneme manipulation involving -ng and -nk.

    Throughout the Grade 1 sequence, Phonemic Awareness: Blending and Segmenting occurs on Day 1 and Word Chaining occurs on Day 3 and Day 4. 

• Materials include opportunities for students to practice connecting sounds to letters.

  • In Concept 36, Day 1, Phonics: Teaching a New Concept, the materials introduce two-consonant beginning r blends. During this whole-group lesson, the teacher begins by explaining the difference between a digraph and a blend, clarifying that in a blend, each consonant retains its own sound. The teacher then displays Phoneme/Grapheme Card #32 and additional blend cards, for a total of seven cards. The teacher first shows the br card and states, “br spells /br/,” and students repeat the sound with the teacher. This explicit modeling and choral response routine continues with the remaining blend cards, including cr (/kr/), dr (/dr/), fr (/fr/), gr (/gr/), pr(/pr/), and tr (/tr/). Through this sequence, students are introduced to each two-consonant beginning r blend and practice articulating the corresponding sound–spelling relationships.

  • In Concept 46, Day 1, Three-Part Drill, the materials provide a cumulative review of previously taught sound–spelling correspondences. During this whole-group activity, the teacher displays Phoneme/Grapheme Cards introduced through Concept 45 in random order. Students state the sound or sounds each letter or group of letters represents, beginning with the first sound learned and then stating additional sounds as applicable. At this point in the scope and sequence, students have been introduced to a range of phonics patterns, including blends, such as ch from Concept 27, and syllable types, such as Magic e from Concept 44. The visual portion of the Three-Part Drill explicitly reinforces connections between phonemes and graphemes as students orally produce sounds in response to printed letter patterns, providing cumulative practice with previously taught phonics concepts.

    Throughout the Grade 1 sequence, Phonics: Teaching a New Concept activities occur on Day 1 and Three-Part Drills occur on Days 1, 3, and 5. 

• Materials include directions to the teacher for demonstrating how to pronounce each phoneme (articulation/mouth formation). 

  • Vowel cards, including cards representing vowel phonics patterns, are a different color than consonant cards in the Phoneme/Grapheme Card Pack, signaling their instructional role. Vowel-only cards display all associated vowel sounds and include a visual cue to support accurate articulation of the short vowel sound. For example, Concept Card #19 for e shows the grapheme e on one side. On the reverse side, the card lists /ě/ with the keyword edge and includes a photograph of a child stretching the corners of their mouth. Beneath the photograph, the card provides the text, “Visual cue: Pull the corners of the mouth back with your thumb and pointer finger.” This same guidance is documented in the Fidelity Companion.

  • In the Fidelity Companion, Cumulative Review: Vowel Intensive Review, the materials direct the teacher to use consistent visual cues for each short vowel sound. These cues include placing a hand under the chin and dropping the jaw for /ă/, pulling the corners of the mouth back for /ĕ/, scrunching and pointing to the nose for /ĭ/, circling the mouth with a finger for /ŏ/, and making a fist and pushing on the stomach for /ŭ/.

The assessment opportunities for phonemic awareness in IMSE's OG+ meet the expectations for Indicator 1f. The materials provide regular and systematic assessments across the year to monitor students’ progress in phonemic awareness, with benchmark assessments administered at the beginning, middle, and end of the year as well as at key instructional checkpoints. Assessments include individually administered oral tasks that measure students’ ability to blend and segment phonemes, including more complex word structures as instruction progresses. The teacher is supported with clear administration and scoring guidance, structured recording tools, and benchmark criteria to interpret student performance. The materials also provide instructional suggestions and guidance for next steps based on assessment results, including small-group instruction, targeted practice, and additional diagnostic assessment when needed to support students’ continued development toward phonemic awareness mastery.

• Materials provide a variety of assessment opportunities throughout the year (e.g., at least three times per year or aligned to key instructional benchmarks) to monitor student progress in phonemic awareness. Assessment types may include oral tasks, encoding assessments, decoding activities requiring phoneme manipulation, and teacher observations. 

  • According to the OG+ Assessment Manual, phonemic awareness skills in Level 1 are monitored in the Blend and Segment Sounds subtest. This test is administered four times over the course of the year: (1) at the beginning of the year, (2) after Concept 38, (3) at the midterm, and (4) at the end of the year. When the test is administered after Concept 38, it is integrated into the pre-assessment approach in the Pause to Assess and Review opportunity. 

    • The teacher should test all students with the Blend and Segment Sounds subtest in a 1:1 setting. The teacher begins the blending portion of this subtest by stating, “I’m going to say each sound in a word, and I want you to put the sounds together and say the whole word.” The teacher begins with example sounds /m/ /ě/ /s//h/. After saying the sounds, the teacher asks, “What word?” The student responds, mesh. The Blend and Segment Sounds subtest at Pause and Assess 1.1 (administered after Concept 38) continues with blending words thumb, sock, fetch, stop, and silk.    

    • The teacher begins the segmenting portion of this subtest by stating, “I’m going to say a word, and I want you to tell me each sound you hear in the word.” The teacher begins with the example word tack. After saying the word, the teacher asks, “Sounds?” The student responds /t/ /ă/ /k/. The Blend and Segment Sounds subtest at Pause and Assess 1.1 (administered after Concept 38) continues with segmenting words sip, mad, gel, crumb, and font. 

• Assessment materials provide teachers-and, when appropriate, caregiver-with clear information about student’s current skill levels in phonemic awareness. 

  • The OG+ Assessment Originals provides the teacher with forms to record responses for individual students on the Initial, Midterm, and Final Benchmark Assessments, as well as the Pause to Assess test (Blend and Segment Sounds subtest). The teacher is  able to mark correct sounds and note errors on this form. The structure allows the teacher to see whether students can consistently identify initial, final, and medial phonemes.

  • The OG+ Assessment Originals also provides the teacher with a holistic Assessment Data Analysis Sheet. This sheet allows the teacher to identify all of the areas where a student has achieved mastery (i.e. scored at or above 80%), where they have not achieved mastery (i.e. scored less than 80%), and provides space to detail action plans and next steps based on those results. 

• Materials support teachers with instructional suggestions or next steps based on assessment results to support student progress toward mastery. 

  • The OG+ Assessment Manual provides guidance on next steps to take based on student test scores.

    • If a student requires additional support after the Blend and Segment Sounds subtest, the materials guide the teacher to “provide additional small-group instruction in phonemic awareness, focusing first on identifying the initial sound in words, followed by the final sound, and then the middle sound.” The teacher is also referred back to the OG+ Teacher Guide for Kindergarten for additional phonemic awareness intervention strategies. 

    • If a student does not get at least 80% on the Blend and Segment Sounds subtest administered at Pause to Assess 1.1, the materials suggest that the teacher administers IMSE's OG+’S Phonological Awareness Diagnostic Assessment which tests the skills of: onset and rime blending; first, last, and middle sound identification; and phoneme blending, segmenting, substituting, and deleting.

The phonics scope and sequence in IMSE's OG+ meets the expectations for Indicator 1g. The materials provide a clear, evidence-based explanation for the intentional order in which phonics skills are taught, grounded in research on explicit and systematic phonics instruction. Instruction progresses deliberately from simpler spelling patterns and syllable types to more complex phonics skills, ensuring students build secure decoding foundations before encountering increased complexity. The sequence prioritizes high-utility phonics patterns and widely taught generalizations, including consonant doubling, syllable division patterns, blends, common word units, and frequent vowel patterns. Phonics instruction is cumulative and application-based, with students regularly applying new skills through blending, segmenting, spelling, and decoding connected text using aligned decodable readers. More complex phonics patterns, including multisyllabic decoding, vowel teams, and inflectional endings, are introduced only after students demonstrate proficiency with earlier skills. Overall, the sequence reflects a coherent progression from simple to more complex phonics instruction and supports the development of accurate and automatic word reading.

• Materials contain a clear, evidence-based explanation for the expected sequence for teaching phonics skills. 

  • The OG+ Manual, Part Three: Phonics Instruction, provides an evidence-based explanation for why phonics instruction must follow an explicit and systematic sequence. The manual cites the National Reading Panel (2000), Buckingham et al. (2019), Archer and Hughes (2011), and other researchers to describe the expected order of phonics development. The materials state that phonics instruction should progress from simple skills to more complex ones and emphasize that explicit instruction is the most concrete method for introducing new concepts. The manual explains that decoding should be taught until students can read new words quickly and accurately without support, and that phonics instruction should begin as soon as students know the sounds of a few letters and continue until students can decode multisyllabic words with confidence and automaticity (Honig et al., 2018). 

• Materials provide a cohesive, intentional phonics sequence that progresses from simple to more complex skills and includes ample opportunities to apply skills through decoding in connected text. 

  • The OG+ Scope and Sequence for Grade 1 presents a cohesive and intentional phonics progression beginning with doubled consonants and compound words, followed by syllable types, beginning and ending blends, word units, spelling generalizations, suffixes, and vowel teams. Each concept integrates Spell and Read routines and aligned decodable readers to support cumulative decoding practice. The complete sequence includes:

    • Concept 33: Final double consonants -ss, -ll, -ff, -zz (Sammy loves friendly zebras); 1-1-1 rule (kiss, bell, huff, jazz); Spell & Read were, does; Decodable Reader 26

    • Concept 34: Compound words (backpack); Spell & Read some, good; Decodable Reader 27

    • Concept 35: Closed and open syllable types with syllable patterns VC/CV and V/CV (ra/ven, ve/nus, si/lo, he/ro, mu/sic); Spell & Read there, done; Decodable Reader 28

    • Concept 36: Two-consonant beginning r-blends (truck); Spell & Read her, here; Decodable Reader 29

    • Concept 37: Two-consonant beginning l-blends (sled); Spell & Read under, down; Decodable Reader 30

    • Concept 38: Two-consonant beginning s-blends (snail); Spell & Read onto, people; Decodable Reader 31

    • Pause to assess and review 1.1

    • Concept 39: Two-consonant beginning w-blends (swing); Spell & Read saw, both; Decodable Reader 32

    • Concept 40: Ending t-blends (left); Spell & Read should, could, would, over; Decodable Reader 33

    • Concept 41: Ending l-blends (milk); Spell & Read love, live, out; Decodable Reader 34

    • Concept 42: Remaining ending blends -mp, -nch, -nd, -sk, -sp (jump, lunch, hand, mask, crisp) and syllabication of three or more syllables (hob/gob/lin); Spell & Read day, too, eye; Decodable Reader 35

    • Concept 43: y as a vowel /ī/ (cry); Spell & Read all, again; Decodable Reader 36

    • Concept 44: -ng, -nk units (sang, sink); Spell & Read boy, girl, sign; Decodable Reader 37

    • Level 1 Midterm Assessment

    • Concept 45: -ck /k/ (rock); 1-1-1 rule; Spell & Read your, which, look; Decodable Reader 38

    • Concept 46: -tch /ch/ (match); 1-1-1 rule; Spell & Read also, use; Decodable Reader 39

    • Concept 47: -dge /j/ (fudge); 1-1-1 rule; Spell & Read today, yesterday; Decodable Reader 40

    • Concept 48: Magic e (syllable type 3); syllable pattern VC/V (bike, pancake); Spell & Read first, around, going; Decodable Reader 41

    • Concept 49: y as a vowel /ē (baby); Spell & Read walk; Decodable Reader 42

    • Concept 50: Soft c /s/ and soft g /j/ (city, giraffe); Spell & Read say, their; Decodable Reader 43

    • Pause to assess and review 1.2

    • Concept 51: Suffix -ed (/ĭd/, /d/, /t/) (folded, board, crashed); Spell & Read how, once; Decodable Reader 44

    • Concept 52: Suffixes -s (/s/, /z/) and -es (/ĭz/) (cats, dogs, dishes); Spell & Read another; Decodable Reader 45

    • Concept 53: Vowel teams ea, ee /ē/ (treat, bee); Spell & Read pull, wash; Decodable Reader 46

    • Concept 54: Vowel teams ai, ay /ā/ (sail, clay); Spell & Read every, everyone; Decodable Reader 47

    • Concept 55: Vowel teams oa, oe /ō/ (boat, toe); Spell & Read know, knew; Decodable Reader 48

    • Concept 56: Suffix -ing with base words (walking); Spell & Read friend; Decodable Reader 49

    • Concept 57: Contractions with am, is, are, has, not (I’m, he’s, we’re, isn’t); Spell & Read been, our, other; Decodable Reader 50

    • Level 1 Final Assessment

    Across Concepts 33–57, the sequence progresses deliberately from simple (double consonants, closed syllables, short vowels) to increasingly complex phonics skills (syllable division patterns, blends, digraphs, word units, magic e, soft c/g, suffix patterns, and multiple vowel teams). Each concept includes decoding application through a corresponding decodable reader, providing students with routine opportunities to apply skills in connected text.

• Phonics instruction is based on high utility patterns and/or specific phonics generalizations. 

  • The OG+ scope and sequence is grounded in high-utility phonics patterns and research-based phonics generalizations. 

    • Early concepts introduce the common doubled-consonant spellings -ss, -ll, -ff, and -zz and apply the 1-1-1 rule, which are frequent spelling patterns in short-vowel words. The sequence then progresses to closed and open syllables and VC/CV and V/CV syllable division, reinforcing generalizations that support decoding multisyllabic words. Beginning and ending blends (for example r-blends, l-blends, s-blends, w-blends, and final blends such as -mp, -nch, -nd, -sk, and -sp) reflect high-utility consonant clusters that appear regularly in early reading. Instruction also includes common vowel patterns, such as y as a vowel (/ī/, /ē/), the -ng and -nk word families, and spelling generalizations tied to short-vowel words including -ck, -tch, and -dge. Long-vowel generalizations are introduced through magic e and frequent vowel teams (ea, ee, ai, ay, oa, oe). Later concepts teach soft c and soft g, as well as high-utility inflectional endings (-ed, -s, -es) and contractions with am, is, are, has, and not.

The materials’ exclusion of three-cueing strategies in IMSE's OG+ meets the expectations for Indicator 1h. The materials do not include instructional language, prompts, or routines associated with the three-cueing system. Instruction consistently emphasizes phonics-based decoding through explicit attention to phoneme–grapheme correspondences. When students encounter unfamiliar words, they are directed to analyze letter–sound relationships and apply decoding strategies rather than rely on context, pictures, or guessing.

• Materials do not contain elements of instruction that are based on the three-cueing system for teaching decoding. 

  • The materials do not contain elements of instruction that are based on the three-cueing system for teaching decoding.

The pacing and practice opportunities of phonics instruction in IMSE's OG+ meet the expectations for Indicator 1i. Materials introduce one new phonics skill at a time within a clearly defined and systematic sequence, allowing students to focus on mastering each concept before additional skills are introduced. Instruction follows a consistent lesson structure in which new phonics patterns are explicitly taught in isolation and then revisited across multiple days through planned practice. Lessons provide sufficient time for students to develop accuracy and automaticity through varied encoding and decoding tasks, including sound dictation, word and sentence dictation, and rereading activities. Multisensory routines support repeated application of phonics skills and reinforce connections between sounds and print. Distributed and cumulative review is embedded through recurring drills and optional intervention routines, ensuring previously taught grade-level phonics patterns are regularly revisited and strengthened based on student need.

• Materials include reasonable pacing of newly taught phonics skills. 

  • According to the OG+ Manual, newly taught phonics skills are introduced one at a time on a weekly basis using a consistent lesson sequence. Each week includes a designated “teaching a new concept” lesson in which a single phonics skill is introduced in isolation before additional skills are added. The materials specify that this routine is used every time a new concept is introduced, beginning with the first lesson in the scope and sequence. The pacing of instruction ensures that students focus on a single phonics skill before moving on to the next. New concepts are introduced after foundational routines and are revisited across multiple days through planned review and practice.

• The lesson plan design allots time to include sufficient student practice to work towards automaticity. 

  • In Concept 38, Day 1, Phonics: Teaching a New Concept, students engage in multiple phonics practice tasks applying newly introduced beginning s blends. Students practice identifying and spelling the blends sc, sk, sm, sn, sp, and st by stating the corresponding sounds and writing the graphemes during new sound dictation. Students spell each blend on individual whiteboards, underline the letters from left to right to show correct placement, and display their responses for feedback. Students then apply the blends during spelling activities, encoding words such as smell, Stan, snap, pigskin, and misspell. Students also write and reread dictated sentences, including Kim spun on the log. and She hit her shin, and then there was a scab. After dictation, students check their work using the CUPS routine and reread words and sentences aloud.

  • In Concept 76, Day 1, Phonics: New Concept, students apply the newly introduced phonics pattern y spelling /ĭ/ in closed syllables through multiple encoding and decoding tasks. During new sound dictation, students spell the sound /ĭ/ on individual whiteboards by writing both i and y as possible spellings, underlining the letters from left to right to show correct placement. Students display their responses for feedback. Students then participate in word dictation, spelling words that contain the target pattern, including myth, Egypt, symptom, hypnotize, and syllable. Students also write and reread dictated sentences such as I need to go to the gym today! and Frank will compete in the Olympic Games. After dictation, students reread words and sentences and check their work using the CUPS routine.

• Materials contain distributed, cumulative, and intervleaved opportunities for students to practice and review all previously learned grade-level phonics. 

  • In Concept 36, Day 3, the materials provide cumulative phonics review through the Three-Part Drill. According to the OG+ Fidelity Companion, this review routine is implemented daily or a minimum of two to three times per week. By Day 3, newly introduced two-consonant beginning r blends have been added to the review deck, and the teacher is  directed to adjust the deck to maintain an efficient review timeframe.

    • During the Three-Part Drill, students review previously taught phonics skills across multiple formats. In the visual drill, students state the sound or sounds represented by letters or letter combinations presented in random order, including consonants, vowels, and blends. In the auditory/kinesthetic drill, students spell dictated, previously taught sounds on whiteboards, underlining letters to show correct placement. In the blending portion, students blend known consonant and vowel combinations into single-syllable words using letter cards.The materials direct the teacher to select review items strategically, prioritizing recently taught concepts, vowels, and skills with which students demonstrate difficulty.

  • In Concept 41, Day 2, and subsequent days, the materials state that if needed for intervention, the teacher may provide additional repetition using phoneme blending and segmenting lists from Day 1, the Three-Part Drill, and the Vowel Intensive Drill. Decisions regarding whole-group, center-based, or small-group implementation on Days 2–5.  Students continue practicing the newly introduced two-consonant ending l blends (-ld, -lf, -lk, -lp) through ongoing word and sentence dictation and decodable reader practice. The materials also encourage the teacher to incorporate words with ending l blends, previously taught vocabulary, and red words into varied writing tasks when appropriate. For students still working toward mastery of short vowels, the Vowel Intensive Drill is revisited to reinforce earlier phonics instruction. The materials note that review of the new concept on Day 2 is optional and that decisions regarding instructional activities on Days 2–5 are made by the teacher based on student performance.

The phonics instruction in IMSE's OG+ meets the expectations for Indicator 1j.. Materials provide systematic and explicit teacher modeling of newly taught phonics patterns through consistent routines for introducing, analyzing, and applying new sound–spelling relationships. Lessons guide the teacher to model phoneme articulation, blending, segmenting, and word analysis before students engage in guided and independent practice. Newly taught patterns are reinforced through structured spelling, syllable division, and cumulative review routines that require live teacher modeling of sound-by-sound decoding and encoding. Materials also include clear, routine-specific corrective feedback guidance to support accurate application of phonics skills when errors occur. Across the year, teacher modeling is intentional, repeated, and embedded to support accurate and automatic word reading and spelling.

Note: This indicator is analyzed at the lesson level to examine the instructional progression within and across lessons. Repeated references to a single concept, week, or lesson reflect the structured sequence of explicit instruction and guided practice, which is representative of how the materials support this skill throughout the year. 

• Materials contain explicit instructions for systematic and repeated teacher modeling of newly taught phonics patterns. 

  • In Concept 40, Day 1, Phonics: Teaching a New Concept routine, the materials introduce the concept of ending T blends. The teacher reminds students that a blend is when two or more consonants sit side-by-side in a word. The teacher contrasts a blend with a digraph by emphasizing that in a blend, each consonant keeps its own sound. The teacher then shows the new Phoneme/Grapheme cards that correspond to the seven ending T blends students will practice: ct, ft, lt, nt, pt, st, and xt. The teacher shows each individual card and then states: “ct’ spells /kt/. Say it with me.” 

  • In Concept 55, Day 1, Phonics: Teaching a New Concept routine, the materials introduce the concept of the vowel team oa and oe that say /ō/ as in boat and toe. The teacher reminds the students that a vowel team is two, three, or four letters that work together to spell one vowel sound. The teacher then shows the two new Phoneme/Grapheme cards that correspond to the phoneme /ō/. The teacher shows each individual card and then states: “oa spells /ō/. Say it with me.”

• Lessons include blending and segmenting practice using structured, consistent blending routines with teacher modeling. 

  • In Concept 40, Day 3, Phonics: Spelling routine, the teacher models segmenting with the concept of ending T blends. The teacher states a word, uses it in a sentence, pounds and fingertaps the word, and then pounds again. The first word for this activity is grunt. The teacher says, “The word is grunt” and then uses that word in a sentence. The teacher pounds the word grunt and fingertap /g/ /r/ /ŭ//n/ /t/ before directing the students to pound and fingertap grunt. This can repeat for up to five words and two sentences. 

  • In Concept 55, Day 3, Cumulative Review: Three-Part Drill routine, the teacher models blending with the vowel team oa and oe with the Phoneme/Grapheme Cards. First, the teacher separates the cards into three piles. The teacher points to each letter or group of letters as students segment the sounds. Finally, the teacher sweeps their finger across the letter cards as students blend the syllables. 

• Lessons include dictation of words and sentences using the newly taught phonics pattern(s). 

  • In Concept 40, Day 2, Phonics: Spelling routine, the teacher and students dictate words and sentences with the concept of ending T blends. The teacher states a word, uses it in a sentence, pounds and fingertaps the word, and then pounds again. The first word for this activity is act. The teacher says, “The word is act” and then uses that word in a sentence. The teacher pounds the word act and fingertap /ă/ /c/ /t/ before directing the students to pound and fingertap act. This can repeat for up to five words and two sentences. These words and sentences are different from those dictated in this routine on other days of the week. 

  • In Concept 55, Day 3, Syllable Division/Word Analysis routine, the teacher shows a word and gives students an opportunity to divide the syllable. After the students have divided the word and labeled the syllable types, the students dictate each syllable and then blend it together in a word. In this concept, the teacher can choose from the words coastline, oatmeal, reload, oboe, aloe, and woeful.  

• Materials include teacher guidance for corrective feedback when needed for students. 

  • Corrective feedback is provided in the OG+ Fidelity Companion and is organized by routine.

    • For the blending portion of the Cumulative Review: Three-Part Drill routine, the materials provide teacher guidance if a student blends phonemes inaccurately. The teacher should follow the PIMS structure for delivering corrective feedback: Pause and Praise; Identify the error; Model the correction; Students practice the correction. When identifying the error, the teacher states the correct phoneme and explains the sound (e.g. the first sound in bat is /b/; /b/ is a voiced stopped sound). The student then repeats the correct word with the teacher emphasizing each phoneme in the word. 

    • For the Syllable Division/Word Analysis routine, the materials provide teacher guidance if a student misreads a word due to using an incorrect syllable division pattern. The teacher should also follow the PIMS structure for delivering corrective feedback. In this case, the teacher should remind the student of how to divide consonants and vowels. The teacher then explains if the syllables in the word are open or closed. Although the guidance in the Fidelity Companion provides only one example of a student inaccurately dividing the word basic, the same feedback structure should be applied during any error of syllable division.

 The decoding and encoding practice opportunities in IMSE's OG+ meet the expectations for Indicator 1k. Materials provide frequent and varied opportunities for students to decode and encode words using taught phonics patterns through explicit instruction in blends, vowel patterns, and syllable division, followed by guided and independent application. Lessons include consistent sound and word dictation, word chaining routines, and multisyllabic word reading that reinforce accurate phoneme–grapheme mapping. Students regularly engage in student-guided blending and manipulation of sounds using letter tiles, with repeated opportunities to apply patterns across changing word structures. Materials also include repeated word-level decoding practice in concept-aligned decodable readers, with multiple readings and immediate corrective feedback to support accuracy and automaticity across lessons.

Note: This indicator is analyzed at the lesson level to examine the instructional progression within and across lessons. Repeated references to a single week or lesson reflect the structured sequence of explicit instruction and guided practice, which is representative of how the materials support this skill throughout the year.

• Lessons provide students with regular opportunities to decode words with taught phonics patterns. 

  • In Concept 42, Day 1, Phonics: Teaching a New Concept, students engage in multiple opportunities to decode words containing newly taught ending consonant blends -mp, -nch, -nd, -sk, and -sp. After explicit introduction of each blend using Phoneme/Grapheme Cards and choral practice of the sound–spelling relationships, students apply these patterns during an interactive read-aloud of the nonfiction decodable reader Put Up a Tent by Tessa Barber. As the text is read aloud, students listen for and orally identify words that contain the target blends, such as camp, tent, land, task, and clamp, responding in complete sentences and reinforcing recognition of the blends in connected text. The teacher records identified words on a chart to support continued reference and decoding practice. Prior to dictation, students also brainstorm additional words with the newly taught ending blends, generating and reading examples that reflect their understanding of the patterns.

  • In Concept 44, Day 5, students engage in structured opportunities to decode multisyllabic words containing the ng and nk units. Students are directed to circle the ng or nk unit at the end of a syllable, keep the unit intact, divide the word into syllables, and read each syllable to decode the full word. For example, students decode ringlet by dividing it as ring | let. When circling the ng or nk unit does not determine the syllable boundary, students apply a syllable division strategy by underlining and labeling vowel sounds while keeping the unit together. The lesson also addresses exceptions such as mango, which is divided as man | go, with the g pronounced as /g/ in the second syllable. Students apply this process to decode additional multisyllabic words, including longhand, chipmunk, franklin, sandbank, and thankful.

• Lessons provide students with regular opportunities to encode words with taught phonics patterns. 

  • In Concept 42, Day 1,  Phonics: Spelling, during sound dictation, students spell each newly introduced ending blend on whiteboards (e.g., /mp/, /nch/, /nd/, /sk/, /sp/), state the corresponding sound–spelling relationship, underline the written letters from left to right, and display their responses for teacher review. Students then participate in word dictation using words such as bump, dusk, branch, pretend, and windmill, followed by sentence dictation (e.g., A frog can hop and land in the sand.). Students write each word or sentence, compare their work to the teacher model, make corrections as needed, and rewrite the final version. 

  • In Concept 53, Day 1, Phonics: Teaching a New Concept, the materials include explicit encoding practice through new sound dictation focused on the long /ē/ sound. During this routine, the teacher dictates the sound /ē/ and directs students to spell the sound on whiteboards using all known spellings. Students state the sound aloud and write each corresponding grapheme or grapheme pattern, including e, e-consonant-e, y, ea, and ee. As students write each spelling, they underline the letters from left to right to show correct placement on the line and then hold up their whiteboards for teacher review. This routine requires students to actively apply both newly taught vowel team spellings (ea and ee) and previously learned spellings for the same sound, reinforcing accurate encoding through repeated written practice.

• Student-guided practice and independent practice of blending sounds using the sound-spelling pattern(s) is varied and frequent. 

  • In Unit 37, Day 3, Word Chaining (Phoneme Manipulation), the materials provide student-guided blending practice using letter tiles. Beginning with this lesson, the materials state that students complete the word chaining activity without teacher modeling as they gain proficiency, and that the routine may be repeated or extended on Day 4. During the activity, students spell words using letter tiles and change one sound at a time. Students begin with the word sled, repeat the word aloud, and then pull one tile at a time while stating each sound /s/ /l/ /ĕ/ /d/. Students slide their fingers under the tiles from left to right and read the word aloud. The teacher then directs students to change sled to bled, and students swap the appropriate letter tile, state each sound in the new word, blend the sounds, and read the word aloud. This routine continues through a sequence of word changes, including sled → bled → bless → floss → flop → flip → slip → slop → sop → sob → slob. Throughout the activity, blends are represented by separate letter tiles, reinforcing that each consonant in a blend produces its own sound. Students repeatedly blend sounds after each manipulation, providing varied and frequent opportunities to practice blending across changes to initial, medial, and final sounds.

  • In Concept 47, Day 3, Word Chaining (Phoneme Manipulation), the materials provide student-guided blending practice following the procedures outlined in the OG+ Fidelity Companion. The materials note that this practice may be carried over to or repeated on Day 4, extending opportunities for continued practice. During this activity, students use letter tiles to spell words and change one sound at a time while blending after each manipulation. Students begin with the word edge and then progress through a sequence of word changes, including edge → wedge → hedge → ledge → lodge → hodge → dodge. After each change, students pull or swap the appropriate letter tile, state each sound in the word, and slide their fingers under the tiles from left to right to blend the sounds and read the word aloud. The materials explicitly direct students to use the dge letter tile throughout the activity, reinforcing the spelling rule associated with the -dge pattern. By repeatedly manipulating initial and medial sounds while maintaining the dge unit, students engage in frequent and varied blending practice that connects phoneme manipulation to the target sound–spelling pattern.

• Materials provide opportunities for students to engage in word-level decoding practice focused on accuracy and automaticity. 

  • In Concept 53, Days 1–3, Decodable Readers, the materials provide repeated word-level decoding practice using a concept-aligned decodable reader. Students engage with Decodable Reader #46, Why Do We Dream? by Tessa Barber, following the procedures outlined in the OG+ Fidelity Companion. On Day 1, students identify and read words containing the newly taught vowel teams ea and ee, highlighting target words in the text before reading them aloud. Words introduced for decoding practice include bee, read, dream, clean, stream, see/sea, meal, three, steep, and scream. On Day 2, students read words and phrases in the “Get Ready to Read” section of the decodable reader, including sleep, dream, seem, real, think, mean, teeth, change, dogs, stick, events, rest, see, really, when, and long. Students then read or reread the decodable text aloud with teacher monitoring and feedback. On Day 3, students reread the decodable reader aloud, review vocabulary from the text, and respond to comprehension questions and a writing prompt. The materials direct students to reread the text multiple times across days, providing repeated exposure to words containing the vowel teams ea and ee in isolation, phrases, and connected text.

  • In Concept 48, Days 1-3, Decodable Readers, the materials provide word-level decoding practice using a concept-aligned decodable reader following the procedures outlined in the OG+ Fidelity Companion. Students work with Decodable Reader #41, “See the Snake,” by Tessa Barber,  which aligns to the newly introduced Magic e syllable type and the VC/V syllable pattern. Prior to reading the text, students decode and read words and phrases in the “Get Ready to Read” section of the decodable reader, including snake, reptile, same, quite, safe, close, bite, unsafe, shape, slide, shade, wide, and make. These words require students to apply the Magic e pattern to decode long vowel sounds in both single-syllable and multisyllabic words. Students then read and reread the decodable text aloud with teacher monitoring and feedback. The materials direct students to revisit the text across the lesson, providing repeated exposure to words containing the Magic e pattern within connected text.

The instruction and practice of spelling rules and generalizations in IMSE's OG+ meet the expectations for Indicator 1l. Spelling instruction is aligned to the phonics scope and sequence and is introduced at a reasonable pace through explicit instruction in spelling generalizations. Materials provide clear explanations for spelling rules, including guidance on when rules apply and when exceptions occur. Students have regular opportunities to practice spelling rules and generalizations through structured routines and review activities, supporting accurate spelling and increasing automaticity over time.

• Spelling rules and generalizations are aligned to the phonics scope and sequence. 

  • In Concept 33, Day 1, Phonics: Teaching a New Concept, the materials introduce the Sammy Rule, a specific application of the 1-1-1 spelling rule. Students learn that when a one-syllable word contains one short vowel and ends with one consonant sound /s/, /l/, /f/, or /z/, the final consonant is doubled when spelling the word, as in kiss, bell, huff, and jazz. The teacher introduces the mnemonic sentence “Sammy loves friendly zebras” to help students remember which consonants are doubled. Students then engage in structured segmenting routines to encode words that follow the rule. The teacher models saying the word less, pounding a fist to repeat the whole word, pushing up one tile for each sound /l/ /ĕ/ /s/, and then sliding a finger under the tiles to restate the word. Students repeat the process, segmenting and mapping sounds in less before writing the word with the doubled final consonant. The same routine is repeated with fuzz, segmenting /f/ /ŭ/ /z/ and applying the rule to spell the word with -zz. Through guided modeling, teacher-and-student practice, and independent turns, students repeatedly segment and encode words that conform to the Sammy Rule.

  • In Concept 45, Day 1, Phonics: Teaching a New Concept, the materials introduce the -ck /k/ 1-1-1 spelling rule. Students learn that when a one-syllable word contains one short vowel immediately followed by the consonant sound /k/, the /k/ is spelled with -ck. The teacher explains that the /k/ sound must come directly after the short vowel to use -ck and contrasts examples such as task and frisk, which do not follow the rule because another consonant intervenes. Students engage in explicit encoding practice during new sound dictation, where the teacher dictates /k/ and reminds students that there are three spellings: c, k, and -ck. Students write each spelling on whiteboards, underline the grapheme from left to right, and hold up boards for feedback. Through guided practice distinguishing when to apply -ck and repeated spelling of the target sound and words, students connect the spelling generalization to both decoding and encoding tasks aligned to the phonics scope and sequence.

• Materials include explanations for spelling of specific words or spelling rules. 

  • In Concept 46, Day 1, Phonics: Teaching a New Concept, the materials introduce the -tch /ch/ 1-1-1 rule. This spelling rule states that if a word has one syllable, one short vowel, and is immediately followed by one consonant sound /ch/, the /ch/ sound is spelled with -tch. The teacher tips for this section of the lesson remind the teacher that there are exceptions to the rule like such, rich, much, and which. 

  • In Concept 47, Day 1, Phonics: Teaching a New Concept, the materials introduce the -dge /j/ 1-1-1 rule. This spelling rule states that if a word has one syllable, one short vowel, and is immediately followed by one consonant sound /j/, the /j/ sound is spelled with -dge. The teacher tips for this section of the lesson remind the teacher to reiterate the rule as students may have a tendency to write just -ge when encountering words that conform to this rule. 

• Students have sufficient opportunities to practice spelling rules and generalizations. 

  • In Concept 37, Day 3, Word Chaining (Phoneme Manipulation), students practice the Sammy Rule by manipulating phonemes in words and using letter tiles to spell the words. The practice of the Sammy Rule occurs when the teacher changes the final phoneme in bled to bless. The teacher states: “Let’s change bled to bless, as in ‘Grandma wanted to bless the food before we ate.’” Students repeat the word and switch the appropriate tile. After the students break the word into each sound while touching each letter tile, the teacher asks, “Did you remember our Sammy spelling rule? Nice job swapping that tile ‘d’ to the tile ‘ss’ at the end of the word.” 

  • In Concept 47, Day 4, Phonics: Spelling, students practice the -dge /j/ 1-1-1 rule during a practice spelling assessment. The teacher states words and sentences with the /j/ sound while students write the words stated. The teacher can choose from any of the following words: trudge, wedge, fudge, badge, judge, edge, fridge, lodge, ledge, and smudge.

The decodable texts and instructional routines in IMSE's OG+ meet the expectations for Indicator 1m. Decodable texts consistently reflect taught phonics patterns and align with the program’s scope and sequence. Lessons include structured, multi-day routines for repeated readings that build accuracy, automaticity, and confidence through teacher modeling, guided practice, and independent rereading. Reading practice occurs in phonetically controlled decodable texts rather than predictable texts, reinforcing phonics-based decoding as students consolidate single-syllable and increasingly complex word reading. Text complexity increases over time as students’ decoding proficiency develops.

Note: This indicator is analyzed at the lesson level to examine the instructional progression within and across lessons. Repeated references to a single week or lesson reflect the structured sequence of explicit instruction and guided practice, which is representative of how the materials support this skill throughout the year.

• Decodable texts reflect grade-level phonics patterns aligned to the program’s scope and sequence. 

  • In Concept 33, Days 1–4, Phonics: New Concept Sammy Rule: -ss, -ll, -ff, -zz (kiss, bell, huff, jazz) 1-1-1 Rule, students engage with Decodable Reader #26 (Nonfiction), See the Gull by Tessa Barber, a decodable text aligned to the phonics focus of the concept. The Get Ready to Read section includes words such as gull, bill, will, shell, miss, wish, and pass, which reflect previously taught consonant sounds, short vowels, and consonant patterns aligned to the Grade 1 scope and sequence. The decodable text is designed to limit untaught phonics patterns and supports students in applying their decoding skills to connected text. On Day 4, students are introduced to a second decodable text aligned to the same phonics focus, Decodable Reader #26 (Fiction), The Gull by Tessa Barber. This fiction decodable text reinforces the same phonics patterns and includes words such as bill, gull, fuss, will, shell, ross, jess, and fizz. Across both texts, the decodable readers reflect grade-level phonics patterns that correspond to instruction within the program’s scope and sequence.

  • In Concept 57, Days 1–4, Phonics: New Concept Contractions with am, is, are, has, not, students engage with Decodable Reader #50 (Fiction), The Weekend by Tessa Barber, a decodable text aligned to the phonics focus of the concept. The Get Ready to Read section includes words such as going, Friday, sunny, grandad, can’t, hasn’t, they, don’t, and want, which reflect phonics patterns and word structures aligned to the Grade 1 scope and sequence. The decodable text is designed to limit untaught phonics patterns and supports students in applying their decoding skills to connected text. On Day 4, students are introduced to a second decodable text aligned to the same phonics focus, Decodable Reader #50 (Nonfiction), On a Plane by Tessa Barber. The Get Ready to Read section includes words such as packed, going, agent, plane, people, school, where, they’re, aren’t, and shouldn’t, reinforcing the same phonics patterns across a second text and genre. Across both texts, the decodable readers reflect grade-level phonics patterns that correspond to instruction within the program’s scope and sequence.

• Lessons include detailed plans for repeated readings of decodable texts to reinforce accuracy, automaticity, and confidence. 

  • In Concept 33, Days 1–5, Phonics: New Concept Sammy Rule: -ss, -ll, -ff, -zz (kiss, bell, huff, jazz) 1-1-1 Rule, the materials provide detailed, multi-day plans for repeated reading of decodable texts. In Concept 3, Days 1–3, students work with See the Gull by Tessa Barber, following the procedures outlined in the OG Plus Fidelity Companion. On Day 1, students chorally read a rapid word chart composed of words from the decodable reader, identify and read words containing the target phonics patterns, and begin reading the text if time allows. On Day 2, students read the words and phrases in the Get Ready to Read section and read or reread the decodable text aloud with teacher monitoring and immediate corrective feedback. On Day 3, students reread the text aloud and respond to comprehension questions and a writing prompt. On Days 4–5, students repeat this structured routine with a second decodable reader, The Gull by Tessa Barber. Students read and reread the text across multiple days, engage in discussion, and respond to comprehension questions and a writing prompt, reinforcing accuracy, automaticity, and confidence through repeated exposure.

  • In Concept 57, Days 1–5, Phonics: New Concept Contractions with am, is, are, has, not, the materials provide detailed, multi-day plans for repeated reading of decodable texts following the procedures outlined on pages 20–21 of the OG Plus Fidelity Companion. In Concept 57, Days 1–3, students work with The Weekend by Tessa Barber. On Day 1, the teacher introduces the decodable reader, discusses words from the text aligned to the lesson’s phonics focus, monitors student responses, and provides feedback. Students chorally read a rapid word chart composed of words from the decodable reader, identify and read words containing the target phonics patterns, and begin reading the text if time allows. On Day 2, students read the words and phrases in the Get Ready to Read section and read or reread the decodable text aloud with teacher monitoring and immediate corrective feedback. On Day 3, students reread the text aloud, engage in discussion, and respond to comprehension questions and a writing prompt. On Days 4–5, students repeat the same structured routine with the nonfiction decodable reader On a Plane by Tessa Barber. Students read and reread the text across multiple days, review vocabulary, engage in discussion, and respond to comprehension questions and a writing prompt. These routines provide multiple opportunities for repeated reading to support accuracy, automaticity, and confidence.

• Reading practice occurs in decodable texts aligned to the taught phonics patterns and reflects an absence of predictable texts. Use of decodable texts decreases over time as students demonstrate decoding proficiency and transition into increasingly complex texts. 

  • In Concept 33, Days 1–5, Phonics: New Concept Sammy Rule: -ss, -ll, -ff, -zz (kiss, bell, huff, jazz) 1-1-1 Rule, reading practice occurs in decodable texts aligned to the phonics patterns taught in the lesson. Students read See the Gull by Tessa Barber (nonfiction) and The Gull by Tessa Barber (fiction), both of which emphasize phonics-based decoding rather than predictable or patterned text structures. Words targeted for decoding practice include gull, bill, will, shell, miss, wish, pass, fuss, ross, jess, and fizz, all of which reflect phonics patterns taught within the Grade 1 scope and sequence. Students are prompted to identify and read words containing the target phonics patterns, read words and phrases prior to reading connected text, and apply decoding strategies while reading the text aloud. Teacher guidance emphasizes monitoring accuracy and providing immediate corrective feedback, reinforcing the expectation that students decode words rather than rely on memorization or context cues. Across the concept, students engage with multiple decodable texts aligned to the same phonics focus,

  • In Concept 57, Days 1–5, Phonics: New Concept Contractions with am, is, are, has, not, reading practice occurs in decodable texts aligned to the phonics patterns taught in the lesson. Students read Decodable Reader #50 (Fiction), The Weekend by Tessa Barber, and Decodable Reader #50 (Nonfiction), On a Plane by Tessa Barber, both of which emphasize phonics-based decoding rather than predictable or patterned text structures. Students are prompted to identify and read words containing the target phonics patterns, read words and phrases prior to reading connected text, and apply decoding strategies while reading the text aloud. Teacher guidance emphasizes monitoring accuracy and providing immediate corrective feedback, reinforcing the expectation that students decode words rather than rely on memorization or context cues. Across the concept, students engage with multiple decodable texts aligned to the same phonics focus, providing varied decoding practice while maintaining phonics control.

    Across the grade, decodable texts are used consistently to support phonics-based decoding. While the materials do not demonstrate a decrease in the use of decodable texts within the grade, the texts increase in complexity over time, incorporating longer words, more complex spelling patterns, and a broader range of sentence structures.

The phonics assessment opportunities in IMSE's OG+  meet the expectations for Indicator 1n. Materials regularly and systematically assess students’ mastery of taught phonics skills through Initial, Midterm, and Final Benchmark Assessments, structured Pause to Assess and Review checkpoints, and targeted mini-assessments embedded within the scope and sequence. Assessments measure decoding and spelling of real and nonsense words and include clearly defined mastery criteria. Assessment materials provide the teacher with structured tools for recording and analyzing performance at the individual and class levels, including phoneme-level error analysis and data tracking sheets. Materials also include explicit guidance for responding to assessment results through pacing adjustments, targeted small-group instruction, structured review cycles, and follow-up assessments, supporting students in progressing toward mastery and independence in phonics.

• Materials regularly and systematically provide a variety of assessment opportunities over the course of the year to demonstrate students’ progress toward mastery and independence in phonics. 

  • According to the OG Assessment Originals, assessments that are designed to measure students’ progress toward mastery and independence in phonics are administered in three Benchmark Assessments and two Pause to Assess and Review opportunities throughout the year.

    • Benchmark Assessments

      • Initial (Concepts #1-32)

      • Midterm (Concepts #1-44)

      • Final (Concepts #1-57)

    • Pause to Assess and Review

      • 1.1 (Concepts #1-38)

      • 1.2 (Concepts #1-50)

  • The Foundational Skills Initial Assessment: Spell Words and Sentences, students spell real words and nonsense words as a way to measure mastery of phonics patterns taught through Concept 32. The test is administered to the whole class. The teacher points to a word, uses that word in a sentence, and asks the student to spell the word. For nonsense words, the teacher asks the student to spell the word based on what you know about the sounds in the word and the letters the student knows that spell those sounds. The teacher marks each word the student reads correctly on their Teacher Administration Sheet. Mastery is defined as achieving 80% or higher on the test. Example words include:

    • Real Words: yet, quip, go

    • Nonsense Words: jat, veb, zuth

  • In the Pause to Assess 1.2 Pre-Assessment: Read Words and Sentences, students read real words as a way to measure mastery of phonics patterns taught through Concept 50. This test is administered to students individually. The teacher points to a word and asks the student to read the word. The teacher marks each word the student reads correctly on their Teacher Administration Sheet. Mastery is defined as achieving 80% or higher on the test. Example words include:

    • Words: lady, stack, suggest

  • The Short Vowel Assessment “should be administered to the whole class at once before teaching Concept 35 to ensure students have a strong enough mastery of short vowels to discontinue the vowel intensive drill in first grade and beyond.” The manual further directs the teacher to “administer only one column per session.” The assessment includes four columns of dictated nonsense words. Examples are as follows:

    • List A: weg, pon, dem, zuth, fep

    • List B: cag, tiv, com, mip, chash

    • List C: thab, nen, losh, tham, kib

    • List D: wex, gat, tob, jud, lim

    • Students are given a copy of the Short Vowel Assessment student sheet and are instructed, “I will say a word that is not a real word. I want you to spell the word based on what you know about the sounds in the word and the letters you know that spell those sounds.” 

  • The Blends Mini-Assessment “should be administered to the whole class at once before teaching Concept 36 to help determine the appropriate pacing for blends lessons.” The manual explains that if the assessment shows students already have a strong understanding of blends, the teacher “may choose to move more quickly through the blends lessons (Concepts 34–42).” Students are given a copy of the Blends Mini-Assessment student sheet and complete a dictated spelling task that includes both phonetic nonsense words and phonetic real words. Nonsense words include sland, shent, and blish, and real words include trench, clump, and swift. The assessment includes a total score calculated out of 15, establishing a structured checkpoint within the scope and sequence to monitor students’ phonics progress prior to advancing instruction.

• Assessment materials provide teachers and students with information concerning students’ current skills/level of understanding of phonics. 

  • The OG Assessment Originals provides the teacher with tools to assist in analyzing students’ understanding of phonics.

    • The Student Analysis Sheet for Foundational Skills Benchmark Assessments allows the teacher  to monitor individual students’ progress per assessment.  This sheet allows the teacher to track a student’s progress for mastery of phonics concepts at the Initial, Midterm, and Final Benchmark Assessments, as well as other foundational skills. 

    • The Class Analysis Sheet for spelling words at the Initial, Midterm, and Final Foundational Benchmark Assessments allows a teacher to quickly see which students are not yet at mastery in spelling down to the phoneme level of a word. If an error needs to be corrected, the teacher can indicate on the sheet if the error was due to incorrect letter formation, incorrect phoneme/grapheme correspondence, or both. 

    • The Assessment Data Analysis Sheet allows the teacher to create a plan for future instruction at the individual student level. This sheet gives space for the teacher to monitor students strengths and areas for growth. The sheet provides space for detailing an action plan and next steps for each student.

    • The Blends Mini-Assessment includes a Class Analysis Sheet, the teacher calculates each student’s total correct whole words out of 15 and total phonemes correct out of 45, allowing for analysis at both the word and phoneme level. The Class Analysis Sheet also includes a phonetic key to categorize errors: M for mastery, I for incorrect letter formation, and P for incorrect phoneme–grapheme correspondence.

• Materials support teachers with instructional suggestions for assessment-based steps to help students to progress toward mastery in phonics. 

  • The OG Assessment Manual provides details for how to support students to progress toward mastery in phonics based on their assessment results. 

    • If a student receives a 79% or lower on the Read Words and Sentences subtest of the Initial, Midterm, and Final Benchmark Assessments, the materials suggest that the teacher provides additional small-group instruction in reading, focusing on reinforcing taught phonics concepts, Red Words, and improving accuracy with word-, phrase-, and sentence-level reading.

    • If a student receives a 79% or lower on the Spell Words and Sentences subtest of the Initial, Midterm, and Final Benchmark Assessments, the materials provide the teacher with two possibilities. If a student’s area of weakness is in letter formation, the teacher should provide additional small-group instruction on letter formation, focusing on establishing correct pencil grip and motor pathways. If a student’s area of weakness is in spelling, the teacher should provide additional small-group instruction in spelling.

    • The Pause to Assess and Review opportunities provide opportunities for additional instruction to support students’ progress toward mastery in phonics. 

      • On Day 1 of Pause to Assess and Review (either Week 9, for Pause to Assess and Review 1.1, or Week 23, for Pause to Assess and Review 1.2), the teacher administers the Read Words and Sentences and Spell Words and Sentences pre-assessments. If 80% of the students score 80% or higher on these pre-assessments, the teacher is  instructed to move on to the next concept in the sequence. If less than 80% of students score 80% or higher, the teacher is  instructed to complete review activities on Days 2-4. The teacher would then administer a post-assessment on Day 5 that emphasizes the concepts that have been reviewed on Days 2-4 in reading and spelling. 

    • For the Short Vowels Assessment The manual states that “if 80% of students score 80% or higher on this assessment, the vowel intensive drill can be discontinued.” It further directs that “if students do not demonstrate mastery of short vowels, continue the drill beyond Concept 35 until mastery is achieved.” 

    • For the Blends Mini-Assessment, if  students demonstrate a strong understanding of blends, the teacher is directed to “move more quickly through the blends lessons (Concepts 34–42).”

The high-frequency word instruction in IMSE's OG+ meets the expectations for Indicator 1o. Materials provide a systematic and explicit instructional routine for introducing and reviewing high-frequency words through a consistent Red Word procedure. Instruction includes sound analysis prior to print, explicit identification of regularly spelled and temporarily irregular parts of words, and teacher modeling that connects phonemes to graphemes during reading and spelling. Students engage in guided practice to support accurate reading and orthographic mapping. High-frequency word instruction is aligned to the phonics scope and sequence and includes spiraling review across lessons through varied routines and dictation tasks. Across Grade 1, students receive explicit Spell & Read instruction in 54 high-frequency words, with additional exposure to Read Only words to support continued practice in reading.

• Materials include systematic and explicit instruction of high-frequency words with an explicit and consistent instructional routine. 

  • In Concept 40, Day 2, Irregular Words: Red Words, the materials introduce high-frequency words using the  Red Word instructional routine outlined in the OG+ Fidelity Companion.  The lesson introduces four new high-frequency red words—should, could, would, and over—and directs the teacher to follow the same multi-step procedure used each time new red words are taught. The routine begins with the teacher naming each new red word and using it in a sentence to establish meaning. For should, the materials provide the sentence, “I should finish my homework before playing video games.” For could, the sentence provided is, “I could go to the store later if you need something.” For would, the materials include multiple example sentences to illustrate meaning and usage, including “I would go to Legoland if I could,” “When I was little, I would visit my grandparents’ farm,” and “Would you like a glass of milk?” The routine then directs the teacher and students to analyze each word by sound using tiles, identifying the number of sounds before connecting sounds to spellings. The materials include sound-level explanations for each word and explicitly note when spellings are unexpected or temporarily irregular based on students’ current phonics knowledge. For over, the materials explain that the word is temporarily irregular because students have not yet learned the sound–spelling correspondences needed to spell it and include a definition and example sentence to support meaning in context. Across all four words, students follow the same structured steps: orally segmenting sounds, identifying expected and unexpected spellings using color coding, encountering the word in a sentence, and writing the word using guided practice.

  • In Concept 33, Day 2, Irregular Words: Red Words, the materials introduce the new high-frequency words were and does using the Red Word instructional routine outlined in the OG+ Fidelity Companion. The lesson directs the teacher to begin by naming each new red word and establishing meaning through oral sentences. Students then analyze each word by sound using tiles to determine the number of phonemes before print is introduced. For were, the materials identify two sounds, /w/ and /er/, and explain that the current spelling reflects historical changes from Old and Middle English, with the final e no longer pronounced but retained in the spelling. For does, the materials identify three sounds, /d/, /ŭ/, and /z/, and explain that the word is derived from the base word do with the suffix -es, noting that the pronunciation has shifted over time. The routine explicitly guides the teacher to distinguish expected and unexpected spellings when mapping sounds to letters, reinforcing the temporarily irregular nature of these words. Following sound analysis, students encounter each word in context through written example sentences, supporting understanding of meaning and usage. The routine concludes with guided writing practice, in which students write the words while spelling the letters aloud, reinforcing orthographic mapping.

    The materials emphasize ongoing review of high-frequency red words beyond initial instruction. Teacher guidance notes that red words should be reviewed throughout the week using brief, varied routines, including flashcard reading, arm tapping, cross-clapping, and movement-based practice. Additional review opportunities are embedded in student dictation pages and workbook activities, supporting repeated exposure to high-frequency words across reading and writing tasks.

• Materials include teacher modeling of the spelling and reading of high-frequency words that includes connecting the phonemes to the graphemes. 

  • In Concept 38, Day 2, Irregular Words: Red Words, the materials include teacher modeling of the spelling and reading of high-frequency words through a structured Red Word instructional routine that connects phonemes to graphemes. The lesson introduces the new red words onto and people and directs the teacher to lead students through sound analysis using tiles before print is emphasized. For onto, the teacher models identifying four sounds, /ŏ/ /n/ /t/ /ōō/, and explains that the word is formed from on and to, both previously taught words. Using tiles, the teacher demonstrates how each phoneme is represented and discusses how the spelling reflects the compound structure of the word. The teacher then models writing the word while stating each letter name aloud, explicitly linking the sounds students hear to the letters used to spell the word. The teacher presents the word in a sentence, “The cat jumped onto the couch,” and models reading the word within connected text. For people, the teacher models identifying five sounds, /p/ /ē/ /p/ /ə/ /l/, and explains the historical origin of the spelling, noting that the added o reflects the word’s connection to populus. Using tiles, the teacher demonstrates segmenting the word by sound and then models mapping each sound to its corresponding grapheme, explicitly identifying the unexpected spelling of the schwa sound. The teacher models writing people while spelling each letter aloud, rereads the word, and presents it in a sentence, “There were many people walking around Central Park in New York City.” Across both words, the teacher models how to analyze spoken sounds, map those sounds to letters, read the completed word, and write the word accurately. 

  • ​​In Concept 55, Day 2, Irregular Words: Red Words, the materials include teacher modeling of the spelling and reading of high-frequency words through the Red Word instructional routine, emphasizing connections between phonemes and graphemes. The lesson introduces the new red words know and knew and directs the teacher to begin with sound analysis using tiles before focusing on print. For know, the teacher models identifying two sounds, /n/ /ō/. Using tiles, the teacher demonstrates how each sound is represented and explains that the word is temporarily irregular because students have not yet learned the sound–spelling correspondence needed to spell it conventionally. The teacher explicitly models mapping the sounds to the letters in the word, highlighting the unexpected spelling. The teacher then models writing the word while stating each letter name aloud and rereads the word to reinforce accurate pronunciation. The word is presented in a sentence, “I know my multiplication facts,” allowing the teacher to model reading the word in connected text. For knew, the teacher models identifying two sounds, /n/ /ōō/. Using tiles, the teacher demonstrates segmenting the word by sound and explains that knew is the past tense of know and is also temporarily irregular due to spellings students have not yet been taught. The teacher explicitly models how the phonemes connect to the graphemes in the word, including the unexpected spelling. The teacher models writing knew while stating each letter name aloud, rereads the word, and presents it in a sentence, “I knew my multiplication facts but forgot them over summer break.” Across both words, the teacher models analyzing sounds, mapping phonemes to graphemes, reading the completed word, and writing the word accurately. 

• Materials include a sufficient quantity of high-frequency words for students to make reading progress.

  • According to the Grade 1 Scope and Sequence, the materials include systematic instruction in a substantial set of high-frequency words introduced across the school year through the Spell & Read column of the Red Words sequence. These words are explicitly taught using a consistent instructional routine and are aligned to phonics instruction. Across Concepts 33–57, students receive instruction in the following high-frequency words:

    • Concept 33: were, does

    • Concept 34: some, good

    • Concept 35: there, done

    • Concept 36: here

    • Concept 37: under, down

    • Concept 38: onto, people

    • Concept 39: saw, both

    • Concept 40: should, could, would, over

    • Concept 41: love, live, out

    • Concept 42: day, too, eye

    • Concept 43: all, again

    • Concept 44: boy, girl, sign

    • Concept 45: your, which, look

    • Concept 46: also, use

    • Concept 47: today, yesterday

    • Concept 48: first, around, going

    • Concept 49: walk

    • Concept 50: say, their

    • Concept 51: how, once

    • Concept 52: another

    • Concept 53: pull, wash

    • Concept 54: every, everyone

    • Concept 55: know, knew

    • Concept 56: friend

    • Concept 57: been, our, other

  • In addition to these Spell & Read words, the materials include Read Only  words introduced alongside instruction, such as our, help (review), oven, park, play, way, chair, center, school, and tractor, which support oral reading and comprehension without requiring full spelling mastery. Across the Grade 1 year, students are explicitly taught 54 high-frequency words through Spell & Read instruction, with additional exposure to Read Only words.

The instructional opportunities for high-frequency words in IMSE's OG+ meet the expectations for Indicator 1p. Materials provide regular opportunities for students to decode high-frequency words in isolation through structured Red Word routines that include oral segmentation, sound–symbol analysis, repeated reading, and multisensory review. Students also decode high-frequency words in context through decodable readers, including word lists, phrases, and sentence-level supports prior to and during connected text reading. In addition, lessons include opportunities for students to encode high-frequency words in isolation and within dictated sentences during spelling instruction, with students writing words independently and checking for accuracy. These consistent opportunities for isolated decoding, contextual reading, and sentence-level encoding support the development of automaticity with high-frequency words.

Note: This indicator is analyzed at the lesson level to examine the instructional progression within and across lessons. Repeated references to a single week or lesson reflect the structured sequence of explicit instruction and guided practice, which is representative of how the materials support this skill throughout the year.

• Students practice decoding high-frequency words in isolation. 

  • In Concept 39, Day 2, Irregular Words: Red Words, students practice decoding previously taught Red Words (i.e. irregularly spelled, high-frequency words) and new Red Words in isolation. First, the teacher reviews at least two previously taught Red Words with their Red Word Booklets as necessary. Then, the teacher states the new Red Word and uses it in a sentence.  The two new Red Words here are saw and both. The teacher uses tiles to represent the sounds in the word while the students orally segment the sounds in the new Red Words. For example, for the word saw, students would segment the word to /s/ /aw/. The teacher then discusses what is expected and what is unexpected in the word, writing the corresponding letters with a green crayon (expected) or red crayon (unexpected). The teacher then shows the word in the sentence, either by writing the sentence or displaying a sentence that was previously prepared. As the teacher writes the new Red Words onto Red Word paper in pencil, students copy the word as they spell aloud and restate the word. Finally, the teacher and students will arm tap one time while stating the letter names in the Red Word aloud and then sweep down their arms while restating the word. 

  • In Concept 50, Day 2, Irregular Words: Red Words, students practice decoding previously taught Red Words and new Red Words in isolation. First, the teacher reviews at least two previously taught Red Words with their Red Word Booklets as necessary. Then, the teacher states the new Red Word and uses it in a sentence.  The two new Red Words here are say and their. The teacher uses tiles to represent the sounds in the word while the students orally segment the sounds in the new Red Words. For example, for the word say, students would segment the word to /s/ /ā/. The teacher then discusses what is expected and what is unexpected in the word, writing the corresponding letters with a green crayon (expected) or red crayon (unexpected). The teacher then shows the word in the sentence, either by writing the sentence or displaying a sentence that was previously prepared. As the teacher writes the new Red Words onto Red Word paper in pencil, students copy the word as they spell aloud and restate the word. Finally, the teacher and students will arm tap one time while stating the letter names in the Red Word aloud and then sweep down their arms while restating the word. 

• Lessons provide students with frequent opportunities to decode high-frequency words in context. 

  • In Concept 39, Day 3, Reading, students use Decodable Reader #32 to read Red Words in context. Although the purpose of the Reading activity is for students to practice fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension skills, each decodable reader offers students an opportunity to decode high-frequency words in context. In the “Get Ready to Read” section of each text, there is a table with words that will be included in the story. These include words that follow phonetic concepts and Red Words. Students can practice reading these words in the chart before beginning to read the text. There are similar supports at the phrase- and sentence-level. In Decodable Reader #32: Swim, Swim, Swim, students encounter the following, as examples:

    • Red Words: down, people, onto

    • Sentences: This is where you can dress to go swim.; It is wet. You can slip, so do not run. 

  • In Concept 50, Day 3, Reading, students use Decodable Reader #43 to read Read Words in context. Although the purpose of the Reading activity is for students to practice fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension skills, each decodable reader offers students an opportunity to decode high-frequency words in context. In the “Get Ready to Read” section of each text, there is a table with words that will be included in the story. These include words that follow phonetic concepts and Red Words. Students can practice reading these words in the table before beginning to read the text. There are similar supports at the phrase- and sentence-level. In Decodable Reader #43:  Is it Magic?, students encounter the following, as examples:

    • Red Words: what, where, which

    • Sentences: Next time you see a magic trick, use logic to think of what made the trick happen! 

• Lessons provide students with frequent opportunities to encode high-frequency words in tasks, such as sentences, in order to promote automaticity of high-frequency words. 

  • In Concept 39, Day 4, Phonics: Spelling, students practice spelling Red Words in isolation and in sentences. For Red Words in isolation, the teacher states the word my and uses the word in a sentence. The student repeats the word and then writes the word on their dictation paper or in their OG+ Student Workbook B. The teacher then writes the word and students check the spelling of the word and correct as needed. For sentences which include Red Words in context, the teacher states a sentence and students repeat that sentence. Students then write the sentence and check their work using the CUPS method (Capitalization, Understanding, Punctuation, Spelling). The teacher then shows the written model and students check their work. The two sentences presented are:

    • We swam with both Sal and Sam.

    • The rat will swim in the tub. 

  • In Concept 50, Day 4, Phonics: Spelling, students practice spelling Red Words in isolation and in sentences. For Red Words in isolation, the teacher states the word my and uses the word in a sentence. The student repeats the word and then writes the word on their dictation paper or in their OG+ Student Workbook B. The teacher then writes the word and students check the spelling of the word and correct as needed. For sentences which include Red Words in context, the teacher states a sentence and students repeat that sentence. Students then write the sentence and check their work using the CUPS method. The teacher then shows the written model and students check their work. The two sentences presented are:

    • Did you decide where we should go?

    • They say the judge was a legend to the people. 

The instructional opportunities for syllabication and morpheme analysis in IMSE's OG+ meet the expectations for Indicator 1q. Materials provide explicit instruction in syllable types with clear guidance on how syllable structure influences vowel pronunciation for decoding and encoding. Materials also include explicit instruction in morpheme analysis through the introduction of common inflectional suffixes and structured routines for identifying suffixes, isolating base words, and applying syllable division. Across the year, students engage in multiple and varied opportunities to practice and apply syllabication and morphology strategies during guided and independent word analysis tasks.

Note: This indicator is analyzed at the lesson level to examine the instructional progression within and across lessons. Repeated references to a single week or lesson reflect the structured sequence of explicit instruction and guided practice, which is representative of how the materials support this skill throughout the year.

• Materials contain explicit instruction of syllable types and syllable division that promote decoding and encoding of words. 

  • In Concept 35, Day 1, Phonics: Teaching a New Concept, the lesson introduces closed and open syllables using a concrete visual model. The materials direct the teacher to create a visual representation of a house with the word bed written on it, with the final consonant d positioned on the door. The teacher asks students to read the word and then explicitly prompts analysis by asking whether the door to the house is open or closed. When the door is closed, the teacher explains that the vowel is “closed in” by a consonant and therefore produces its short sound, identifying the word bed as a closed syllable. The teacher then models opening the door, removing the final consonant to form be, and explains that when the vowel is open, it is free to “run out and shout its name,” producing a long vowel sound. The teacher explicitly names this structure as an open syllable. This sequence directly teaches how syllable structure affects vowel pronunciation and provides a clear explanation for why vowels sound different in open and closed syllables. The materials direct the teacher to repeat this modeling with additional CVC and CV word and syllable combinations, reinforcing the distinction between open and closed syllables. The lesson further supports explicit instruction through consistent visual and kinesthetic cues. The teacher models a bent left arm to represent a closed door for short vowel sounds and an extended left arm to represent an open door for long vowel sounds. Students mirror these motions while producing vowel sounds for a, e, i, o, u, and yoo/oo, reinforcing syllable-type identification through multisensory practice. Following explicit instruction, the materials include structured opportunities for application. The teacher guides students to brainstorm additional words and syllables that fit each syllable type, using the house visuals as a reference. The materials note that the words and syllables students generate during this activity are used to reinforce the concept and support decoding and encoding of words based on syllable structure.

  • In Concept 48, Day 2, Phonics: Teaching a New Concept, the lesson introduces Magic e as a distinct syllable pattern and contrasts it with previously taught closed syllables (CVC), reinforcing how syllable structure affects vowel pronunciation. The teacher models how Magic e functions by demonstrating that Magic e does not make a sound but changes the vowel in the preceding syllable to say its name. Instruction includes direct explanation of how Magic e “jumps over” a consonant and affects the vowel sound, supporting students’ understanding of syllable structure rather than memorization of individual words. The materials explicitly name and label vowel–consonant–e patterns using Phoneme/Grapheme Cards, with students choral-reading sound–spelling relationships such as “a-magic e spells /ā/,” “i-magic e spells /ī/,” and “o-magic e spells /ō/.” Students engage in guided practice that requires them to analyze word structure by distinguishing between CVC and VCe syllable types. The lesson includes teacher-directed sorting of words into closed-syllable and Magic e columns, reinforcing how vowel sounds change based on syllable type. This activity explicitly connects syllable structure to decoding and encoding decisions, requiring students to attend to vowel position, consonant placement, and the presence of Magic e.

• Materials contain explicit instruction in morpheme analysis to decode unfamiliar words. 

  • In Concept 52, Day 3, Syllable Division/Word Analysis, the materials provide explicit instruction in morpheme analysis through focused teaching of the inflectional suffix -s/-es. The lesson directs the teacher to guide students in identifying known morphemes by first locating the suffix and then analyzing the remaining base word. Students are explicitly taught that -s/-es functions as a suffix meaning “more than one” when added to nouns and can also mark third-person singular verbs. The materials instruct the teacher to have students separate the suffix from the base word, determine the base word’s syllable structure, and then analyze how the suffix is pronounced based on the final sound of the base word. For example, students examine words such as cupcakes, mistakes, menus, blemishes, and suffixes, identifying the base word, attaching the suffix, and determining whether -s or -es is pronounced as /s/, /z/, or /ĭz/. 

  • In Concept 56, Day 2, Syllable Division/Word Analysis, the lesson directs the teacher to introduce syllable division with suffix -ing and to follow the established steps in the OG+ Fidelity Companion. Students are given printed words and use visual marking to identify morphemes before decoding. Students practice morpheme analysis with the following words: itching, flashing, dashing, unpacking, unhitching, and investing. For each word, students are instructed to circle the suffix -ing, identify the base word, and then divide the base word into syllables prior to reading the full word. The materials explicitly guide the teacher to draw attention to known morphemes and to support students in separating suffixes from base words before applying syllable division strategies. The lesson includes modeled examples such as dash | ing and e | mail | ing, reinforcing how the suffix -ing attaches to a base word and how meaning is preserved when the morpheme is identified. The teacher is  directed to use a syllable wall prior to the suffix to help students distinguish between the suffix -ing and the vowel unit ing during initial instruction.

• Multiple and varied opportunities are provided over the course of the year for students to learn, practice, and apply word analysis strategies. 

  • The Concept 52, Day 3, Syllable Division/Word Analysis, students practice analyzing multisyllabic words by identifying vowels, dividing syllables, locating suffixes, and decoding base words before recombining word parts to read the full word accurately. The materials direct the teacher to use multiple words during instruction and allow for repeated application of the strategy using resources from IMSE's OG+ Lab or OG+ Student Workbook B, ensuring students engage in sustained and varied practice. The lesson also includes a dedicated Morpheme Moment that reinforces the meaning and function of the suffix -s / -es, supporting transfer of the strategy to new words. The materials note that this instruction lays a foundation for future word analysis work, including word sums and more advanced morphological study, reinforcing students’ ability to apply decoding strategies across the year.

  • Across Concept 56, Day 2, Extension Activity, students engage in a structured extension activity in which they generate new words by adding inflectional suffixes, including -ed, plural suffixes, and -ing, to base words. This activity requires students to actively manipulate word parts and reinforces the concept that meaning and structure change when morphemes are added. In addition to generative word-building, students apply word analysis strategies during syllable division and word analysis routines using words that include suffixes. The materials guide students to first identify morphemes and then divide the remaining base word into syllables, integrating syllabication and morphology within the same routine. The lesson structure allows students to encounter suffixes in multiple contexts, including explicit instruction, guided practice, and independent or center-based application.

The assessment opportunities for word recognition and analysis in IMSE's OG+ meet the expectations for Indicator 1r. Materials include regular and systematic assessment opportunities across the year, including weekly spelling assessments, Benchmark Assessments, and Pause to Assess checkpoints that measure students’ progress in decoding, encoding, and recognition of both phonetically regular and high-frequency words. Assessment tasks include word-, sentence-, and passage-level reading and spelling, providing opportunities for students to demonstrate application of word recognition and analysis skills in both isolated and connected text contexts. Assessment tools provide clear mastery criteria and analysis resources to support monitoring of student performance and planning of next instructional steps. Materials also include instructional suggestions based on assessment and observational data to support students in building accuracy and automaticity in word recognition and analysis, including application of multisyllabic decoding and spelling patterns. Together, these assessment opportunities and supports provide a comprehensive view of student progress toward mastery and independence in word recognition and analysis.

• Materials regularly and systematically provide assessment opportunities over the course of the year to demonstrate students’ progress toward mastery and independence of word recognition and analysis. 

  • Students are assessed in weekly spelling tests that allow students to demonstrate progress toward mastery and independence of word recognition. 

    • In Concept 43, Day 5, Phonics: Spelling (Assessment), students are given ten phonetic words or syllables, five Red Words (high frequency, irregular words), and two sentences to spell independently. In a whole class setting, the teacher reads the words that should be spelled and students write these words on dictation paper or in their OG+ Student Workbook B. The words on this assessment include:

      • Phonetic words: winch, expand, wind (/wǐnd/), clump, hunch, send, muskrat, romp, gasp, skimp

      • Red Words: day, too, eye, out, live

      • Sentences: The branch hit me in the eye.; The flat desk was in the class. 

    • In Concept 51, Day 5, students complete a spelling assessment that includes words such as insisted, dwelled, tossed, and hunted, as well as sentences such as “I planted it in the pot.” and “She thanked me and winked as she went into the class.” These assessments require students to apply phonics patterns and spelling rules in both word- and sentence-level contexts, providing evidence of students’ developing word recognition and analysis skills.

  • In the Level 1 Midterm Assessment, the teacher assesses students’ progress toward mastery of word recognition in a one-on-one setting. Students read five Red Words and two sentences. The student reads each word and each sentence while the teacher marks which words were read correctly. Mastery is determined as reading at least 80% of words and sentences correctly. For the Level 1 Midterm Assessment, students read the following Red Words and sentences:

    • Red Words: done, here, under, good, people

    • Sentences: My sibling, Frank, will be in a skit.; The twig will snap and land by the rabbit. 

    • Assessments that are designed to measure students’ progress toward mastery and independence in word recognition are administered in three Benchmark Assessments and two Pause to Assess and Review opportunities throughout the year.

      • Benchmark Assessments

        • Initial (Concepts #1-32)

        • Midterm (Concepts #1-44)

        • Final (Concepts #1-57)

      • Pause to Assess and Review

        • 1.1 (Concepts #1-38)

        • 1.2 (Concepts #1-50)

  • In the Grade 1 Level 1 Benchmark Assessments, Level 1 Final Assessment, students complete a final assessment that includes reading real words such as dogs, daydreaming, and needed, as well as sentences such as “The fish were jumping as we drove up the coastline.” and “Everyone can decide where we should play.” In the passage reading portion, students read connected text, including sentences such as “What fun! We’re way out in the sea!” squealed Haylee. These assessment tasks require students to apply decoding, word analysis, and fluency skills in both isolated and connected text contexts.

• Assessment materials provide the teacher and students with information concerning students’ current skills/level of understanding of word recognition and word analysis. 

  • The OG+ Assessment Originals provides the teacher with tools to assist in analyzing students’ understanding of word recognition.

    • The Student Analysis Sheet for Foundational Skills Benchmark Assessments allows the teacher to monitor individual students’ progress over time. This sheet allows the teacher to track a student’s progress for mastery of word recognition at the Initial, Midterm, and Final Benchmark Assessments, as well as other foundational skills. 

    • The Class Analysis Sheet for spelling words at the Initial, Midterm, and Final Foundational Benchmark Assessments allows the teacher to quickly see which students are not yet at mastery in spelling Red Words. 

    • The Assessment Data Analysis Sheet allows the teacher to create a plan for future instruction at the individual student level. This sheet gives space for the teacher to monitor students strengths and areas for growth. The sheet provides space for detailing an action plan and next steps for each student.

• Materials support the teacher with instructional suggestions for assessment-based steps to help students progress toward mastery in word recognition and word analysis. 

  • The materials provide suggestions for supporting students to progress toward mastery in word recognition and word analysis. These instructional suggestions are based both on assessment data as well as observational data within the context of lessons.

    • Assessment-based instructional suggestions

      • If a student scores below 80% on the Foundational Skills Benchmark Assessments, the materials suggest that the teacher “use decodable texts to help students apply their skills in context, incorporating repeated readings and phrase-level fluency drills to build automaticity.” The materials also direct the teacher to  “support spelling development through word-building activities that emphasize high-frequency words and common phonics patterns.”

    • Observation-based instructional suggestions 

      • If the teacher notices that students need support with understanding how a syllable wall divides a word or understanding syllable boundaries when labeling syllable types, then the teacher should have students use paper strips for each word and split the paper along the syllable wall by saturating it with a highlighter to fold and tear or by cutting it. 

      • If the teacher notices that students need support with reading multisyllabic words in the context of sentences, then the teacher should have students practice reading sentences from IMSE's OG+’s Syllable Division Teacher Guide to practice generalizing the skill in a controlled context, using syllabication only when they come across a word they cannot independently decode. 

The instructional opportunities for oral reading fluency in IMSE's OG+ meet the expectations for Indicator 1s. Materials include regular and varied opportunities for explicit, systematic instruction in rate, accuracy, and prosody using grade-level decodable connected text aligned to the phonics scope and sequence. Instruction incorporates teacher modeling, repeated readings, and structured progression from word- and phrase-level practice to sentence- and passage-level reading. Lessons consistently guide the teacher to establish decoding accuracy first and then support appropriate pacing, phrasing, and expression. Students hear fluent reading through teacher modeling and read aloud in whole-group, small-group, and partner settings. Across concepts, students engage in repeated reading of fiction and nonfiction decodable texts, supported by additional fluency routines and practice resources that reinforce automaticity and expressive reading as text complexity increases. 

Note: This indicator is analyzed at the lesson level to examine the instructional progression within and across lessons. Repeated references to a single week or lesson reflect the structured sequence of explicit instruction and guided practice, which is representative of how the materials support this skill throughout the year. 

• Materials include regular and varied opportunities for explicit, systematic instruction in rate, accuracy, and prosody using grade-level decodable connected text. 

  • In Concept 34, Day 2, Reading, students engage with Decodable Reader #27, including fiction and nonfiction selections such as Seth, Dad, and the Fish, The Big Mess, and I Can Help, all aligned to the phonics patterns taught in the concept which is Compound Words (backpack). Fluency instruction is structured across word-level, phrase-level, sentence-level, and connected-text reading, following guidance in the OG+ Fidelity Companion. Students begin fluency practice using the Get Ready to Read section at the front of the decodable reader, which includes words and phrases drawn directly from the text. This section supports accurate decoding before students read connected text. The materials integrate vocabulary instruction as part of fluency practice. Each decodable reader includes a vocabulary list (for example, catfish, catnip, dishpan, hatbox, laptop, pigpen, cashbox, lug, and toss), and the teacher is  directed to review and discuss word meanings prior to reading. In addition, the materials identify words recommended for explicit teaching in the teacher read-aloud section, including depend, mend, and responsible, ensuring students understand key vocabulary that may affect comprehension and fluent expression. The teacher is  directed to establish accuracy first, providing immediate corrective feedback during initial reads before increasing rate or automaticity. Once accuracy is established, instruction shifts to rate and prosody, with explicit guidance to address intonation, phrasing, punctuation, pausing, stress, and conversational speed during phrase-, sentence-, and passage-level reading. If a decodable reader is not completed in one session, fluency practice continues across subsequent lessons, providing repeated opportunities to build automaticity and confidence.

  • In Concept 57, Day 4, Reading, the teacher introduces and facilitates reading of Decodable Reader #50, including A Plan for a Hike (fiction), The Weekend (fiction), and On a Plane(nonfiction), following the fluency routines outlined in the OG+ Fidelity Companion. Instruction begins with teacher-guided word- and phrase-level fluency practice using the Get Ready to Read section at the front of each decodable reader. This section includes words and phrases drawn directly from the text and is used to establish decoding accuracy before students read connected text. Vocabulary words embedded in the texts include compact, exclaim, and hike in A Plan for a Hike; dash and exclaim in The Weekend; and check-in, documents, gate, pilots,and take off in On a Plane. The teacher explicitly supports accurate reading of these words prior to passage reading. The fluency routine then progresses to sentence-level and connected-text reading, with the teacher monitoring student performance, providing immediate corrective feedback, and modeling fluent reading. The materials direct the teacher to prioritize accuracy first, then explicitly model and guide students toward appropriate rate, phrasing, and expression during rereading. Students read aloud chorally, independently, or in pairs and engage in repeated reading of passages to build automaticity and confidence.

• Materials provide opportunities for students to hear fluent reading of grade-level text by a model reader. 

  • In Concept 34, Day 2, Reading, the teacher models fluent oral reading during instruction with Decodable Reader #27, including the fiction texts Seth, Dad, and the Fish and The Big Mess, and the nonfiction text I Can Help. Teacher modeling occurs during rapid word chart practice, phrase- and sentence-level reading, and initial readings of connected text, following the procedures outlined in the OG+ Fidelity Companion. The materials also include a teacher read-aloud component associated with the decodable reader. During this read-aloud, the teacher models fluent reading of grade-level text while explicitly addressing vocabulary that may impact comprehension and prosody. Words recommended for explicit teaching in this lesson include depend, mend, and responsible. This modeled reading supports students’ understanding of appropriate rate, phrasing, and expression while reinforcing vocabulary meaning in context.

  • In Concept 57, Day 4, Reading, using Decodable Reader #50, the teacher models fluent oral reading during word-level, sentence-level, and connected-text instruction as outlined in the OG+ Fidelity Companion. Students hear fluent reading of fiction and nonfiction selections, including A Plan for a Hike, The Weekend, and On a Plane. During instruction, the teacher reads aloud portions of the decodable texts and models appropriate rate, phrasing, and expression. The lesson also includes a teacher read-aloud section connected to the nonfiction text On a Plane, during which the teacher models fluent reading of more complex language and content-related vocabulary. Words addressed during the teacher read-aloud include cargo, complicated, conveyor belt, flight attendant, security, whole-body scanner, and x-ray machine.

• Materials include a variety of resources for explicit instruction in oral reading fluency, supporting skill development across the year. 

  • In Concept 34, Day 2, Reading, students engage in fluency instruction using Decodable Reader #27, which includes multiple selections (Seth, Dad, and the Fish, The Big Mess, and I Can Help) that support repeated reading of connected text aligned to the phonics focus of the concept. Additional fluency resources include rapid word charts drawn from words in the decodable reader, which may be created using IMSE's OG+ Lab. These charts incorporate recently taught phonics patterns and irregular (red) words from the lesson. The decodable reader also includes Get Ready to Read word and phrase lists that provide structured practice prior to reading connected text. Vocabulary words embedded in fluency practice include catfish, catnip, dishpan, hatbox, laptop, pigpen, cashbox, lug, and toss. The materials further support fluency through word- and sentence-reading practice pages in the OG+ Student Workbook B and additional fluency pyramids available through IMSE's OG+ Lab. These resources allow the teacher to scaffold practice from word-level accuracy to sentence-level and passage-level fluency, with opportunities for repeated reading across days and concepts.

  • In Concept 57, Day 4, Reading, the materials draw on a variety of fluency resources to support oral reading development. Instruction centers on Decodable Reader #50, which includes multiple fiction and nonfiction selections aligned to the phonics focus of the concept and used across several days for repeated reading. Additional fluency supports include rapid word charts, which may be generated through IMSE's OG+ Lab and populated with words from the decodable readers, including recently taught phonics patterns and irregular words. Sentence-level fluency practice is supported through sentence reading practice pages in the OG+ Student Workbook B, as well as word- and sentence-reading pages available through IMSE's OG+ Lab. The materials also provide fluency pyramids through IMSE's OG+ Lab for students who need additional scaffolding and explicitly encourage rereading previously taught decodable texts from earlier days in the concept to reinforce accuracy, rate, and automaticity. Instruction may occur in whole-group or small-group settings, and decodable reading may continue across days if not completed in a single lesson. 

    Together, these resources provide ongoing, varied opportunities for students to develop accuracy, rate, prosody, and vocabulary-supported fluency throughout the year.

The instructional opportunities for supported fluency practice in IMSE's OG+ meet the expectations for Indicator 1t. Materials provide varied and frequent opportunities for students to develop automaticity and prosody through repeated readings, echo and choral reading, partner reading, and structured rereading routines within decodable texts. The teacher receives clear guidance for modeling fluent reading and for selecting appropriate fluency routines as students progress toward independence. Materials also include explicit corrective-feedback guidance to support accuracy, phrasing, expression, and rate. Across the year, students engage in multiple supported practice formats in whole-group, small-group, and partner settings, promoting sustained and developmentally appropriate growth in fluent oral reading.

Note: This indicator is analyzed at the lesson level to examine the instructional progression within and across lessons. Repeated references to a single week or lesson reflect the structured sequence of explicit instruction and guided practice, which is representative of how the materials support this skill throughout the year.

• Varied, frequent opportunities are provided over the course of the year for students to gain automaticity and prosody in connected text, aligned to program expectations and developmental readiness. 

  • Each concept, starting with Concept 33, offers three decodable readers for the teacher to choose from: two fiction readers and one nonfiction reader. The materials suggest that the teacher works with two texts throughout each concept, introducing a new text on Day 4 based on students’ progress. Each reader has aligned routines for fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. In the examples that follow, only one text will be described with the fluency routines specifically, but there are multiple texts to choose from within each concept. 

    • In Concept 49, Day 2, Reading, The New Baby, materials provide explicit and supported fluency practice appropriate for mid-year Grade 1 students who have developed foundational decoding accuracy. The New Baby focuses on the phonics concept of y as a vowel /ē/ as in baby. The teacher begins by working with students through the  “Get Ready to Read” section at the beginning of the reader. In this section, there are tables of words that students can read from left to right and top to bottom. On this first read of those words, the teacher listens and provides immediate corrective feedback where necessary. Once accuracy is established, students can read the table independently or in pairs. Then, at the teacher’s discretion, students move to phrase- and sentence-level reading in the “Get Ready to Read” section. These phrases, presented in isolation at the beginning of the reader, are phrases that will appear in the text. On the first read, the teacher focuses on accuracy with subsequent readings rate and prosody. After this preliminary work, the teacher and students then read the book, stopping at various points for discussion.

    • In Concept 39, Day 2, Reading, Twin Swim, materials provide explicit and supported fluency practice appropriate for mid-year Grade 1 students who have developed foundational decoding accuracy. Twin Swim focuses on the phonics concept of two-consonant w blends that begin words, such as swim. The teacher begins by working with students through the “Get Ready to Read” section at the beginning of the reader. In this section, there are tables of words that students can read from left to right and top to bottom. On this first read of those words, the teacher listens and provides immediate corrective feedback where necessary. Once accuracy is established, students can read the table independently or in pairs. Then, at the teacher’s discretion, students move to phrase- and sentence-level reading in the “Get Ready to Read” section. These phrases, presented in isolation at the beginning of the reader, are phrases that will appear in the text. On the first read, the teacher focuses on accuracy with subsequent readings rate and prosody. After this preliminary work, the teacher and students then read the book, stopping at various points for discussion.

• Materials provide practice opportunities for word reading fluency in a variety of settings (e.g., repeated readings, dyad or partner reading, continuous reading), with sufficient frequency to support progress towards mastery. 

  • In Concept 49, Day 3, Reading, the materials return to the text The New Baby. The teacher has multiple options for how to approach reading this rereading. If students need more practice with fluent reading, the teacher can use the digital resource of a fluency pyramid available in IMSE's OG+ LAB. The Fluency Pyramid breaks a sentence down in a pyramid visual so that students can practice adding one word to a sentence at a time. 

  • In the OG+ Student Workbook, students have daily practice with fluency. On Day 2, students have word reading practice in isolation. Students are instructed to read the words correctly before attempting to read them quickly. On Day 3, students practice reading phrases that focus on the targeted phonics concept. On Day 4, students move to sentence reading practice, again focusing on accuracy before moving to reading the sentences smoothly and quickly. Finally, by Day 5 and within each concept, by Day 5, students should read a clean copy of the decodable passage featuring the week’s new concept with 90-95% accuracy. In Concept 49, with the focus of y as /ē/, example items from each day are as follows:

    • Day 2: lazy, crazy, tummy, silly

    • Day 3: will act silly; the baby pug; a brown penny; had a hobby

    • Day 4: I will try to act silly.; My puppy is just too lazy!

    • Day 5: My puppy is so lazy.; What can I do to get him up?

  • In the OG+ Originals, the teacher has access to a resource that helps students work on reading with prosody. This resource, titled “Working on Prosody,” features sentences with varied punctuation that gives students an opportunity to practice reading with expression. Sample sentences include:

    • Oh no! Watch out! Whew.

    • Shhhhhhh. Shhhh? Sh!

• Materials include teacher-facing guidance on modeling fluent reading and delivering corrective feedback that supports students’ growth in rate, expression, and phrasing. 

  • According to the OG+ Fidelity Companion, the teacher is prompted to give feedback on disfluent reading by acknowledging that the student read the words correctly and then emphasize reading phrases fluently “because it will help us understand what we read.” The teacher then goes on to model reading fluently from the decodable reader. The student then repeats that sentence. The materials suggest that if the student rereads aloud without fluency, the teacher should consider echo reading, described as “when the teacher reads in phrase chunks and the student echoes each phrase until the whole sentence is read aloud”. The teacher can also consider choral reading, described as “when the teacher models gain and then the teacher and student reread.” 

  • According to the OG+ Fidelity Companion, the teacher is prompted to give feedback for repeated reading to support a student to read in a way that sounds similar to a conversation. In this feedback, the teacher asks the student to “notice how we speak to one another. We group words together into phrases to help others understand our message.” The teacher then models phrasing with 1-2 sentences in the decodable reader. The teacher then encourages the student to echo read or choral read the same sentences before moving on to the rest of the text.

The assessment materials for oral reading fluency in IMSE's OG+ meet the expectations for Indicator 1u. Materials provide regular and systematic opportunities for students to demonstrate accuracy and rate through recurring benchmark and checkpoint assessments aligned to the scope and sequence. Assessments include word-, sentence-, and passage-level measures with clearly defined scoring procedures and benchmark criteria that progress across the year. Structured recording tools document words correct per minute, accuracy rates, and overall performance over time. Guidance supports the teacher in interpreting results and making instructional adjustments, including additional fluency practice, repeated readings, and differentiated small-group instruction. These assessment opportunities occur consistently and provide actionable information to inform ongoing development of oral reading fluency.

• Multiple assessment opportunities are provided regularly and systematically over the course of the year for students to demonstrate progress toward mastery and independence of oral reading fluency. 

  • According to the OG Plus Assessment Originals Manual, multiple assessment opportunities are provided over the course of the year for students to demonstrate progress toward mastery and independence of oral reading fluency. The materials include multiple individually administered oral reading fluency assessments scheduled across the year, including Initial, Midterm, and Final Level 1 Benchmark Assessments, as well as Pause to Assess checkpoints aligned to the scope and sequence.

    • The Level 1 Initial Benchmark Assessment includes a Read Words and Sentences assessment administered on Day 2. Students complete the assessment individually in a distraction-free environment. During the Read Words portion, the teacher gives students a copy of the student sheet and says, “I’m going to point to a word, and I want you to read the word to me.” The teacher  marks each word the student reads correctly. Sample words include real words such as web, chat, quit, so, she, and thus, nonsense words such as zax, von, kiss, yeth, fi, and whum, and red words such as was, is, the, to, want, and out, for a total of 17 words as well as sentences such as, “Will you go with me to see the dog?” and” Josh and Chad like to jog on a path,” for a total of 18 points. 

      • During the Read Sentences portion of the Initial Benchmark Assessment, the teacher directs students to “read each sentence carefully” and mark each word read correctly. Sample sentences include “The lid is so hot.” and “Did he and Sam get the rug wet?” The sentence reading task includes 20 total scorable words.

    • The Level 1 Midterm Benchmark Assessment includes both a Read Words and Sentences assessment and a Read Passage assessment, each administered individually on Day 2 in a distraction-free environment. During the Read Passage assessment, the teacher provides students with a passage and instructs them to read aloud for one minute.

    • The Level 1 Final Benchmark Assessment includes Read Words and Sentences and Read Passage assessments administered individually, providing a final measure of oral reading fluency across word-level and connected-text reading.

    • The materials also include Pause to Assess opportunities that provide additional oral reading fluency assessments. Pause to Assess 1.1 is administered after Concept 11 and includes a Read Words and Sentences assessment. Pause to Assess 1.2 is administered after Concept 50 and includes a Read Passage assessment. Both assessments are administered individually in a distraction-free environment.

• Assessment materials provide the teacher and students with information about students’ current skills/level of understanding of oral reading fluency. 

  • According to the OG Plus Assessment Originals Manual, the Read Words and Sentences assessments include defined scoring procedures and benchmark thresholds. The teacher marks each word read correctly and compares student performance to benchmark ranges.

    •  For the Initial assessment, students read 17 total words, with 14–17 words indicating at benchmark and 0–13 indicating below benchmark. For sentence reading, students read 18 total words, with 15–18 words indicating at benchmark and 0–14 indicating below benchmark.

    • The Midterm and Final Read Words and Sentences assessments also include 17 total words and 17 total sentence words, with 14–17 words indicating at benchmark and scores below that range indicating below benchmark performance.

    • The Read Passage assessments provide quantitative fluency data, including words correct per minute and accuracy rates. The teacher calculates words correct per minute by subtracting errors from the total number of words read in one minute. Accuracy is calculated by dividing words correct per minute by the total number of words read and multiplying by 100.

    • The materials define scoring rules to ensure consistent interpretation of fluency data. Errors include skipped words, miscalled or substituted words, words read out of order, words sounded out but not read as a whole word, hesitations of three seconds or longer, and entire lines skipped. Non-errors include self-corrections, repetitions, dialect differences, articulation differences, and inserted words.

    • Oral reading fluency data are recorded on the Level 1 Benchmark Assessment Student Analysis Sheet. This sheet documents student performance for Read Words and Sentences at Initial, Midterm, and Final assessments and records words correct per minute and accuracy for Read Passage assessments at Midterm and Final.

• Materials support the teacher with instructional adjustments to help students make progress toward mastery in oral reading fluency. 

  • According to the OG Plus Manual, the First-Grade Assessment materials include instructional guidance based on benchmark performance to support instructional adjustments following fluency assessments. 

    • For students performing at or above benchmark, the materials direct the teacher  to use connected texts to enhance oral reading fluency, incorporating repeated readings and prosody-focused activities to refine accuracy, pacing, and expression.

    • For students performing below benchmark, the materials direct the teacher  to use decodable texts to support application of taught skills in context. Instructional guidance emphasizes repeated readings and phrase-level fluency drills to build automaticity and accuracy.

    • The materials instruct the teacher to flag students for additional small-group instruction when assessment results indicate weaknesses in specific areas. For students demonstrating weaknesses in Read Words and Sentences assessments related to decoding and word recognition, the materials direct the teacher to provide additional small-group instruction in reading that reinforces taught phonics concepts, red words, and accuracy with word-, phrase-, and sentence-level reading.

    • For the Level 1 Midterm Benchmark Assessment, the materials direct the teacher to flag students for additional small-group instruction when weaknesses are identified in Read Passage reading fluency. Instructional guidance emphasizes targeted small-group instruction focused on improving accuracy, speed, and expression, including repeated reading of connected texts to support gains in oral reading fluency.

    • The Pause to Assess post-assessment analysis guidelines instruct the teacher to provide additional opportunities for remediation and practice for students who continue to experience difficulty with specific concepts. The materials direct the teacher to intentionally incorporate challenging concepts into three-part drills, dictation, and reading opportunities while continuing to progress through the instructional sequence and introduce new concepts.