2nd Grade - Gateway 1

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 supporting explicit and systematic instruction that progresses from simpler to more complex skills. Grade 2 instruction builds on prior decoding foundations and advances deliberately through increasingly complex phonics patterns, including three-consonant blends, r-controlled vowels, advanced vowel teams and diphthongs, syllable types, orthographic rules, and common spelling generalizations. Phonics instruction is cumulative and application-based, with students regularly applying newly taught skills through blending, segmenting, spelling, and decoding connected text using aligned decodable readers. High-utility patterns and widely taught generalizations are prioritized throughout the sequence, and more complex decoding demands, including multisyllabic words and less frequent spellings, are introduced only after students have demonstrated proficiency with earlier skills. Overall, the sequence reflects a coherent progression that supports the development of accurate, automatic, and flexible 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+ Grade 2 Scope and Sequence presents a coherent phonics progression that builds systematically from three-consonant blends to advanced vowel teams, r-controlled patterns, syllable types, inflectional endings, orthographic rules, silent-letter patterns, and homophones. Each concept pairs phonics instruction with Spell and Read routines and a decodable reader to support application of newly taught skills in connected text. The complete sequence includes:

    • Concept 58: Three-consonant blends and blends with digraphs: scr-, shr-, spl-, spr-, squ-, str-, thr- (scream, shrimp, splash, spring, squid, street, thread); Spell & Read away, after; Decodable Reader 51

    • Concept 59: Schwa in unaccented syllables (bacon); Spell & Read few, many; Decodable Reader 52

    • Concept 60: Fifth syllable type, r-controlled: er /ər/ (fern); Spell & Read call, room, ball; Decodable Reader 53

    • Concept 61: R-controlled: ir /ər/ (bird); Spell & Read water, watch; Decodable Reader 54

    • Concept 62: R-controlled: ur /ər/ (fur); Spell & Read far, goes; Decodable Reader 55

    • Concept 63: Vowel teams (diphthongs): oi, oy /oi/ (oil, boy) and syllable pattern V/V (po/em, employ/ee); Spell & Read because, very; Decodable Reader 56

    • Concept 64: Vowel teams (diphthongs): ou, ow /ou/ (out, brown); Spell & Read door, car; Decodable Reader 57

    • Pause to assess and review 2.1

    • Concept 65: Vowel team igh (light); Spell & Read great, though; Decodable Reader 58

    • Concept 66: Three Great Rules – Doubling Rule (zapped); Spell & Read don’t, little; Decodable Reader 59

    • Concept 67: Three Great Rules – Drop Rule (liked); Spell & Read through; Decodable Reader 60

    • Concept 68: Three Great Rules – Change Rule (cried); Spell & Read always, hour; Decodable Reader 61

    • Concept 69: Sixth syllable type: consonant-le (saddle); Spell & Read sure, buy; Decodable Reader 62

    • Level 2 Midterm Assessment

    • Concept 70: “Kind Old Words” (kind, old, wild, colt, post); Decodable Reader 63

    • Concept 71: R-controlled: ar /ar/ (farm); Spell & Read only; Decodable Reader 64

    • Concept 72: R-controlled: or /or/ (torn); Spell & Read these, those, took; Decodable Reader 65

    • Concept 73: Vowel teams: au, aw /aw/ (August, fawn); Spell & Read work, word, world; Decodable Reader 66

    • Concept 74: Contractions with have, would, will (they’ve, she’d, we’ll); Spell & Read touch; Decodable Reader 67

    • Concept 75: Other uses for silent e (house, love, face, huge, nose); Decodable Reader 68

    • Concept 76: y as a vowel /ĭ/ (gym); Spell & Read hall; Decodable Reader 69

    • Pause to assess and review 2.2

    • Concept 77: /f/ spelled ph and -gh (phone, cough); Spell & Read enough, laugh, read; Decodable Reader 70

    • Concept 78: ch representing /k/ and /sh/ (echo, chef); Spell & Read often; Decodable Reader 71

    • Concept 79: Vowel teams /ōō/ spelled oo and ew (scoop, stew); Spell & Read heard, thought; Decodable Reader 72

    • Concept 80: /ŏŏ/ spelled oo and u (took, put); Spell & Read together; Decodable Reader 73

    • Concept 81: Other r-controlled combinations:

      • /air/ spelled ar, ear, er (bear)

      • /ar/ spelled ear (heart)

      • /er/ spelled or, ar, ear, our (earth)

      • /or/ spelled are, our (reward) Spell & Read different; Decodable Reader 74

    • Concept 82: Silent letters (ghost, gnat, knife, lamb, scent, write, castle); Spell & Read move; Decodable Reader 75

    • Concept 83: Homophones (to, two, too; there, their, they’re); Decodable Reader 76

    • Level 2 Final Assessment

    Across Concepts 58–83, Grade 2 instruction progresses from advanced blends and r-controlled vowels to multisyllabic decoding patterns, orthographic rules, vowel team generalizations, and morphological features such as suffixes and contractions. Each concept includes a decodable reader aligned to the featured phonics skill, providing consistent opportunities for students to practice decoding in connected text.

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

  • The OG+ sequence is grounded in high-utility phonics patterns and widely taught phonics generalizations. 

    • Instruction begins with three-consonant blends and blends with digraphs, which occur frequently in grade-level text. Students learn common vowel patterns, including schwa, the full set of r-controlled vowels (er, ir, ur, ar, or), and high-frequency vowel teams and diphthongs such as oi/oy, ou/ow, au/aw, oo/ew, and igh. The sequence also introduces the Three Great Rules (doubling, drop, change), consonant-le, V/V syllable division, and patterns for y as a vowel. Later concepts include additional high-utility spelling and decoding generalizations, such as /f/ spelled ph and -gh, alternative pronunciations of ch (/k/ and /sh/), and common silent-letter combinations. Instruction concludes with r-controlled combinations across varied spellings and frequently confused homophones. Each concept introduces a pattern that appears regularly in English words, and the aligned decodable readers provide consistent opportunities to apply these high-utility generalizations in connected text.

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 each concept before moving on. Lessons allocate sufficient time for students to practice newly taught skills through structured decoding and encoding routines designed to build accuracy and automaticity. Phonics instruction includes embedded opportunities for distributed, cumulative, and interleaved review, ensuring previously taught skills are revisited regularly alongside new learning. Teacher guidance supports flexible pacing and additional practice based on student needs, reinforcing mastery of grade-level phonics skills across the year.

• 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 58, Day 1, Phonics: Teaching a New Concept, students engage in repeated phonics practice applying newly introduced three-consonant blends and blends with digraphs at the beginning of words and syllables. During new sound dictation, students spell each blend on individual whiteboards, including scr, shr, spl, spr, squ, str, and thr. Students write the corresponding graphemes while stating the sounds and underline the letter groups from left to right to show correct placement. Students display their responses for feedback. Following sound dictation, students continue practicing the new phonics patterns through additional encoding and decoding tasks within the lesson. Students record the newly taught blends on the phoneme–grapheme chart and add the blend cards to the review deck for ongoing practice.

  • In Concept 73, Day 1, Phonics: Teaching a New Concept, students apply the newly introduced vowel team /aw/ through structured phonics practice. During new sound dictation, students spell the sound /aw/ on individual whiteboards by writing both spellings, au and aw, while stating “au spells /aw/” and “aw spells /aw/.” Students underline the letter teams from left to right to show correct placement and display their responses for feedback. Students then record the new vowel teams on the phoneme–grapheme chart and add the cards to the review deck, supporting continued practice beyond the initial lesson.

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

  • In Concept 59, Day 2, the materials provide teacher-directed opportunities for cumulative phonics review following the introduction of schwa. 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 instruction, centers, or small-group instruction on Days 2–5 are made based on student needs. Students continue practicing the schwa pattern through ongoing word and sentence dictation and repeated decodable reader practice. The materials also encourage the teacher to incorporate schwa, previously taught vocabulary, and red words into writing activities when appropriate. 

  • In Concept 78, Day 3, the materials provide cumulative phonics review through the Three-Part Drill. According to the OG+ Fidelity Companion, this routine is implemented daily or a minimum of two to three times per week. By this point in the sequence, the ch card has been added to the review deck, and students review all previously taught pronunciations of ch during the visual drill, including /ch/, /k/, and /sh/, reflecting cumulative instruction across earlier concepts.

    • During the Three-Part Drill, students practice previously taught phonics skills in multiple formats. In the visual drill, students state the sound or sounds represented by letters and letter combinations presented in random order. In the auditory/kinesthetic drill, students spell dictated, previously taught sounds on whiteboards, including multiple spellings for the same phoneme, such as c, k, ck, and ch for /k/ and sh and ch for /sh/. In the blending portion, students combine known consonants and vowels to read single-syllable words. The materials direct the teacher to select review items strategically from the review deck and phoneme–grapheme chart, ensuring that instruction interleaves newly taught phonics patterns with previously learned skills.

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 instructional routines. Lessons clearly direct the teacher to model how new phonics patterns function within words before students apply the skills independently. Instruction includes explicit modeling of blending, segmenting, spelling, and word analysis to support accurate decoding and encoding of increasingly complex patterns. Teacher modeling is reinforced through structured dictation, cumulative review routines, and guided application across multiple days. Materials also include clear, routine-specific guidance for corrective feedback to address errors and reinforce accurate phonics application. Across the year, teacher modeling remains intentional and repeated, supporting students’ development of 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 59, Day 1, Phonics: Teaching a New Concept, the materials introduce the concept of schwa as in bacon. The teacher explains that “Schwa is kind of sneaky because it makes the /ŭ/ or /ĭ/ sound, but it can be spelled with any of the vowel letters.” The teacher provides an example with the word banana, explaining that the first and last a in the word are “sneaky schwas.” 

  • In Concept 76 ,Day 1, Phonics: Teaching a New Concept, the materials introduce the concept of y as  vowel /ĭ/ as in gym. The teacher reminds students of all of the ways y can express itself in words like yellow, by, and baby. The teacher explains that y says /ĭ/ when it is a part of a closed syllable as in gym or Olympic. The teacher provides an example of the concept on the Phoneme/Grapheme card for the lesson where the students and teacher state together: “y spells /ĭ/, y spells /ē/, and y spells /ĭ/.”

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

  • In Concept 59, Day 2, Phonics: Spelling routine, the teacher models segmenting with the concept of schwa. 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 complain. The teacher would say “The word is complain” and then use that word in a sentence. The teacher would pound the word complain and fingertap /k//ə//m//p//l/ /ā//n/ before directing the students to pound and fingertap complain. This can repeat for up to five words and two sentences. 

  • In Concept 76, Day 3, Cumulative Review: Three-Part Drill routine, the teacher models blending with y as part of a closed syllable using Phoneme/Grapheme Cards. First, the teacher separates the cards into three piles. In this case, y should be in the middle vowel position. 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 59, Day 3, Phonics: Spelling routine, the teacher and students dictate words and sentences with the concept of schwa. 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 China. The teacher says, “The word is China” and then uses that word in a sentence. The teacher pounds the word China and fingertap /ch/ /ī/ /n/ /ə/ before directing the students to pound and fingertap China. 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 76, 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 cylinder, synonym, mystery, ecosystem, syllable, and encrypted.  

• 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 advanced version of the Phonics: Teaching a New Concept routine, the materials provide teacher guidance if a student makes an error with new sound dictation. 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 all of the ways a particular sound can be expressed (e.g. the sound /k/ can be expressed as c, k, or ck). The teacher and students review the correct ways to express the sound and then the teacher repeats the phoneme to solidify understanding. 

    • For the Syllable Division/Word Analysis routine, the materials provide teacher guidance if a student misreads a vowel sound due to schwa.  The teacher should also follow the PIMS structure for delivering corrective feedback. In this case, the teacher should demonstrate that the schwa syllable is unaccented and further provide context for the word, such as providing a student-friendly definition. Although the guidance in the Fidelity Companion provides only one example of a student misreading bacon, the same feedback structure should be applied during any misreading of a vowel due to schwa.

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 vowel teams and diphthongs, 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 and spellings. 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 64, Day 1, Phonics: Teaching a New Concept, students engage in multiple opportunities to decode words containing the newly taught vowel team diphthong /ou/ spelled ou and ow. After explicit introduction of the vowel team spellings and guided articulation of /ou/, students chorally repeat the sound–spelling relationships, stating “ou spells /ou/” and “ow spells /ou/.” Using a vowel team placement chart, students analyze where each spelling appears within words and apply this knowledge during word study and discussion. Students brainstorm and read words containing the new vowel teams, generating examples such as out, loud, cloud, owl, and brown, with the teacher recording responses on a chart. During an interactive read-aloud of All About Owls by Tessa Barber, students listen for and orally identify additional words that include the newly taught vowel team, such as owl and owls, responding in complete sentences and reinforcing recognition of the pattern in connected text. 

  • In Concept 79, Day 1, Phonics: Teaching a New Concept, students engage in multiple opportunities to decode words containing the vowel team /ōō/ spelled oo and ew. After explicit introduction of concept cards #65 and #66, students chorally repeat the sound–spelling relationships, stating “oo spells /ōō/” and “ew spells /ōō/.” Students then brainstorm and read words containing the newly taught vowel teams, generating examples such as moon, soon, food, flew, and crew, with the teacher recording responses on a chart. During an interactive read-aloud of The Moon Landing by Tessa Barber, students listen for and orally identify additional words that include the target vowel team, such as moon and crew, responding in complete sentences and reinforcing recognition of the spelling patterns in connected text. The teacher briefly discusses the identified words, focusing on the vowel team and its position within each word. 

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

  • In Concept 64, Day 1, New Sound Dictation, the teacher dictates the sound /ou/, and students spell the sound on whiteboards using both ou and ow. Students write the corresponding letters and underline them from left to right to reinforce correct letter placement. During Phonics Spelling, students encode words that include the newly taught vowel team spellings, such as cloud, shout, growl, cowboy, and outfit. Students also write dictated sentences containing the target pattern and reread both words and sentences after dictation is completed.

  • In Concept 79, Day 1, New Sound Dictation, students encode the newly taught vowel sound /ōō/ using multiple taught spellings. The teacher dictates the sound and states, “You know four ways to spell this. Spell /ōō/.” Students repeat the sound and identify the spellings u, u–Magic e, oo, and ew. Students write the corresponding letters on whiteboards and underline them from left to right to reinforce correct letter formation and placement. Students hold up their whiteboards for the teacher to monitor accuracy. During phonics spelling, students encode words that include the newly taught vowel teams oo and ew. Dictated words include scoop, blew, spoon, noodle, and outgrew. Students also write dictated sentences containing the target sound–spelling patterns, such as Did you get the red balloon at school? and The cartoon with the pink poodle was so funny! The materials direct students to check their sentences using CUPS conventions and to read all words and sentences aloud after dictation is completed, reinforcing accurate encoding and connection to decoding.

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

  • In Concept 64, Day 4, students continue to engage in student-guided phoneme blending and manipulation practice using IMSE's OG+’s word chaining routine. The materials direct the teacher to use the provided word lists and to refer to pages 4–5 of the OG Plus Fidelity Companion as needed. This routine extends practice with the vowel team diphthong /ou/ spelled ou and ow and provides additional opportunities for repeated application. Students manipulate words through multiple word chains that require changing one phoneme at a time while maintaining accurate blending. Word chains using ou spellings include ground → round → sound → hound → found → pound → mound → mount → count. Word chains using ow spellings include wow → vow → how → now → cow → bow → brow → brown → crown → crowd. Additional chains incorporate both spellings, including howl → owl → ow → bow → bout → gout → grout → grouch → crouch → couch. As students move through the chains, they identify which phoneme changes, remove and replace the corresponding letter tiles, and blend the new word aloud. Some transitions require students to represent the same sound using a different spelling, prompting them to remove and replace multiple letter tiles. Throughout the routine, students pull one tile at a time while stating each sound and slide their fingers from left to right to blend and read each word.

  • In Concept 79, Day 3, Word Chaining (Phoneme Manipulation), students engage in student-guided and independent phoneme blending and manipulation practice through the word chaining routine, following the procedures outlined on pages 4–5 of the OG Plus Fidelity Companion. This routine may be carried over or repeated on Day 4, providing additional opportunities for practice. Students manipulate words containing the vowel sound /oo/ spelled oo and ew through multiple word chains. For oo spellings, students progress through word sequences such as spoon → soon → noon → loon → moon → mood → food. For ew spellings, students manipulate words including flew → blew → brew → crew → grew → drew → dew → new → chew. Additional chains incorporate both spellings, including boom → broom → room → groom → grew → drew → crew → screw. As students move through the chains, they identify the phoneme that changes, remove and replace the corresponding letter tiles, and blend the new word aloud. During the routine, the teacher states each word or syllable and uses it in a sentence to support meaning. Students repeat the word, pound their fist to represent the whole word, pull one tile at a time while stating each phoneme, and slide their fingers from left to right to blend and read the word. When words require changes to vowel teams, students remove and replace multiple tiles to represent the new spelling, reinforcing attention to sound–spelling patterns.

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

  • In Concept 64, Days 1-3, Decodable Readers, the materials provide repeated word-level decoding practice using a concept-aligned decodable reader. Students engage with Decodable Reader #57, Dinner at the South Town Diner by Susan Lewis, following the procedures outlined in the OG Plus Fidelity Companion. Students identify and read words containing the newly taught vowel team diphthong /ou/ spelled ou and ow prior to reading the text. Target words for decoding practice include out, south, town, cloud, shout, cowboy, and gown. Students underline or highlight words containing the new vowel team and read them aloud. Students also identify and read previously taught red words from the text. Students then read the words and phrases in the Get Ready to Read section of the decodable reader before reading the full text. Students read or reread the decodable text aloud, individually or chorally, while the teacher monitors accuracy and provides immediate corrective feedback for any word not read accurately. Students reread the text and review vocabulary from the decodable reader, including diner, discount, flounder, tender, trout, and waitress. Students respond to comprehension questions and complete the writing prompt at the end of the text. These procedures provide repeated exposure to words containing the vowel team diphthong /ou/ spelled ou and ow in isolation, phrases, and connected text, supporting the development of accurate and increasingly automatic word reading.

  • In Concept 79, On Days 1-3, Decodable Readers,  the teacher introduces the decodable reader and discusses words from the text that contain the newly taught vowel teams. Students chorally read a rapid word chart composed of words from the decodable reader. Students then examine the first pages of the text and underline or highlight words containing the new vowel team in green and read those words aloud. Students also identify previously taught red words, underline or highlight them in red, and read those words aloud. If time allows, students begin reading the first few pages of the decodable reader. On Day 2, students read the words and phrases in the Get Ready to Read section of the decodable reader, including chewing, raccoon, moon, balloons, threw, room, soon, stewing, along with previously taught red words such as heard, thought, don’t, enough, word, who, look, and other. The teacher introduces any read-only red words and reviews the vocabulary words listed at the front of the book, discussing the meaning of each word. Students then read or reread the decodable reader aloud while the teacher monitors accuracy and provides immediate corrective feedback for any word not read accurately. The teacher and students pause for discussion throughout the text. On Day 3, the teacher and students review vocabulary words from the decodable reader, and students reread the text aloud. Across the three days, students repeatedly decode words containing the vowel sound /ōō/ spelled oo and ew in isolation, phrases, and 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 progresses to more complex spelling generalizations, including vowel team patterns and rules for adding suffixes. Materials provide explicit explanations of spelling rules and note when patterns function as generalizations with exceptions. Students have regular opportunities to practice spelling rules and generalizations through structured routines that require application during phoneme manipulation and encoding tasks, supporting accurate spelling and increasing automaticity over time.

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

  • In Concept 63, Day 1, Phonics: Teaching a New Concept, the materials introduce the diphthong /oi/ spelled oi and oy. During instruction, students learn the generalization that oi typically appears at the beginning or middle of a word or syllable, while oy typically appears at the end, with teacher clarification that this is a generalization and that some words, such as oyster, do not follow the pattern. Students then apply the spelling generalization through structured encoding practice during new sound dictation. The teacher directs students to spell /oi/ and reminds them that there are two spellings: oi and oy. Students write each spelling on whiteboards, state “oi spells /oi/” and “oy spells /oi/,” underline the graphemes from left to right, and hold up their boards for feedback. Through repeated oral rehearsal and written application of both spellings, students practice distinguishing and producing the correct grapheme for /oi/. 

  • In Concept 66, Day 1, Phonics: Teaching a New Concept, the materials introduce the Doubling Rule. Students learn that when a one-syllable base word contains one short vowel immediately followed by one final consonant, that consonant must be doubled before adding a suffix that begins with a vowel. The rule is reinforced visually through The Three Great Rules Poster available in the digital OG+ Originals, and students review single-syllable words that conform to the pattern. On Day 2, students apply the Doubling Rule through structured spelling and word-sum dictation with suffixes. During first word dictation, students spell the word shopped. The teacher guides students to identify the base word shop, segment the sounds /sh/ /ŏ/ /p/ using finger tapping, and write the base word. Students then analyze the suffix by verbalizing, “I hear /t/, but I write the suffix -ed,” and add + ed to form the word sum. Students determine that the suffix begins with a vowel and confirm that shop is a one-syllable word with one short vowel followed by one consonant, requiring the final consonant to be doubled. Students write sh o p + p + ed and then rewrite the full word shopped. This structured word-sum routine requires students to segment, analyze, and encode words with suffixes while explicitly applying the Doubling Rule. Repetition of this process with additional words reinforces the spelling generalization in alignment with the phonics scope and sequence and supports movement toward automaticity.

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

  • In Concept 67, Day 1, Phonics: Teaching a New Concept, the materials introduce the Drop Rule. The Drop Rule states that the final silent e in a base word should be dropped before adding a suffix that begins with a vowel. After introducing the concept and working through examples with students, the materials introduce “The Silent E” poem that explains, through a narrative, the process of dropping the final silent e before adding a suffix. The first stanza of the poem states: “There once was a suffix that started with a vowel/ When he met silent ‘e,’ he threw him a foul!/ Silent ‘e’ got dropped/ and a new word popped/ Then silent ‘e’ went away with a growl!” 

  • In Concept 68, Day 1, Phonics: Teaching a New Concept, the materials introduce the Change Rule. The Change Rules states that when there is a base word that has a y as the end with a consonant before the y, the final y should be changed to an i before adding a suffix. If the final y has a vowel before it, the final y should stay as it is when adding a suffix. After leading students through examples that conform to the Change Rule, the teacher explains that there are some exceptions to the Change Rule using the word trying as an example. The teacher explains that “[t]he letters ‘y’ and ‘i’ like to stay together. So when you see a base word that ends in ‘y’ and a suffix that starts with ‘i’, even when there is a  consonant before the ‘y’ in the base word, you’re going to leave the ‘y’ the same because ‘y’ and ‘i’ like to stay together.”

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

  • In Concept 66, Day 3, Word Chaining (Phoneme Manipulation), students practice the Doubling Rule by manipulating phonemes in words and using letter tiles to spell the words. The activity begins with the teacher saying the word shopped, using it in a sentence, and asking the students for the base word. The students state that shop is the base word and break the word into phonemes /sh// ŏ/ /p/ while placing the corresponding letter tiles in the appropriate order. The teacher asks the students what is needed to have the base word in the past tense. The students respond with the suffix -ed and add the -ed letter tile. The teacher then states that the word shop conforms to the Doubling Rule and asks the students, “What should we do to the last consonant in the base word?” The students respond by doubling it and adding the appropriate letter tile to their created word. 

  • In Concept 67, Day 3, Word Chaining (Phoneme Manipulation), students practice the Drop Rule by manipulating phonemes in words and using letter tiles to spell the words. The activity begins with the teacher saying the word raking, using it in a sentence, and asking the students for the base word. The students state that rake is the base word and break the word into phonemes /r/ /ā/ /k/ and place the corresponding letter tiles in the appropriate order. The teacher asks the students what is needed to indicate that the action is happening right now. The students respond with the suffix -ing and add the -ing letter tile. The teacher then states that the word rake conforms to the Drop Rule and asks the students, “What should we do to the final silent ‘e’ in the base word?” The students respond by dropping it and removing the appropriate letter tile from their created word.  

The decodable texts and instructional routines in IMSE 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 multisyllabic word reading and more complex spelling patterns. 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 60, Days 1–4, Phonics: New Concept Bossy R: er /er/ (ladder) 5th Syllable Type, students engage with Decodable Reader #53 (Fiction), Fernando and the Broken Finger by Susan Lewis, a decodable text aligned to the phonics focus of the concept. The decodable text reflects grade-level phonics patterns aligned to the Grade 2 scope and sequence and is designed to limit untaught phonics elements while supporting students’ application of decoding skills in connected text. On Day 4, students are introduced to a second decodable text aligned to the same phonics focus, Decodable Reader #53 (Nonfiction), All About Rivers by Tessa Barber. The Get Ready to Read section includes words such as river, wide, transfer, perch, room, ball, been, and down, which reflect phonics patterns taught prior to and within the concept. Across both texts, the decodable readers reflect grade-level phonics patterns that correspond to instruction within the program’s scope and sequence.

  • In Concept 82, Days 1–4, Phonics: New Concept Silent Letters (ghost, knife, lamb, scent, write, castle), students engage with Decodable Reader #75 (Fiction), Amy and Jan Go to a Castle (no author listed), a decodable text aligned to the phonics focus of the concept. The decodable text reflects grade-level phonics patterns aligned to the Grade 2 scope and sequence and is designed to limit untaught phonics elements while supporting students’ application of decoding skills in connected text. Vocabulary introduced in the text includes Afghan, corridor, decrepit, exist, ghastly, and image, reflecting more complex word structures appropriate to Grade 2 instruction. On Day 4, students are introduced to a second decodable text aligned to the same phonics focus, Decodable Reader #75 (Nonfiction), Science Tests at Home by Tessa Barber. The Get Ready to Read section includes words such as science, write, wrong, record, conduct, object, move, different, water, because, watch, through, know, and great. Across both texts, the decodable readers reflect grade-level phonics patterns that correspond to instruction within the program’s scope and sequence and increase in complexity while maintaining phonics control.

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

  • In Concept 60, Days 1–5, Phonics: New Concept Bossy R: er /er/ (ladder) 5th Syllable Type, 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 60, Days 1–3, students work with Fernando and the Broken Finger by Susan Lewis. 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 All About Rivers 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. 

  • In Concept 82, Days 1–5, Phonics: New Concept Silent Letters (ghost, knife, lamb, scent, write, castle), 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 82, Days 1–3, students work with Amy and Jan Go to a Castle (no author listed). 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 Science Tests at Home 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. 

• 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 60, Days 1–5, Phonics: New Concept Bossy R: er /er/ (ladder) 5th Syllable Type,  reading practice occurs in decodable texts aligned to the phonics patterns taught in the lesson. Students read Decodable Reader #53 (Fiction), Fernando and the Broken Finger by Susan Lewis, and Decodable Reader #53 (Nonfiction), All About Rivers 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 using sound–spelling relationships rather than rely on memorization or context cues. 

  • In Concept 82, Days 1–5, Phonics: New Concept Silent Letters (ghost, knife, lamb, scent, write, castle), reading practice occurs in decodable texts aligned to the phonics patterns taught in the lesson. Students read Decodable Reader #75 (Fiction), Amy and Jan Go to a Castle (no author listed) and Decodable Reader #75 (Nonfiction), Science Tests at Home 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 using sound–spelling relationships rather than rely on memorization or context cues. 

    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 and structured Pause to Assess and Review checkpoints administered across the year. Assessments measure decoding and spelling aligned to the phonics scope and sequence 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 instructional guidance for responding to results that support 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 #1-57)

      • Midterm (Concepts #1-70)

      • Final (Concepts #1-83)

    • Pause to Assess and Review

      • 2.1 (Concepts #1-64)

      • 2.2 (Concepts #1-76)

    • The Foundational Skills Final Assessment: Read Words and Sentences, students read real words and nonsense words as a way to measure mastery of phonics patterns taught through Concept 83. The test is administered to students individually. The teacher points to a word and asks the student to read the word. The teacher notes when words are not real words. 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: colt, fawn, cork

      • Nonsense Words: grenny, wogging, soddle 

    • The Pause to Assess 2.2 Pre-Assessment: Spell Words and Sentences, students spell real words as a way to measure mastery of phonics patterns taught through Concept 76. This test is administered to students as a whole class. The teacher says a word, uses it in a sentence, and asks the students to spell the word. The teacher marks each word the student spells correctly on their Teacher Administration Sheet. Mastery is defined as achieving 80% or higher on the test. Example words and sentences include:

      • Words: brighten, rawhide, expose

• 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.

• 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 10, for Pause to Assess and Review 2.1, or Week 24, for Pause to Assess and Review 2.2), 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. 

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 ongoing phonics and word analysis instruction and includes spiraling review across lessons through varied routines and dictation tasks. Across Grade 2, students receive explicit Spell & Read instruction in 42 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 58, 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 the new red words away and after, and the same structured steps are applied to each word to support analysis of regular and irregular spellings. For away, the materials direct the teacher to begin by stating the word and using it in an oral sentence to establish meaning. Students then analyze the word by sound, using tiles to determine that away contains three sounds, /ə/ /w/ /ā/. The materials explain that the initial a represents a schwa sound because it occurs in an unaccented syllable. The routine guides the teacher to discuss that away is temporarily irregular because students have not yet learned the sound–spelling correspondences needed to spell the word conventionally. The word’s origin from Old and Middle English is provided as background information. The word is then presented in a sentence, “My friend went away on vacation,” to reinforce meaning and usage in context. For after, the materials follow the same routine. Students use tiles to identify four sounds, /ă/ /f/ /t/ /er/. The materials note that after comes from Old English and is temporarily irregular based on students’ current phonics knowledge. The teacher is directed to reinforce the word’s meaning and function using an oral sentence, “We eat dessert after dinner.” As with away, students engage in phoneme-level analysis before print is emphasized, reinforcing consistent instructional expectations. Across both words, the materials apply the same explicit Red Word routine: introducing the word, analyzing sounds with tiles, identifying regular and irregular spellings based on current instruction, and reinforcing meaning through sentence-level context.

  • In Concept 79, 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 the new red words heard and thought, and applies the same structured analysis steps to each word. For heard, the materials direct the teacher to begin by stating the word and using it in an oral sentence to establish meaning. Students then use tiles to analyze the word by sound, determining that heard contains three sounds, /h/ /er/ /d/. The materials explain that heard comes from Old English and is considered temporarily irregular because students have not yet learned the sound–spelling correspondences needed to spell the word accurately. The teacher is guided to reinforce the meaning of the word as the past tense of hear using a sentence such as, “I heard the birds singing yesterday.” For thought, the materials follow the same instructional routine. Students use tiles to identify three sounds, /th/ /aw/ /t/. The materials explain that thought comes from Old and Middle English and note its irregular spelling relative to students’ current phonics knowledge. The teacher reinforces the word’s meaning and grammatical function as the past tense of think by using it in an oral sentence, such as, “I thought about where to go on vacation.” Across both words, the materials consistently guide students through phoneme-level analysis using tiles, explicit identification of temporarily irregular spellings, and reinforcement of meaning through sentence-level context. 

    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 68, Day 2, Irregular Words: Red Words, the materials include explicit teacher modeling of the spelling and reading of high-frequency words that connects phonemes to graphemes through the consistent Red Word instructional routine. The lesson introduces the new red words always and hour, and the teacher models each step of phoneme–grapheme analysis before students practice independently. For always, the materials direct the teacher to first state the word and use it in an oral sentence to establish meaning. The teacher then models phoneme-level analysis by guiding students to use tiles to determine that always contains five sounds, /aw/ /l/ /w/ /ā/ /z/. As students segment the word, the teacher models how each sound is represented in print, explicitly connecting sounds to letters while discussing which spellings are expected and which are unexpected based on students’ current phonics knowledge. The materials explain that always comes from an Old English phrase meaning “all the time,” and note that the letter a can represent the /aw/ sound in some words. The teacher models writing the word while stating each letter name aloud, reinforcing the mapping between phonemes and graphemes. Students then observe and replicate the modeled process during guided writing. For hour, the materials follow the same teacher-modeled routine. The teacher introduces the word orally, uses it in a sentence to clarify meaning, and then models sound analysis using tiles. The teacher explains that hour may be pronounced differently depending on dialect, either as /ou/ /r/ or /ou/ /er/. When represented as two sounds, /ou/ /er/, the teacher models how these sounds are spelled with the graphemes ou and r, explicitly naming the letters as the word is written. The teacher reinforces the connection between pronunciation and spelling while noting that the word is temporarily irregular based on students’ current phonics knowledge. The teacher models reading the completed word aloud and restating it after writing. Across both words, the materials consistently position the teacher as the model for analyzing sounds, mapping phonemes to graphemes, writing the word while naming letters aloud, and rereading the word.

  • In Concept 64, Day 2, Irregular Words: Red Words, the materials include explicit teacher modeling of the spelling and reading of high-frequency words that connect phonemes to graphemes through the consistent Red Word instructional routine. The lesson introduces the new red words door and car, and the teacher models sound analysis, spelling, and reading prior to student practice. For door, the materials direct the teacher to begin by stating the word and using it in an oral sentence to establish meaning. The teacher then models phoneme-level analysis by guiding students to use tiles to determine that door contains two sounds, /d/ /or/. As students segment the word orally, the teacher models how each sound is represented in print, explicitly connecting the phoneme /or/ to the grapheme or. The materials explain that door comes from two Old English words that merged in Middle English and both referred to a door or gate. The teacher models writing the word while stating each letter name aloud, reinforcing the phoneme–grapheme connections, and then models rereading the word after writing. For car, the materials follow the same teacher-modeled routine. The teacher introduces the word orally, uses it in a sentence to clarify meaning, and then models segmenting the word using tiles to identify two sounds, /k/ /ar/. The materials explain that car originated in Latin, passed through Old French, and entered English, and note that the word is temporarily irregular because students have not yet learned the sound–spelling correspondences necessary to spell it independently. The teacher models connecting the sounds to their spellings while writing the word, explicitly naming each letter as it is written. The teacher then models reading the completed word aloud and restating it. Across both words, the materials consistently position the teacher as the model for analyzing phonemes, mapping sounds to graphemes, writing the word while naming letters aloud, and rereading the word. 

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

  • According to the Grade 2 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 ongoing phonics and word analysis instruction. Across Concepts 58–82, students receive instruction in the following high-frequency words:

    • Concept 58: away, after

    • Concept 59: few, many

    • Concept 60: call, room, ball

    • Concept 61: water, watch

    • Concept 62: far, goes

    • Concept 63: because, very

    • Concept 64: door, car

    • Concept 65: great, though

    • Concept 66: don’t, little

    • Concept 67: through

    • Concept 68: always, hour

    • Concept 69: sure, buy

    • Concept 71: only

    • Concept 72: these, those, took

    • Concept 73: work, word, world

    • Concept 74: touch

    • Concept 76: hall

    • Concept 77: enough, laugh, read

    • Concept 78: often

    • Concept 79: heard, thought

    • Concept 80: together

    • Concept 81: different

    • Concept 82: move

  • In addition to these Spell & Read words, the materials include Read Only words introduced alongside instruction, such as swollen, pizza, house, and others, which support reading comprehension and vocabulary development without requiring full spelling mastery. Across the Grade 1 year, students are explicitly taught 42 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 61, 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 water and watch. 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 water, students would segment the word to /w/ /aw/ /t/ /er/. 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 80, 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 new Red Word for this lesson is together. 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 together, students would segment the word to /t/ /ə/ /g/ /ě/ /th/ /er/. 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 61, Day 3, Reading, students use Decodable Reader #54 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 #54: The Perfect Birthday Gift, students encounter the following, as examples:

    • Red Words: water, watch, was

    • Sentences: There was a good spot for a birdbath.; I filled it with water. 

  • In Concept 80, Day 3, Reading, students use Decodable Reader #73 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 #73: A Good School Teacher, students encounter the following, as examples:

    • Red Words: walk, their, people

    • Sentence: They also cooked her lunch and served it to her on a tray so she didn’t have to walk to the table.

• 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 61, 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 C. 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:

    • I had such thirst from the hike up the hill that I needed water.

    • Will you help me stir the beans?

  • In Concept 80, 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 C. 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:

    • We chopped wood together and put it next to the shed.

    • I love to cook for the people in my life.

The instructional opportunities for syllabication and morpheme analysis in IMSE's OG+ meet the expectations for Indicator 1q. Materials provide explicit instruction in additional syllable types with clear explanations of how these structures affect vowel pronunciation and function within words. Students apply structured syllable division routines to decode and encode multisyllabic words. Materials also include explicit instruction in morpheme analysis through the teaching of prefixes, suffixes, and Greek bases, with guidance for connecting meaningful word parts to overall word meaning. Across the year, students engage in multiple and varied opportunities to practice and apply syllable division and morpheme analysis strategies through guided instruction, word building, and integrated word analysis routines. These opportunities support students in decoding and understanding increasingly complex multisyllabic 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.

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

  • In Concept 60, Day 1, Phonics: Teaching a New Concept, the teacher introduces the new phonics concept using the corresponding Phoneme/Grapheme Card and explains how r-controlled vowels function within a syllable. The materials clarify that when the letter r follows a vowel, it changes the vowel sound, creating an r-controlled syllable. The teacher models that er spells /er/ and explains that the vowel does not produce its short or long sound because the r alters it. The materials direct the teacher to treat er as a single sound during decoding and encoding, emphasizing that it receives one tap during word dictation and should not be separated. This guidance supports students in identifying er as a distinct syllable type rather than applying open or closed syllable rules. The lesson situates er within the broader category of r-controlled vowels by introducing visual supports that preview additional spellings of /er/ while focusing instruction on the most common spelling first. Students engage in guided brainstorming to generate words containing the new syllable type, reinforcing accurate recognition and application of r-controlled syllables.

  • In Concept 69, Day 1, Phonics: Teaching a New Concept, the teacher introduces the concept by explaining that when a consonant is followed by the letters l and e at the end of a word, the letters work together to form a consonant-le syllable. The teacher explains that the consonant combined with the /l/ sound creates a schwa sound, forming its own syllable, and emphasizes that consonant-le syllables always occur at the end of words. The teacher then presents a set of nine consonant-le concept cards and models the pronunciation of each spelling pattern, directing students to repeat each sound. The materials explicitly introduce the following consonant-le spellings and pronunciations: ble spells /bəl/, cle spells /kəl/, dle spells /dəl/, fle spells /fəl/, gle spells /gəl/, kle spells /kəl/, ple spells /pəl/, tle spells /təl/, and zle spells /zəl/. The teacher reinforces that the vowel sound in each pattern is a schwa and that these spellings represent a single syllable rather than a blend. Following explicit modeling, the materials direct the teacher to support students in brainstorming and reading words that contain the newly taught consonant-le patterns, providing opportunities to apply the syllable type in decoding. A keyword visual is also used to help students remember the consonant-le pattern, and the teacher notes that consonant-le endings do not function the same way as beginning l blends.

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

  • In Concept 81, Day 4, Syllable Division/Word Analysis, after students apply syllable division procedures to multisyllabic words with r-controlled vowel combinations, the lesson incorporates targeted morpheme moments that focus on prefixes and suffixes as meaning-bearing units. For example, the word worthless is analyzed as worth + -less. The materials explicitly explain that the suffix -less means without and signals an adjective, and students are guided to connect the meaning of the suffix to the meaning of the whole word. Similarly, the word reword is analyzed as re- + word, with explicit instruction that the prefix re- means again or back. Students are prompted to connect the prefix meaning to the definition of the word and to generate additional examples that share the same morpheme.

  • In Concept 77, Day 3, Syllable Division/Word Analysis, as part of syllable division practice, students work with multisyllabic words that include Greek-derived elements, such as elephant, phoneme, photograph, telephone, pamphlet, and autograph, following the syllable division procedures outlined in the OG+ Fidelity Companion. The lesson incorporates a structured morpheme moment that explicitly teaches Greek bases and their meanings. The materials explain that many words with ph originate from Greek and are often formed from two Greek bases combined together. Students are introduced to specific Greek bases embedded in the lesson words, including phon meaning sound, tel meaning distant or far, auto meaning self, graph meaning write or draw, and photo meaning light. The materials  model how these bases contribute to word meaning. For example, telephone is analyzed as tel + phone, meaning distant sound, which is directly connected to its definition as a device used to transmit sound over distance. Similarly, autograph is analyzed as auto + graph, meaning self write, and photograph as photo + graph, meaning write or draw with light. Students are prompted to connect each base to the meaning of the whole word, supporting semantic understanding alongside decoding. Students are further guided to generate and discuss additional words that share the same Greek bases, such as teleport, television, phonics, megaphone, automatic, automobile, telephoto, and photocopy, reinforcing the use of morpheme analysis as a transferable strategy for decoding and understanding unfamiliar words.

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

  • In Concept 67, Day 2, the materials include an extension activity that provides students with hands-on practice applying word analysis strategies related to vowel-consonant-e patterns and suffixation. Students are given a list of base words ending in magic e, such as save, and select words to write on individual paper strips. Students then fold the right end of the strip to cover the final e in the base word and write a known vowel-initial suffix, such as -ed or -ing, on the folded flap. Using the paper strips, students practice reading the base word, unfolding the suffix flap, and rereading the newly formed word, for example save to saving. This routine makes the abstract spelling change of dropping the final e concrete and visible while reinforcing decoding, encoding, and word structure. Through repeated manipulation and rereading, students apply previously taught phonics and spelling generalizations in a meaningful context, supporting transfer of word analysis strategies to unfamiliar words.

  • In Concept 81, Day 4, Syllable Division/Word Analysis, students engage in continued syllable division practice using both newly introduced words and words from prior concepts, following the established syllable division procedures outlined in the OG+ Fidelity Companion. Students work with a range of multisyllabic words, including heartbeat, worthless, reword, instructor, polar, and grammar, applying previously taught syllable division strategies while attending to r-controlled vowel combinations. Syllable division practice is paired with morpheme analysis, requiring students to apply multiple word analysis strategies within the same lesson. Students identify vowels and r-controlled vowel units, divide words into syllables, and analyze meaningful word parts such as prefixes and suffixes. This integrated practice occurs across lessons and concepts, using different word sets and increasingly complex word structures. 

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 defined mastery criteria, record-keeping documents, and analysis sheets that support monitoring individual and class performance and planning next instructional steps. Materials also include assessment-based and observation-based instructional suggestions to support students in building accuracy, fluency, and application of word recognition and analysis skills. 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 71, 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 C. The words on this assessment include:

    • Phonetic words: stark, dart, barn, harm, garment, yarn, carton, arch, parsnip, tart

    • Red Words: only, sure, buy, hour, always

    • Sentences: Max will join the army next week.; The ring had a garnet in it. 

  • In the Level 2 Initial 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 2 Initial Assessment, students read the following Red Words and sentences:

    • Red Words: your, also, today, first, walk

    • Sentences: The duck was honking at the kids who were yelling by the lake.; I saw a doe on the road near the camping spot. 

    • 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 #1-57)

        • Midterm (Concepts #1-70)

        • Final (Concepts #1-83)

      • Pause to Assess and Review

        • 2.1 (Concepts #1-64)

        • 2.2 (Concepts #1-76)

  • In the Level 2 Midterm Benchmark Assessment, students complete a Read Words and Sentences task that includes words such as disliked and flobbing, as well as sentences such as “The flashlight helped her locate the toy by the lake.” and “Bob and Fred were fishing at the river at twilight.” These tasks require students to apply decoding and word analysis skills, including reading multisyllabic words and words with inflectional endings, in both isolated and connected contexts.

    • In the Read Passage portion of the assessment, students read connected text, including sentences such as “Kirsten had been asking her mom for a pet bird for a long time. Yesterday, her mom granted Kirsten’s wish and said she would take her to get a pet bird.” This portion of the assessment requires students to apply word recognition and analysis skills within continuous text, providing evidence of students’ ability to read accurately and fluently while processing meaning.

• 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 a 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 “focus on building fluency at the word- and sentence-level by strengthening foundational skills, including solidifying basic letter-sound correspondences to support accurate and automatic word recognition.” The materials also direct the teacher to  “incorporate fluency-building exercises, such as repeated readings and targeted word practice, to reinforce newly introduced phonemes and spelling rules, ensuring students can internalize and apply these skills effectively in connected texts.”

    • Observation-based instructional suggestions 

      • If a teacher notices that students need support with recognizing schwa in unaccented syllables, then teacher should, with teacher guidance, have students highlight the “Sneaky Schwa” in target words and write the sound the schwa makes about the letter. The teacher should then lead students in a discussion about how one would expect the word to be spelled versus how it is actually spelled. 

      • If a teacher notices that students need support with understanding when to use the long vowel versus the short vowel sound, then the teacher should take the syllabication procedure a step further by having students mark the vowel with a macron (¯) or a breve (˘) over it to distinguish when to pronounce the long versus short vowel sound. 

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 accuracy, rate, and prosody using grade-level decodable connected text aligned to the phonics scope and sequence. Instruction follows a structured routine that establishes decoding accuracy prior to increasing rate and expression and progresses from word- and phrase-level practice to sentence- and passage-level reading. Materials provide consistent teacher modeling of fluent reading and include repeated reading in whole-group, small-group, and partner formats. Additional fluency resources support ongoing development of automaticity and expressive reading across the year 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 58, Day 2, Reading, the teacher introduces Decodable Reader #51, including the fiction texts Splash, Splash, Squish! and The Big Beach Clean-Up and the nonfiction text Under the Sea, and leads students through a structured, teacher-directed fluency routine aligned to the OG+ Fidelity Companion. Instruction begins with the teacher establishing accuracy as the instructional priority, explicitly modeling accurate decoding and monitoring student oral reading while providing immediate corrective feedback during initial reads. The materials direct the teacher to use the Get Ready to Read section to prepare students for connected-text reading by previewing words and phrases drawn directly from the text. Vocabulary embedded in the decodable readers includes match, squid, and squish in Splash, Splash, Squish!; fill to the brim, scrap, splendid, sprang, spring, tab, and thrill in The Big Beach Clean-Up; and bleach, dive, ink, reef, school, splendid, and squish in Under the Sea. The materials identify thrill, oxygen, splendid, and tropical as words recommended for explicit teaching prior to reading. Once accuracy is established, the teacher explicitly models and guides students through repeated readings of connected text to support development of appropriate rate and automaticity. Prosody is addressed through direct teacher modeling and guided practice, with instruction focused on phrasing, pausing, intonation, and conversational pacing at the sentence and passage level. The materials prompt the teacher to draw students’ attention to expressive reading features while rereading, ensuring that fluency instruction extends beyond word-level accuracy to meaningful, fluent reading of grade-level connected text.

  • In Concept 83, Day 4, Reading, the teacher engages students in explicit fluency instruction using Decodable Reader #76, which includes the fiction texts A Sale on the Sailboat and The End-of-School Party, as well as the nonfiction text Party Games. The materials direct the teacher to follow the fluency routine outlined in the OG+ Fidelity Companion, beginning with word- and phrase-level preparation before students read connected text. Students first practice fluency using the Get Ready to Read section at the front of each decodable reader, which includes words and phrases drawn directly from the text. Vocabulary embedded in the selections includes dealership, gust, purchase, sailboat, spectacular, stunning, and voyage in A Sale on the Sailboat; array, bamboo, crisp, jive, and limbo in The End-of-School Party; and limbo, repeat, require, and vary in Party Games. The materials guide the teacher to explicitly monitor student accuracy during this initial practice and provide immediate corrective feedback to ensure accurate decoding before progressing. The fluency routine then advances to sentence-level and connected-text reading, with the teacher modeling fluent reading and guiding students to reread text aloud chorally, independently, or in pairs. The materials emphasize that accuracy must be established prior to increasing rate, and the teacher is directed to model appropriate pacing and support repeated readings to build automaticity. During passage-level reading, the teacher provides explicit instruction in prosody, drawing attention to phrasing, pausing, intonation, and conversational pacing. Students reread passages with teacher support to practice expressive reading, ensuring that fluency instruction addresses accuracy, rate, and prosody within grade-level connected text.

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

  • In Concept 58, Day 2, Reading, using Decodable Reader #51, the teacher models fluent oral reading during word-level, sentence-level, and connected-text instruction as specified in the OG+ Fidelity Companion. Students hear fluent reading across both fiction and nonfiction texts, including Splash, Splash, Squish!, The Big Beach Clean-Up, and Under the Sea. During instruction, the teacher reads aloud sections of the decodable texts, modeling appropriate pacing, phrasing, and expression. The teacher also models fluent reading of content-specific vocabulary during instruction and discussion, including words such as thrill, oxygen, splendid, and tropical. These opportunities allow students to hear fluent reading that reflects accurate decoding, natural phrasing, and grade-appropriate prosody.

  • In Concept 83, Day 4, Reading, across Decodable Reader #76, the materials provide structured opportunities for students to hear fluent reading modeled by the teacher. During the reading routine for A Sale on the Sailboat, The End-of-School Party, and Party Games, the teacher models fluent oral reading during word-, sentence-, and passage-level instruction, demonstrating appropriate pacing, expression, and phrasing before or alongside student reading. The materials also include a teacher read-aloud section connected to the nonfiction text Party Games, which introduces advanced vocabulary such as arrive, conversation, guest of honor, and good wishes. 

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

  • In Concept 58, Day 2, Reading, the materials draw on multiple fluency resources to support oral reading development. Core instruction centers on Decodable Reader #51, which includes multiple fiction and nonfiction texts aligned to the phonics focus of the concept and designed for repeated reading. Additional fluency supports include word reading practice pages in the OG+ Student Workbook C, 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 require additional scaffolding to support accuracy and automaticity. The materials note that decodable reading may occur in whole-group or small-group settings and that reading may continue across days if the text is not completed within a single lesson.

  • In Concept 83, Day 4, Reading, students are directed to use the Get Ready to Read section at the front of each decodable text to practice words and phrases drawn directly from the selections, including vocabulary from A Sale on the Sailboat (dealership, gust, purchase, sailboat, spectacular, stunning, voyage), The End-of-School Party (array, bamboo, crisp, jive, limbo), and Party Games (limbo, repeat, require, vary). Additional fluency supports include sentence-reading practice pages in OG+ Student Workbook C, word- and sentence-reading resources available through IMSE's OG+ Lab, and optional rapid word charts for warm-up practice. For students requiring additional scaffolding, the materials recommend fluency pyramids and repeated rereading of previously introduced decodable readers from earlier lessons, providing sustained and varied fluency practice across the instructional year.

    Together, these resources provide varied and sustained opportunities for students to develop oral reading fluency across the Grade 2 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 of grade-level decodable connected text across concepts. Instruction follows a consistent fluency routine that progresses from word-level to phrase-, sentence-, and passage-level reading, with accuracy established before increasing rate and expression. Students engage in multiple practice formats, including repeated reading, partner reading, echo reading, choral reading, and scaffolded fluency supports such as fluency pyramids and workbook-based practice. Teacher-facing guidance includes explicit modeling expectations and corrective-feedback suggestions that address phrasing, pacing, and expression. Across the year, students participate in sustained and developmentally appropriate fluency practice in both whole-group and small-group settings, supporting continued growth toward independent, fluent 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 58, offers three decodable readers for the teacher to choose from: two fiction readers and one nonfiction reader. The materials suggest that the teacher work with two texts throughout each concept. Each reader has aligned routines for fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. In the example that follows, only one text will be described with the fluency routines specifically, but there are multiple texts to choose from within each concept. 

    • In Concept 60, Day 2, Reading, The River Trip, materials provide explicit and supported fluency practice that integrates accuracy, automaticity, and prosody in a connected text. The River Trip focuses on the phonics concept of the Bossy R syllable type with -er /er/ as in ladder. 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 79, Day 2, Reading, The Moon Landing, materials provide explicit and supported fluency practice that integrates accuracy, automaticity, and prosody in a connected text. The Moon Landing focuses on the phonics concept of the vowel teams of ew and oo, /ōō/ that produce stew and zoo. 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 ward 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 60, Day 3, Reading, the materials return to the text The River Trip. 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 60, with the focus of the Bossy R syllable type with -er /er/, example items from each day are as follows:

    • Day 2: fern, thunder, permit, after

    • Day 3: shelter from the thunder; an extra letter; saw my sister

    • Day 4: The train went along the river past evergreen trees.; What a perfect day to begin the trip. 

    • Day 5: Fern got a letter in the mail from her Granddad Bert.; She went to his place and yelled, “I’m here!”

  • In the OG+ Originals, the teacher have access to a poster  that helps students work on reading with prosody. This poster  features visual clues with how to interpret the tone of sentences with varied punctuation marks. For example, there is an image of a comma and next to that comma, there is an image of a pause button that one might see on an electronic or digital device. These visual clues continue for the period, exclamation point, and question mark. 

• 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+ Teacher Guide, Second Grade Book 1, Differentiating Instruction, if the teacher notices that students need support with fluency with a concept, then the teacher is to create multiple variations of a Rapid Word Chart in the IMSE's OG+ LAB to help students practice. 

  • According to the OG+ Teacher Guide, Second Grade Book 1, Differentiating Instruction, if the teacher notices that students need support with sentence-level reading, then the teacher should have students read words, phrases, and sentences from the Student Workbooks, Syllable Division Teacher Guide, or IMSE's OG+ LAB.

  • According to the OG+ Teacher Guide, Second Grade Book 1, Differentiating Instruction, if the teacher notices students need support with fluently reading connected text, the teacher should provide students with opportunities for echo reading, choral reading, or repeated reading of the same 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 administered across the year. Assessments include individually administered word-, sentence-, and passage-level measures aligned to the scope and sequence, with clearly defined scoring procedures and benchmark criteria. Passage assessments generate words correct per minute and accuracy data to quantify fluency performance. Structured analysis sheets document student growth over time and support consistent interpretation of results. Guidance supports the teacher in using assessment data to plan 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 fluency development.

• 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 regularly and systematically over the course of the year for students to demonstrate progress toward mastery and independence of oral reading fluency. Second Grade assessments include Level 2 Benchmark Assessments administered at three points across the year: Initial, Midterm, and Final. All assessments are administered individually on Day 1 in a distraction-free environment and include both Read Words and Sentences and Read Passage components.

    • The Level 2 Initial Benchmark Assessment includes a Read Words and Sentences assessment administered individually. The teacher gives students a copy of the Read Words and Sentences student sheet. For the word-reading task, the teacher says, “I’m going to point to a word, and I want you to read the word to me,” and mark each word the student reads correctly. The assessment includes the following words, for a total of 17:

      • Real words: switch, can’t, toenail, puppy, hunted, wishes

      • Nonsense words: dwek, celk, steab, pointing, glebe, fludge

      • Red words: your, also, today, first, walk

      • Sentences: “The duck was knocking at the kids who were yelling by the lake,” and “I saw a doe on the road near the camping spot.”

    • The Level 2 Initial Benchmark Assessment includes a Read Passage assessment administered individually. The teacher gives  students a copy of the Read Passage student sheet and instructs them to read aloud for one minute, following standardized administration directions.

    • The Level 2 Midterm Benchmark Assessment includes Read Words and Sentences and Read Passage assessments administered individually. The Read Words and Sentences task includes the following words, for a total of 17:

      • Real words: thirsty, gentle, disliked, highway, cities, back

      • Nonsense words: throy, fless, swout, flobbing, squist, blurp

      • Red words: because, door, great, water, through

      • Sentences: “The flashlight helped her locate the toy by the lake,” and “Bob and Fred were fishing at the river at twilight.” 

    • The Level 2 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, sentence-level, and connected-text reading.

    • The materials also include Pause to Assess opportunities that provide additional oral reading fluency assessment points aligned to instruction. Pause to Assess 2.1 is a pre-assessment administered after Concept 64 and includes a Read Words and Sentences task and a Read Passage task. The Read Words task includes the following words, for a total of 15:

      • Words: strut, freedom, timber, dirt, exploit

      • Red words: because, very, door, car, watch

      • Sentences: “He gave me a medal for the race,” and “Mom made some chow with trout for us to eat.”

    • According to the OG Plus Assessment Originals Manual, Pause to Assess 2.2 is administered after Concept 76 and includes an individual Read Passage assessment administered in a distraction-free environment following standardized procedures.

• 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 during individual administration and compares student performance to established benchmark ranges.

    • For the Level 2 Initial Benchmark Assessment, students read 17 total words. Scores of 14–17 words indicate performance at benchmark, while scores of 0–13 indicate performance below benchmark. For sentence reading, students read 24 total words, with benchmark performance determined based on the number of words read correctly.

    • The Level 2 Midterm and Final Read Words and Sentences assessments also include 17 total words. Sentence-reading tasks at these assessment points include 20 total words. Student performance is compared to benchmark expectations to determine whether students are performing at or below benchmark.

    • The Read Passage assessments provide quantitative oral reading fluency data, including words correct per minute and accuracy rates. The teacher calculates words correct per minute by subtracting the total number of errors from the total number of words read within one minute.

    • Accuracy rates are calculated by dividing words correct per minute by the total number of words read and multiplying by 100 to determine a percentage.

    • 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, with omitted words counted as errors. Non-errors include self-corrections, repetitions, differences in pronunciation due to dialect or articulation, and inserted words.

    • Oral reading fluency data are recorded on Grade 2 Benchmark and Assessment Analysis sheets. These sheets document student performance for Read Words and Sentences assessments at Initial, Midterm, and Final benchmark points and record words correct per minute and accuracy for Read Passage assessments, allowing the teacher to track student progress over time.

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

  • According to the OG Plus Originals Manual, the Second Grade instructional guidance includes recommendations based on benchmark performance. 

    • For students performing at or above benchmark, the materials direct the teacher to prioritize activities that enhance fluency and comprehension, including repeated readings of connected texts and targeted comprehension strategies. These practices are intended to support refinement of accuracy, expression, and understanding as students read more complex texts.

    • For students performing below benchmark, the materials direct the teacher to incorporate fluency-building exercises, including repeated readings and targeted word practice. Instructional guidance emphasizes reinforcing newly introduced phonemes and spelling rules to support students in internalizing and applying these skills effectively within connected texts.

    • 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 Passage reading fluency, the materials direct the teacher to provide additional small-group instruction in reading fluency that emphasizes accuracy, speed, and expression, including repeated reading of connected texts to build oral reading fluency.

      • 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 focuses on reinforcing taught phonics concepts and red words, as well as improving accuracy through word-, phrase-, and sentence-level reading.

    • 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.