Early Reading Skills

  • This section provides instructional supports in French and English for developing foundational reading skills such as phonological awareness & phonics/decoding in learning readers.

  • You will find links to core programs, planning considerations, games, intervention supports, progress monitoring, assessment tracking, and more!

Use these buttons for navigating to the desired sections below.

Early Reading Skills: Core Programs Overview

From Word Walls to Sound Walls

Phonological Awareness

  • Phonological awareness is the ability to hear, identify, and manipulate sounds in spoken language—a key foundation for learning to read and one of the strands of Scarborough’s Reading Rope.

  • It includes skills such as rhyming, syllable segmentation, onset and rhyme awareness, and alliteration. These skills help learning readers recognize that words are made up of smaller sound units, preparing them for phonemic awareness, the ability to recognize and manipulate individual sounds or phonemes.

  • Strong phonological awareness supports reading readiness, decoding, vocabulary growth, and spelling, helping students to become confident and capable readers.

  • This section provides links to English (Heggerty) and French (Pratique Phonémique) programs and related resources to support phonological awareness skill-building.

Click here for more information about getting started with Heggerty.

Phonemic Awareness by Grade

Click here for more information about getting started with Pratique phonémique.

Sample Lessons by Grade

Progress Monitoring by Skill

Pratique phonémique (Gr. K/1)

*Please use the provided manuals for program implementation.

Reach out to your administrator and/or the Learning and Teaching Team if you require a manual.

Pratique phonémique- Intensive (Gr. 2/3)

Implementation Support Materials

Lesson Step Pocket Reference

UFLI Lesson Steps (Teacher/Student Language)

Lesson Planning & Implementation

UFLI-Based Games

UFLI Check-In

UFLI Sound Wall Materials

UFLI Progress Monitoring

UFLI Script (for each step)

Grapheme & Heart Word Cards

CORE Phonics Survey & UFLI Foundations Scope & Sequence Alignment

Phonics/Decoding

  • Phonics, or decoding, involves teaching reading by helping learners connect sounds (phonemes) to letters or letter combinations (graphemes) and to blend them in order to read words.

  • Mastering phonics is a foundational skill in early reading, enabling children to sound out and recognize unfamiliar words, which builds accuracy, fluency, and confidence.

  • Phonics/decoding is a key component of the Word Recognition strand in Scarborough’s Reading Rope, supporting automatic and effortless word reading—an essential part of becoming a skilled reader.

  • This section provides links to English programs and related resources to support phonics/decoding skills.

Click to access the UFLI Foundations Toolbox for lesson resources, decodable texts, games, virtual blending boards, word work mats, printable resources, and more!

Click here for more information about getting started with UFLI in your classroom!

Getting Started

Assessment Tracking Template

Progress Monitoring Word Lists

Tiered Reading Instruction

ERIT Role & Resources

Tier 2 Reading Intervention Kit Ideas

ORID Protocol Data Analysis

Core Phonics & UFLI Alignment Chart

Core Phonics Survey

Tiered Intervention Support

  • Tiered reading intervention support is a system that provides increasingly intensive levels of support to students learning to read.

  • Each tier represents a continuum of support, with Tier 1 being universal, core instruction for all students, Tier 2 providing targeted interventions for small groups or one-on-one support, and Tier 3 offering intensive, individualized support for students with the greatest needs. 

  • Here is a breakdown of the tiers of intervention support:

    • Tier 1-Universal/Core Instruction: This is the foundation of early reading skill building and involves high-quality, evidence-based reading instruction delivered to all students in the classroom. 

    • Tier 2-Targeted/Strategic Interventions: Students who do not make sufficient progress or do not meet benchmarks with Tier 1 instruction receive targeted, small-group (or one-on-one) interventions that are provided in addition to Tier 1. 

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