Phonics Scope & Sequence and Book Previews

Emergent Reader Series: Foundational Skills

Emergent Reader Series titles are designed to systematically and cumulatively introduce foundational phonics skills. These important early phonics skills take students into the full alphabetic stage of reading and become the foundation of docodability for all future titles in the Books to Remember Series. Our Emergent Reader titles are carefully designed to offer beginning readers extensive opportunities to apply and internalize what they have learned about letters, speech sounds, letter-sound correspondences, meaningful word parts, and high-frequency words as they practice reading connected, complex, authentic text. Because text is complex and meaningful, close reading skills can be developed in conjunction with foundational skills in multiple rereads of the same text.

Download ER Scope & Sequence PDF

Reading Series One: Foundational Skills Consolidation

Reading Series One titles are more complex versions of the “Companion” titles found in the Emergent Reader Series. After entering the full alphabetic stage of reading in the Emergent Reader Series, students need to become adept at reading longer texts with more complex vocabulary and story structure. Reading Series One titles are designed to allow students to consolidate the skills they learned in the Emergent Reader Series and to develop automaticity and fluency while reading longer and more complex texts with comprehension and proper prosody. Increasing text complexity in books with story lines that children are familiar with and in books that do not introduce new phonics skills makes the process of adjusting to reading more complex texts more manageable for students. Once students are adept at reading Reading Series One books, they will be ready to move into Reading Series Two and Three.

An example of a Reading Series One book and its Emergent Reader Companion can be previewed below. Emergent Reader Companions and Reading Series One titles are also an excellent opportunity for differentiated instruction. Students in the Emergent Reader Series who need more complex text can be given Reading Series One books to read. Students who need more practice consolidating skills while transitioning into the Decodable Literature Library can revisit Emergent Reader Series Companions.

Reading Series Two: Intermediate Skills

Reading Series Two titles are designed to introduce new target letter-sound correspondences for intermediate phonics skills and to develop automaticity and fluency while reading robust narrative and informational texts and poetry with comprehension and proper prosody. Please notice that because our books are complex, robust, and meaningful, close reading skills can be developed in conjunction with foundational skills in multiple rereads of the same text.

Reading Series Three: Advanced Skills

Reading Series Three titles are designed to introduce new target letter-sound correspondences for advanced phonics skills and to develop automaticity and fluency while reading our most complex narrative and informational texts and poetry with comprehension and proper prosody. Please notice that because our books are complex, robust, and meaningful, close reading skills can be developed in conjunction with foundational skills in multiple rereads of the same text.