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G2 Unit 1 - Unpacking Phonics Unit of Study ASFM

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EXAMPLE K-2 TC Phonics UoS K-2 Overview: LBA 

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What comes as a Surprise?
What makes English phonics a challenge?

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Anticipate, Observe, and Support Phonics Development (including English Learners)

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Access multiple resources

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Login - Heinemann | Publisher of professional resources and a provider of educational services for teachers, kindergarten through college

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Heinemann is a publisher of professional resources and a provider of educational services for teachers, kindergarten through college.

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Lucy Calkins and Colleagues Units of Study

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Home / Our Series - Phonics

Grades K-2

To create these new phonics units, Lucy and her coauthors have drawn on all that they know from decades of teaching reading and writing in thousands of classrooms across the world, and they've relied on proven, research-based practices-especially on the work of Isabel Beck, Donna Scanlon, Pat and Jim Cunningham, Rollanda O'Connor, Marilyn Adams, Tim Rasinski, Donald Bear, Wiley Blevins, and the late Marie Clay.

The new Units of Study in Phonics, Grades K-2:

provide a lean and concise instructional pathway in phonics that is realistic and doable, and that taps into kids' skills and energy for tackling the fabulous challenge of learning to read and write,

introduce high-leverage phonics concepts and strategies in a way that keeps pace with students' reading and writing and helps them understand when, how, and why they can use phonics to read and write,

offer delightfully fun and engaging storylines, classroom mascots, songs, chants, rhymes, and games to help students fall head over heels in love with phonics and to create a joyous community of learners,

align with state-of-the-art reading and writing workshops for a coherent approach in which terminology, tools, rituals, and methods are shared in ways that benefit both teachers and kids.

In the hurly-burly of classroom life, every minute you spend on one subject is less time spent on another subject. Lucy and her coauthors aim to protect time for authentic reading and writing, while also helping you teach a rigorous, research-based phonics curriculum.

Principles Undergirding the Units of Study in Phonics

Teaching for Transfer

Phonics instruction supports children's reading and writing: to be useful, phonics must be transferred. Every message you send during phonics instruction needs to be angled to support transfer to reading and writing. Your goal is not for your kids to become linguistic scholars. Instead, phonics instruction only matters because it enables reading and writing.

Building on the Research of Experts

The Units of Study in Phonics series has grown out of the TCRWP's decades of research and practice in the teaching of reading and writing. Given that phonics is important only insofar as it transfers to reading and writing, it is essential that a phonics curriculum draw on broad, deep, applied knowledge of how students develop as writers, readers, speakers and listeners. In addition, the sequence of the Units of Study in Phonics follows a pathway that is widely supported by an enormous body of research including the work of Bear, Beck, Blevins, Cunningham, Fountas, Pinnell, Rasinski, and others.

A Lean and Efficient Curriculum

Phonics instruction benefits children when it supplements and does not replace reading and writing instruction. Phonics instruction needs to be lean and efficient. Every minute you spend teaching phonics (or preparing phonics materials to use in your lessons) is less time spent teaching other things. The Units of Study in Phonics recommends twenty minutes for explicit phonics instruction, with time outside of phonics for small-group instruction in phonics.

Going Beyond Item Knowledge

Children benefit from being taught not only item knowledge (such as blends and digraphs), but also the strategies and purposes that allow them to draw on that item knowledge as they read and write. In Units of Study in Phonics, children are taught the most high-utility phonics, and they are taught to use what they know to be problem solvers, word scientists, super-power readers, and writers.

Game-changing Engagement

Children benefit most from phonics work that is engaging: phonics need not be taught through worksheets but can instead involve singing, pretending, inventing, talking, writing, and spelling. Instead of channeling students to circle the number of syllables in pictures on ditto sheets, we're more apt to suggest that they plop their backpacks in front of them, and work with a partner to touch each part of each child's backpack, clapping the syllables to zipper, pocket, strap, and applesauce.

Supporting All Learners

All our teaching, and especially our teaching of something as foundational as phonics, must be flexible enough and have scope enough to support all the member of a learning community. Your bottom-line assumption needs to be that it is important to provide students with a variety of ways to express what they know. The most important way in which the Units of Study in Phonics supports all learners is by building in flexibility and choice.

Read More . . .

To read more about the principles undergirding the Units of Study in Phonics, download the sample chapter from A Guide to the Phonics Units of Study.

Grades K-2 include five units, which are each designed to be taught roughly at the same time as the corresponding reading and/or writing unit of study, keeping pace with those units.

A Guide to the Phonics Units of Study

Describes the essential principles, methods, and structures that undergird this phonics curriculum along with an overview of the developmental progression that the series supports.

Small Groups to Support Phonics

Offers support in coaching into the work that students do during each session and in leading small groups to support students in transferring their phonics learning to their ongoing reading and writing.

Resource Pack & Mentor Texts

Each resource pack contains a variety of full-color, illustrated, posters; charts; picture, photo, word, and letter cards; copies of poems and songs; assessment materials; and much more. Each boxed set of the Units of Study in Phonics also comes with a trade book to be used as a demonstration text for teachers to model the skills and strategies students will try.

Each unit includes downloadable, printable pdfs of the materials included in the resource packs, links to videos, assessment tools, small group resources, and more.

Virtual Teaching Resources
(Available for Separate Purchase)

These resources offer teacher, student, and family/caregiver videos. In the student-facing videos, TCRWP staff developers teach each minilessons on camera as "co-teachers," freeing classroom teachers up for live conversations, small group work, and more.
Watch a sample student minilesson video
Purchasing Options

Ordering Guidance:

Each teacher will need one set of Units and one Resource Pack. (Note: The Resource Pack materials for each grade level are extensive and come packed in two boxes.)

In addition, schools will need to plan for some other resources including a stuffed elephant or lion (Mabel and Rasheed-our K and grade 1 mascots) for each classroom, plus some other classroom materials, such as white boards and magnetic letters, that many classrooms already have. For a complete list of resources, see inventory/shopping lists: Grade K, Grade 1, and Grade 2.

Scope and Sequence Document

Resource Pack Unboxing Video: Part 1

Resource Pack Unboxing Video: Part 2

Phonics Bundles for Grades K-2

School Supply Shopping List (not available from Heinemann)

Phonics Units for Grades K-2

Resource Packs for Each Grade Level

A Note About Resource Packs: The Resource Packs are composed of resources made from good-quality card stock, all beautifully illustrated and printed in 4-color. Resources include alphabet charts, many other types of other charts, letter cards, word cards, picture cards, printed copies of poems and songs, other cards such as onset rime cards and vowel picture cards, and much more-about 40 pounds of resources per grade level! (Note: Resources for each grade level come packed in two boxes.)

Related Resources

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Units of Study for Teaching Phonics Grades K-2

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Home / Our Series - Phonics To create these new phonics units, Lucy and her coauthors have drawn on all that they know from decades of teaching reading and writing in thousands of classrooms across the world, and they've relied on proven, research-based practices-especially on the work of Isabel Beck, Donna Scanlon, Pat and Jim Cunningham, Rollanda O'Connor, Marilyn Adams, Tim Rasinski, Donald Bear, Wiley Blevins, and the late Marie Clay.

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Key understandings of differences in early literacy development in English and Spanish.

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To practice all 44 phonemes.

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Guide to lessons for whole class and small group instruction based on phonics concept.

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Large snap shot, helpful for decision making and vertical alignment.

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3 Recommended Assessments

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G1 - Unpacking Phonics Unit of Study Examples

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I had seen the assessment before but I didn't know how to "grade" it, or count the points so that's more clear now!

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A clearer understanding on how phonics work and how to apply activities to help students.

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I like honoring accents!

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Going through the grading of the assessment was helpful.

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I was reminded of the importance of Phonemic Awareness as the beginning steps for Reading & Writing, and that everybody learns at his/her own step.

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Contents of the Small Groups Spiral Book

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Contents of the Small Groups Spiral Book

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Those who don't have a set of the units - talk to Lisa E. if you would like help accessing these small group resources.

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Contents of the Small Groups spiral book

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Each extension is taught in a different day? So if there are 3 extensions per session, this means that we would teach the lesson PLUS the 3 extensions (1 per day)? Or are extensions just "extras" and can be skipped? I guess it depends on the content of the extension? What's recommended?

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Want:  Model lessons/sessions.  To see how phonics session works.  To see someone teach, rather than just looking in book.  

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Want:  Model lessons/sessions.  To see how phonics session works.  To see someone teach, rather than just looking in book.  

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Gots: Better understanding of the overall flow and goals of Unit 1
Wants: Time! It's still hard to know how to prioritize the right lessons and how to devote enough time to what's most important.

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Got: better understanding of what is expected for 2nd graders at the beginning of the year and throughout, and what we teachers should focus on.

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Got: better understanding of what is expected for 2nd graders at the beginning of the year and throughout, and what we teachers should focus on.

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Got a clear overview of unit one and some affirmation of where second-graders typically are as writers.

Would like more information about teaching /practicing snap words.

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Got: Time to read parts of the book we hadn't read yet.

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The Reading GPS gives teachers information about whether students are moving toward the goal of proficient reading.

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Flyleaf Publishing - Online Materials Portal

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For Students - Flyleaf Publishing - Online Materials Portal

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It is possible to differentiate when using rug clubs!

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I got more helpful resources for my interventions and I want more time on my schedule to work with students!

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How to differentiate during rug clubs

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Differentiating rug time does not have to be complicated. It can be simple while being effective.

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Try extensions in a fun way during the day.

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Gots:  Practical ideas on how to implement. 

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Gots:  Practical ideas on how to implement. 

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Great tips for rug club differentiation! Keeping it simple and easy - low prep!

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The modeling lesson was nice and helpful.
I appreciate the time given to read and prepare for a future lesson!

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Try to incorporate the sharing part as an important check in or informal assesment at the end of some sessions.

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Differentiation during rug clubs as well as resources to support phonics.

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Got: useful ways to incorporate a small phonics lesson to make it more powerful for students.
Want: how to work on transferring these lessons into their everyday work.

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There is so much! Which parts of all of these elements would be top priority for a teacher to polish and feel strong with first?

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Got ideas about how to differentiate "rug clubs."  Would love more ideas about how to support transfer to Writing Workshop.

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can go up and down depending on the group

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Great ideas for how to differentiate in rug clubs and how to keep students engaged and working, avoiding the "I'm done".

Reminders about when to use the extensions, and how to incorporate them.

Loved hearing a mini lesson in action and seeing the parts.

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3 things I learned
2 things I am trying
1 wondering I still have

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- We have to explore the resources
- Use the extensions as needed and when needed
- Focus on the teaching point and make it your own

- Trying to make the learning transferable to other subjects
- Trying to make time for small groups.

- I wonder if next year we could incorporate some of the lessons or teaching points to our reading and writing unit plans.

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Differentiating rug time doesn't have to be a BIG thing...
Use writing samples to help support phonics lessons.

I am having kids look for phonics rules within their own writing samples.
I am also having kids become TEACHERS during small groups.

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3 things I learned: active engagement in phonics, importance of teaching points, dynamics for integration of teaching points.

2 things I am trying: diving into resources, understanding all the material to use it in a better way.

1 wondering I still have: how to fit all the materials with important extensions into everyday lessons (I think this will end up happening with trial and error, and getting used to the material).

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- learned that the small group workbook is full of useful easy lessons that don't take much time to do.

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- learned that the small group workbook is full of useful easy lessons that don't take much time to do.

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- some of the activities are really fun!

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Jude
3 things I learned: Prep can be easier and faster than I think.  5-7 minute mini lessons really is doable. Transfer to reading and writing is the ultimate goal.

2 things I am still trying: Shorter mini lessons, getting better at having materials and routines prepped.

1 thing I still wonder: I wonder how awesome our students will be after going thru the whole phonics program K-2...especially as we teachers get better and better at teaching it!

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Learned
- Mini lesson short & sweet
- Make it fit your needs ie use of extensions
- Availability and importance of resources

Trying
-Differentiation
-Ensuring my kids transfer their knowledge

Wondering
Can't think of one right now.

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3 Things I learned:
-How easy it is to differentiate rug clubs
-Strategies to keep mini lessons short and have everyone feel they have spoken
-I am not teaching for mastery in the mini lesson; frequent intentional teaching

2 Things I am trying:
-Keeping my mini lessons- mini
-The conferencing strategy

1 Wondering:
--

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What I learned:
-We have wonderful resources available
-Focus on the teaching point
-Great lessons in the Small Group book

Things I am trying:
-Differentiation
-Focus on my class needs

I wonder...
If my students are improving with everything I am teaching them. I hope so! They are really enjoying the lessons and they demonstrate lots of engagement : )

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3 - We do not have to teach for mastery; yet they need to be intentionally exposed to the skill taught in multiple settings and across time.
2 - Differentiating within my intervention students; making it practical, short, and more about the active engagement rather than the lesson itself
1 - I wonder if fourth and fifth grade teachers will get this training so we are all in the same page to target the needs of our students in the best way possible

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3:  the "turn & talk" tip, use Rug time, make sure we scaffold for the students who need more help.
2 : Turn & talk, use the Small Group Book more frequently
1: How can I organize myself better

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Learned: Great new strategies/lessons, and validation of good practice.

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Learned: Great new strategies/lessons, and validation of good practice.

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Learned: Great new strategies, understanding that phonics is woven into reading and writing workshop as well, and validation of good practice.
Trying: To minimize teacher talk to maximize student hands on practice.

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Emily
learned:
- units of study books and kits have a wealth of resources
- there are different ways to differentiate active engagement
- snap words need to be "tackled" studied not just memorized

trying:
- diving in, just trying the minilessons
- picking and choosing most helpful parts/extensions

wondering:
-still wrapping my head around scope/sequence for second grade

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- Make your lesson short and take advantage of rug time so kids can practice.
-Take advantage of the resources and use the extensions when needed.
-Transfer is the goal

-Differentiate rug time
-Look for patterns in reading and writing