The Letter A Song (Original Music Video) will help students learn all about the letter by watching a video about letter sounds, vocabulary words, and letter formation.
The Alphabet Song (Animated Music Video) will help students learn letter names and sounds by listening to the catchy lyrics and colorful video.
The Baby Shark Alphabet Song (Animated Music Video) will help students learn letter names and sounds by listening to the catchy lyrics and colorful video.
The Alphabet Songs Collection - Classic will help your kids gain a better understanding of letter names and sounds by listening to these ABC Songs.
The Alphabet Songs Pack - Animated will help support your visual learners gain a better understanding of letter names and sounds by listening to this song.
Keep this Digraphs Word List within reach during 1st Grade phonics. Twelve consonant digraphs and forty-eight example words sit on one print-ready page, so readers can check a spelling in seconds.
A short vowel E reading comprehension story worksheet starring Ben and his hen. 1st graders read the decodable story and answer questions. Includes a complete answer key — great for quick, no-prep phonics and reading practice.
A farm egg-catching short vowel review game where first grade kids catch the eggs with short a, e, i, o and u words like cat, hen, pig, pot and sun. Play online on any phone, tablet, Chromebook or computer.
This alphabet uppercase letter matching activity has preschool, kindergarten, and 1st grade children match 26 letter cards to a game board. A practice page and answer key are included for easy letter recognition fun.
The Letter B Song (Original Music Video) will help students learn all about the letter by watching a video about letter sounds, vocabulary words, and letter formation.
The Letter H Song (Original Music Video) will help students learn all about the letter by watching a video about letter sounds, vocabulary words, and letter formation.
The Letter G Song (Original Music Video) will help students learn all about the letter by watching a video about letter sounds, vocabulary words, and letter formation.
The Alphabet Song (Animated Music Video) will help students learn letter names and sounds by listening to the catchy lyrics and colorful video.
The Letter J Song (Original Music Video) will help students learn all about the letter by watching a video about letter sounds, vocabulary words, and letter formation.
This Long and Short Vowels Worksheet helps 1st graders identify long and short vowel sounds and practice silent-e words. Answer key included, making it perfect for quick, no-prep phonics practice at home or school.
The Letter M Song (Original Music Video) will help students learn all about the letter by watching a video about letter sounds, vocabulary words, and letter formation.
The Letter E Song teaches the short E and long E sounds, uppercase and lowercase letter e, vocabulary words with e, and letter E handwriting practice.
The Letter D Song (Original Music Video) will help students learn all about the letter by watching a video about letter sounds, vocabulary words, and letter formation.
This Blends Word List is a single-page phonics reference chart grouping L-blends, R-blends, and S-blends with example words for each. A clean, no-prep tool that helps 1st graders read and build blend words with confidence.
The Letter I Song (Original Music Video) will help students learn all about the letter by watching a video about letter sounds, vocabulary words, and letter formation.
From c-a-t to real reading!
First grade is when sounding out turns into real reading. Kids lock in short vowel words like c-a-t, then add consonant blends (st, fl, gr) and digraphs, where two letters make one sound: sh, ch, th, wh. Next comes the silent e that makes a vowel say its name, cap → cape, plus vowel teams like ee and ai and endings like -ing and -ed. The click comes when a child reads a brand-new word all by themselves and looks up grinning.
Explicit, a little every day, and always ending with real reading. Here are the moves we never skip.
Kids tap one finger per sound, then sweep their hand to blend: "sh... i... p... ship!" Digraphs get one tap because they make one sound. That little rule clears up a ton of confusion.
Why it works: teaching letter sounds directly and in order is one of the best-supported findings in reading research (National Reading Panel, 2000).
Try it withDigraphs Word ListWorksheetsOpen it →Short vowels are the backbone of 1st grade, and kids need lots of reps. Turn review into a game so they read dozens of words without noticing. Listen in to see which vowel sounds still get mixed up.
Why it works: playful practice with a clear goal keeps kids practicing longer, and simple learning games have been shown to build real skills (Ramani and Siegler, 2008).
Try it withShort Vowel Review GameGamesOpen it →Once silent e is in play, give kids mixed lists: hop, hope, kit, kite. Making them decide every time is what builds real readers, not just pattern copiers.
Why it works: shuffled practice teaches kids to choose the right strategy, not just repeat one, and it improved test scores in research (Rohrer and Taylor, 2007).
Try it withLong and Short Vowels WorksheetWorksheetsOpen it →Phonics can be the most giggly part of the day. These are our go-tos.
WorksheetsKids pick a blend card and race to read and write words that start with it: fl-ag, fl-op, fl-ip!
Open Blends Word List →
AssessmentsRead a short decodable story, then hunt for every word with the target vowel.
Open Ben and the Eggs Phonics Reading Comprehension Story Worksheet - Short Vowel E Sound →
VideosWarm up with a letter sound song. Even 1st graders love a quick sing-along before phonics.
Open Alphabet Songs (Classic Video Collection) →Teacher favorites right now: Letter A Song (Original Music Video), Alphabet Song (Original Music Video) and Baby Shark Alphabet Song (Animated Music Video).
By the end of 1st grade, kids should read short vowel words, consonant blends, digraphs (sh, ch, th, wh), silent e words and common vowel teams like ee, ea, ai and oa. They should also read words with -s, -ed and -ing endings and simple two-syllable words.
Most programs review short vowels and CVC words first, then blends and digraphs, then silent e (CVCe). Vowel teams, r-controlled vowels (ar, or, er) and endings usually come later in the year.
In class, 20 to 30 minutes of focused phonics is typical. At home, 10 minutes of reading words and a short decodable book is plenty. Consistency matters more than length.
Cover the picture and ask them to look at the letters and sound the word out. Praise every attempt to decode. Decodable books, where most words follow taught patterns, make this much easier.
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