Classroom Speak
Simple Scripts to Help You Teach
Road Map to
Phonics Instruction
Scope and Sequence
DECODING AND SPELLING
SOUND BY SOUND
RULE BY RULE
Created By Robin Margent and Mia Lun
Copyright © 2014 by Mrs. Read and Write
Classroom Speak
Simple Scripts to Help You Teach
Hi There.
Is it worth teaching phonics? We say, yes! Children and adults, regardless of IQ, have varying degrees of difficulty
learning how to read. Teachers and tutors must know a multitude of methods to teach reading and spelling, grammar,
punctuation and comprehension skills, in addition to being flexible, consistent and patient. We have found that a multi-
sensory, structured, systematic approach to teaching phonics increases the reading skills of all students in the general
education classroom, even those students already determined to be “good” readers. Even when adequate reading
skills are acquired using a whole word sight method, students often do not acquire adequate spelling skills. Children
generally try to memorize words for spelling tests or, when writing, guess how words are spelled. They may succeed
in spelling the words correctly on the spelling test but when writing the very next day, completely forget the spelling. It
just is not possible to memorize and retain the thousands of words in the English language.
A systematic, sequential approach to teaching reading aids in creating a firm foundation. Phonics instruction helps
provide logic to the structure of our language. Rather than guess at decoding or spelling, giving students phonics
instruction and having them practice reading and spelling words with the taught sound or concept, and holding them
accountable once a sound or concept is taught, will help students achieve more success in reading and spelling. Even
the children who are natural readers and spellers like to know why they are doing what they are doing. Everyone wins
when phonics is explicitly taught.
This Road Map is a scope and sequence for our Classroom Speak scripts for teaching decoding and spelling. Each is
a turnkey lesson, complete with a script and worksheet. We also offer companion packages of homework and word
cards. See our scripts and accompanying worksheets in our Teachers Pay Teachers Store. Follow us on TpT and visit
our blog, Read it and Reap, at MrsReadandWrite.blogspot.com to find out when new items are uploaded.
Mrs. Read and Write
OG Phonics and Classroom Speak
Samuel Orton (1879-1948) was a neuropsychiatrist and pathologist who worked with adults with brain damage. He also
studied children with language processing difficulties (now associated with dyslexia) and created a teaching approach to
help these children. Dr. Orton’s main contribution to education was the idea of multisensory teaching—integrating right and
left brain functions by adding kinesthetic (movement) and tactile (sensory) learning with the visual and auditory.
Anna Gillingham (1878-1963) was an educator and psychologist who worked with Dr. Orton. She combined Dr. Orton’s
teaching methods with her breakdown of the structure of the English language and introduced a structured, systematic
approach to teaching the assorted representations of English phonemes. With Bessie Stillman, she wrote the Orton-
Gillingham manual. It has been regularly updated and republished since 1935.
It is our belief that bottom-up teaching is as important to all students as top-down teaching, and both can be used
concurrently. Over the years, we have seen remarkable results in all our students’ reading and spelling using an adapted
OG method as part of our language arts teaching. Our Classroom Speak lessons for the entire class try to keep to the
Orton-Gillingham approach as closely as possible. Source: www.ortonacademy.org
Copyright Notice
As the original purchaser, you are granted permission to copy this document for your classroom teaching purposes only. If you did not purchase this, please download this
from the Mrs. Read and Write store before duplicating. Redistributing, editing, selling or posting this item or any part thereof on the Internet are strictly forbidden without
first gaining permission from the authors. Violations are subject to the penalties of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
Classroom Speak
Teaching Tips for: Phonics Instruction
• Use linguistic terms throughout lessons: vowels, consonants, blends, digraphs, affix, suffix, prefix,
base word, plural, singular, vowel team, r-controlled etc.
• Regularly review and reinforce already taught sounds and concepts.
• Let students know that most rules are ‘usually’ rules. Exceptions always occur, but when in doubt,
the rule is their first choice.
• Reinforce the letter sounds with sky and arm writing while practicing handwriting
• Use our lesson scripts, companion homework and word cards to teach and reinforce lessons.
The necessity of reading and spelling is now required at ever younger ages. We have therefore
made changes to the original Orton Gillingham order of presentation written by Anna Gillingham
and Bessie Stillman. While it continues to be important that phonics be taught sequentially, we
believe this sequence to be effective in whole class teaching.
The first five sounds to be taught are: short ă, t, b, s, f
If your class or student has already been taught or knows any or all of the sounds in the group,
(the correct sound and the representation/spelling of that sound equals mastery) simply teach the
sounds in the group that are not mastered. Once the first five sounds have been taught go on to
the next group. Do not skip around.
Blends should be interspersed throughout. For example, once /s/ and /t/ are taught, the blend “st”
can be taught. Once one blend is taught, the others can be quickly taught or placed in review after
the separate sounds have been taught. Both beginning and end blends may be included this way.
The beginning blends are: st, sp, sm, sk, sn, sn, sc, (scam)
sl, fl, bl, pl, gl, cl, br, pr, cr, tr, fr, gr, dr,
sw, tw, dw, spl, spr, scr, str, thr, shr, squ
The end blends are: st, sp, sk, lk, nd, ft, nt, pt, lt, ct, lp, mp
Classroom Speak
Keeping fairly close to the order of presentation is important, especially when it
comes to learning short vowel sounds.
By allowing at least four or five non-vowel lessons between each vowel sound,
students have adequate time to practice and master one short vowel sound
before introducing another. This will eliminate a lot of the confusion we often
see between the sounds short /ō/and short /ŭ/ and short /ĭ/and short /ě/.
It’s important to systematically review taught sounds and/or concepts so your
students have the opportunity to practice and master reading and spelling.
We have found that by beginning our phonics lesson with a review of
previously taught sounds and concepts, followed by new learning, maximizes
student retention.
If time becomes an issue, review three times a week and do new learning twice
a week or vice versa, depending on your class needs.
See our review package for handouts and more teaching tips.
Classroom Speak
Scope and Sequence
Group 1 — short ă, t, b, s, f
Group 2 — hard c (cat), short ĭ, m, glued sound am, h
Group 3 — p, n, glued sound an, j, short ŏ, k
Group 4 — hard g (gap) ch, l, glued sound all, th
Group 5 — short ŭ, r, d, w, concept of a syllable, -ck
(concept of a syllable and -ck can be taught together in one lesson)
Group 6 — z, (introduce suffixes) suffix –s (plurals), wh, fszl, sh,
Group 7 — y (consonant), v, short ĕ, x, qu
Group 8 — compound words, cutting pattern vc cv (vc ccv, vcc cv, vcc ccv),
-tch, -dge, -ing, -ed (simple)
Group 9 — -es, ay, ee, or, oo (moon), (introduce prefixes) prefix un-,
Group 10 — a-e, i-e, o-e, e-e, u-e,
Group 11 — -ng, -oy, -nk, ar, ow (snow)
Group 12 — -ie (pie) ed /t/ /d/, -ore, ai, ea (bead)
Group 13 — oo (book) oa, final schwa –et, *kind/old words (ind, old, ild, olt, ost, oll)
Group 14— ow (plow), oar, -y (try) y-e (type), cutting pattern (v cv, vc v)
Group 15— ir, aw, -y (end of multisyllable word happy), final schwa -al, oi
*Kind/old words are closed-syllable, exception words where the vowels i and o are not short, as in fold, blind, most, child,
troll, colt.
Classroom Speak
Scope and Sequence (cont.)
Group 16— -tion, ur, final schwa, -on, ou, final schwa –us
Group 17— -oe, soft c (cent), ey /e/ /a/, igh, soft g (gem), (introduce roots) tract
Group 18— ph, ea (bread), au, ou (soup), ble, cle, dle, fle, gle, kle, ple, tle, zle
Group 19— doubling rule (1-syllable words), kn, ie /ē/ (piece) -sion (shun/zhun), drop e
Group 20— schw”a” initial and final position (afar, Cuba), y-rule, ture, y-rule plurals
Group 21— ue /oo/ & /ū/(blue, cue), f/fe rule plurals, alk, alt, wor
Group 22— ew (few) wr, eigh, augh, -mb
Group 23— ei (ceiling), -stle, wa, gh, ch (chrome),
Group 24— -mn, qua, ei (vein) ui (suit) que (antique)
Group 25— ough, sc (science) gn, ch (Chicago), eu (feud)
Group 26— rh, -gue (rogue), doubling rule (part 2), cutting pattern v v (riot)
connective i (sleeping suffixes-/sh/)
Classroom Speak
Scope and Sequence (cont.)
Prefixes and suffixes should be interspersed throughout. Suffixes are introduced after Group 5
(-s). We usually begin introducing prefixes (un-) after Group 9. We then intersperse prefixes and
suffixes between groups.
We have included the most common prefixes and suffixes in English. These affixes account for
approximately 90% of the affix occurrences in English words.
Prefixes: un-, re-, *in- (im-, ir,- ill-) dis– sub-, en- (em-) non-, over-, mis-, pre-, inter-,
fore-, de-, trans-, super-, semi-, anti-, mid-, under-, *com- (con-) *ex-, (e-) pro-, a-, be,
per-, multi-, poly-, uni-, mon-, bi-, di-, tri-, with-, tele-, auto-, para-, post-
Suffixes: -s, -es, -ed, ing, -ly, -er, -or, -ion, -tion, -ation, -ition, -ible,
-able, -al, -ial, -y, -ness, -ity, ty, -ment, -ic, -ous, -eous, -ious, -en, -er,
-ive, -ative, -itive, -ful, -less, -est, -ish, -ist, -dom, -ship, -hood, -ward,
-some, -ard, -fold, -ify, -ical,
We begin introducing roots after Group 17. We intersperse these lessons between groups. We
have included some of the more common roots.
Roots: tract, ject, duct, struct, vis, spect, scrib, sist, rupt, act, form, mit, aud, ceed, tent,
dict, flect, fac, cept, stat
Depending on the abilities and/or needs of your students, you can teach two or three affixes at one time.
Be sure not to introduce any that might cause confusion i.e. un- and in- or -ity and –ify.
*These are chameleon prefixes (the meanings are the same, but depending on what they precede, the
spelling changes) We like to teach them together as a ‘family’.
Student Response Sheet
New Learning
Name: ____________________________ Date: _________________________
New Learning: Write New Sound/Affix/Root:
1. ____________________ 1. ____________________
2. ____________________ 2. ____________________
3. ____________________ 3. ____________________
New Learning: Spell Words:
1. __________________ 7. __________________
2.. __________________ 8. __________________
3. __________________ 9. __________________
4. __________________ 10. __________________
5. __________________ 11. __________________
6. __________________ 12. __________________
New Learning: Red Word (s):
1. __________________ 1. __________________ 1. __________________
2. __________________ 2. __________________ 2. __________________
3. __________________ 3. __________________ 3. __________________
Student Response Sheet
Review Learning
Name: _________________________________ Date: _____________________________
Review Learning: Write Sounds
1. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 7. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
2. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 8. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
3. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 9. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
4. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 10. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
5. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 11. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
6. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 12. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
Review Learning: Spell Words:
1. __________________ 7. __________________ 13. __________________
2. __________________ 8. __________________ 14. __________________
3. __________________ 9. __________________ 15. __________________
4. __________________ 10. __________________ 16. __________________
5. __________________ 11. __________________ 17. __________________
6. __________________ 12. __________________ 18. __________________
Review Learning: Sentence Dictation:
1. _______________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
2. _______________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
