Scope & Sequence
How Skills Build — The K–6 Scope & Sequence
One coherent system. Each grade keeps the same 3×7 structure and adds the next layer of orthographic depth — sequenced the way structured-literacy programs introduce skills, from fully transparent spelling toward full English.
Shallow, transparent spelling (teal) deepening to full irregular English (plum).
Grade
New skills introduced
Pre-K / K
- CVC words
- one sound per letter
Grade 1
- Blends & digraphs (bl, cr, st, sh, ch, th)
- simple past -ed
Grade 2
- Silent-e (CVCe)
- vowel teams (ai, ee, oa, ea)
- r-controlled (ar, er, ir, or, ur)
Grade 3
- Multisyllabic decoding
- prefixes/suffixes (un-, re-, -ing, -tion)
- soft c/g
Grade 4
- Advanced vowel teams
- homophones
- compound words
- subordinate clauses
Grade 5
- Latin/Greek roots
- derivational morphology (-able, -ous, -ist)
- multisyllabic fluency
Grade 6
- Advanced roots
- academic vocabulary
- complex sentences across all three tiers
Why sequence it this way?
Struggling and dyslexic readers do best when English is introduced from its most reliable patterns outward. Starting transparent (one letter, one sound) and adding irregularity one controlled step at a time builds decoding confidence before the trickier rules arrive — and keeps every sentence a real, meaningful one.