The Grade 1 Phonics program is a systematic and explicit approach to teaching foundational reading skills.
Word Recognition; including Phonological Awareness (syllables, phonemes etc.), Decoding (alphabetic principle, spelling-sound correspondence), and Sight Recognition (of familiar words), woven together with Language Comprehension creates a skilled reader.
Phonics will be taught using University of Florida Learning Institute Foundations. Below you will find the Grade 1 Scope and Sequence.
Spelling - No Excuse Rationale Grades 1 - 5
What are “No Excuse” words?
“No Excuse” words are words that are most often used in writing.
Why teach “No Excuse” words?
The 100 most frequently used words in writing comprise 50% of all words used in adult writing! Knowing these words quickly, effortlessly and automatically gives students opportunities to think about the content of their writing rather than having to struggle over the spelling of a word. Spelling is used as a “Literacy Yardstick” and we want our students to “Measure up” as literate communicators. An incorrectly spelled word in a written piece sends a message that the writer is illiterate or careless, and the message that the writer hopes to communicate is compromised.
How are “No Excuse” words different from the words taught in Word Study?
The focus of the word study is on teaching children linguistic features and patterns. There is less emphasis placed on high frequency words. In word study words, features and patterns can be GENERALIZED whereas “No Excuse” words can be MEMORIZED.
If you think of the “No Excuse” words the way you think of Math facts, you will have a clear understanding of how these words fit into the overall competence of our students. We expect children to know these words automatically, regardless of their developmental stage. Even a very poor speller should have at least these 100 words (Grades 3-8) memorized and used correctly in all of their work, all of the time!
How are “No Excuse” words assessed?
Test students at the beginning and the end of the year.
Check spelling accuracy in all kinds of student writing, not just spelling tests. Check these words by counting down the first 10 lines of a piece of writing for the accuracy of “No Excuse” words.
Randomly include these words on other spelling assessments.
How are “No Excuse” words taught?
The focus is on memorization. Word study activities are less effective for memorizing words. Word study activities are better for learning to generalize.
Teach students to MEMORIZE by:
Flashcards
Partner checks
Dry erase boards
Rainbow writing
Magnetic letters
Dictate and write exercise (timed)
Mad minute exercise
Writing-in-the-air exercise
Ghost writing on the board
Copy, cover, write, check
