K-3 phonics scope and sequence

By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated November 1, 2026

Short answer

A phonics scope and sequence lists every letter-sound pattern to be taught (the scope) and the order and timing for teaching them (the sequence). A typical K-3 sequence moves from letter sounds and CVC words in kindergarten, through digraphs, blends, silent e and vowel teams in 1st grade, to syllable types and word parts in 2nd and 3rd. Use the template below and the completed example.

A scope and sequence is the backbone of systematic phonics. Without one, patterns get taught in the order the reading book happens to use them, gaps open, and intervention teachers cannot tell what a student has been taught. With one, every teacher knows what comes next, and an intervention can place a student at an exact step.

The National Reading Panel found that systematic phonics, taught in a planned sequence, helped young children and struggling readers more than unsystematic or no phonics instruction.^[1] The What Works Clearinghouse foundational skills guide recommends teaching sound-spelling patterns and word parts directly.^[2] For how a sequence drives intervention placement, see the phonics interventions pillar guide.

The fill-in template

Copy one row per unit. A unit is usually 1 to 3 weeks.

Column	What to fill in
Grade and weeks	Grade level and the weeks of the year the unit covers
Pattern	The letter-sound pattern taught, one per unit where possible
Example words	6 to 10 words that use only this and earlier patterns
Irregular words	2 to 5 high-frequency words with an irregular part, taught by mapping
Decodable text	Title or set that matches the unit
Spelling focus	What students must spell correctly, including any spelling rule
Mastery check	The check that decides whether students move on (for example, 9 of 10 unpracticed words, real and nonsense)
State standard	Your state's foundational skills standard code, if you map to one

Completed example: one school's K-3 sequence

This is a fictional sequence for a school with 36 instructional weeks per year. It is one reasonable order, not the only one. Some programs teach blends before digraphs, or vowel teams before r-controlled vowels.

Kindergarten

Weeks	Pattern	Example words	Irregular words
1 to 6	m, s, a, t, p, i, n, f	mat, sat, pin, fit, nap	the, a
7 to 12	o, c, d, g, h, b, u, l	dog, cub, hot, lap, bud	is, to
13 to 18	e, r, w, k, j, v, x, y, z, qu	red, wet, kid, van, fox, yes	you, of
19 to 28	CVC words, all short vowels	sun, pig, hen, mop, bat	said, was
29 to 36	Digraphs sh, ch, th	ship, chop, thin, fish	have, they

1st grade

Weeks	Pattern	Example words	Irregular words
1 to 3	Review CVC and digraphs; wh, ck	when, duck, back	what, where
4 to 8	Initial and final blends	stop, flag, hand, fast	come, some
9 to 11	ff, ll, ss, zz; -ng, -nk	bell, puff, ring, pink	does, done
12 to 17	Silent e, all vowels	cake, bike, home, cube	give, live
18 to 21	Endings -s, -es, -ed, -ing	jumps, wishes, hopped, landing	were, there
22 to 26	R-controlled ar, or, er, ir, ur	farm, fork, her, bird, turn	four, your
27 to 33	Long vowel teams ai, ay, ee, ea, oa, ow	rain, play, feet, seat, boat, snow	could, would
34 to 36	igh, y as a vowel	night, my, happy	been, again

2nd grade

Weeks	Pattern	Example words	Irregular words
1 to 4	Review vowel teams and r-controlled	train, storm, sleep, shirt
5 to 9	Diphthongs oi, oy, ou, ow; oo, au, aw	coin, boy, cloud, cow, moon, book, saw	through, enough
10 to 13	Soft c and g; kn, wr, mb	city, gem, knot, write, lamb
14 to 18	Closed and open syllables, VC/CV and V/CV	napkin, robot, tiger
19 to 22	Silent e and consonant-le syllables	reptile, table, puzzle
23 to 27	Prefixes un-, re-, dis-; suffixes -ful, -less, -ly	unpack, refill, helpful, slowly
28 to 32	Suffix spelling rules: doubling, drop e, y to i	hopping, making, cried
33 to 36	Vowel team and r-controlled syllables in long words	explain, garden, perfect

3rd grade

Weeks	Pattern	Example words
1 to 5	Review syllable types; VC/V	lemon, cabin, visit
6 to 10	Three-syllable words	fantastic, remember, volcano
11 to 15	-tion, -sion, -ture, -ous	action, tension, picture, famous
16 to 20	Prefixes pre-, mis-, non-, in-, im-	preview, misread, invisible
21 to 25	Suffixes -able, -ment, -ness, -er, -est	readable, payment, kindness
26 to 30	Schwa in unstressed syllables	about, lemon, problem
31 to 36	Greek and Latin word parts in content words	telephone, transport, biology

For how to teach each stage, see teaching CVC words, silent e activities, vowel team activities and multisyllabic word strategies.

Notes on each section: what reviewers and parents look for

Pattern

Reviewers look for one new pattern per unit, simple before complex. A unit labeled "vowels" is too broad to teach or check. Parents want to know what their child is learning this month; a named pattern ("ai and ay") answers that.

Example words

Every example word should use only the current pattern and earlier ones. A kindergarten unit on short a that lists "cake" has a word from a later unit. Reviewers spot-check this.

Irregular words

Reviewers look for a small number per unit, chosen because students will meet them in text soon. Words that become regular later (they, play) can be taught early as heart words. See teaching irregular high-frequency words.

Decodable text and spelling

Each unit needs text and spelling that match it. A sequence with no spelling column usually means spelling is taught from a separate, unmatched list.

Mastery check

Reviewers look for a clear move-on rule. Without one, the calendar decides, and students who need more time fall behind. The phonics skills checklist has mastery rules for each skill.

State standards

States set foundational skills standards by grade. Mapping units to your state's codes shows coverage. Expectations differ by state, so check your own standards before adopting any sequence, including this one.

Using the sequence in intervention

An intervention uses the same sequence but starts where the student is. Place the student with the phonics inventory template, find the first unit not mastered, and teach from there with faster pacing and more review. A 3rd grader placed at 1st grade weeks 12 to 17 (silent e) works through those units with age-respectful words. For English learners, see phonics for English learners on which units need extra oral practice. Goal templates for every stage are on the phonics decoding goals page, and wording examples are in phonics IEP goal examples.

Frequently asked questions

What is a phonics scope and sequence?

The scope is the list of letter-sound patterns to teach. The sequence is the order and timing. Together they make phonics systematic, so each pattern builds on earlier ones and every teacher knows what has been taught.

Should digraphs or blends come first?

Programs differ. Many teach digraphs first because each is one sound and keeps words short. Others teach blends first. Either can work if the order is planned, applied consistently and matched with decodable text.

Can an intervention use a different sequence than the classroom?

It can, but matching the classroom sequence makes practice line up across the day. If the intervention program has its own sequence, share it with the classroom teacher so both know which patterns the student has learned.

Use it in IEP Atlas

Sources

Report of the National Reading Panel: Teaching Children to Read, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
Foundational Skills to Support Reading for Understanding in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade, What Works Clearinghouse, Institute of Education Sciences

Written and checked by the IEP Atlas editorial team under our editorial policy. This guide describes general practice and federal rules. It is not legal advice; your state may add requirements, and the IEP team makes the decisions for each student.