Beginning Readers
Your student is learning the basics of how to read. You will help them understand the individual sounds and letters in written language. The three units below each contain a sequence of reading skills for your student to learn. Start with the first unit “Every Letter A-Z”, and continue through the units in order. If a reading skill in the unit is too easy, that’s ok! You can move at a faster pace until you find a reading skill that needs some extra practice.
Remember to take breaks between worksheets or other activities, and have fun!
Just Getting Started?
Follow the 
‘s for your first steps
‘s for your first steps
Follow these model lesson plans for a full tutoring session (or 2!)
Follow these model lesson plans for a full tutoring session (or 2!)
Click “Every Letter A-Z” below and select “ABC” to get started with Academic support activities
Click “Every Letter A-Z” below and select “ABC” to get started with Academic support activitiesThe Whole Alphabet & Icebreaker
Try these online and in-person games and activities to practice the alphabet!
Online Games and Activities
- An animal sorting game to practice identifying the letters of the alphabet.
- An animal matching game to practice the alphabet letter sounds.
- For additional alphabet practice: focus on lower and uppercase letters.
Click here to explore Padlet Arcade and create your own free learning games!
In-person Activities
Try these online and in-person games and activities to practice short vowel sounds!
Online Games and Activities
- Practice short vowel /a/ words with this matching picture & word-definition game.
- Practice short vowel /i/ words with this matching tiles game.
- For additional short vowel practice: focus on breaking apart sounds in short vowel words with this Google Slides blending board (click here). You can make a copy of the blending board to edit and use for sessions.
- Blending board instructions: Edit and use the virtual blending board (above) and the linked short vowel list (click here) to practice breaking apart the sounds in each word using Slideshow mode.
- Watch this example video (click here) to learn how to use the Google Slides blending board above for practicing breaking apart sounds in words in a virtual session.
Click here to explore Padlet Arcade and create your own free learning games!
In-person Games and Activities
- Practice short vowel sounds with these in-person activities.
- For additional short vowel in-person practice: focus on breaking apart sounds in short vowel words with this Elkonin Box PDF Printable (click here to download).
- Use this linked short vowel list (click here) to practice breaking apart the sounds in each word using the Elkonin Box PDF Printable (above).
- For more information on how to use the Elkonin sound box activity and learn about the benefits and research behind it, check out this article (click here).
Additional Tips
- The digital blending board and Elkonin sound boxes (above) support phonemic awareness with practicing breaking apart and blending sounds for reading.
- The finger and arm tapping techniques can also help students hear each sound in a word. See additional tips below.
- Additional tip #1: Watch this video (click here) to learn how to use the finger technique to practice breaking apart and blending sounds in words.
- Additional tip #2: Watch this video (click here) to learn how to use the arm tapping technique to practice breaking apart and blending sounds in words.
Try these online and in-person games and activities to practice the word families!
Online Games and Activities
- Practice the Word Families _et, _en with this sorting game.
- Practice the Word Families _ill, _ip with this matching tiles game.
- For additional word families practice: focus on breaking apart sounds in words from different word families using this Google Slides blending board (click here). You can make a copy of the blending board to edit and use for sessions.
- Blending board instructions: Edit and use the virtual blending board (above) and the linked word families list (click here) to practice breaking apart the sounds in each word using Slideshow mode.
- Watch this example video (click here) to learn how to use the Google Slides blending board above for practicing breaking apart sounds in words in a virtual session.
Click here to explore Padlet Arcade and create your own free learning games!
In-person Games and Activities
- Practice word families with these in-person activities.
- Spin & Spell: an easy, DIY craft to practice different word families.
- For additional word families in-person practice: focus on breaking apart sounds in words from different word families using this Elkonin Box PDF Printable (click here to download).
- Use this linked word families list (click here) to practice breaking apart the sounds in each word using the Elkonin Box PDF Printable (above).
- For more information on how to use the Elkonin sound box activity and learn about the benefits and research behind it, check out this article (click here).
Additional Tips
- The digital blending board and Elkonin sound boxes (above) support phonemic awareness with practicing breaking apart and blending sounds for reading.
- The finger and arm tapping techniques can also help students hear each sound in a word. See additional tips below.
- Additional tip #1: Watch this video (click here) to learn how to use the finger technique to practice breaking apart and blending sounds in words.
- Additional tip #2: Watch this video (click here) to learn how to use the arm tapping technique to practice breaking apart and blending sounds in words.
Try the following tips and activities for further enrichment:
- Rhyming & alliteration games like this one from Susan Jones Teaching.
- “Hearing the sounds” game: Ask your student to say a word but without one sound or syllable (“say chair but without the ‘ch’… “air”!)
- Clap out your syllables! You can start with this song by Blazer Fresh.
- Read a story out loud while your student listens for a specific sound, and have your student do a special move (with their hands or whole body!) each time they hear the sound.
- Talk over what your student already knows about a topic they’re interested in, for example: animals, outer space, science or medicine, under the sea, or forms of transportation. In particular, social studies content has been shown to support literacy learning!
- Watch a couple of short videos to enrich understanding about the topic.
- Find an article with something that’s happened recently and/or locally related to the topic – if you have to read it out loud to your student, that’s fine.
- Finally, read a book (at your student’s reading level) together about it!
- Click here for examples of vocabulary activities by Susan Jones Teaching.
- I Spy the Sound: a fun way to build phonics skills and phonemic awareness. In this variation of the classic game, ‘I Spy’, ask your child to spy words that begin with a certain sound, rather than a letter. For example, “I spy with my little eye, something beginning with mmm.”
- When practicing reading skills, you should always give your student the chance to try to find the answer themselves. If they aren’t ready for that, start offering them small clues that will lead to the right answer. For example, if a student says “cat” instead of “cut”, ask them to “slide through each sound” or “drive through the sounds” out loud: c – u – t.
- Personalize phonics skills by using your student’s name as an example! Review the sounds in their name, and come up with a list of other words that share each sound.
- Before reading a story, look at pictures or videos about the content or location of the story to make it come to life.
- Ask students to write a review, or a single sentence, describing what they just read.
- When you find a book that your student loves, look for other books with the same author or genre to try reading that, too.
- Ask your student to practice reading out loud.
- Read out loud to your student. For younger students, make it interactive and silly!
- Echo reading: ask your student to imitate you as you read. Choose a paragraph, story, or even script with lots of different types of expression, such as whispering, speaking loudly, dramatic pauses, or silly voices.
- Act out a scene together with as much drama as you can, while reading from a script.
- What the Science Says About How Kids Learn to Read (YouTube Video)
- Reading 101 guide from Reading Rockets (This resource is written for parents but contains lots of useful information for tutors.)
- Reading Rockets games (These games are designed to be played in person.)
Additional resources:
- Click here for a customizable session outline (pdf).
- Visit our Literacy Program website.
- Visit the Literacy Program FAQs.
- If you need additional materials, email us at literacy@schoolonwheels.org.