Skills Block: Module 4 (Cycles 19-25) | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA GK:S4

Skills Block: Module 4 (Cycles 19-25)

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Kindergarten Module 4 continues and builds on the decoding and encoding of CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words from Module 3. Students are also challenged to decode and encode CVC words with double consonants. Students are introduced to a new routine during differentiated small group instruction: The Reader's Toolbox. This will help them to use a variety of strategies, or "tools," to solve unknown words.

Students are introduced to the difference between long and short vowel sounds and become comfortable identifying the long vowels in spoken CVCe (consonant-vowel-consonant-"e") words. Students are also exposed to some consonant blends word endings, such as "-nk" and "-ing," in print. They begin to recognize and identify them in spoken words. The work with long vowels and consonant blends prepare students to begin decoding and encoding words that include these components in first grade.

By the end of the module, students should be able to decode and encode CVC words and be increasingly comfortable decoding CVC words with double consonants at the end. Students should know the difference between short and long vowel sounds and identify each in a spoken one-syllable word.

Cycle Details

  • Cycle 19: Reviews short vowels and digraphs.
  • Cycle 20: Continued review of short vowels, specifically /a/ and /i/. Introduces decoding and encoding words with the “-an” and “-am” spelling patterns.
  • Cycle 21: Continued review of short vowels, specifically /u/ and /e/. Introduces “-ank” and “-ink” in spoken words.
  • Cycle 22: Continued review of short vowels, including /o/. Introduces decoding words with double final consonants (example: “moss”).
  • Cycle 23: Introduces long vowels in spoken words, specifically /ā/ and /ī/.
  • Cycle 24: Introduces long vowels in spoken words, specifically /ō/, /ū/, and /ē/.
  • Cycle 25: Introduces r-controlled vowels in spoken words.

Module Pacing Considerations

Flex Week: All modules in the K-2 Reading Foundations Skills Block include a Flex Week for teachers to use at their discretion. When determining how to use these days, consider scheduling challenges (examples: holidays or teacher work days) and students' needs (example: reteaching).

Module 4 introduces a new routine during differentiated small group instruction (in Lesson 97) called The Reader's Toolbox. Though it is introduced in small groups, consider using flex days to introduce and reinforce during whole group instruction.

Module 4 introduces new instructional practices: Writing the Letter to Match the Sound and Spelling to Complement Reading (Review). As a result, consider using one or more Flex Days to reinforce the new instructional practices and/or the new, more challenging skills introduced, if necessary. In addition, students are introduced to Cycle Assessment and Goal Setting at the end of each cycle. It is suggested that the teacher scores the assessment and reviews the results with each individual student to facilitate a goal-setting conversation. If time is a concern, the teacher may consider only meeting with one or two groups for each cycle for a goal-setting conversation.

End-of-the-Year Benchmark Assessments can be administered at the discretion of the teacher, school leader, or school district. If they are administered at the end of Module 4, consider using a few Flex Days from each module to make up for this time, if necessary.

Assessment

There are two forms of assessment in the K-2 Reading Foundations Skills Block curriculum.

Benchmark Assessments

  • Students complete Benchmark Assessments at the start of the year, mid-year, and at the end of the year. See Assessment Overview in the K-2 Skills Resource Manual for details.

Cycle Assessments

  • Beginning in Module 3, at the end of each cycle, students also are assessed on decoding (reading) and encoding (spelling) words made up of taught graphemes and phonemes as well as taught high-frequency words. It is suggested that the teacher scores the assessment and reviews the results with each individual student to facilitate a goal-setting conversation. If time is a concern, the teacher may consider only meeting with one or two groups for each cycle for a goal-setting conversation. Guidance is provided to differentiate the assessments based on each student's Phase of Reading Development. Refer to the Review and Cycle Assessment lesson in each cycle for details.

Habits of Character / Social Emotional Learning Focus

Across EL Education's curriculum, there is a specific focus on students building habits of character. See K-5 Curriculum Overview document for details.

Within the K-2 Reading Foundations Skills Block, specifically, there is a strong focus on building students' growth mindset: noticing that their ability grows with their effort. This is addressed during a daily closing routine where students reflect on how the content of the lesson and specific learning or actions they've taken will contribute to helping them become more proficient readers.

In Module 4, students become more independent word analyzers as they make more complete graphophonemic connections. This important routine provides valuable formative assessment information for teachers at the end of each cycle and empowers students to be leaders of their own learning by working with the teacher to identify specific skills they can work on to become more proficient readers. This will continue into first and second grade.

Engagement Texts and Decodable Readers

Texts (no purchase necessary; included in the module materials)

  • "Chip Can't Nap!" (written by EL Education for instructional purposes) (Cycle 19)
  • "Josh Takes a Bath" (written by EL Education for instructional purposes) (Cycle 20)
  • "Josh and Chip at the Farm" (written by EL Education for instructional purposes) (Cycle 21)
  • "The Bowling Alley" (written by EL Education for instructional purposes) (Cycle 22)
  • "Time to Bake" (written by EL Education for instructional purposes) (Cycle 23)
  • "The Mystery Moth" (written by EL Education for instructional purposes) (Cycle 24)
  • "The Jazz Trio" (written by EL Education for instructional purposes) (Cycle 25)

CCS Standards Taught and Assessed

Reading-Foundational Skills

  • RF.K.1: Demonstrate understanding of the organization and basic features of print.

A. Follow words from left to right, top to bottom and page by page.

B. Recognize that spoken words are represented in written language by specific sequences of letters.

C. Understand that words are separated by spaces in print.

D. Recognize and name all upper- and lowercase letters of the alphabet.

  • RF.K.2: Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (phonemes).

A. Recognize and produce rhyming words.

B. Count, pronounce, blend and segment syllables in spoken words.

C. Blend and segment onsets and rimes of single-syllable spoken words.

D. Isolate and pronounce the initial, medial vowel, and final sounds (phonemes) in three-phoneme (consonant-vowel-consonant, or CVC) words. (This does not include CVC words ending with /l/, /r/, or /x/.)

E. Add or substitute individual sounds (phonemes) in simple, one-syllable words to make new words.

  • RF.K.3: Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.

A. Demonstrate basic knowledge of one-to-one letter-sound correspondences by producing the primary sound or many of the most frequent sounds for each consonant.

B. Associate the long and short sounds with the common spellings (graphemes) for the five major vowels.

C. Read common high-frequency words by sight (e.g. the, of, to, you, she, my, is, are, do, does).

D. Distinguish between similarly spelled words by identifying the sounds of the letters that differ.

  • RF.K.4: Read emergent-reader texts with purpose and understanding.

Language

  • L.K.1: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

A. Print many upper- and lowercase letters.

  • L.K.2: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

C. Write a letter or letters for most consonant and short-vowel sounds (phonemes).

D. Spell simple words phonetically, drawing on knowledge of sound-letter relationships.

Module at a Glance

Cycle 19

Introduced: Review of all short vowels and digraphs

High-frequency words: “of,” “have,” “from”

Cycle 20

Introduced: Decoding and encoding words with the “-an” and “-am” spelling patterns; review of /a/ and /i/

High-frequency words: “there,” “they,” “where”

Cycle 21

Introduced: “-ank” and “-ink” in spoken words; review of /u/ and /e/

High-frequency words: “one,” “we,” “all”

Cycle 22

Introduced: Decoding and encoding words with double final consonants (example: “moss”); review of short vowels, including /o/

High-frequency words: “but,” “not,” “no”

Cycle 23

Introduced: Long vowels in spoken words with a focus on /ā/ and /ī/

High-frequency words: “what,” “when,” “then”

Cycle 24

Introduced: Long vowels /ō/, /ū/, and /ē/ in spoken words

High-frequency words: “you,” “said,” “were”

Cycle 25

Introduced: r-controlled vowels in spoken words

High-frequency words: “she,” “her,” “like”

See each Cycle Overview for more details, including information about what to prepare in advance, and extension opportunities.

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