# Original low-ink English aids

Print in plain black text. Enlarge or supply tactile letter tiles, AAC choices, pointing frame or adult scribe as needed. An adult can say the phonemes for access, but record this as a prompt rather than independent decoding. These are **original classroom practice texts**, not representations of any culture's traditional story or replacements for a diverse classroom library.

## Sound boxes

```text
Word: __________        Say word normally: __________
Hear each phoneme:      [   ] [   ] [   ] [   ]
Choose a grapheme for each sound: __________________
Blend the sounds into the word: ____________________
Check: Does the word fit the sentence? _____________
```

Draw only the number of boxes needed. A digraph `sh` or `ch` occupies **one** phoneme box. A two-consonant blend `st` or `nd` occupies **two** phoneme boxes because both sounds are heard. The phoneme counts in the answer bank are teacher aids, not child-facing labels.

## Cumulative word bank and teacher key

| Stage | Words to build/read | Phoneme count and note |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Prior CVC check | sat, sit, tap, can, tin, map | 3 each |
| Teach `sh` | ship, shop, shut, fish, dish, hush | 3 each; `sh` is one sound |
| Teach `ch` | chip, chop, chat, chin, rich | 3 each; `ch` is one sound |
| Teach initial `st` | stop, step, stem, stun | 4 each; /s/ + /t/ are distinct |
| Teach final `nd` | hand, sand, bend, mend | 4 each; /n/ + /d/ are distinct |
| Combined taught patterns | stand | 5 sounds: /s/ /t/ /a/ /n/ /d/ |

**Names:** Sam, Tim, Chad and Stan are regular for the stated code. Explicitly introduce the names and capital letters before the texts. **High-frequency exceptions:** `a` and `is` appear in some strips; teach their pronunciation and meaning directly. A learner who has not been taught them reads with adult support; record support. Other vocabulary may be oral-only if not yet decodable for a learner.

## Cut-apart controlled practice strips

```text
P1 — prior CVC:   Sam sat. Tim sat. Sam can tap. Tim can sit.

P2 — sh:          Sam can shop. Tim can fish.

P3 — ch:          Chad can chat. Chad can chop.

P4 — cumulative:  Sam can shop. Tim can fish. Chad can chat.

P5 — initial st:  Stan can stop. Stan can step.

P6 — final nd:    Stan can stand. Chad can bend.

P7 — cumulative:  Stan can stand. Sam can fish. Chad can chop.

P8 — with a/is:   A fish is in a dish. Sam can fish.

P9 — transfer:    Stan can chop. Tim can shop. Chad can stand.
```

Do not assess comprehension with a nonsense sentence. Ask simple meaningful questions such as “Who can fish?” for P2 (Tim), “What can Chad do?” for P3 (chat and chop), “Who can stand?” for P6 (Stan), and “Where is the fish?” for P8 (in a dish). P8 needs explicit teaching of `a` and `is`; `in` is regular CVC.

## Original teacher-read story: The ramp test

> Mara made a short ramp from a piece of cardboard. Her toy bus rolled to the edge of a mat and stopped. Mara tried again with the ramp a little higher. The bus travelled farther. She told Arun what she noticed and asked, “Would it happen again?” They marked a starting line so they could try the same push next time.

**Read aloud, not assigned for independent decoding.** Many words exceed this fortnight's phonics sequence. Children may point, draw, act, sign, use AAC or speak when answering. Teacher keys: characters Mara and Arun; setting by a ramp/mat; first attempt bus stopped at mat edge; second, higher ramp bus went farther; they marked a start line to make another try easier to compare. Do **not** infer that ramp height alone caused the result because push, surface and start position may have varied. A child may notice the story's uncertainty. For science, use the separate [Week 2 inquiry guide](../../../term-1/week-02-how-things-move.md), which avoids turning this fictional story into experimental data.

## Sentence building frame

```text
WHO/WHAT? ___________   DID WHAT? _________________________
My sentence: ______________________________________________
I reread it. It makes sense: yes / revise
Capital at start: yes / add    Full stop at end: yes / add
```

An oral, signed, AAC or dictated sentence may meet the intended composition opportunity; record adult transcription. Spelling of taught patterns remains separately observable.

Original aids and texts © NeuroForgeIO Pty Ltd 2026, CC BY 4.0. ACARA's separate rights/source in [README](README.md). Educator/language review pending.