Ten daily 25-minute English… | Year 1 English · T1 W3–4 · Lessons

Run order: retrieve 3 min + explicit model 5 + guided try 7 + child try 7 + exit 3 = 25 min. Prepare one of the three contexts in learner practice for each day; the remaining choices support choice, home use or later fresh practice. Adult-read prompts and stories are language input; only text explicitly marked Child reads is controlled print. The teacher key stays teacher-side. Observe a rotating group at the exit while other learners point, write or dictate; finish individual checks across the day if needed. Exact ACARA wording and partial alignment are in the crosswalk.

Before Day 16: Read the school's phonics scope. Choose Route A only if final ck /k/ is its next correspondence and the learner is ready. For Route A, teach ck as two letters representing one /k/ sound at the end of many one-syllable words after one short vowel; it is a useful pattern, not an exceptionless spelling rule. Route B is a fully specified sh/ch/st/nd continuation for a different school order. Use the matching cards and Day 20 check. Never hand the A text to an untaught B learner as independent reading.

Day 11 — Read every grapheme, then say what happened

Goal: cumulative short-vowel and sh/ch accuracy plus a literal sentence retell. Codes: AC9E1LY04, AC9E1LY05, AC9E1LY11. Prepare: word tiles, Day 11 choice, sound-to-sentence aid.

Retrieve · 3 min. Show ship, chip, sit. Say: “Point to the two letters that make one sound. Now blend the whole word.” If a child gives the word from the first letter, cover and reveal each grapheme.
Model · 5 min. Segment ship as /sh/ /i/ /p/, place sh in one box, blend, then read the chosen controlled line once accurately and once with natural phrasing. Say: “The letters tell me the word; the sentence tells me what happened.”
Guide · 7 min. Read the chosen Day 11 line together. Ask “Who or what acted? What did they do? Which printed word helped you know?” Contrast the action in another option orally, without asking learners to read an unchosen strip.
Child try · 7 min. Learners point-track or read the chosen strip, then arrange picture/action cards for its meaning. Dictate sit or tap for letter tiles. Record print accuracy separately from oral meaning.
Exit · 3 min. Give familiar dish to a focus group. Ask for /sh/ at the end and a smooth whole-word read. If the digraph splits, place its letters in one phoneme box; recheck with another taught word later.

Access/home/extension: Supply tactile sh tile and AAC action choices; adult can read the context, not the controlled line unless support is recorded. At home use scrap-paper words. An already secure learner composes a second controlled line with taught words and explains whether it changes the actor or action.

Day 12 — Two sounds in a blend, one event in a sentence

Goal: hear st and nd as two phonemes and retell one event. Codes: AC9E1LY09, AC9E1LY04, AC9E1LA06. Prepare: five sound boxes, Day 12 choice.

Retrieve · 3 min. Say stand normally. Children tap /s/ /t/ /a/ /n/ /d/; contrast one tap for sh in ship.
Model · 5 min. Place s-t-a-n-d into five boxes and blend without extra vowel sounds. Read “Stan can stand.” Say: “This sentence tells one event. Stan is doing the standing.”
Guide · 7 min. Build mend, step, stand with tiles. Underline the two separate sounds in each blend. Choose one Day 12 context and ask the child to match its sentence to the invented situation.
Child try · 7 min. Learners read the chosen line and retell by action cards, sign, AAC or speech. They build bend from dictation; do not score handwriting neatness as phoneme knowledge.
Exit · 3 min. Say sand; learners show /n/ and /d/ with two counters, then read the printed word. If one end sound disappears, contrast sad and sand orally and retry later.

Access/home/extension: A learner can direct a partner to move one counter per sound. Home materials are five drawn boxes. Extension: compare how the actor changes between two controlled sentences, while keeping the blend analysis explicit.

Day 13 — First, next, last in a teacher-read story

Goal: connect the newly heard story to a supported oral retell without treating rich prose as decodable. Codes: AC9E1LE03, AC9E1LY05, AC9E1LY02, AC9E1LY04. Prepare: The signs that moved, three blank scene cards, Day 13 choice.

Retrieve · 3 min. Blend chat and shop. Say: “Two letters make the first sound in each word; which pair changed?”
Model · 5 min. Read the first two story paragraphs aloud. Think aloud: “Nia and Eli are characters. The signs moved; that is the problem.” Mark first with a paper card. No child is assigned the paragraph to decode.
Guide · 7 min. Finish the story aloud. Invite partners to place three blank scene cards: signs drawn, signs moved, signs clipped and mapped. Reread a sentence when a learner asks; accept an evidence-linked alternative division.
Child try · 7 min. Read one chosen Day 13 controlled strip, then retell the adult story with first/next/last cards, drawing or AAC. Ask for one reason Nia leaves a blank map space. Record story comprehension separately from controlled reading.
Exit · 3 min. Ask a focus learner, “What moved, and what did the group do next?” If the retell loses order, provide two pictured events and reread the transition before a fresh retell.

Access/home/extension: The adult can describe scene cards and accept tactile objects. Home adult reads the original story; a learner tells two events. Extension: ask what the map cannot prove about actual tray care.

Day 14 — Retell, then compose a complete idea

Goal: recount the story and construct one simple sentence with a clear boundary. Codes: AC9E1LA06, AC9E1LY06, AC9E1LE03, AC9E1LY04. Prepare: story, Day 14 choice, blank sentence strip.

Retrieve · 3 min. Ask for the Week 3 story's characters and place without a printed cue. Allow a partner reminder, then note whether it was prompted.
Model · 5 min. Reread the final paragraph aloud. Model “Nia made a map.” as one complete idea; start with capital N, leave spaces, finish with a full stop. The model is adult-written, not a controlled child-reading assignment.
Guide · 7 min. Partners retell first, problem, response, last. Point to the story evidence for a correction. Read a chosen Day 14 controlled strip together; identify who/what and did what.
Child try · 7 min. Each learner makes one new sentence about the story or chosen fictional context. They may dictate richer words to a scribe; the adult marks exactly what was supplied. Writers reread their own sentence and check capital, word spaces and full stop.
Exit · 3 min. Show a sentence without its final dot, Sam can sit. Ask where an idea ends and what mark will show it. If the child points inside a word, move a token after the last word and reread once.

Access/home/extension: Use three tactile event objects or picture choices; no home plant needed. Extension: make a second sentence that changes the action and explain why the two ideas need separate boundaries.

Day 15 — Held-out Week 3 transfer and retell

Goal: sample independent reading/encoding and a fresh oral retell for next teaching. Codes: AC9E1LY04, AC9E1LY05, AC9E1LY06, AC9E1LY11. Prepare: Day 15 student check face down; Day 15 practice choices for after the check; teacher recording sheet.

Retrieve · 3 min. Children review sh/ch/st/nd with four known tiles. Do not preview the held-out items.
Model · 5 min. Demonstrate the response process with known ship: say sounds, map tiles, blend, check meaning. State that the next card is a new sample and that a child may ask for the access method they use in class.
Guide · 7 min. Read an already known controlled line together, then practise a first/next retell of The signs that moved. Do not read the held-out microstory yet.
Child try · 7 min. Give the student check. Rotate through focus learners: two unseen printed words, one dictated word, a new sentence read for meaning. Others use one Day 15 practice choice after their check; avoid coaching the scored response.
Exit · 3 min. Read the new microstory aloud and take a first/next response from focus learners; other learners place two event cards for later review. Mark independent/prompted/not observed by subskill. Choose the exact next lesson from teacher key, not a total reading-level label.

Access/home/extension: If stamina or timing prevents individual checks, complete the remaining focus learners later the same day using the same secure card and note the interval. Home practice occurs after the check, never as advance rehearsal. Extension: a child asks one evidence-based question about the microstory.

Day 16 — Route A: teach final `ck` /k/ · Route B: cumulative contrast

Goal: teach the school's chosen code or deepen sh/ch discrimination; keep sentence meaning. Codes: AC9E1LY09, AC9E1LY11, AC9E1LY04. Prepare: choose and label Route A or B on Day 16 practice before class.

Retrieve · 3 min. A: read cat and hear final /t/, then hear final /k/ in spoken back. B: read known ship/chip, point to changed first grapheme.
Model · 5 min. A: say back normally, segment /b/ /a/ /k/, place b, a, ck into three boxes, then blend. Say: “Here ck is two letters for one final /k/ after a short vowel. I check the whole word.” Do not call every /k/ word a ck word. B: segment ship and chip in three boxes each; make the mouth/print contrast explicit without adding a new grapheme.
Guide · 7 min. A: build sick, duck, sock; point to one ck box and short vowel. B: build ship, chip, shop, chop, with one changed sound at a time. Read the matching Day 16 choice together.
Child try · 7 min. Read a chosen A or B controlled strip, then build A pack or B dish from dictation. Ask who/what acts in the line. Keep any adult oral context separate from child-read print.
Exit · 3 min. A: show sack, ask child to read and point to final /k/ letters. B: show hush, ask for last sound's two letters. If the pattern is not secure, reteach with a different known word before increasing text length.

Access/home/extension: Provide a single joined ck tile for A and familiar digraph tiles for B. Home adult says the word normally then gives the printed line; record adult blending as support. Extension: A contrasts back/bag by meaning and final grapheme; B makes a new sh/ch sentence with known words.

Day 17 — Transfer the chosen code into new contexts

Goal: practise code mapping across short vowels and read for meaning. Codes: AC9E1LY04, AC9E1LY11, AC9E1LY13. Prepare: matching Day 17 choices, three sound boxes.

Retrieve · 3 min. A: show back, sick, duck; point to the common final sound spelling. B: revisit mend, stand, shop; name what is one sound or two.
Model · 5 min. A: segment neck /n/ /e/ /k/, place ck in one box, blend and use its meaning with an adult-read body diagram, without asking children to label themselves. B: segment mend as four sounds and sweep each before blending.
Guide · 7 min. A: build dock, sack, rock, check short vowels and word meanings with drawings. B: build bend, shut, chop, then compare digraph against final blend. Shared-read a matching Day 17 line.
Child try · 7 min. Child reads a selected line and explains the invented scene by speech, sign, AAC or picture choice. Dictate A rock or B hand for spelling with tiles or pencil. A correct letter choice after an adult-supplied sound is coded as prompted decoding.
Exit · 3 min. A: read dock on a new card and select its pictured meaning. B: read bend and identify the final two sounds. If word meaning is unknown, teach it orally and keep the print check separate.

Access/home/extension: Use large/high-contrast or tactile graphemes. Home can sketch the scene. Extension: make a novel controlled line from known words and explain which word makes it meaningful.

Day 18 — Where does one sentence stop?

Goal: show separate simple ideas with capital letters, spaces and full stops. Codes: AC9E1LA06, AC9E1LA10, AC9E1LY06, AC9E1LY04. Prepare: two sentence strips from the chosen route, blank punctuation tiles.

Retrieve · 3 min. Ask children to retell one event from The signs that moved, then say a different event. Place a card between the two ideas.
Model · 5 min. A: read “Sam can pack. Tim can sit.” B: read “Sam can shop. Tim can sit.” Point to the first capital, its full stop, the next capital and its full stop. “Each sentence tells a complete idea; the full stop shows where I pause.” The names are familiar proper nouns with capitals.
Guide · 7 min. Select a matching Day 18 two-sentence choice. Children cut or point where sentence 1 ends and sentence 2 begins, then answer “Who does what?” from print. Reread with phrasing; do not make speed the target.
Child try · 7 min. Learner reads the selected choice and composes two different simple ideas about the fictional context, through writing or child-directed adult marks. They reread, check capitals, spaces and two final stops. If only one idea is made, record one complete sentence rather than inventing a second for the child.
Exit · 3 min. Present an unpunctuated familiar line, A sam can pack or B sam can shop, and ask the learner to repair initial name capital and final full stop. If a learner only adds punctuation but cannot say the idea, revisit sentence meaning with actor/action tiles.

Access/home/extension: Use tactile start/end tiles and allow an adult to move them at the child's direction. At home mark starts and stops in the provided controlled line; no family writing sample is required. Extension: compare how two separate sentences change actor or action.

Day 19 — Hear a richer story; write a clear small message

Goal: retell problem/action/result from an adult-read text and edit a child-created sentence. Codes: AC9E1LE03, AC9E1LY05, AC9E1LY06, AC9E1LY04. Prepare: The puppet show card, matching Day 19 choice.

Retrieve · 3 min. Show two known one-idea sentences; learners point to the stop and the next start. Rehearse only previously taught code for their route.
Model · 5 min. Read the Week 4 story aloud. Think aloud: “The group had a problem with the card. Miri changed the boundaries. A new actor tested it.” Do not present the rich paragraph as child-decodable.
Guide · 7 min. Reread the story; ask what the first card made unclear and what the group did next. Arrange problem/action/result cards. A: separately model check as /ch/ /e/ /k/ with ch and ck in two different one-sound boxes. B: separately model stand with two distinct blend sounds at each end.
Child try · 7 min. Read one matching Day 19 controlled strip. Make a new one-idea note for a fictional puppet, orally or in writing; if written, child rereads and edits boundary. Adult scribing preserves the child's wording and logs prompts.
Exit · 3 min. Ask a focus learner what Miri changed and how the group tested the new card. If the response names only punctuation, reread the final story paragraph and invite the result.

Access/home/extension: Paper puppets or tactile shapes work; no public performance. Home adult reads the story and child shows two events. Extension: child makes two different messages and explains why the reader needs a boundary.

Day 20 — Held-out Week 4 route check and next move

Goal: sample route-specific transfer, a complete sentence and fresh listening retell. Codes: AC9E1LY04, AC9E1LY05, AC9E1LY06, AC9E1LY11, AC9E1LA10. Prepare: correct A or B Day 20 check; do not preteach its scored words. Give Day 20 practice choices only after the check.

Retrieve · 3 min. Learners point to an old matching route tile in a word already taught. No Day 20 check item is shown.
Model · 5 min. Demonstrate “look through every grapheme, blend, check meaning, then reread” using A back or B ship. Demonstrate name capital/full stop using a different known line, not the scored repair.
Guide · 7 min. Read one previously practised controlled line together and ask who/what acted. Revisit problem/action/result from the adult-read puppet story. Keep the new microstory and scored words hidden.
Child try · 7 min. Give the matching held-out check. Focus learners read two new words, one new connected line and repair one sentence; note each prompt and mode. Remaining children complete a chosen Day 20 practice line after their check; collect unmarked cards for later response.
Exit · 3 min. Read the fresh microstory aloud and obtain problem/response from a rotating group; others mark two event cards. Finish individual samples later that day rather than claiming every child can be interviewed in three minutes. Use teacher key for an exact next move.

Access/home/extension: Repeat only the adult-read story when needed and log that support; do not supply a scored word's phonemes before the independent attempt. Home practice follows assessment. Extension is a fresh original sentence using the learner's taught route, with an explanation of sentence boundaries.

Reuse: Original scripts © NeuroForgeIO Pty Ltd 2026, CC BY 4.0. Credit source and mark changes. Local educator and phonics-scope review pending.