Reading For Life is the first curriculum of its kind. We’ve mapped the entire English alphabet code, and divided it into levels: The Simple Code level for kindergarten, the Basic Code level for first, the Complex Code level for second, and the Advanced Code level for third grade.

Children are carefully led through the entire alphabetic code in a logical progression. They develop key skills for reading and writing, as they experience success at each step along the way.

English is a tough language - and there’s no getting around teaching its complexity. Our alphabetic code has numerous variations of spellings, and also many code overlaps. When taught badly, the code seems to contradict reason. But we’ve discovered the true logic of the code, and we know how to teach it so that every child can be successful.

Success depends on presenting the code the way it truly works: the SOUNDS of English are coded by letters. Phonemes (speech sounds) are the basis of the code - NOT graphemes (letters). Teachers must be masterfully knowledgeable of the spelling code’s complexities, and frame its logic correctly when teaching young children. They must be aware of the literacy sub skills and how to develop them in young learners. And they need to know how to help older struggling readers, and give them timely intervention. 

Our curriculum comes with everything you need to teach literacy skills at each grade level, K-3rd grade, whether 1:1 or in small group settings. There are code charts, sets of word cards, worksheets, and a teacher’s manual. The teacher’s manual gives step-by-step instructions for conducting all the lessons that go with each level. We explain how every lesson can be adapted so that children with differing abilities experience success.

Once students know how to do the worksheet activities, they’re able to study the code independently. The teacher’s manual lays out the sequence of instruction - just follow along from day to day, week to week. With our materials, and your guidance and support, students complete lessons that help them learn and practice every part of the English alphabet code.

Word cards are the perfect way for students to study the code. We know that young children learn best when movement is involved. When the hands help the brain sort words into logical categories, students are more engaged and able to remember the lesson. Each set of words in the RFL curriculum is printed on 1”x4” paper cards. Students are asked to read them, one word at a time, then sort them.

Students who struggle to read books find it less stressful to read one word at a time, with a logical framework supporting their efforts. They categorize words as they move them under different headers. Once sorted, students are led to see the spelling patterns. There’s no ‘rules’ for teaching spelling - only patterns that reveal themselves when the cards are sorted.

Our word cards are carefully curated to reveal spelling patterns to young learners. When students make logical groupings of words on a table, they’re able to feel as if they’re discovering the patterns of English themselves. This is a more empowering way for children to learn than being directly taught by a parent or teacher.

Word cards can be reread on subsequent days, and different lessons can be done based on these sets of words. Repeated practice builds reflexivity and confidence with reading and writing that part of the code. Teachers and parents know that different kids need different amounts of practice to learn, and can adjust expectations accordingly.

Worksheets make it straightforward to practice the code, until students can automatically recognize it while reading, and reflexively recall it while writing. There are ten different activities, all involving writing: Read and Sort, Writing Dictation, Sentence Writing, Fill in the Blanks, Word Search, Word Drawing, Write and Draw, Graphic Story Writing, Definitions, and Synonyms. Each of these is adaptable to all our word card sets.

Our worksheets are designed to allow creative expression on the part of the student. They have clear instructions written at the top, and teachers can adapt expectations for different ability levels.

Teachers can use our curriculum as a springboard for a range of language arts learning objectives. For example, it can be used to teach about parts of speech and writing conventions.

The Reading For Life curriculum is perfect for remediating older struggling students, including students with dyslexia, learning disabilities, and sensory processing disorders. It’s often the case that dyslexic kids have never been properly taught the code. Or if they have, it’s been presented in a confusing way. Our curriculum provides materials to practice reading and writing any part of the code a student needs to learn.

Other times, kids have deficits in their reading sub skills, which can be worked on and overcome. In our teacher’s manuals, we teach you how to identify and address blending and segmenting deficits.

Our curriculum helps remediate speech problems! It expertly draws the child’s attention to the speech sounds which are the foundation of the whole alphabetic code. Children are guided to hear and produce these sounds accurately as they learn the spelling code.

Reading For Life’s curriculum supports comprehension. In a vast majority of cases, comprehension problems are related to decoding problems. Students cannot understand what they cannot read. Once older struggling students are given a chance to systematically study the code, they’re finally able to read accurately, and make sense of text.

Children and adults learning English as a second language will love our curriculum. It’s the only one that teaches literacy with a linguistic foundation. Studying English with the Reading For Life curriculum will aid the development of fluent speech production and comprehension, as well as reading and writing skills.