Phonics Progression

A well-structured phonics progression

● Begins with simple, foundational skills—such as identifying individual letter
sounds—and gradually advances to more complex patterns, such as digraphs,
blends, and multisyllabic word decoding.
● Ensures that each new skill builds on previously learned concepts, supporting the
development of fluent and accurate reading and spelling.

V – Vowel – a, e, i, o, u, y
C – Consonant – All other letters that are not vowels: b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, q, r, s, t, v, w, x, y, z

Lesson # 1 -

CVC – The RED rule:

- Short Vowels & Beginning and Ending Consonant Sounds

When a word has 1 vowel followed by a consonant, the vowel usually makes the short sound.

Short Vowel Sounds – the sounds of a, e, i, o, u, in these words:
cat, bed, sit, hop, bug
-focus: short vowels, beginning, middle, and ending sounds

Lesson # 2 -

CVC – The RED rule:

- Short Vowels & Ending or Final Consonant Blends

Consonant Blends –letters that are blended together to make one sound

Ending Blends – ft, lb, lf, lk, lm, lp, lt, mp, nd, nk, nt, pt, sk, sp, st, xt
-focus: short vowels & ending blends

Lesson # 3 -

CVCe – The YELLOW rule:

- Silent “e” Long Vowel Sounds & Beginning or Initial Consonant Blends

Silent “e” makes the 1st vowel say its name.

Long Vowel Sounds – the sounds of a, e, i, o, u, in these words: take, these,
smile, woke, mule

Consonant Blends – letters that are blended together to make one sound
-focus: Long vowel sounds, l-blends, r-blends, s-blends,
consonant digraphs – ch and wh
Beginning Blends
l – blends: bl, cl, fl, gl, pl, sl
r – blends: br, cr, dr, fr, gr, pr, tr
s – blends: sc, scr, sk, sl, sm, sn, sp, spl, spr, squ, st, str, sw

Lesson # 4 -

CV – The GREEN rule:

- Y as a Vowel & Consonant Digraphs

Y sounds like a vowel in the middle and at the ends of words.
(ex) gym (short i) by( long i) tiny ( long e)
When a vowel ends a short word or a syllable, the vowel usually makes the long sound (says its name)
-focus:Y as a vowel (long i and long e sounds), vowels e, i, and o at the
ends of short words, vowels at the ends of syllables
Consonant digraphs – ck (rock) ch (chair) sh (sheep) th (that)
wh (whale) ph (phone) gh (laugh) or gh is silent (light)

Lesson # 5 -

CVCC – The BLUE rule:

- Word Chunks & Blends and Consonant Digraphs

The vowel is blended together with the ending consonants to make one sound.
(ex) -ang (bang) end (send) ing (wing) onk (honk) ump ( jump)

-focus: beginning sounds, beginning blends, word chunks,
consonant digraphs –th and –ch

Lesson # 6 -

CVCC – The ORANGE rule:

- Vowel Digraphs & Silent Letters

2 vowels together that make 1 sound ( the 1st vowel says its name)
ai, ay, ee, ea, eo, ey, ie, oa, oe, ui, ue
-focus: silent letters – kn ( knee) wr (wreath) gn (gnarl)

Lesson # 7 -

Vr – Bossy “r” – The PINK rule:

- r-controlled Vowels & Consonant Digraphs and Silent Letters

“r” Controlled Vowels
When a vowel comes with “r”, together, they make a special sound.
-focus: r-controlled vowels ( ar, er, ir, or, ur), consonant blends,
consonant digraphs ( ch, sh, th, wh, ph), silent letters (gn, kn, wr)

Lesson # 8 -

VV Diphthongs – The PURPLE rule:

- 2 Vowels(a different sound) & Vowels with “w

2 vowels together that do not sound anything like you think they should.
-focus: vowel diphthongs:
au, aw, ey, ew, long and short oo, oi, oy, ou, ow
silent letters -gh

Lesson # 9 -

V – e, i, y Soft c and g sounds The BABY BLUE rule:

- “c” and “g” with Vowels e, i, y & Prefixes and Suffixes

Soft C – When c is followed by e, i, or y, the c makes the “s” sound like in
cent, city, cymbal
Soft G – When g is followed by e, i, or y, the g makes the “j” sound like in
gentle, giant, gym