Phonics First Curriculum Guide Brainspring

Phonics First reading system, developed by Brainspring (an IMSLEC Accredited MSL program), is a multisensory, systematic, structured, sequential, phonics-based, direct-instruction approach to teaching beginning, at-risk, struggling, learning disabled, dyslexic and ELL readers.

Rooted in the Orton-Gillingham principles of instruction, Phonics First® uses scientifically research-based learning strategies to teach students systematic processes for decoding (reading) and encoding (spelling). Students who use the Phonics First® system make significant gains in reading and spelling while building a lifelong understanding of the structure of language.

The Phonics First® Curriculum Guide contains 145 lessons, more than 145 reading/spelling concepts, 235 Red Words (sight words), and more than 100 syllabication lessons containing 700+ multisyllable words for decoding practice. Lessons emphasize a balance of reading and spelling for mastery of phonetic and non-phonetic words. In addition, lessons include structured syllabication study for decoding mastery of multisyllable words.

Phonics First® lessons are divided into four Learning Layers:

Layer One – Basic short vowels, consonants, and digraphs

Layer One Plus – A shortcut for beginning instruction for older students – emphasizes short vowel mastery through one- and two-syllable words

Layer Two – Blends, two-syllable words, plurals, simple spelling rules and familiar affixes

Layer Three – Magic-e, vowel pairs, consonant-le endings, Y as a vowel, R-controls, homonyms, contractions, additional affixes

Layer Four - Diphthong vowels, soft c and g, spelling rules, additional suffixes

The Phonics First® Curriculum Guide is also used after completion of Brainspring's intensive Phonics First® Professional Development course. Brainspring-trained teachers use the Phonics First® curriculum to implement structured, step-by-step multisensory lessons to teach reading and spelling skills in the classroom, intervention, and remediation settings. Instructors who have completed other in-depth multisensory courses will also benefit from the Phonics First® Curriculum Guide.

The Phonics First® Curriculum Guide does not include access to the Members Area.

Grades K–3 general education; K–5 intervention