The Common Core 1st grade standards add digraphs, final -e, common vowel teams, two-syllable words and word endings to the kindergarten base. In Zupzi Read's program, that is mostly Blends, Digraphs, Magic E and Long Words (Levels 3 to 6), with the first vowel teams in Level 7.
- 5 levels of the program
- 60 lessons
- Official standards text
- Coming soon
This page describes Zupzi Read's program: the order the app teaches in, lesson by lesson. Zupzi Read is coming soon to the App Store, and it goes there only with the whole program, ages 3 to 8.
The standards are the official text, quoted as written. The right-hand column is where each item sits in Zupzi Read's program, lesson by lesson; schools and states use their own versions of the standards, and classes move at different speeds.
RF.1.2: Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (phonemes).
| Item | The standard says | Where it is in Zupzi Read's program |
|---|---|---|
| RF.1.2.a | Distinguish long from short vowel sounds in spoken single-syllable words. | With letters, not by ear: Level 5 (magic e) contrasts short and long vowels in written words. |
| RF.1.2.b | Orally produce single-syllable words by blending sounds (phonemes), including consonant blends. | Blending by ear in the Warm up: your child hears the sounds and picks the word out of three; consonant blends in Level 3. |
| RF.1.2.c | Isolate and pronounce initial, medial vowel, and final sounds (phonemes) in spoken single-syllable words. | Not practiced as a task: in the sound slider the app says each sound of the word; your child doesn't say the sounds alone. |
| RF.1.2.d | Segment spoken single-syllable words into their complete sequence of individual sounds (phonemes). | Listen and build: hear a word and build it with letter tiles, sound by sound. |
RF.1.3: Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
| Item | The standard says | Where it is in Zupzi Read's program |
|---|---|---|
| RF.1.3.a | Know the spelling-sound correspondences for common consonant digraphs. | Level 4: digraphs (ck, sh, th, ch, wh, ph, ng, nk). |
| RF.1.3.b | Decode regularly spelled one-syllable words. | Levels 1 to 3: CVC words, then blends. |
| RF.1.3.c | Know final -e and common vowel team conventions for representing long vowel sounds. | Level 5 (magic e) and Level 7 (vowel teams). |
| RF.1.3.d | Use knowledge that every syllable must have a vowel sound to determine the number of syllables in a printed word. | Not practiced as a task: Level 6 has two-syllable words, but no step counts syllables. |
| RF.1.3.e | Decode two-syllable words following basic patterns by breaking the words into syllables. | Level 6: two-syllable words (compound words, two closed syllables, open syllables), read sound by sound with the slider. |
| RF.1.3.f | Read words with inflectional endings. | Level 2 (an s at the end) and Level 6 (-es, -ed, -ing). |
| RF.1.3.g | Recognize and read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words. | Heart words, in every level from 1 to 8. |
Source: Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, Reading Standards: Foundational Skills (K–5) (CCSSO, 2010; PDF published 2022). © Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved.
The levels behind this grade
Level 3: Blends7 lessons
Words where two or three consonants sit side by side, like flat, milk and strap (CCVC, CVCC, CCVCC, CCCVC). Goal of the level: read blends without adding an extra vowel between the consonants.
- flat
- plan
- clap
- hand
- last
- ant
- fast
- band
- camp
- snap
- slip
- flip
Level 4: Digraphs12 lessons
ff, ll, ss, zz; -all, -oll, -ull; then the digraphs ck, sh, th, ch, wh, ph, ng and nk. Goal of the level: read a digraph as one sound.
- off
- puff
- hill
- bell
- doll
- kiss
- mess
- buzz
- fizz
- fuss
- ball
- call
Level 5: Magic E9 lessons
Magic e: a-e, i-e, o-e, e-e, u-e, plus soft c and soft g in -ce and -ge. Goal of the level: tell a short vowel from a long one by the silent e at the end.
- cake
- made
- game
- late
- name
- gate
- tape
- wave
- cane
- safe
- bike
- kite
Level 6: Long Words14 lessons
-es, -ed, -ing; syllables and compound words; tch and dge; -ild, -old, -ind; y as a vowel; -le. Goal of the level: split two-syllable words and read them.
- boxes
- wishes
- dishes
- foxes
- buses
- kisses
- dresses
- glasses
- jumped
- hunted
- lifted
- melted
Level 7: Vowel Teams18 lessons
Bossy r (ar, or, er, ir, ur), then the vowel teams ai/ay, ee/ea/ey, oa/ow/oe, ie/igh, oo, ew/ui/ue and au/aw. Goal of the level: read the common vowel teams.
- car
- far
- jar
- star
- farm
- park
- card
- dark
- yard
- shark
- for
- fork
Word pronunciations come from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary, Copyright (C) 1993-2015 Carnegie Mellon University. All rights reserved.
Questions about 1st grade reading
What phonics does a 1st grader learn?
By the standards: digraphs like sh and th, final -e, common vowel teams, two-syllable words, word endings like -ed and -ing, and some irregular words.
Which Zupzi Read levels match 1st grade?
Mostly Levels 3 to 6 (Blends, Digraphs, Magic E, Long Words), with the first vowel teams in Level 7. Each child moves at their own pace, by their answers.
More by age and grade
Phonics, step by step:
