What Zupzi Read teaches, in order

Jump to a level:

• 0Sound Steps
• 1First Letters
• 2The Alphabet
• 3Blends
• 4Digraphs
• 5Magic E
• 6Long Words
• 7Vowel Teams
• 8Diphthongs and Silent Letters
• 9Prefixes and Suffixes
• 10Rare Spellings

Or to a topic:

• Letter sounds
• Blending
• CVC words
• Heart words
• Consonant blends
• Digraphs
• Magic e
• Vowel teams and bossy r

The rules of the order

• Sounds you can stretch come first: a, m and s open Level 1.
• Look-alike letters are kept apart: d comes in Level 2, lesson 2, and b in lesson 6.
• Words wait for their sounds: a word joins a lesson's list only when every sound in it has been taught; the rest are heart words, taught with their tricky part marked.
• Moving on follows the answers, not the calendar: a lesson moves on when its new sound is mostly right (60%), or after 3 sessions with the sound coming back in review. A sound counts as mastered after four right answers in the last five, without help, and comes back for review after 1, 3, 7, 14 and 30 days.

How to read this page

Each level shows its lessons in order, with the new spellings (like “sh as in ship”), a few words from the lesson's word list and the heart words, with the tricky part marked by a heart. On your child's map each level is a place, from Sunny Meadow to Cloud Castle; grown-ups see the level names used here.

Real screens from the app, in the iPhone simulator, with a test reader. Swipe for more.

Level 0: Sound Steps

Before reading: hearing the sounds inside spoken words, the names of the letters and the first letter sounds.

By the end: recognize the first letters and their sounds, and put two or three spoken sounds together into a word.

• 10 lessons

Topics: Letter sounds, Blending, Preschool: Sound Steps

1. 1
   Words all aroundIn the program: word awareness, how print works (not practiced as a task in the app yet)
2. 2
   Clap the partsIn the program: syllables (not practiced as a task in the app yet)
3. 3
   Rhyme timeIn the program: rhyming (not practiced as a task in the app yet)
4. 4
   First soundsSkills: first sounds
5. 5
   Start and endIn the program: onset and rime (not practiced as a task in the app yet)
6. 6
   Letter names A to MLetter names: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M
7. 7
   Letter names N to ZLetter names: N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z
8. 8
   Blend two soundsSkills: blending spoken sounds
9. 9
   Blend three soundsSkills: blending spoken sounds · splitting spoken words into sounds (not practiced as a task in the app yet)
10. 10
    Ready to readSkills: letter names, blending spoken sounds · how print works (not practiced as a task in the app yet)

Level 1: First Letters

The sounds of a, m, s and t, then two- and three-letter words (VC and CVC), then p, f, i and n.

By the end: read short words made with these sounds, and a first decodable book.

• 9 lessons
• 8 new spellings
• 6 heart words

Topics: Letter sounds, Blending, CVC words, Heart words

1. 1
   /a/ as in appleNew: a as in apple
2. 2
   /m/ as in moonNew: m as in moon · Heart words: i
3. 3
   /s/ as in sunNew: s as in sun · Heart words: a
4. 4
   /t/ as in topNew: t as in top · Heart words: the
5. 5
   Read VC and CVC wordsWords: am, at, sat, mat, tam, sam · Book: Sam
6. 6
   /p/ as in pigNew: p as in pig · Words: map, tap, sap, pat, pam · Book: Tap, Tap!
7. 7
   /f/ as in fishNew: f as in fish · Words: fat, map, pat, sat · Heart words: of · Book: A Fat Map
8. 8
   /i/ as in itchNew: i as in itch · Words: it, sit, tip, pit, fit, sip · Heart words: is · Book: Pip
9. 9
   /n/ as in netNew: n as in net · Words: an, in, tan, pan, fan, man, nap, pin · Heart words: to · Book: Nap, Pip!

Level 2: The Alphabet

The rest of the single letters: o, d, c, u, g, b, e; an s at the end of a word; then k, h, r, l, w, j, y, x, qu, v and z.

By the end: know the sound of every single letter and read short words with any short vowel.

• 21 lessons
• 19 new spellings
• 28 heart words

Topics: Letter sounds, CVC words, Heart words

1. 1
   /o/ as in octopusNew: o as in octopus · Words: on, not, top, pot, mop · Heart words: so
2. 2
   /d/ as in dogNew: d as in dog · Words: dad, did, dot, dip, sad, mad, pad, nod · Heart words: said, do
3. 3
   /k/ as in catNew: c as in cat · Words: cat, cap, can, cot, cod, cop
4. 4
   /u/ as in upNew: u as in up · Words: up, cup, sun, mud, nut, fun, cut · Heart words: put
5. 5
   /g/ as in goatNew: g as in goat · Words: gap, gas, dig, dog, pig, tag, fog, gum · Heart words: go
6. 6
   /b/ as in batNew: b as in bat · Words: bat, bad, bag, big, bug, bus, tub, cab
7. 7
   /e/ as in eggNew: e as in egg · Words: bed, get, net, pen, ten, men, pet, fed · Heart words: be, me, come, some, one
8. 8
   Short vowels reviewWords: bat, bet, bit, but, pat, pet, pit, pot
9. 9
   s at the end: /s/ and /z/New: s at the end says /s/ or /z/ · Words: cats, dogs, pigs, bugs, tops, cups, pens, beds · Heart words: as
10. 10
    /k/ as in kitNew: k as in cat · Words: kid, kit, kin
11. 11
    /h/ as in hatNew: h as in hat · Words: hat, hot, hit, hop, hug, hum, hen, him · Heart words: he, has, his
12. 12
    /r/ as in ratNew: r as in rat · Words: rat, red, rug, run, rip, rod, ram, rim · Heart words: are, for, or, her
13. 13
    /l/ as in lipNew: l as in lip · Words: lap, let, lip, log, leg, lid, lot, lit
14. 14
    /w/ as in wetNew: w as in wet · Words: wet, wig, win, web, wag · Heart words: we, was, want, were, two
15. 15
    /j/ as in jamNew: j as in jam · Words: jam, jet, jog, jug, jab, jot, jig
16. 16
    /y/ as in yesNew: y as in yes · Words: yes, yet, yam, yak, yap, yum · Heart words: you, your, my, by
17. 17
    /ks/ as in boxNew: x as in box · Words: box, fox, six, wax, fix, mix, ox, tax
18. 18
    /kw/ as in queenNew: qu as in queen · Words: quit, quip, quid
19. 19
    /v/ as in vanNew: v as in van · Words: van, vet, vat · Heart words: have
20. 20
    /z/ as in zipNew: z as in zip · Words: zip, zap
21. 21
    The whole alphabetWords: cat, dog, sun, bed, pig, cup, fox, jam

Level 3: Blends

Words where two or three consonants sit side by side, like flat, milk and strap (CCVC, CVCC, CCVCC, CCCVC).

By the end: read blends without adding an extra vowel between the consonants.

• 7 lessons
• 1 heart word

Topics: Heart words, Consonant blends

1. 1
   Short a with blendsWords: flat, plan, clap, hand, last, ant, fast, band · Heart words: from
2. 2
   Short i with blendsWords: slip, flip, milk, lift, mist, twin, list, drip
3. 3
   Short o with blendsWords: stop, frog, drop, plot, soft, lost, spot, cost
4. 4
   Short u with blendsWords: plum, drum, dust, jump, bump, must, hunt, club
5. 5
   Short e with blendsWords: step, nest, best, sled, tent, went, bend, desk
6. 6
   Bigger blendsWords: stamp, blend, crust, plant, trust, print, drift, blimp
7. 7
   Three-letter blendsWords: strap, split, strip, scrub, strum, sprint

Level 4: Digraphs

ff, ll, ss, zz; -all, -oll, -ull; then the digraphs ck, sh, th, ch, wh, ph, ng and nk.

By the end: read a digraph as one sound.

• 12 lessons
• 16 new spellings
• 9 heart words

Topics: Heart words, Digraphs

1. 1
   ff, ll, ss, zzNew: ff as in fish, ll as in lip, ss as in sun, zz as in zip · Words: off, puff, hill, bell, doll, kiss, mess, buzz · Heart words: could, would, should
2. 2
   -all, -oll, -ullNew: all as in saw, oll as in bone, ull as in book · Words: ball, call, fall, tall, wall, roll, toll, pull
3. 3
   ckNew: ck as in cat · Words: back, duck, kick, lock, neck, pack, sick, rock
4. 4
   shNew: sh as in ship · Words: ship, shop, fish, dish, wish, shut, shed, rush · Heart words: she
5. 5
   th as in thinNew: th as in thin · Words: thin, thick, bath, math, moth, path, tenth, cloth
6. 6
   th as in thisNew: th as in this · Words: this, that, them, then, with, than · Heart words: they, there
7. 7
   chNew: ch as in chip · Words: chip, chop, chin, such, much, rich, lunch, bench
8. 8
   whNew: wh as in wet · Words: when, whip, which · Heart words: what, where, who
9. 9
   phNew: ph as in fish · Words: graph
10. 10
    ngNew: ng as in ring · Words: ring, sing, king, long, song, hang, wing, bang
11. 11
    nkNew: nk as in pink · Words: pink, sink, bank, tank, junk, wink, honk, link
12. 12
    Digraph reviewWords: ship, chip, thin, ring, pink, duck, bell, fish

Level 5: Magic E

Magic e: a-e, i-e, o-e, e-e, u-e, plus soft c and soft g in -ce and -ge.

By the end: tell a short vowel from a long one by the silent e at the end.

• 9 lessons
• 8 new spellings
• 6 heart words

Topics: Heart words, Magic e

1. 1
   a-e as in cakeNew: a-e as in cake · Words: cake, made, game, late, name, gate, tape, wave
2. 2
   i-e as in kiteNew: i-e as in kite · Words: bike, kite, time, like, hide, ride, fine, pine
3. 3
   o-e as in boneNew: o-e as in bone · Words: bone, home, rope, nose, hope, note, cone, poke · Heart words: done, gone
4. 4
   e-e as in theseNew: e-e as in these · Words: these, theme, eve, pete
5. 5
   u-e as in cuteNew: u-e as in cute · Words: cute, mule, cube, tune, june, rude, flute, tube
6. 6
   Magic e reviewWords: cap, cape, kit, kite, hop, hope, cub, cube
7. 7
   -ce: soft cNew: c before e, i or y says /s/ · Words: ice, rice, face, race, mice, nice, place, space
8. 8
   -ge: soft gNew: g before e, i or y says /j/ · Words: age, page, cage, huge, stage, rage, wage, sage
9. 9
   Silent e helpersNew: silent e · Words: have, dance, fence, hinge, prince, since · Heart words: give, live, love, move

Level 6: Long Words

-es, -ed, -ing; syllables and compound words; tch and dge; -ild, -old, -ind; y as a vowel; -le.

By the end: split two-syllable words and read them.

• 14 lessons
• 31 new spellings
• 7 heart words

Topics: Heart words, Digraphs

1. 1
   -esNew: es as in boxes · Words: boxes, wishes, dishes, foxes, buses, kisses, dresses, glasses · Heart words: does, friend
2. 2
   -edNew: ed as in jumped · Words: jumped, hunted, lifted, melted, packed, filled, rested, planted
3. 3
   -ingNew: ing as in jumping · Words: jumping, singing, fishing, resting, helping, packing, lifting, camping
4. 4
   Compound wordsWords: sunset, sunlit, catfish, laptop, backpack, hotdog, sandbox, catnip · Heart words: into
5. 5
   Two closed syllablesNew: bb as in bat, dd as in dog, gg as in goat, mm as in moon, nn as in net, pp as in pig, rr as in rat, tt as in top, a in a lazy syllable, e in a lazy syllable, i in a lazy syllable, o in a lazy syllable, u in a lazy syllable · Words: rabbit, napkin, muffin, basket, kitten, puppet, tennis, magnet
6. 6
   Open syllablesNew: a as in cake, e as in these, i as in kite, o as in bone, u as in cute · Words: me, we, go, no, so, hi, be, robot
7. 7
   Reading long wordsWords: sudden, happen, velvet, planet, pocket, bandit, comet, habit · Heart words: again, any, many
8. 8
   tchNew: tch as in chip · Words: catch, match, patch, fetch, witch, pitch, hutch, ditch
9. 9
   dgeNew: dge as in jam · Words: badge, edge, fudge, judge, bridge, ledge, hedge, dodge
10. 10
    -ild, -old, -ind, -olt, -ostNew: ild as in kite, old as in bone, ind as in kite, olt as in bone, ost as in bone · Words: wild, child, mild, cold, gold, hold, find, kind
11. 11
    y says /ī/New: y says /ī/ · Words: my, by, fly, sky, cry, try, dry, why
12. 12
    y says /ē/New: y at the end says /ē/ · Words: happy, funny, puppy, candy, sunny, bunny, penny, jelly
13. 13
    -leNew: le as in little · Words: little, apple, table, bubble, puzzle, candle, bottle, middle · Heart words: people
14. 14
    Long words reviewWords: basket, rabbit, catch, bridge, gold, fly, happy, apple

Level 7: Vowel Teams

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.

By the end: read the common vowel teams.

• 18 lessons
• 29 new spellings
• 6 heart words

Topics: Heart words, Vowel teams and bossy r

1. 1
   arNew: ar as in car · Words: car, far, jar, star, farm, park, card, dark
2. 2
   or, oreNew: or as in fork, ore as in fork · Words: for, fork, corn, horn, storm, short, more, store
3. 3
   erNew: er as in her · Words: her, fern, herd, perch, verb, term, letter, summer · Heart words: mother, other, brother, learn, heard
4. 4
   ir, urNew: ir as in her, ur as in her · Words: bird, girl, dirt, first, shirt, fur, hurt, turn
5. 5
   or and ar after wNew: or after w says /er/, ar after w says /or/ · Words: work, word, worm, world, worth, war, warm, warn
6. 6
   Bossy r reviewWords: car, fork, her, bird, turn, work, warm, star
7. 7
   ai, ayNew: ai as in cake, ay as in cake · Words: rain, tail, wait, paint, train, day, play, say
8. 8
   ee, eaNew: ee as in these, ea as in these · Words: see, tree, feet, green, sleep, eat, sea, team
9. 9
   ey says /ē/New: ey as in these · Words: key, donkey, turkey, valley, chimney, hockey, kidney, alley
10. 10
    oa, ow, oeNew: oa as in bone, ow as in bone, oe as in bone · Words: boat, coat, road, soap, toast, snow, grow, show
11. 11
    ie, ighNew: ie as in kite, igh as in kite · Words: pie, tie, lie, high, night, light, right, bright
12. 12
    oo as in moonNew: oo as in moon · Words: moon, food, room, zoo, boot, cool, spoon, tooth
13. 13
    oo as in book, u as in putNew: oo as in book, u as in put · Words: book, look, good, foot, cook, wood, hook, put
14. 14
    ew, ui, ueNew: ew as in moon, ui as in moon, ue as in moon · Words: new, few, grew, chew, fruit, juice, suit, blue
15. 15
    au, aw, aughNew: au as in saw, aw as in saw, augh as in saw · Words: haul, fault, launch, sauce, saw, draw, lawn, yawn · Heart words: because
16. 16
    ea says /ĕ/New: ea as in bread · Words: bread, head, dead, thread, spread, sweat, ready, heavy
17. 17
    a says /ŏ/New: a as in wash · Words: wash, want, swan, watch, water, wasp, swap, wand
18. 18
    Vowel team reviewWords: rain, tree, boat, night, moon, book, new, saw

Level 8: Diphthongs and Silent Letters

The diphthongs oi/oy and ou/ow, and the silent letters in kn, wr and mb.

By the end: read diphthongs and words with silent letters.

• 4 lessons
• 7 new spellings
• 2 heart words

Topics: Heart words

1. 1
   oi, oyNew: oi as in coin, oy as in coin · Words: coin, oil, join, point, soil, boy, toy, joy · Heart words: buy, eye
2. 2
   ou, owNew: ou as in cow, ow as in cow · Words: out, loud, cloud, found, sound, cow, how, now
3. 3
   Silent k and wNew: kn as in net, wr as in rat · Words: knee, knot, know, knit, knock, write, wrap, wrist
4. 4
   Silent bNew: mb as in moon · Words: lamb, comb, climb, thumb, crumb, limb, numb

Level 9: Prefixes and Suffixes

-er/-est, -ly, -less/-ful, un-, pre-/re- and dis-, and the spelling changes: doubling a letter, dropping the e, changing y to i.

By the end: read words with prefixes and suffixes.

• 12 lessons
• 9 new spellings

1. 1
   Suffix -s and -esWords: cats, boxes, wishes, dogs, dishes, hats
2. 2
   -er, -estNew: est as in biggest · Words: faster, slower, taller, fastest, slowest, tallest, longer, longest
3. 3
   -lyNew: ly as in slowly · Words: slowly, softly, quickly, sadly, gladly, loudly, kindly, sweetly
4. 4
   -less, -fulNew: less as in helpless, ful as in helpful · Words: helpless, hopeless, restless, useless, helpful, hopeful, playful, useful
5. 5
   un-New: un as in unlock · Words: unlock, unpack, unzip, untie, unkind, unwell, unplug, unsafe
6. 6
   pre-, re-New: pre as in preheat, re as in redo · Words: predict, prevent, pretend, prefix, replay, rewind, refill, return
7. 7
   dis-New: dis as in dislike · Words: dislike, distrust, disagree, dismiss, disarm, disconnect, display
8. 8
   Doubling rule (hop, hopping)Words: hopping, running, sitting, bigger, hottest, shopping, swimming, stopped
9. 9
   Drop the e (hope, hoping)Words: hoping, baking, riding, smiled, hiked, cuter, wider, safest
10. 10
    Change y to i (happy, happier)New: i says /ē/ (happier) · Words: happier, happiest, funnier, funniest, cried, tried, dried, fried
11. 11
    Prefix and suffix reviewWords: unhappy, helpful, slowly, replay, biggest, hoping
12. 12
    Reading with affixesWords: restless, unlock, dislike, funniest, stopped, remind

Level 10: Rare Spellings

The rarer spellings: ough, air/are/ear, soft c and g, gn and gh; and the endings -tion/-sion, -ture and -able/-ible.

By the end: read longer words with prefixes and suffixes.

• 18 lessons
• 35 new spellings

Topics: Digraphs, Vowel teams and bossy r

1. 1
   ar and or say /er/New: ar at the end says /er/, or at the end says /er/ · Words: dollar, collar, lizard, wizard, doctor, actor, color, mirror
2. 2
   air, are, ear as in bearNew: air as in hair, are as in hair, ear as in bear · Words: hair, pair, chair, fair, stair, care, share, scare
3. 3
   ear, eerNew: ear as in ear, eer as in ear · Words: ear, hear, near, dear, fear, deer, cheer, steer
4. 4
   ei, eigh, ey say /ā/New: ei as in cake, eigh as in cake, ey as in cake · Words: vein, veil, rein, eight, weigh, neigh, sleigh, they
5. 5
   ea says /ā/, aighNew: ea as in great, aigh as in cake · Words: great, break, steak, straight
6. 6
   ew, eu, ue say /ū/New: eu as in cute · Words: few, feud, cue, hue, rescue, argue, value, avenue
7. 7
   ou says /oo/ and /ŭ/New: ou as in soup, ou as in young · Words: soup, group, you, youth, young, touch, cousin, double
8. 8
   oughNew: ough as in though · Words: though, dough, through, tough, rough, enough, thought, bought
9. 9
   Soft cWords: city, cent, cell, circle, cycle, fancy, pencil, icy
10. 10
    Soft gNew: y says /ĭ/ (gym) · Words: gem, gym, giant, magic, giraffe, germ, gentle, ginger
11. 11
    ch says /sh/ and /k/New: ch as in chef, ch as in school · Words: chef, chute, machine, school, chorus, echo, chrome, ache
12. 12
    gn, gh, silent tNew: gn as in net, gh as in goat, silent t (listen) · Words: gnat, gnome, sign, gnaw, ghost, listen, castle, whistle
13. 13
    -tion, -sionNew: tion as in nation, sion as in vision, ssion as in vision · Words: nation, station, motion, action, lotion, vision, mission, mansion
14. 14
    -tureNew: ture as in picture · Words: picture, nature, capture, future, mixture, creature, adventure, furniture
15. 15
    -er, -or, -istNew: ist as in artist · Words: teacher, farmer, singer, actor, visitor, artist, dentist, florist
16. 16
    -ish, -y, -ness, -mentNew: ish as in childish, ness as in kindness, ment as in payment · Words: childish, selfish, foolish, kindness, darkness, sadness, payment, treatment
17. 17
    -able, -ibleNew: able as in readable, ible as in readable · Words: readable, washable, fixable, adorable, enjoyable, visible, possible, terrible
18. 18
    bi-, tri-, uni-New: bi as in bicycle, tri as in tricycle, uni as in uniform · Words: bicycle, biplane, biweekly, tricycle, triangle, tripod, unicorn, uniform

Generated from Zupzi Read's curriculum (content/curriculo.json), the same file the app reads. Word pronunciations come from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary, Copyright (C) 1993-2015 Carnegie Mellon University. All rights reserved.

Questions about the scope and sequence