All About the Sweet for Kindergarten Phonics Curriculum

This post provides a comprehensive overview of the Sweet for Kindergarten Phonics Curriculum for both Kindergarten and First Grade. It covers the curriculum's contents, sample lesson plans, usage tips, and more. Additionally, you'll find some free resources from the curriculum, including a free sample week, that you can try out.

Why I Created the SFK Phonics Curriculum

My goal with Sweet for Kindergarten is to help teachers build a strong phonics foundation for their students. I want to give YOU the tools you need to succeed and make phonics instruction simple, meaningful, AND engaging!

It was tiring trying to find all my phonics materials in different places. I would create a lesson, then make activities, find a center on TpT, try a worksheet from Pinterest, and so on. Crafting my phonics lessons took HOURS of my time.

Once I came up with a lesson plan template and started creating my own “curriculum”, I realized how I could help other teachers too! Many of you are in my same boat- no phonics curriculum, grabbing resources from all over, and struggling with knowing what to teach and when.

The Sweet for Kindergarten (SFK) Phonics Curriculum is the answer. It is a complete and comprehensive phonics curriculum for Kindergarten or First Grade that you will see real results with your students. Each unit lays out exactly what to teach, how to teach it, and includes all the activities you will need. Here's a little glimpse at what's included:

•Unit Plans

Unit overview for the Sweet for Kindergarten Phonics Curriculum

Many teachers do not know where to start when it comes to phonics instruction. These unit plans lay out an easy to follow scope and sequence for the year! This is just a suggested order, you can easily move weeks around to match your school or district's phonics outline.

Each unit is about 4-6 weeks long, including an optional review week if needed. The unit overview covers the main skill, focus, objective, Common Core standards, phonemic awareness skills, each lesson for the week, and assessment.

•Daily Phonemic Warm-Ups

Phonemic Awareness is an integral part of this phonics curriculum. When creating these lessons, I made sure to have phonemic awareness at the front and center, because it is truly the key to phonics success! Every day, you will run through a Phonemic Awareness Daily Warm-up. This is the very first part of your phonics lesson and will take about 5 minutes to complete.

It includes detailed instructions, all the prompts you need, and flashcards to help practice the sounds. Every week, you will have a new warm-up page practicing sounds and then 3 phonemic awareness skills. These skills build from simple to more challenging, scaffolding instruction as the year goes on. The skills are also rotated and reviewed throughout the year.

You can learn more about these Phonemic Awareness Daily Warm-Ups here.

•Lesson Plans

These lesson plans were created to be completed in about 10-15 minutes. They are systematic and explicit lessons that will cover both phonemic awareness and phonics. The lesson plans are also designed to be used interchangeably and can easily move around to match your phonics scope and sequence. Plus they are easy for a substitute teacher to follow along and teach.

Here is how each lesson plan is laid out:

Sample Lesson Plan inside SFK Phonics Curriculum

Try a free lesson here!

•Assessments: Pre- Post-, and Weekly Exit Tickets

Assessments included in the Sweet for Kindergarten Phonics Curriculum

Compiling phonics data may seem overwhelming, but with the SFK Phonics Curriculum, all the assessments are done for you! Each unit includes a pre- and post- assessment on one page to easily add into your data binder or use as a report card grade. It also includes weekly exit tickets to practice phonics skill each week, along with any flashcards you may need to use. The assessments are all explained in detail inside each unit.

•Anchor Charts

Throughout the unit, there are multiple anchor chart templates that you can use to create with your students. Use these anchor charts to introduce a phonics skill, use as a visual, or as a lesson activity. With these anchor charts, I do recommend that you put together the title and any main pieces, but complete the majority of the anchor chart with your students.

•Teaching Visuals

Using visuals is an important piece of incorporating multi-sensory instruction into your phonics lesson plans. In each unit, you will have a variety of teaching posters, letter and sound flashcards, and “I Can statements” you can hang on a focus wall. Teach your students to refer to these visuals if they need help.

•Lesson Activities

Every lesson includes a whole group lesson activity that will take about 5-10 minutes. This is a way to practice the phonics skill together before you break off into independent practice or centers. Every day throughout the week will be a new activity and there are about 20 different types of activities used throughout the units.

Here are some examples of lesson activities you may see:

Anchor Chart
Write the Room
Roll and Read
Pocket Chart Sorts
Memory
Write and Wipe
Freeze Dance
Hot Potato

•Hands on and Engaging Centers/Games

Hands-on and engaging centers inside the Sweet for Kindergarten Phonics Curriculum

After you complete the lesson, I recommend a few centers to practice during your center rotation. These centers are hands-on, engaging, and give your students a fun way to practice phonics skills that they are learning. There are about 10 different centers in each unit that you can print in both color or black and white.

Here are some of the centers that are included:

Sensory Bins
Clip Cards
Roll and Read
Spin and Cover
Picture or Word Sorts
Matching Mats
Memory Cards
Puzzles
Magnet Mats

•Interactive Worksheets

Worksheets are a very useful way to practice phonics skills independently. With these worksheets, they encourage fine motor practice, visual discrimination, and using stamps or dabbers to make them more interactive. Each unit comes with 8-10 different types of worksheets with over 50 pages of practice, along with answer keys.

Here are some of the worksheets that are included:

Cut and Paste Sorts
Mini Phonics Books
Color by Code
Sort by Color
Stamp It
Color, Build, and Write
Write the Missing Word

Want to try a FREE week? Try it here:

If you are interested in trying out a FREE week practicing CVC words, you can try a sample week below! This is just one week out of 40+ you will receive to help you teach phonics for the year!