The Code Is the Key - Grade K

Unlock structured, evidence-proven literacy instruction with The Code Is the Key! 

Dive into engaging and effective teaching with fast-paced lessons that target foundational skills by teaching the alphabetic code from speech-to-sounds-to-print. The Code Is The Key honors the language students bring to the classroom and makes the alphabetic code easier for them to learn by working from the known (words) to the unknown (letters). 

Research aligned and supported by evidence, this approach accelerates achievement for all. Comprehensive teacher support is built in to elevate student learning. Join us on the journey to literacy success, where no child—or teacher—is left behind.

The Code Is the Key for Grade K teaches students to pronounce, isolate, and pronounce all the sounds of English. It does this by using students' oral language to teach phonological and phonemeic awreness skills, to introduce all the sounds of English, and to expose students to different ways of writing each sound.

Components include:

• Lesson Book
  150 structured 10-minute lessons with engaging, game-like instruction plus daily routines, learning centres, and practice activities

• Sound Hunts
  40 A2-sized cards offering exciting activities to search for specific sounds and words building students' ability to recognize sounds in different positions within words
  Students hunt for words with the focus sound within the vibrant illustrations
  Additional vocabulary, phonemic awareness, and decoding activities are built into the back of each card
  Blackline master booklet

• Sound Rhymes 
  46 A2-sized cards for reading aloud, with the focus sound in different positions
  Each Sound Rhymes card features interactive rhymes that help children identify and generate rhyming words, reinforcing their phonemic awareness and phonics skills
  Additional activities supporting a variety of foundational skills are built into the back of each card
  Blackline master booklet

• Code Cards
  100 durable, double-sided cards with the sound animal on one side and a grapheme on the other
  The Code Cards are used to teach and reinforce the most reliable spelling patterns for each sound of English using a consistent say it, hear it, write it, find it routine
  Students learn to pronounce the sound, listen for it, generate names and other words that contain the sound, and discover how the sound is written in those words

• Class Sound Dictionary
  Large-format spiral-bound flip book used during lessons to record the names and other words students supply and to identify the graphemes for each sound
  A unique classroom reference for students to use during writing activities (consumable)

• Sounds and Words Cards
  25 student Words and Sounds Cards featuring sound animals and a high-utility grapheme for each sound to support daily routines and writing activities

• Sounds and Words Wall Chart
  1 large format teaching chart

• Student Practice Book
  25 practice books (consumable) for additional student practice that support the skills taught in each lesson

• Elevate & Evaluate
  Professional development for teachers
  Suite of 11 valid and reliable assessments and achievment expectations
  Research and evidence

The Code is the Key has its roots in research and is evidence-proven, showing its ability to acelerate literacy achievement.

Throughout the [Shine Literacy Project] extended study, the same pattern emerged. The evidence showed that regardless of ethnicity, socioeconomic status, or prior knowledge, this approach levelled the playing field and accelerated achievement for all students.

More Information and Samples