Foundational Skills Curriculum for Grades PK–3
Foundational reading skills are the building blocks that let students decode and read words accurately and fluently: phonological and phonemic awareness, phonics, decoding, and fluency. For grades PK–3, the most effective instruction teaches these skills systematically and explicitly, in a sequence that builds from letter sounds to multisyllabic words — the approach validated by the Science of Reading.
A research-validated, evidence-based suite of literacy programs for striving and thriving students in grades PK-3.
Give every student the tools to become a confident reader. Our ESSA-validated programs, grounded in the Science of Reading, support prevention and intervention so all learners thrive, whether they're on track, need extra practice, or require targeted support. By systematically building phonemic awareness, decoding, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension, we create strong foundations, close gaps early, and set students on the path to lasting literacy success.
Our literacy programs combine research-based instruction with a user-friendly design. Cohesive lessons build skills step by step across grade levels, creating structured progression for every student. With flexible tools, immersive content, and 20 years of expertise, RGR supports whole class instruction and targeted intervention to develop confident readers for life.
Systematic instruction develops phonemic awareness, phonics, decoding, fluency, spelling, and handwriting, enhanced by multilingual resources that support growth for all learners.
Lessons in phonics, morphology, and vocabulary link decoding to meaning, deepening comprehension and giving students tools to tackle advanced texts with confidence.
Assessments and progress monitoring reveal skill gaps, guiding targeted instruction. Data insights help educators deliver timely, effective support within an MTSS framework.
Training, coaching, and aligned resources strengthen educator practice and ensure students stay on track toward literacy goals.
Unified routines support whole-class, multilingual learners, and special education. Flexible tools prevent gaps from growing and ensure all students make progress.
PreK Foundations
Launchpad is a play-based, interactive PreK program that builds letter recognition, phonological awareness, and print concepts.
- Proven Hands-On Materials: Tactile and visual tools actively engage learners and strengthen retention
- Easy-to-use Lessons: Structured daily plans rooted in structured literacy build teaching confidence and efficiency
- Dynamic Tools: Interactive activities and animations bring literacy to life in a playful environment
- Built-in PD: Embedded support equips teachers to fuel literacy growth
Kindergarten Confidence
Countdown, our ESSA-validated kindergarten solution, equips students with phonemic awareness, phonics, academic vocabulary, letter knowledge, fluency, and handwriting skills.
- Multisensory & Interactive: Visual, auditory, and tactile learning keep students engaged
- Early Exposure: Builds essential literacy skills for strong decoding and fluent reading
- Game-Based Practice: Digital Playgrounds reinforce lessons through play
- Igniting Orthographic Mapping: Powers the process for fluent, automatic reading
First-Grade Fluency
Blast, our research-proven 1st grade literacy program, develops decoding skills and fluency with high-frequency words as well as strategies for tackling new words and refining handwriting skills.
- Engaging & Multimodal: Hands-on materials coupled with visual and auditory supports make learning stick
- Built for Fluency and Confidence: Sequential lessons deepen decoding and fluency, cultivating a growth mindset in every learner
- Data-Driven Instruction: Cumulative instruction and embedded assessment pinpoint areas of improvement
- Research-Aligned Digital Practice: Game-based activities reinforce skills and accelerate progress
Second-Grade Momentum
HD Word, our evidence-based grade 2 program, builds advanced decoding, fluency, and comprehension through a systemic, multisensory approach.
- Fast-Paced Decoding: Teaches six syllable types and multisyllabic strategies for decoding complex words
- Strengthening Understanding: Improves comprehension and oral reading fluency using authentic, expository, knowledge-building text
- Cumulative Practice: Extensive review and reinforcement of taught concepts ensure mastery and retention
- Multisensory Engagement: Print, digital, and multimodal tools imprint learning that lasts while students master new skills or revisit previously introduced concepts that need reinforcement
Third-Grade Mastery
Orbit, our grade 3 program, bridges foundational skills with advanced word knowledge through interactive lessons in phonics, morphology, and vocabulary.
- Fostering Curiosity: Students master word analysis skills, delve into word parts, discover connections across subjects
- Accelerating Growth: Captivating lessons strengthen advanced multisyllabic decoding, word knowledge, and morphological awareness
- Insights and Visibility: Actionable data guide instruction and targeted support
- From Foundational Skills to Fluency: Simplifies complex concepts and builds strategic, independent readers
Launchpad is a play-based, interactive PreK program that builds letter recognition, phonological awareness, and print concepts.
- Proven Hands-On Materials: Tactile and visual tools actively engage learners and strengthen retention
- Easy-to-use Lessons: Structured daily plans rooted in structured literacy build teaching confidence and efficiency
- Dynamic Tools: Interactive activities and animations bring literacy to life in a playful environment
- Built-in PD: Embedded support equips teachers to fuel literacy growth
Countdown, our ESSA-validated kindergarten solution, equips students with phonemic awareness, phonics, academic vocabulary, letter knowledge, fluency, and handwriting skills.
- Multisensory & Interactive: Visual, auditory, and tactile learning keep students engaged
- Early Exposure: Builds essential literacy skills for strong decoding and fluent reading
- Game-Based Practice: Digital Playgrounds reinforce lessons through play
- Igniting Orthographic Mapping: Powers the process for fluent, automatic reading
Blast, our research-proven 1st grade literacy program, develops decoding skills and fluency with high-frequency words as well as strategies for tackling new words and refining handwriting skills.
- Engaging & Multimodal: Hands-on materials coupled with visual and auditory supports make learning stick
- Built for Fluency and Confidence: Sequential lessons deepen decoding and fluency, cultivating a growth mindset in every learner
- Data-Driven Instruction: Cumulative instruction and embedded assessment pinpoint areas of improvement
- Research-Aligned Digital Practice: Game-based activities reinforce skills and accelerate progress
HD Word, our evidence-based grade 2 program, builds advanced decoding, fluency, and comprehension through a systemic, multisensory approach.
- Fast-Paced Decoding: Teaches six syllable types and multisyllabic strategies for decoding complex words
- Strengthening Understanding: Improves comprehension and oral reading fluency using authentic, expository, knowledge-building text
- Cumulative Practice: Extensive review and reinforcement of taught concepts ensure mastery and retention
- Multisensory Engagement: Print, digital, and multimodal tools imprint learning that lasts while students master new skills or revisit previously introduced concepts that need reinforcement
Orbit, our grade 3 program, bridges foundational skills with advanced word knowledge through interactive lessons in phonics, morphology, and vocabulary.
- Fostering Curiosity: Students master word analysis skills, delve into word parts, discover connections across subjects
- Accelerating Growth: Captivating lessons strengthen advanced multisyllabic decoding, word knowledge, and morphological awareness
- Insights and Visibility: Actionable data guide instruction and targeted support
- From Foundational Skills to Fluency: Simplifies complex concepts and builds strategic, independent readers
An integral part of our foundational literacy programs, RGR’s eBook library provides targeted reading practice fully aligned to the carefully sequenced phonics progression in our suite. Each title is assignable and becomes available alongside the corresponding digital practice games, ensuring students practice only the skills they've been taught. The decodables reinforce high frequency words, strengthen phonics skills, and build reading confidence with each turn of the page.
Every interaction, comprehension question, and reading completion datapoint is tracked and accessible in the Teacher Dashboard, enabling educators to monitor growth while students explore their own virtual booklet.
Curious About Implementation or Pricing?
We don’t just hand you tools. We work alongside you to use them with purpose and precision. You get a partner who understands your goals and helps you reach them.
Magnetic color tiles, letter tiles, and SyllaBoards™ let students see, hear, touch, and apply concepts through a variety of sensory experiences. This hands-on approach deepens understanding, builds long-term retention and transfers confidently to real-world reading.
Interactive digital practice tools, the Reading and Vocabulary Playgrounds, combine fun, practice, and assessment. Students practice in a fun tool that mindfully incorporates technology in literacy instruction, featuring a variety of assessment options and reinforcement opportunities for deeper learning.
Captivating, skill-level-appropriate stories with accompanying lessons build fluency and confidence. Beautifully illustrated and available in print or digital formats, RGR’s decodables provide consistent practice for grade-level reading success at school and at home.
A high-impact, low-prep toolkit simplifies teaching with ready-to-use lesson plans, engaging animations, and clear routines, helping educators teach with fidelity, maintain pace, and explain concepts effectively in minutes.
A smart resource hub gives educators instant access to essential tools, enabling them to search, save, and revisit materials without interrupting instruction, ensuring lessons stay on track while providing a smarter way to support learning.
Flexible onsite and virtual PD provides coaching, data reviews, and practical strategies that build consistency. Real-time support and micro-PD embedded in lessons offer in-the-moment guidance educators can use immediately.
Acquiring literacy in a new language takes the right support. RGR provides easy-to-use digital and print resources that connect language development to reading comprehension, helping all students, including newcomers, build strong foundations.
Our programs are designed for multilingual learners at every stage, combining explicit instruction, scaffolded practice, and culturally responsive materials. By focusing on students’ strengths, RGR equips English learners with the confidence, language skills, and comprehension strategies needed to succeed in school and beyond.
Elementary students get the extra practice they need to master phonics, decoding, and early word knowledge in the Reading Playground, a research-aligned, digital practice platform that reinforces skills taught in RGR’s foundational skills programs. Learners engage in motivating games and activities while educators gain real-time data to monitor progress, identify gaps, and personalize instruction across Tier 1 and intervention.
RGR’s programs consistently meet the highest standards for literacy instruction:
- EdReports awarded RGR all green, near-perfect scores for alignment, usability, and instructional quality
- Evidence for ESSA recognizes RGR programs for demonstrated improvements in student literacy outcomes
- ESSA Tier II studies show RGR programs accelerate student progress across classrooms
- The Reading League's review found no “red flags” across the skills RGR's programs target
- Rivet Education certifies RGR in the Professional Learning Partner Guide for high-quality educator PD
In a single school year, Greenfield Exempted Village School District overhauled its approach to early literacy. By embedding Really Great Reading’s tools into Tier 1 instruction, the district saw stronger fluency, consistent classroom routines, and a dramatic drop in Reading Improvement Plans.
From 40% to 9%: a powerful shift in K–2 reading outcomes.
What are foundational literacy skills?
Foundational literacy skills are the core decoding skills that let students read words accurately and fluently — phonological and phonemic awareness, phonics, decoding, and fluency — plus the print concepts and handwriting that support them.
What does an RGR foundational skills curriculum include for PK–3?
A connected PK–3 sequence: Launchpad (PreK), Countdown (Kindergarten), Blast (Grade 1), HD Word (Grade 2), and Orbit (Grade 3). Each program builds systematically on the last, from letter sounds to multisyllabic decoding and morphology.
Is RGR's foundational skills curriculum aligned to the Science of Reading?
Yes. Instruction is explicit and systematic, follows a defined scope and sequence, and targets the word-recognition strand of the Science of Reading. Countdown is ESSA-validated, and RGR programs have earned all-green scores from EdReports.
Can foundational skills programs be used for intervention?
Yes. The PK–3 programs support both whole-class prevention and targeted intervention within an MTSS framework, with built-in assessment and progress monitoring. Scripted lessons let any educator deliver them.
Do you offer a free trial?
Yes — two-week free trials are available for Launchpad and Countdown.