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Organized UFLI Resources

I taught reading intervention for many years. I found that the things that I used daily needed to be within reach and organized. Teachers often ask about supplies and must-haves for using the UFLI Foundations on Facebook posts. So, I have put together a few of my ideas. I hope that they are helpful to you.

How to keep your UFLI supplies organized

Whether you are just starting with UFLI or you have been doing this for a while, we all can learn from each other.

Must-haves to help the teacher with UFLI

When you’re teaching a lesson and you have the attention of your students, every moment counts. You do not want to be caught unprepared or, worse, need to get up and search for something that is lost.

Large coil binders were a great way for me to print out all my decodable stories and the roll and reads. The binding keeps them in order and easy to locate quickly. This also made them reusable. For the loose copies, I use the large display books. I can fit 10 or more in each pocket. It keeps them in order and handy near my reading table. Magazine holder turned sideways on my shelf. They are great for holding our blending boards.

The blending boards are metal whiteboards. We have 4 different sets; each set has more letters, progressing up to my highest readers. This picture is set 2 for my students that are on lesson 12. We have 5 to a set, 4 student boards, and one teacher board.

Having the boards pre-loaded and ready is helpful. It took a lot of time to set up with printing, cutting, and magnets, but it paid off. After we use them, the students return the letters to the top and put the clear plastic L pocket cover over the boards. The L pocket keeps the magnets on the board and allows me to store the boards upright. Extra magnet letters are in the smaller box to the side, for when we need to add another letter. Or when one letter temporarily goes missing.

In the ULFI toolbox the printable blending boards are called Word Work Mat. Or you can use the digital word work mat. We used customized mats in the picture above. The TPT link is below.

Vowel Importance

If your taking the time to print them on paper. My suggest is make the vowels a special color. My student were struggling with the vowel sound and understanding the importance of vowels in the words. My custom blending board for word work was a way to reach them on a visual level and highlighting the difference between vowels and consonants.

We love our roll and reads. We use them in a lot of different ways. This is a two-player game. Competitive 4-in-a-row reading. Each player reads a word and places the colored chip down. If the player misreads the word, the other player gets to put down their chip instead.

Printable Resources

The UFLI Toolbox is full of great stuff. There is a lot of free stuff in the printable Resources. Check there first. A lot of the same stuff is on TPT with a bit more flash and customized stuff. I made my own blending boards to fit with the decodables books we were using for ESL. Regular and with picture-embedded tiles for the language learners that match my handwriting letter sheets.

Blending board options

I found a whiteboard that stands up. Instead of using the flat whiteboards. From Kmart.

It was nice for a hands-free option. The extra heart tile was added to practice the heart words. We put the heart over the letter that is tricky. ♥️ The girls loved that. One boy wanted a star instead. ⭐

Tabs are helpful

♥️ Love the UFLI Manual. I’m trying to keep it in good shape. I applied a clear cover of contact paper to the front and back. I also made large tabs for my book and files. They were printed on 11×17 ledger-size paper, laminated, and cut.

These were printed on standard size paper 8.5×11 . There keep my phonogram cards organized.

This is what they look like printed on colored paper. Carefully cut, you get to cards out of one sheet of paper. They can be used for heart words or anything else that you need to be sorted. They are on TPT UFLI Tabs with lesson #’s

Small group items organized. The small containers for colored clips with lids that are attached. They came from a take-out restaurant. Sauce cups or something. The dice are in a small container and taped shut. To keep the dice from getting lost. Kids just shake it and read the number. No more chasing the dice all over the table and floor.

The white electrical tape and thin black marker are for fast labeling of games and books.

The picture on the right is a lot of my personal designs for visual phonics and word lists. We call them spelling cheat sheets. The colorful mnemonics help the students make sound connections to the letters embedded in the shapes of the letters. Vowel teams, digraphs, trigraphs, and suffixes. I have put spelling rules and word lists on the back. They are grouped by the UFLI scope & sequence plus some extra spelling bonuses that are not covered by UFLI. The kids love them. I like convenience and visuals.

They are on TPT. I have them printed as Large displays for my lessons and smaller for groups.

Many people have asked for handwriting practice. That aligns to ULFI.

I have made these worksheets to match the lesson numbers, articulation images, handwriting, heart words, and the decodable words. Includes lowercase and capital letter matching.

Phonics Articulation Roll, fill, trace, and read A-Z UFLI lesson #’s

These sheets have a little bit of each lesson plus the handwriting and the sound articulation altogether in one place.

ULFI does have free heart words on their site. I love the toolbox. They are on the printable resources page. Many people have asked for the lesson numbers on the cards. I agree; it does make it a little bit easier. So I made some for myself and indicated if it was an irregular word or a temporary irregular decodable word on the card.

The lesson numbers and notes help me to stay organized and quickly explain to students that this true heart word or a temporary irregular word because we have not covered that lesson yet. Great for Orthographic Mapping.

For more sight words and orthographic mapping by sounds and spelling rules, I created a book to help keep me organized.

Heart Word Mapping Manual

What about comprehension?

Comprehension using comic boxes gets the student willing to re-read the text repeatedly and draw it out. This also breaks up the text into smaller chunks of reading. Some students look at a text-only page and push it away, saying, “That is too many words”. However, that same text put into boxes is easier to take on.

Get the FREE UFLI Comics on TPT. Pure Joy Teaching

I love using games to get students to practice reading. This is the best one for the foundational skills that students need, and they love to play it.

Support Reading Skills with Games

More About Interactive Notebooks

UFLI Notebook For Decodables

Best Handwriting Picture Book Series

Kids can learn letter formation visually from a storybook

These story-based picture books help children learn how to form lowercase letters the right way—through engaging characters and visual storytelling, not repetitive worksheets. Young learners can visually see the similarities in the letters. Each book guides young learners step-by-step, showing how letters are shaped and why, so children naturally understand proper formation as part of the story.

Designed for preschool and early primary years, this series builds strong handwriting foundations while keeping learning enjoyable and meaningful. It’s a gentle, effective way to support early writing skills—perfect for parents, teachers, and anyone looking to help children develop confident, correct handwriting from the very beginning.

Why This Approach Works Better Than Traditional Handwriting Books

Grouping letters by similar shapes helps children build both muscle memory and visual recognition more effectively. When letters are introduced in carefully chosen groups, learners begin to notice patterns in how letters are formed, making it easier to remember and reproduce them correctly. This structured approach supports consistent, confident handwriting from the very beginning.

By practising letters with related shapes, children strengthen fine motor skills through repeated, meaningful movements rather than isolated drills. Over time, this reduces common issues like letter reversals and confusion, as children develop a clear and reliable understanding of how each lowercase letter is formed.

The Four-Book Set is available together in one complete book

On amazon

Pirate Letters Handwriting Storybook By D. Passmore

Display cards, posters, and worksheets support the picture books

Handwriting Cards 4 sets Pirate Letters

Why Some Children Know the Alphabet… But Still Can’t Read

Phonics blending activities help struggling readers master blending CVC words, overcome letter name interference, and build confidence. Using hands-on phoneme sound switching cards, children can transform reading frustration into success.

Why Some Children Know the Alphabet… But Still Can’t Read (And What Actually Helps)

If you’ve ever worked with an early reader who can confidently recite the alphabet but freezes when asked to read a simple word, you’re not alone—and you’re not doing anything wrong.

This is one of the most common and frustrating challenges for parents, tutors, and educators.

A child knows their letters…
They recognize them on sight…
But when it’s time to read, everything seems to fall apart.

So what’s going on?

The Hidden Problem: Letter Name Interference

Many early readers rely on letter names instead of sounds when they try to decode words.

For example, when they see the word fox, instead of hearing:
/f/ /o/ /x/

They might think:
“ef–oh–ex”

And that simply doesn’t blend into a recognizable word.

This is especially tricky for letters like:

h, w, y, x (where the name doesn’t match the sound)
c and g (which can have multiple sounds)

For these learners, traditional blending strategies—like sounding out each phoneme—can feel confusing, slow, and discouraging.

struggling readers using phonics blending activity cards

Why Blending Feels So Hard for Some Students

We often teach reading as:

“Sound it out and blend it together.”

And while that works for many students, others struggle with:

Holding multiple sounds in working memory
Sequencing sounds smoothly
Ignoring letter names and focusing only on sounds

So even simple CVC words can feel overwhelming.

A Simpler Way: Change Just One Sound

What if instead of asking students to build a word from scratch…

We let them transform a word they already know?

This is where phoneme switching becomes incredibly powerful.

For example:

Start with box
Remove b
Replace it with /f/
Now you have fox

Only one sound changes.

That’s it.

This small shift reduces cognitive load (mental effort) and helps students:

Focus on one sound at a time
See how sounds map to words
Build confidence through success

Why This Approach Works So Well

When students use phoneme switching:

They don’t have to juggle multiple sounds at once
They can visually and physically manipulate words
They immediately see and hear the result of a sound change

Even better…

They can check their own work instantly.

Built-In Confidence: The Power of Self-Checking

Each card includes:

A simple CVC word
A visual image on the back

So when a student transforms: box into fox, they flip the card and immediately see a picture of a fox.

No guessing.
No waiting for correction.
No uncertainty.

Just instant confirmation with a visual image:

“I got it right.”

That feeling of success is everything for struggling readers.

phonics blending activities for CVC words

Who This Is Perfect For

This approach is especially effective for:

Early emergent readers
Students who are struggling with blending
Learners experiencing letter name interference (sound/name mix-up)
Children who need visual and hands-on support

Of course, some students can blend sounds easily—and that’s great!

But for those who can’t, this method provides a missing bridge.

A Must-Have Tool for Your Reading Toolkit

If you’ve been trying to figure out why a child “knows their letters” but still can’t read…

This is likely the piece that’s been missing.

Your phoneme sound switching card game turns reading into:

A clear process
A hands-on experience
A confidence-building success loop

And most importantly—it works.

Ready to Help Your Students Finally “Get It”?

If you’re a parent, tutor, or educator looking for a practical, effective way to support struggling readers, this resource can make an immediate difference.

👉 Get your phoneme sound switching card game today on Teachers Pay Teachers and start turning confusion into confidence—one sound at a time.

Your students don’t need more pressure.

They need the right approach.

And this is it.

self-checking cards for phonics blending activities — Phoneme sound switch helps with blending practice

Sound Switch, Phoneme Substitution CVC,CVCC,CCVC Decoding Self-checking

Follow the link to the video of the card and flip-chute in action.

Flip Chute Smart Spelling Game

Additional this game-style learning also includes a bit of vocabulary introduced. Some students may not know the difference between a fox and a cat. They may not know what a cub is. Often, students second-guess their reading because the completely decodable word is new to them, and they do not trust the sounds.

For more flip-chute cards and homophones, go to my store on TPT.

Free Potato Person Drawing

Super Easy. Low Prep Art, Lable, and Writing Lesson.

Have your students ever been upset when they had to put Mr. Potato Head away? Or when they had to share it. You can take a picture of it. Or they can draw their picture, write about it, and label it.

We only had one potato head in our preschool classroom. I always thought we needed more. A good substitution is a large amount of homemade playdough, or these playdough mats.

These worksheets can help you turn a silly toy into a model for a class drawing and writing with very little prep. Get your free worksheets here.

A book about drawing that your students may like in your classroom is:

If a Pig Could Paint.

If a Pig Could Paint, would he hog all the colors?

Blending Board Letter Storage Idea

The magazine file holders are a perfect fit for my shelf. They are within reach of my reading table. The boards slide right in. They are big enough to fit smaller cookie sheets too.

A Magazine Storage File, Makes a Great Divider on My Literacy Shelf.

Easy Way to Store the Different Letter Boards

There are many reasons why I took the time to create extra blending broads. Then, I needed a way to store all the extra boards. The magazine file holders are a perfect fit for my shelf. They are within reach of my reading table. The boards slide right in. They are big enough to fit smaller cookie sheets too.

Clear L-Pocket Covers

Each whiteboard is covered with a clear plastic L pocket before it is put on the shelf. We call it the clear blanket. The younger kids say, “Time for the letters to go night-night”. After they put all the letters back in place, they slip each whiteboard into the pocket. Making sure the open end is at the top and the folder end is at the bottom. So, no letter tiles will escape.

The cookies nest together very nicely, we usually don’t cover them.

Leveled Letter Groups

UFli is great. They have wide range of free things in the toolbox. The Satpim order is not taught in the UFLi scope and sequence, but the decodable books that were available at my school were the Satpim style. So, I adapted some of my blending boards to have less letters. This was helpful for a few reasons.

Fewer letters to start with.
Less to clean up or lose.
Less distraction on the blending board.
Costs less – fewer magnets needed.
Sorted pre-made boards for differentiated invention groups.

Blending Without Tears

Some students can’t handle all 26 letters at once. One boy started to cry. He was new to group and he did not have all his sounds yet. When we switched to less letters it was easier for him to keep up.

The result was more organized system that flowed will with the scope and sequence of each group.

Lines Under the Letters

I also added lines under the letters. To help aid the students with the letter reversal issues. b, d, p, q, n, u, m, w. All these letters were creating problems. Some students said things like, “I have two m’s.” I had to admit without the bottom line as reference it did look like she had two letter m’s.

Extra Letters

It has proven to be helpful to have a box of extra letters near by. With out fail some how the letters get misplaced. This large shorting box has been very handy.

Vowel Importance – Red Letters

Sometimes we need to do a little extra vowel pratice. These cvc word builder sheets let student put the missing vowel sound in the word next to the picture. The self-checking flap help it to feel more like a game.

Mnemonic Letter Tiles

Some struggling reader need little bit of extra phonemic support with the letter sounds. It is another way to scafold the learning.

CVC Uno game for Emergent Readers

Punctuation for Comprehension

Are the students reading past the full stops? There are lots of things involved with reading comprehension, but punctuation might be a foundational item that is easy to fix quickly.

A few years ago, one of the teachers at my school asked me how she, “could improve the comprehension for her students?” I did not have a quick answer for her. My focus was more on the spelling patterns and helping students to decode words. But her question has lingered, and many other teachers have asked the same question over the years.

Can’t Level Up Without Comprehension

Teachers were reporting back to me that overall reading and spelling skills were improving after intervention, but students could not be leveled up because of the low comprehension scores. The targeted structured approach was working for the decoding skills, but the students were still missing an important step.

Stop and Take Notice of the Full Stops

It is never a surprise to me when one of the younger students reads past the full stops in their decodable books. They are younger, so I would stop and teach them the skill. I have one resource for that here.

What is it? Cavemen looking at a full stop at the end of a sentence.

When an older student did it, that was a helpful reminder that punctuation has a purpose.

During a running record test, one of my students was struggling with a sentence because she had read past the full stop. She tried rereading the words, with no success. She repeatedly used the last word of the sentence as the first word for what she was trying to make sense of. This was a perfect example of how punctuation affects the reader’s understanding. That has stuck with me and serves as a good example of why punctuation is important.

The Purpose of Punctuation Is to Help Readers Understand What They’re Reading

There is a really good article from Bedrock Learning.

Comprehension Is the Reason for Reading

The Reading Rockets article says, “Comprehension is the reason for reading.” Strong readers should think actively as they read. That is a great way to explain it. It is not a race to read all the words and finish.

There are lots of other things involved with comprehension, but punctuation might be a foundational item that is easy to fix quickly.

Schwa Bundle

The schwa sound can be challenging to teach and learn. While there are some tricky words, there are also predictable spelling patterns. These games and lessons can be helpful in mastering it.

Following the scope and sequence, some of the first words students may encounter are in the first lesson. These include words like: the, was, what, of, some, come, and from.

Learning the Schwa Spelling Pattern is Easier with Games and Posters.

Looking for a way to introduce and practice the schwa sound?

How to explain the schwa sound — Explain the schwa sound to emergent readings

The schwa sound is more than just the letter /a/ making the /u/ sound in words like banana, grandma, and pizza.

Students may first encounter the sound in the words the, was, what, and the word of. As well as the words come, some, from, and love. The bundle below has my favorite tools for introducing the schwa sound and spelling patterns to students of many levels and skills.

schwa spelling bundle educational games — Schwa spelling bundle

The schwa sound can be challenging to teach and learn. While there are some tricky words, there are also predictable spelling patterns. These games and lessons can be helpful in mastering it.

Following the scope and sequence, some of the first words students may encounter are in the first lesson. These include words like: the, was, what, of, some, come, and from.

The first poster set includes them. The warning sign theme helps reinforce the visual reminder that some words have tricky vowel sounds that we will call schwa.

schwa warning signs — schwa words of, the, was, what, warning signs. Pure Joy Teaching

The schwa sound is typically the short /u/ sound. What makes it more challenging to teach is that any of the vowel letters can represent the schwa sound.

You may choose to group the spelling patterns together to help students better remember them.

One option is to introduce the letter /o/ as a schwa sound, with a predictable pattern that students may encounter.

schwa love, dove, glove, oven — schwa love, dove, glove, Pure Joy Teaching

This schwa sound UNO-style game is excellent for helping students master words that feature the schwa sound.

Fast pasted fun educational game students will love to play.

The Letter U has Many Sounds

More than just schwa…………….

The letter “u” sound can be quite confusing, but this fun mnemonic sentence and image of the letter “u” pushing a super unicorn can serve as a memorable spelling aid.

Letter u has many sounds — letter u has many sounds Pure joy Teaching

Many Sounds of the Letter u.

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I Spy Worksheets

Blending two-letter words can be easier for students when the second letter is a stop sound. Teaching students to blend two sounds is a good start for emergent readers are they build up to CVC words.

For Letters and words

I hear with my little ear, I spy with my little eye…….

This is a great way to make learning fun. Capital I and lowercase /i/.
Words ‘it’ and ‘It’
is and Is
Letters a, A
Letters b, B
h, n
h, b
Fall letters g, p, y
Words that make ‘z’ sounds is, his,
Sounds of b, d,

Handwriting Sheets for

h,b,
r, n,
n, p,
c, a,
a, d,
a, g,

Games

Tic-Tac-Toe

Worksheets here on TPT

Vowel Consonant Blending

Blending is hard for some students. They may know all the letter sounds insolation but struggle to blend them in CVC words. This resource is designed to help those struggling blenders. VC blending is just two letters. Vowel + Consonant with picture mnemonics to help students succeed.

CVC builder Hot dogs dramatic play easy booklet

An, and Word Family Game

An, and, ran, tan, Jan, ant, more

This game has a funny backstory. Once during a reading group, one of the students told me, “An is not a real word. I asked my mom and she said it’s not real.”

It was good reminder that this word is underused and needs to be taught.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/An-and-word-family-game-Capital-and-lowercase-as-board-style-Emergent-readers-9169042

When teaching emergent readers the word “an,” it’s important to explain it in simple terms. This is one example of how you might do that:

Explain the Role of “An”:
“An” is a word we use before a noun when the noun starts with a vowel sound (like “a,” “e,” “i,” “o,” or “u”). It helps us say things clearly, like in “an apple” or “an umbrella.”
Give Examples:
- “An apple” (because “apple” starts with the vowel sound “a”).
- “An egg” (because “egg” starts with the vowel sound “e”).
- “An ice cream” (because “ice” starts with the vowel sound “i”).
Contrast with “A”:
You can explain that “an” is used only when the next word starts with a vowel sound. If the next word starts with a consonant sound, we use “a.” For example:
- “A dog” (because “dog” starts with the consonant sound “d”).
- “An apple” (because “apple” starts with the vowel sound “a”).
Practice with Simple Sentences:
Help them practice with simple phrases:
- “I see an apple.”
- “She has an orange.”
- “He wants an umbrella.”

By connecting “an” to things they are already familiar with and using it in simple sentences, emergent readers can start to recognize and use “an” correctly in their reading and writing!

Vowels are important

Vowel knowledge is essential for early learners. As educators, we often use terms like “CVC words,” but young learners may not fully understand what CVC, consonants, and vowels mean.

This is a great reminder that the five vowels are special and not the same as the other letters. The game below has the vowels marked in red.

CVC Uno game for Emergent Readers

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Handwriting Video Letter Group C

C-Shaped Letter Group

The C-Shaped Letters are c, a, g, d, q, o, s, e

The Importance of Correct Letter Formation: How Understanding the “C” Shape Can Help With Writing Letters Like lowercase a, g, d, q, o, and s

Learning to write is one of the most foundational skills children acquire, and proper letter formation is a key component in developing legible handwriting and decoding text. One effective way to teach this is by focusing on the shared shapes and movements that many letters have in common. This is especially true when it comes to the “C-shaped” letters—c, a, g, d, q, o, and s. These letters all begin with the same basic motion, which makes mastering their formation easier and more intuitive.

Letter is e, is also included in this group because it shares the same “c” shape curve. The lowercase letter /e/ has a rare starting place in the center of the letter between the lines.

Why Focusing on the “C” Shape is Helpful

The concept of the “C-shape” refers to the curved stroke that forms the initial part of several letters. By recognizing that many letters share this common starting point, children can develop muscle memory that will help them write these letters more fluently and correctly. Here’s why it’s so beneficial:

Consistency in Movement: All the “C-shaped” letters—c, a, g, d, q, o, and s—start with a curved stroke. This consistent motion reduces confusion for young learners who might otherwise feel overwhelmed by the differences between each letter. Once they master the curve, they can apply it to multiple letters.
Building Confidence: When children see that many letters share a similar starting stroke, they gain confidence. Instead of learning each letter individually from scratch, they understand that a large portion of their task is already the same. This helps reinforce a sense of achievement early on.
Muscle Memory: Proper formation of each letter is essential for developing legible handwriting. Starting with a consistent motion that works for several letters helps the child develop the fine motor skills needed to form these letters efficiently. Repeated practice of the “C” shape strengthens hand-eye coordination and improves control over the writing utensil.
Improved Readability: Correct letter formation leads to more legible writing. When children are taught to form letters like – a, g, d, q, o, and s with the same initial stroke, their writing becomes smoother and more consistent. The clear structure of each letter helps others easily read and understand their work.

The Key Letters That Share the “C” Shape

Here’s a breakdown of how these letters are formed and why their shared beginning is so useful:

c: The letter C begins with a simple, open curve that gently curls from top to bottom. It’s the perfect starting point for understanding how a curved stroke can be controlled.
a: Starting at the top with a curved stroke similar to the C, A then forms a pointed peak. This shared beginning helps learners transition from the open curve of C to the pointed structure of A.
g: The letter G shares a similar shape to C but adds a small horizontal line at the bottom. Understanding how the curve connects to the baseline in C helps learners add the horizontal stroke to form G.
d: Beginning like c, the letter d, incorporates a straight line down the right side to complete its form. The curved stroke serves as the foundation for creating the full d shape.
q: The letter q begins like the letter c, then drops down with a straight line to create a hanging letter.
o: O mirrors the C in terms of its curved stroke, but it forms a complete circle. Once children can form the C shape, drawing O becomes a natural next step. They should start the letters in the same spot to the right. Not in the center.
s: The letter S starts with a small C-like curve that loops back on itself. This shape may appear complex, but it becomes easier once learners understand how to curve the stroke in a continuous motion. Remind students that letter /s/ starts with a small /c/ shape then turns and flips into a backward /c/ shape.

How a Video Can Support Learning

Using a video to demonstrate how to form these “C-shaped” letters is an excellent way to reinforce proper letter formation. Visual learners can benefit from seeing the motion in real time, as it helps them better understand how to make the connections between each letter. A video can also provide:

Slow-motion tutorials to break down the steps for each letter.
Interactive feedback to encourage learners to try forming the letters themselves. Using whiteboards, paper, sand, or air writing.
Multiple examples to ensure mastery of the technique.

Pure Joy Teaching the C-shaped letters

Conclusion

Focusing on the common “C-shape” in letters like -c, a, g, d, q, o, s, and e, offers a practical and effective way to teach children proper letter formation. By highlighting the shared motion and stroke, children can build confidence, improve their handwriting skills, and progress through these letters more smoothly. Using video resources to reinforce these concepts can further enhance learning, providing visual cues and demonstrations that support the development of good handwriting habits.

For C-shaped resources see my book,

C Pirate Letters Handwriting Storybook

Learning to form letters can be easy and fun. Start with a few at a time, within the letter groups and mastery should come with practice.

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