Year 1 · 77 lessons
English
Listen, talk, read and write. Every little word tells a story!
Start the first lesson →
Before you start · adult guidance
Read instructions aloud. Word-reading practice must match the child's taught sounds. The phonics pages support, but do not replace, the school's systematic synthetic phonics programme. Shared stories are adult-read unless the child can decode them. Re-read and practise daily.
These are short sessions to revisit, not a one-day course. Follow the child's readiness and school teaching.
Teacher coverage map · what is introduced and what is still needed
The lessons cover the Year 1 spelling patterns and example exception words, word reading, comprehension, spoken language, composition, grammar, punctuation and handwriting expectations. They support, but do not replace, a school's validated systematic synthetic phonics programme, its exact sound order, adult sound modelling, closely matched decodable books or a wide whole-book story, poetry and non-fiction library. Shared stories here are adult-read; never ask children to guess untaught words from pictures.
These are our reference keys, not official DfE numbering. Each link identifies a teaching introduction, not a completed curriculum requirement or assessed mastery.
Connect taught sounds and spellings for decoding.
E-WR1
- Letters have names and sounds
- Meet the vowel letters
- Push the sounds together
- Two letters, one sound
- The sound in rain and day
- The sound in see and sea
- Three letters can work together
- Read boat and snow
- Look: two oo sounds
- Listen to car and fork
- Different letters, a familiar sound
- The sound in out and cow
- Join the sound in coin and toy
- Sound teams in ear and hair
- Spot a spelling pattern
- Read make and cake
- Read these and theme
- Read time and ride
- Read home and hope
- Read cube and flute
- Read bread and head
- Listen to the ending in summer
- Read toe and goes
- Read blue and rescue
- Read new and grew
- Read pie and tie
- Read field and chief
- Read more and shore
- Read saw and pause
- Read bear and pear
- Read care and share
- Listen to y in happy
- Two letters: ph
- Read when and which
- Choose k in kit and sky
- Listen to bank and sink
- Three letters at the end: tch
- The ending in have and give
- Put the alphabet in order
Segment spoken words into sounds for spelling.
E-SP1
Blend and reread words matched to taught sound-spelling knowledge.
E-WR2
- Push the sounds together
- Read make and cake
- Read these and theme
- Read time and ride
- Read home and hope
- Read cube and flute
- Read bread and head
- Listen to the ending in summer
- Read toe and goes
- Read blue and rescue
- Read new and grew
- Read pie and tie
- Read field and chief
- Read more and shore
- Read saw and pause
- Read bear and pear
- Read care and share
- Listen to y in happy
- Two letters: ph
- Read when and which
- Choose k in kit and sky
- Listen to bank and sink
- Three letters at the end: tch
- The ending in have and give
- Stop, check and read it again
Name letters and practise short dictated sentences.
E-SP4
Practise Year 1 spelling patterns, prefixes and endings.
E-SP2
- The sound in rain and day
- The sound in see and sea
- Three letters can work together
- Read boat and snow
- Look: two oo sounds
- Listen to car and fork
- Different letters, a familiar sound
- The sound in out and cow
- Join the sound in coin and toy
- Sound teams in ear and hair
- Spot a spelling pattern
- One cat, two cats
- Add an ending
- What does un- do?
- Read make and cake
- Read these and theme
- Read time and ride
- Read home and hope
- Read cube and flute
- Read bread and head
- Listen to the ending in summer
- Read toe and goes
- Read blue and rescue
- Read new and grew
- Read pie and tie
- Read field and chief
- Read more and shore
- Read saw and pause
- Read bear and pear
- Read care and share
- Listen to y in happy
- Two letters: ph
- Read when and which
- Choose k in kit and sky
- Listen to bank and sink
- Three letters at the end: tch
- The ending in have and give
- Two words make a new word
Read common exception words, noticing unusual spellings.
E-WR3
- Look closely at common words
- Look closely: the, a and do
- Look closely: were, was and is
- Look closely: be, he and me
- Look closely: my, here and there
- Look closely: ask, friend and school
Spell common exception words and the days of the week.
E-SP3
- Look closely at common words
- Write the days
- Look closely: the, a and do
- Look closely: were, was and is
- Look closely: be, he and me
- Look closely: my, here and there
- Look closely: ask, friend and school
Read longer words and familiar word endings.
E-WR4
Read shortened forms and understand their apostrophes.
E-WR5
Use capitals for names, days and I.
E-G2
Explain vocabulary, find information, infer and predict with evidence.
E-RC2
- Find an answer in the story
- What happened first?
- How might a character feel?
- What might happen next?
- Stories and information
- Retell a familiar tale
- Use the title and your own experience
- Stop, check and read it again
- Explain an idea and listen to another
Enjoy, discuss and retell stories, poems and non-fiction read aloud.
E-RC1
- What happened first?
- Talk about a new word
- Join in a little poem
- Stories and information
- Retell a familiar tale
- Join in with the repeated words
- Use the title and your own experience
- Learn a little poem by heart
Listen, take turns, ask questions and explain ideas aloud.
E-SL
- What happened first?
- How might a character feel?
- What might happen next?
- Talk about a new word
- Join in a little poem
- Take a turn to talk
- Say it before you write it
- Ask it or say it with feeling
- Retell a familiar tale
- Join in with the repeated words
- Use the title and your own experience
- Explain an idea and listen to another
- Learn a little poem by heart
- Read your writing aloud and discuss it
Say sentences before writing and sequence a short narrative.
E-WC1
Use spaces, capitals and sentence-ending punctuation.
E-G1
Reread, discuss, improve and read writing aloud.
E-WC2
- Give a sentence a beginning and end
- Write a tiny story
- Read it back and make it clear
- Read your writing aloud and discuss it
Join words and clauses using and.
E-G3
Practise comfortable pencil use and correct letter and digit formation.
E-HW
Sounds and letters
- 1Letters have names and sounds →
- 2Meet the vowel letters →
- 3Push the sounds together →
- 4Pull a word into sounds →
- 5Two letters, one sound →
- 6The sound in rain and day →
- 7The sound in see and sea →
- 8Three letters can work together →
- 9Read boat and snow →
- 10Look: two oo sounds →
- 11Listen to car and fork →
- 12Different letters, a familiar sound →
- 13The sound in out and cow →
- 14Join the sound in coin and toy →
- 15Sound teams in ear and hair →
- 64Put the alphabet in order →
Read and spell words
- 16Spot a spelling pattern →
- 17Look closely at common words →
- 18Read a longer word in parts →
- 19One cat, two cats →
- 20Add an ending →
- 21What does un- do? →
- 22Two words become one →
- 23Write the days →
- 65Look closely: the, a and do →
- 66Look closely: were, was and is →
- 67Look closely: be, he and me →
- 68Look closely: my, here and there →
- 69Look closely: ask, friend and school →
Listen and understand
- 24Find an answer in the story →
- 25What happened first? →
- 26How might a character feel? →
- 27What might happen next? →
- 28Talk about a new word →
- 29Join in a little poem →
- 30Stories and information →
- 70Retell a familiar tale →
- 71Join in with the repeated words →
- 72Use the title and your own experience →
- 73Stop, check and read it again →
- 74Explain an idea and listen to another →
- 75Learn a little poem by heart →
Speak and write
- 31Take a turn to talk →
- 32Say it before you write it →
- 33Give a sentence a beginning and end →
- 34Capitals for names and I →
- 35Ask it or say it with feeling →
- 36Join ideas with and →
- 37Write a tiny story →
- 38Make letters carefully →
- 39Read it back and make it clear →
- 76Practise letters in families →
- 77Read your writing aloud and discuss it →
More vowel spellings
- 40Read make and cake →
- 41Read these and theme →
- 42Read time and ride →
- 43Read home and hope →
- 44Read cube and flute →
- 45Read bread and head →
- 46Listen to the ending in summer →
- 47Read toe and goes →
- 48Read blue and rescue →
- 49Read new and grew →
- 50Read pie and tie →
- 51Read field and chief →
- 52Read more and shore →
- 53Read saw and pause →
- 54Read bear and pear →
- 55Read care and share →
- 56Listen to y in happy →