Liftoff Teacher Guide Week 1 Literacy Liftoff
Tier 3 Intervention • Week 1
Focus Short Vowels
Phonics Skills
CVC (Short a, e, i, o, u)
CVCC (Ending blends: -st, -nd, -nt)
CVCCC (Ending blends: -nch, -mps)
Sight Words
1. about 2. after 3. again 4. before
Routine Activities Timing Warm-Up Phonemic Awareness: Segmenting and blending phonemes in CVCC words. Sight word flashcard drill. 5m Word Work Explicit Instruction: Teach pattern of the day (e.g., CVCC). Mapping: Students map words using Elkonin boxes in their workbooks. 10m Fluency Choral reading of the daily decodable passage. Partner reading for speed and accuracy. 10m Comprehension Direct questioning: Focus on "Main Idea" and "Sequence of Events" from the passage. 5m
Weekly Scope
Day 1
Focus: CVC Review. Practice words: cat, map, ten, bit, fog, hum. Focus on vowel placement and short sound accuracy.
Day 2
Focus: CVCC (-st, -nd). Practice words: fast, hand, last, bend, dust, pond. Instruction: "The sounds stick together at the end."
Day 3
Focus: CVCC (-nk, -nt). Practice words: bank, sink, sent, hunt, pink, mint. Pay special attention to the nasal 'n' sound.
Day 4
Focus: CVCCC (-nch, -mps). Practice words: lunch, bench, lamps, bumps, punch. Model blending three final consonants slowly.
Day 5
Focus: Mixed Review & Progress Check. Use the assessment section in the workbook to check for pattern mastery and fluency rates.
Tier 3 Strategy: Error Correction
When a student misreads a word, stop immediately. "Look at this word. What is the first sound? What is the vowel sound? Let's slide through it together." Always have the student re-read the entire sentence after correcting a word to maintain context and fluency.
Liftoff Student Pack Week 1 Literacy Liftoff
Student Mission Log • Week 1
Navigator Name
Launch Date
This Week's Goals:
Master short vowel sounds
Blend words with ending sounds (-st, -nd)
Read "The Fast Cat" fluently
Level 1: Short Vowel Sprint
Day 1 & 2: Word Mapping
Listen to the word. Say the sounds. Write one sound in each box.
Day 1: CVC Words
Day 2: CVCC Words
Mission: Reading
Read the story three times. Circle words with ending blends (-st, -nd, -nt).
The Fast Cat
The cat was fast. It ran in the sand. It saw a tent. The cat did not stop. It ran to the pond. It was a hot day. The cat had a rest on a log.
1st Read
2nd Read
3rd Read
Mission Check-In
1. Where did the cat run first?
2. Why did the cat rest?
3. Put the events in order (1, 2, 3):
?
The cat sat on a log.
?
The cat ran in the sand.
?
The cat saw a tent.
Liftoff Teacher Guide Week 2 Literacy Liftoff
Tier 3 Intervention • Week 2
Focus Digraphs & Trigraphs
Phonics Skills
Digraphs: sh, ch, th, wh
Trigraphs: -tch, -dge
Sound Discrimination: ch vs. tch
Sight Words
1. because 2. been 3. best 4. both
Weekly Scope
Day 1
sh and ch. Practice: ship, fish, chop, rich. Keyword: "Ship" /sh/, "Chin" /ch/. Use mirrors to observe mouth shape differences.
Day 2
th and wh. Practice: thin, bath, when, whip. Voiced vs. Unvoiced /th/: that vs thin. Remind students: wh sounds like /w/.
Day 3
Trigraph -tch. Practice: catch, match, pitch, notch. Rule: -tch follows a short vowel. Compare rich (digraph) and match (trigraph).
Day 4
Trigraph -dge. Practice: badge, bridge, edge, lodge. Rule: -dge follows a short vowel. Keyword: "Bridge" /j/.
Day 5
Review & Checkpoint. Focus on differentiating sh, ch, and th in dictation and rapid word recognition.
Instructional Script: -tch vs -ch
Teacher: "Look at the word rich . It ends in /ch/. Is the vowel sound short? Yes. Why do we use -ch? Because it's a short word, but rich is an exception."
Teacher: "Now look at catch . /c/-/a/-/tch/. Is the vowel short? Yes. In most short words with a short vowel, we use the 3-letter trigraph -tch."
Practice: Have students tap out the sounds. Remind them: /tch/ is ONE sound even though it has three letters.
Fluency Focus
"Read the list of words as fast as you can without making a mistake. Ready, set, go!"
Comprehension Goal
"Ask: 'How does the character feel at the end?' Focus on using evidence from the text."
Liftoff Student Pack Week 2 Literacy Liftoff
Student Mission Log • Week 2
Navigator Name
This Week's Goals:
Spot the digraphs (sh, ch, th, wh)
Use trigraphs (-tch, -dge) in words
Read "The Fish on the Bridge" fluently
Level 2: Digraph Dash
The Sound Sort
Write the words in the correct box.
shipchipthinwhip bathfishrichwhen
SH
CH
TH
WH
Trigraph Trouble
Complete the words using -tch or -dge.
ca _______
bri _______
wa _______
e _______
Liftoff Teacher Guide Week 3 Literacy Liftoff
Tier 3 Intervention • Week 3
Focus Consonant Blends
Phonics Skills
L-Blends (bl, cl, fl, gl, pl, sl)
R-Blends (br, cr, dr, fr, gr, pr, tr)
S-Blends (sc, sk, sm, sn, sp, st, sw)
Sight Words
1. call 2. cold 3. does 4. don't
Weekly Scope
Day 1
L-Blends. Practice: black, clap, flag, glad, plum, slip. Focus on the 'l' sound blending smoothly with the initial consonant. Use a rubber band to model "stretching" the sounds.
Day 2
R-Blends. Practice: brick, crab, drum, frog, grin, press, trap. Watch for "vowel insertion" (e.g., saying /buh-rick/ instead of /brick/).
Day 3
S-Blends. Practice: scan, skip, smile, snap, spot, stop, swim. These are often the most difficult for students to hear the second sound.
Day 4
Final Blends Review. Practice: best, lamp, hand, tent, milk, help. Review CVCC patterns from Week 1 and connect them to initial blends (CCVC).
Day 5
Speed Drill & Accuracy. Choral reading of a "Blends Bonanza" passage. Check for smooth transitions between consonant sounds.
Instructional Routine: Continuous Blending
Instead of "chopping" the sounds (/b/ - /l/ - /u/ - /m/), encourage students to sing or stretch the sounds together without stopping the air.
Teacher: "I’m going to sing the sounds in plum . Listen: /pppllluuuummm/. Now you try it. Don't stop the air between the sounds."
This reduces the cognitive load on the working memory, helping students hold onto the sounds long enough to blend them into a word.
