Safari Phonics Complete Packet
Complete 14-Session Curriculum Packet
Phonics Safari Quest
Multisensory Phonics, Sight Words, CVC/CCVC/CVCC Patterns & 10-Minute Daily Spelling Block
14-SESSION SCOPE & SEQUENCE (30 MIN / SESSION) 1st Grade Orton-Gillingham Aligned
| Session | Phonics Focus | 1st Grade Sight Words | Multisensory Routine | 10-Min Spelling Block |
|---|
| S1–S2 | VC Rimes (-at, -an, -in, -on) & CVC a/i/o | the, you, was, are | Arm Tapping & Skywriting | Tactile sand tray dictation |
| S3–S4 | CVC Short e/u Patterns & Blending | with, they, from, have | Sound-dot tapping & popper board | Partner palm-trace spelling |
| S5 | CVC Mixed Consolidation & Dictation | Review Sight Words 1–8 | Pound & tap sentence mapping | Weekly spelling check & correct |
| S6–S7 | CCVC Initial Blends (bl, cl, fl, sl, br, st) | come, some, there, where | Rubber-band sound stretching | Texture mat / desk spelling |
| S8–S9 | CVCC Ending Blends (-nd, -st, -mp, -lk) | could, would | Gross-motor blend hopscotch | Back-to-back whisper spelling |
| S10 | Mid-Point Phonics Checkpoint Quiz | Sight Words 1–10 Check | Elkonin 4-box quiz mapping | Weekly spelling check #2 |
| S11–S12 | Cumulative Review Stations & Bootcamp | All 14 Sight Words | Sand trays & magnetic sound mats | Sparkle circle tapping drill |
| S13 | Final Cumulative Phonics Test | Comprehensive Sight Words | Independent sound mapping | Final spelling evaluation |
| S14 | Celebration, Reader Theater & Showcase | Mastery Fluency Cards | Playdough letters & theater | Classroom friendly spelling bee |
Part I: Teacher Guides
• Page 2: Sessions 1–5 Lesson Plans (VC & CVC)
• Page 3: Sessions 6–10 Lesson Plans (CCVC & CVCC)
• Page 4: Sessions 11–14 Lesson Plans & Review
• Page 11: Answer Keys & Diagnostic Rubric
Part II: Student Worksheets & Tests
• Page 5: Worksheet 1 (Sound Starters VC/CVC)
• Page 6: Game 1 (CVC Sound Popper Board)
• Page 7: Worksheet 2 (Blend Detectives CCVC/CVCC)
• Page 8: Activity 2 (Blend Hopscotch Mats & Cards)
• Page 9: Phonics Checkpoint Quiz (Mid-Point)
• Page 10: Mastery Phonics Test (Final)
Page 1 • Phonics Safari Quest Master Curriculum Packet
Unit 1 Teacher Guide
Lesson Plans: Sessions 1–5 (Sound Starters)
30 Min / Session
Session 1: High-Frequency Sight Words & Short 'a' VC Words at, an, am, in
00–10m: Introduce sight words the, you. Teach Arm Tapping: extend arm, tap shoulder for letter 1, elbow for letter 2, wrist for letter 3. Introduce VC rimes: -at, -an, -am.
10–20m: Model 3-sound Elkonin mapping for cat, pan, ram. Slide chips into boxes while vocalizing /k/ /æ/ /t/.
20–30m (Spelling Block): Weekly Spelling Review: Teacher dictates 3 weekly words. Students write in tactile sand trays while saying each letter aloud, then read back.
Session 2: Short 'i' & 'o' CVC Decoding & Sight Words it, is, on, ox
00–10m: Review the, you; introduce was, are. Skywriting routine: two fingers extended, trace in air with full arm while naming letters.
10–20m: Finger-tap phonemes for short 'i' and 'o' words: pin, sit, top, box. Students touch tapping dots on worksheets, then blend smoothly.
20–30m (Spelling Block): Weekly Spelling Review: Partner palm-tapping. Partner A taps weekly word on Partner B's palm; Partner B writes on whiteboard.
Session 3: Short 'e' & 'u' Patterns & Vowel Gestures up, us, ed, en
00–10m: Review sight words; introduce with, they, have. Vowel kinesthetic gestures: short 'e' = cup ear, short 'u' = point upward.
10–20m: Elkonin mapping for bed, net, bug, cup. Students map sounds into boxes, write letters, and read aloud to a peer.
20–30m (Spelling Block): Weekly Spelling Review: "Ghost Writing" on desk mats. Students trace weekly words with fingertip on textured desks, vocalizing letter names.
Session 4: Mixed CVC Blending & Popper Game All 5 Short Vowels
00–10m: Rapid Sight Word Dash with flashcards: the, was, are, with, they, have. Arm-tap irregular heart sounds.
10–20m: Play the CVC Popper Game (Page 6). Students roll, tap sound dots, pop bubbles, and read words aloud.
20–30m (Spelling Block): Weekly Spelling Review: Teacher provides weekly words in scrambled sound order; students reconstruct and write on practice sheets.
Session 5: Sentence Dictation & CVC Consolidation Review & Bridge
00–10m: Multisensory sight word search: highlight heart words in decodable sentences using yellow crayons.
10–20m: Sentence dictation: "The cat sat on a red rug." Students pound table for each word, map sounds, and write.
20–30m (Spelling Block): Weekly Spelling Check: Simulated Friday spelling check. Students write 4 weekly words independently, then use "Check & Correct" protocol.
Page 2 • Phonics Safari Quest Master Curriculum Packet
Unit 2 Teacher Guide
Lesson Plans: Sessions 6–10 (Blend Builders)
30 Min / Session
Session 6: Beginning L-Blends (CCVC) & Sight Words bl, cl, fl, sl
00–10m: Introduce sight words come, some. Rubber-band blend routine: stretch band for separate sounds /b/ /l/, release for blended /bl/.
10–20m: 4-box Elkonin mapping with words clap, frog, slip, glad. Consonants in a blend receive separate boxes and taps.
20–30m (Spelling Block): Weekly Spelling Review: Shaving cream or texture mat spelling. Students write weekly words while repeating letter names rhythmically.
Session 7: Beginning R-Blends & S-Blends (CCVC) br, cr, dr, st, sp
00–10m: Introduce sight words there, where. Skywrite both words; compare spelling patterns.
10–20m: Bead slide blending: drop, spin, crab, stop. Slide beads on pipe cleaners to blend 4 consecutive phonemes continuously.
20–30m (Spelling Block): Weekly Spelling Review: Back-to-back whisper spelling. Partner A traces on Partner B's back; Partner B writes on desk.
Session 8: Ending Consonant Blends (CVCC Patterns) -nd, -st, -mp, -lk
00–10m: Introduce sight words could, would. Arm-tap the "-ould" chunk. Contrast ending blends: sand, bend.
10–20m: 4-sound mapping for jump, nest, milk, hand. Tap finger under each sound counter, then blend.
20–30m (Spelling Block): Weekly Spelling Review: Isolate vowel sounds with arm gestures, tap consonants on desk, and write words into weekly logs.
Session 9: CCVC & CVCC Discrimination & Gross Motor Hop Kinesthetic Practice
00–10m: Flashcard sprint with all 10 taught sight words. Quick arm-tap on hesitant words.
10–20m: Play the Blend Hopscotch Activity (Page 8). Students jump onto blend mats and stick the landing to read complete words.
20–30m (Spelling Block): Weekly Spelling Review: Speed sort. Students write weekly words on index cards and categorize by short vowel sound.
Session 10: Mid-Point Phonics Checkpoint Quiz Quiz Day
00–15m: Administer the Phonics Checkpoint Quiz (Page 9): Sight words (5 pts), VC/CVC (5 pts), CCVC/CVCC mapping (5 pts), Sentence dictation (5 pts).
15–20m: Immediate sensory check: highlight correct letters with green crayon.
20–30m (Spelling Block): Weekly Spelling Block Assessment: Teacher conducts weekly spelling evaluation in dedicated box.
Page 3 • Phonics Safari Quest Master Curriculum Packet
Unit 3 Teacher Guide
Lesson Plans: Sessions 11–14 (Word Champions)
30 Min / Session
Session 11: Multisensory Review Stations Cumulative Practice
00–10m: Cumulative flash review of all 14 sight words. Arm-tap challenging heart words (could, would, there, where, some).
10–20m: 2 rotation stations: Station A (Sand Tray Sound Spelling with CVC & CCVC words); Station B (Magnetic letter sound-mapping on Elkonin mats).
20–30m (Spelling Block): Weekly Spelling Review: "Sparkle Tapping" drill. Students stand in a circle and state sequential letters with rhythmic palm taps.
Session 12: Speed Blending & Dictation Bootcamp Test Readiness
00–10m: Partner decodable roll & read: roll die, read row of mixed VC, CVC, CCVC, CVCC words smoothly with finger sweep tracking.
10–20m: Teacher dictates 2 sentences: "The frog slept on the soft mud." Students pound syllable beats, map phonemes, write, and verify capitals and periods.
20–30m (Spelling Block): Weekly Spelling Review: Whiteboard Flash & Erase. Write large, display on count of 3, finger-trace before erasing.
Session 13: Final Cumulative Phonics Test Final Assessment
00–05m: Calming warm-up: quick finger-tapping drill to focus attention and prime motor pathways.
05–20m: Administer the Mastery Phonics Test (Page 10): Sight words (6 pts), VC/CVC (6 pts), CCVC/CVCC mapping (6 pts), Dictation (4 pts).
20–30m (Spelling Block): Weekly Spelling Final Check: Administer the 3 weekly spelling test words in Section 4.
Session 14: Celebration, Reader Theater & Showcase Mastery Celebration
00–10m: Tactile word building: form favorite sight words using playdough ropes or pipe cleaners.
10–20m: Safari Reader Theater: choral reading of decodable stories featuring all taught patterns.
20–30m (Spelling Block): Friendly Spelling Bee: Low-stakes team spelling bee with arm-tapping support. Distribute "Word Champion" certificates!
Scoring & Mastery Guidelines
Benchmark: 80%+ (20/25 pts on Final Test) indicates grade-level mastery.
Intervention: Score below 20 triggers targeted 3-box or 4-box Elkonin sound-box drills.
Spelling Link: 10-minute daily review ensures transfer from phonics decoding to spelling recall.
Page 4 • Phonics Safari Quest Master Curriculum Packet
Student Practice • Unit 1
Name: Date:
Sound Starters Worksheet
1. Sight Word Heart Tap (Read, Arm-Tap, and Write)
the
● ● ●
was
● ● ●
are
● ● ●
with
● ● ● ●
2. Sound Mapping (Tap Dots, Write 1 Sound per Box)
1. "in" (VC) ● ●
2. "up" (VC) ● ●
3. "cat" (CVC) ● ● ●
4. "pin" (CVC) ● ● ●
5. "fox" (CVC) ● ● ●
6. "rug" (CVC) ● ● ●
3. Tap, Read & Copy Sentence
The ● cat ● sat ● on ● the ● red ● rug.
10-Minute Weekly Spelling Review Block
Teacher Dictation
Word 1:
Word 2:
Word 3:
Word 4:
Page 5 • Phonics Safari Quest Master Curriculum Packet
Multisensory Game • Sessions 4–5 2–4 Players • 1 Die
CVC Sound Popper Board Game
Roll die, move, tap 3 sound dots, blend, and follow action spaces!
START Roll & Hop
#1 cat ● ● ●
#2 pig ● ● ●
SOUND JUMP Hop 3x on /e/!
#4 bed ● ● ●
#5 hop ● ● ●
#6 sun ● ● ●
HEART WORD Arm-tap "with"!
#8 cup ● ● ●
#9 fan ● ● ●
#10 fin ● ● ●
HIGH FIVE Partner clap!
#12 rot ● ● ●
#13 mud ● ● ●
#14 ten ● ● ●
WINNER! Phonics Star
Multisensory Extension
Use with silicone bubble popper toys or playdough balls: pop or smash 1 bubble per phoneme before reading the blended word!
Page 6 • Phonics Safari Quest Master Curriculum Packet
Student Practice • Unit 2
Name: Date:
Blend Detectives Worksheet
1. Heart Word Arm-Tap & Write
come
● ● ● ●
some
● ● ● ●
could
● ● ● ● ●
there
● ● ● ● ●
2. 4-Sound Blend Mapping (Write 1 Sound per Box)
1. "frog" (CCVC) ● ● ● ●
2. "slip" (CCVC) ● ● ● ●
3. "crab" (CCVC) ● ● ● ●
4. "camp" (CVCC) ● ● ● ●
5. "nest" (CVCC) ● ● ● ●
6. "jump" (CVCC) ● ● ● ●
3. Tap, Read & Copy Sentence
The ● frog ● can ● jump ● in ● the ● pond.
10-Minute Weekly Spelling Review Block
Teacher Dictation
Word 1:
Word 2:
Word 3:
Word 4:
Page 7 • Phonics Safari Quest Master Curriculum Packet
Kinesthetic Activity • Sessions 8–9 Gross-Motor Phonics
Blend Hopscotch Activity & Cards
Students jump to blend sound mats and shout the complete word!
FLOOR RUNWAY SEQUENCE
START
→
Blend (cl, st, fr)
→
Vowel (a, o, u)
→
Ending (p, g, mp)
→
LAND & BLEND!
Card 1 (CCVC)
c - l - a - p
Hop /cl/, tap /a/, stomp /p/, clap 3x: CLAP!
Card 2 (CCVC)
f - r - o - g
Hop /fr/, mouth wide /o/, ribbit on /g/: FROG!
Card 3 (CCVC)
s - t - o - p
Freeze /st/, slide /o/, pop hands on /p/: STOP!
Card 4 (CVCC)
j - u - m - p
Tap /j/, point up /u/, press lips /mp/: JUMP!
Card 5 (CVCC)
n - e - s - t
Step /n/, tap ear /e/, snap /st/: NEST!
Card 6 (CVCC)
s - a - n - d
Hiss /s/, smile /a/, drum knees /nd/: SAND!
Desk Variation: Students "finger-hop" their index and middle fingers across the runway while vocalizing each sound!
Page 8 • Phonics Safari Quest Master Curriculum Packet
Name: Date:
Phonics Checkpoint Quiz (Mid-Point)
Score ___ / 20
1. Sight Words (Teacher calls word, circle match) 5 Pts
#1 (the)
tha
the
thi
#2 (was)
was
waz
saw
#3 (with)
weth
wish
with
#4 (come)
come
came
kome
#5 (could)
cold
could
would
2. VC & CVC Decoding (Circle the correct real word) 5 Pts
1. Pet animal
cat
cot
cut
2. Not down
in
on
up
3. To cook in
pan
pin
pen
4. Warm star
sin
sun
son
5. Floor mat
rag
rug
rig
3. 4-Sound Blend Mapping (Write 1 letter per box) 5 Pts
Word A: "frog" (CCVC)
Word B: "jump" (CVCC)
4. Sentence Dictation 5 Pts
Teacher says: "The frog can jump on the damp sand."
Page 9 • Phonics Safari Quest Master Curriculum Packet
Name: Date:
Mastery Phonics Test (Final Evaluation)
Total ___ / 25
1. Sight Words (Teacher calls word, circle match) 6 Pts
#1 (was)
has
was
saw
#2 (they)
they
that
them
#3 (come)
came
some
come
#4 (there)
their
there
where
#5 (could)
would
could
cold
#6 (with)
with
wish
will
2. VC & CVC Decoding 6 Pts
1. In/Out
in
it
2. Up/Down
on
up
3. Sleep
bad
bed
4. Drink
cop
cup
5. Write
pen
pan
6. Mat
rug
rag
3. CCVC & CVCC Blend Mapping 6 Pts
1. "glad" (CCVC)
2. "swim" (CCVC)
3. "lamp" (CVCC)
4. "nest" (CVCC)
4. Sentence Dictation (4 pts) & Weekly Spelling Block Test (3 pts) 7 Pts
Sentence: "The frog can jump on the wet log."
Weekly Spelling Words:
1:
2:
3:
Page 10 • Phonics Safari Quest Master Curriculum Packet
Teacher Reference
Complete Answer Keys & Scoring Guide
Page 9 Checkpoint Quiz Answer Key (20 Pts Total)
Part 1 Sight Words (5 pts): 1. the; 2. was; 3. with; 4. come; 5. could
Part 2 Decoding (5 pts): 1. cat; 2. up; 3. pan; 4. sun; 5. rug
Part 3 Mapping (5 pts): Word A: f-r-o-g; Word B: j-u-m-p
Part 4 Dictation (5 pts): "The frog can jump on the damp sand." (1 pt capital, 2 pts sight words, 1 pt blends, 1 pt period).
Page 10 Mastery Phonics Test Answer Key (25 Pts Total)
Section 1 Sight Words (6 pts): 1. was; 2. they; 3. come; 4. there; 5. could; 6. with
Section 2 Decoding (6 pts): 1. in; 2. up; 3. bed; 4. cup; 5. pen; 6. rug
Section 3 Mapping (6 pts): 1. g-l-a-d; 2. s-w-i-m; 3. l-a-m-p; 4. n-e-s-t
Section 4 Dictation & Spelling (7 pts): "The frog can jump on the wet log." (4 pts) + 3 weekly spelling words accurately transcribed (3 pts).
Grading & Diagnostic Action Plan
Mastery (22–25 Pts) Advance to long vowels, vowel teams, and multisyllabic decoding.
Developing (18–21 Pts) Continue 10-minute daily spelling block; reinforce ending blend isolation.
Intervention (<18 Pts) Reteach 4-sound mapping using physical counters and tactile sand trays.
Page 11 • Phonics Safari Quest Master Curriculum Packet