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Knowledge of the code is the key to understanding written English.

The Code Is the Key employs a speech-to-sounds-to-print approach, using the large bank of spoken words that students already know as the foundation for learning to write every sound of English.

This early code knowledge quickly sets first-year students on the path to becoming successful writers and readers.

Learning to write is about learning the code—how to use alphabet letters in different ways to represent the sounds that make up the words we know. Learning to read is about recognising the code—turning graphemes into sounds and blending the sounds together to make words. Learning to write the code is the platform for learning to read. Once you can write it . . . . . . you can read it.

The Code Is the Key 1 includes a collection of engaging materials for use by students and teachers during lessons, in learning centres, and for independent learning.

Teacher's Guide

The 32 weeks of daily 10-minute lessons in the Teacher’s Guide teach phonological and phonemic awareness skills and phoneme-grapheme relationships for all the sounds of English.

  • Introduction lessons (23 weeks) that teach students to pronounce, isolate, blend, segment, and write every sound
  • Consolidation lessons (9 weeks) that revisit all the sounds and extend students’ knowledge of the code
  • Supporting activities that extend learning throughout the day with simple daily routines, learning centre activities, and links to reading and writing instruction
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Sound Rhymes

Featuring rhymes written by Jill Eggleton and activities developed by Joy Allcock, the Sound Rhymes are a set of 46 large-format cards with an engaging rhyme for every sound of English. Simple, age-appropriate activities help children develop phonological and phonemic awareness, oral language, and print knowledge.

  • Multiple uses during daily routines, lessons, and learning centres
  • Built-in activities and instruction on the back of each card
  • Support for language and literacy skills, including phoneme isolation and matching, rhyming, segmenting syllables, blending phonemes, and phoneme-grapheme relationships

The Sound Rhymes are available for purchase separately from The Code Is the Key.

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Sound Hunts

Students will love hunting for the focus sound in the busy, engaging illustrations of the 39 large-format Sound Hunt cards.

  • A variety of uses during daily routines, lessons, and learning centres
  • Many examples of the focus sound in different positions in words
  • Hidden animal representing the focus sound in every picture
  • Built-in activities and instruction on the back of each card
  • Support for oral language and foundational reading skills, including phoneme isolation and matching, reading high-frequency words, and decoding

The Sound Hunts are available for purchase separately from The Code Is the Key.

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Sounds and Words Cards

Large cards for classroom use and students' individual desktop cards feature an animal mnemonic and other example words for each sound of English.

  • Large cards for whole-class instruction
  • Individual desktop cards that reinforce code knowledge and support student writing

Code Cards

These 100 versatile cards feature an animal mnemonic on one side and a common grapheme for the sound on the other.

  • A variety of uses during whole-class, small-group, and individual learning
  • Hands-on support for spelling and decoding

Class Sound Dictionary

Students add to this large-format book throughout the year to create a unique and useful classroom reference.

Printables

Student practice activities for every lesson and downloadable rhymes help students apply phonological awareness skills and code knowledge.

Elevate & Evaluate

This useful resource is packed with professional development materials, research foundations for the speech-to-sounds-to-print approach, and a full suite of assessments and achievement expectations for spelling and writing for years 1–4.

See how The Code Is the Key can help your Year 1 students build the code knowledge they need to become successful writers and readers.


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