Word Mapping Tools
Sound box templates to make aligning phonemes and graphemes more concrete, supporting orthographic mapping as students connect sounds and spellings to store words in long-term memory.
Free downloadGet it
Free Classroom Downloads
Browse practical, classroom-ready printables for stronger K–5 literacy instruction. Search by skill or instructional need, then take what helps.
Download Center
Search a specific need or jump into one of the most-used instructional topics.
Sound box templates to make aligning phonemes and graphemes more concrete, supporting orthographic mapping as students connect sounds and spellings to store words in long-term memory.
Short-vowel word lists, from simple CVC words to words with consonant blends and digraphs, plus corresponding decodable sentences to support phonics instruction and ongoing formative assessment.
Word lists and practice sentences for r-controlled vowels and other vowel spellings, including au, aw, ew, oi, oo, ou, and ow, to support phonics instruction and ongoing formative assessment.
Printable sound box templates to help beginning readers segment spoken words into individual sounds and connect sounds with spellings.
Three printable charts pairing the 26 letters with keyword pictures and common sound-spelling connections, plus ideas for active, cumulative practice.
A reusable four-square grid to support summarizing, clarifying, questioning, and predicting as students take turns guiding discussion with a partner or small group.
Ten recommended books, with brief descriptions, to support your learning about reading science and its implications for instruction.
A routine for helping readers begin with the letters in a word, then check whether the word they read makes sense and fits the sentence.
Four tools for recording students’ phonemic awareness development through observation and formative assessment. Use what you notice to plan intentional next steps in instruction.
Six commitments we crafted for ourselves as we stepped into the vulnerable work of reevaluating long-held beliefs and practices, shared in the hope you’ll find grace for yourself.
Word lists and teacher prompts organized by a phonemic awareness skills progression, including blending, segmenting, adding, deleting, and substituting sounds.
A planning reference showing an example phonics skills progression, from the earliest decoding skills to complex multisyllabic words, with example words along the way.
Teacher prompts to support decoding for sensemaking help readers attend to the letters, work through unfamiliar words, and check that what they read makes sense.
Questions to guide thoughtful text selection for beginning readers, using the three tensions described in Shifting the Balance K–2.
Six kid-friendly Thinking Moves, each with a memorable icon, simple explanation, guiding questions, and examples, give students language for reflecting on the thinking that supports comprehension.
An engaging print-and-assemble decodable book for practicing short-vowel CVC words.
A one-page printable version of A Pup Can for short-vowel CVC decoding practice.
A delightful print-and-assemble decodable book for practicing short-a CVC words.
A one-page version of Cat Naps for short-a CVC decoding practice.
A kid-friendly reminder of the six Thinking Moves for students to use as they read, discuss, and reflect on text. A companion to the Strategic Six Thinking Moves Classroom Reference Pages.
A student self-assessment tool that treats fluency as more than speed. Help readers reflect on their strengths, set goals, and notice growth across practice sessions.
A step-by-step guide to modeling reciprocal teaching and helping students use summarizing, clarifying, questioning, and predicting to learn with and from one another.
A step-by-step routine for writing multisyllabic words by aligning sounds and spellings across the whole word.
Read a heartfelt message from Jan and Kari about Shifting the Balance. Download the PDF to explore its purpose and align your literacy journey.
A resource for using dialogic conversation to develop children’s oral language and support the language comprehension that reading builds on.
A flexible template and planning guidance for explicit phonics instruction for whole-class or small-group teaching.
A four-step template for planning explicit vocabulary lessons using kid-friendly definitions, word structure, context, and connections to known words.
A template for planning purposeful read-aloud and shared-reading experiences, with steps for supporting meaning before, during, and after reading.
Word lists organized by long-vowel sound and common spelling patterns, with corresponding decodable sentences to support phonics instruction and ongoing assessment.
A teacher-friendly guide to making sense of research claims, recognizing confirmation bias, and using research to inform instructional decisions.
A step-by-step planning template to help students look within words for morpheme clues, connect related words, and develop word knowledge. A companion to the Explicit Vocabulary Instruction Template.
A suggested scope and sequence for intentional morphology instruction across the upper elementary grades. An example pathway to systematically teach morphemes and support both word recognition and language comprehension.
A printable list of 109 high-frequency words that make up 50% of the words in children’s texts. The first 13 alone account for 25%.
A one-page reflection tool identifying five barriers to productive conversations and five ways to build understanding and momentum.
A printable Q&A addressing common questions about Shifting the Balance, including its approach, language, and intended audience.
Word lists and sentences featuring two- and three-syllable words with closed syllables, organized by difficulty to support students as they begin reading longer words.
A reflection tool to help students consider challenge, interest, and purpose as they make thoughtful book choices.
A list of read-aloud titles to spark curiosity about words and inspire students to become word collectors.
47 closed-syllable word chains that bring phonemic awareness, decoding, and encoding together as students listen, compare, change, spell, and read words.
We’ve breathed fresh life into a familiar tool, helping you move from miscue analysis to decoding analysis and identify skills that help readers navigate similar challenges in the future.
Everything about Heart Word Success: what is inside, how it fits your high-frequency word instruction, pricing, and purchase options.
Everything about the Shifting the Balance online classes for K–2 and grades 3–5: what each class covers, how it works, pricing, and group options.
Everything about the Bricks & Mortar online class for grades 3–5+: what it covers, how it works, pricing, and group options.
Everything about Blending Magic: what is inside each library, how it fits your phonics instruction, pricing, and purchase options.
Ten picture-book recommendations for building belonging, connection, and care in the first days and weeks of school, with selections for K–2 and 3–5.
Ten research-informed moves for teaching high-frequency words, from matching words to your phonics focus to letting the data drive which words you teach.
Puns and riddles with teacher explanations of their double meanings to encourage word awareness and playful conversations about language.
A one-page reference to common informational text structures, helping students notice how a text is organized and use that organization to support understanding.
A one-page graphic showing what systematic, explicit, and responsive phonics instruction looks like and how it supports reading, writing, discussion, and knowledge building.
Five ways to support oral language in everyday teaching, including turn and talk, expanding responses, richer teacher language, follow-up questions, and wait time.
More than 30 questions to spark turn-and-talk conversations and help students learn about one another as people and readers.
A read, repeat, and draw routine using final-e decodable sentences to bring decoding, fluency, and comprehension together in independent practice.
A guide to selecting high-frequency words for kindergarten instruction, with two categories drawn from the 109 Power Words list.
A reference for considering which high-frequency words are decodable with students’ current phonics knowledge and which spellings need explicit attention.
An infographic explainer of CVC words and related closed-syllable patterns, including words with consonant digraphs and blends.
A word list to support planning for first-grade high-frequency word instruction.
A poster reference for the five moves in dialogic conversation: prompt, repeat, expand, clarify, and continue.
A read, repeat, and draw routine using CVC decodable sentences to bring decoding, fluency, and comprehension together in independent practice.
Explore professional learning, leadership partnerships, online classes, and classroom tools for schools and districts, all in one Products & Services Catalog.
A printable quote celebrating educators’ role in awakening the potential within a child.
Six sentence starters for writing notes to your future teaching self at the beginning of the school year.
A printable quote about self-love to display or share with colleagues.
A printable Mary Anne Radmacher quote about the quiet courage of trying again tomorrow.
A summer resource for educators to unwind, reflect, and reconnect with joy after the school year.
A printable reminder to pause and offer yourself compassion during the school day.
A printable journal from Jan and Kari with space to reflect on the things, big and small, you’re grateful for.
A printable quote about joy to hang in your classroom or share with colleagues.
Printable color-me bookmarks featuring the Six Commitments, designed and shared by Kim Harkreader. Keep one nearby or share with colleagues as a reminder to give yourself grace.
Keep Going
When you are ready for more than a single resource, choose the kind of support that matches the work you are trying to do.