A suggested order, based on common systematic synthetic phonics sequences: early sets let learners build many words quickly. Teach letter sounds (not names) first; add letter names when learners need to spell aloud (forms, phone calls).
| Set | Graphemes | Example words learners can read |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | s a t p i n | sat, pin, tap, nap, sit, pan, tin, sip |
| 2 | m d g o c k | dog, cat, mop, kid, dig, cod |
| 3 | ck e u r | back, red, sun, run, neck, rock |
| 4 | h b f l (ff ll ss) | hat, bus, fan, bell, less, off, hill |
| 5 | j v w x y z (zz) qu | jam, van, wet, box, yes, zip, quiz |
| 6 | ch sh th ng nk | chip, shop, thin, ring, bank |
| 7 | consonant clusters (st, sp, tr, pl, nd, mp...) | stop, plan, hand, lamp, trip |
| 8 | ai ee igh oa oo | rain, feet, night, coat, food |
| 9 | ar or ur ow oi ear air er | car, fork, turn, cow, coin, hear, hair, letter |
| 10 | split digraphs a_e i_e o_e u_e e_e | name, time, home, use, these |
| 11 | alternative spellings (ay, ea, ie, ow, ew, y) | day, sea, pie, slow, new, my |
High-frequency sight words (taught as wholes alongside the sets)
Early: I, the, a, to, is, my, you, he, she, we, me, be, no, go, of, are, was, do, said, have, like, come, some, one, here, there, where, what, who, they, your, all, out, want, from.
Functional sight words for adults: name, address, phone, date, birth, street, exit, toilet, push, pull, open, closed, bus, stop, doctor, school, help.
Teaching a new grapheme
- Say words with the sound (oral; pictures of real objects).
- Show the grapheme; say the sound; show the mouth shape.
- Learners trace, then write it (lines with a clear baseline; large size first).
- Blend words using taught graphemes; then segment words for spelling.
- Read a short decodable text and write a dictated sentence.
Making decodable adult texts
- Use only taught graphemes plus taught sight words (
decodable_check.pyshows the gaps). - Adult topics: work, family, shopping, health, the bus, the clinic.
- Short sentences with repetition: Sam has a bag. The bag is red. Sam gets the bus.
- Real names learners know (their own, with permission) and photos of real places.
academic-english-eap-course-planner
Plan English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses: pre-sessional, in-sessional, foundation, IELTS preparation and discipline-specific EAP, with syllabus strands (academic reading, lecture listening and note-taking, essay and report writing, paraphrase, summary and synthesis, referencing and plagiarism, seminars and presentations, academic vocabulary, critical thinking), a 10-week pre-sessional outline, exit assessment, IELTS-CEFR alignment and academic style (formality, hedging, cohesion, reporting verbs). Estimates study hours and weeks to close an IELTS gap from overall or per-skill scores (IELTS rounding, minimum per skill, priority skills, feasibility before a deadline), and checks learner texts for contractions, informal words with academic alternatives, unhedged claims, 'you', And/But/So starts, rhetorical questions and missing citations.
actfl-proficiency-curriculum-mapper
Map world language curricula to the ACTFL framework: proficiency levels (Novice, Intermediate, Advanced, Superior, Distinguished with sublevels), functions, contexts, text types and accuracy, proficiency vs performance, the three modes of communication (interpretive, interpersonal, presentational), the 5 Cs World-Readiness Standards, backward-designed thematic units with Integrated Performance Assessments, typical programme targets and FSI time estimates. Looks up approximate ACTFL-CEFR-ILR equivalences with what each level can do, and checks a unit map for missing modes, rehearsed skits mislabelled as interpersonal, translation or word lists as interpretive tasks, and units without an integrated performance assessment.
authentic-material-lesson-adapter
Turn authentic material (news articles, podcasts, videos, songs, menus, timetables, adverts, social media posts, forms, infographics) into language lessons by grading the task rather than the text. Selects texts for interest, relevance, exploitability, coverage, cultural load and rights; finds the 4-6 words to pre-teach, words to gloss on the page and words learners can ignore, plus names and cultural references to explain, with reading time by level; and builds a lesson shape (lead-in, pre-teach, gist or scanning, graded detail task, language focus on chunks and register, response) with task ideas per material type and level from A1 to C1. Covers copyright, fair dealing and fair use, Creative Commons and attribution.
can-do-statement-writer
Write and review can-do statements for language courses, units, lessons and learner self-assessment, CEFR or NCSSFL-ACTFL style: action (observable verb) + text or situation + level-specific conditions, learner ('I can') and descriptor ('Can') versions, progressions of one activity from A1 to C1, and coverage of reception, production, interaction and mediation. Includes a verb bank by mode and level and condition and text-type banks. Lints statements for teacher-centred phrasing, knowledge instead of use (learn, know, understand the passive), missing context, two skills in one statement, vague quality words, grammar items as outcomes, overlong statements and missing modes in a set.
cefr-aligned-syllabus-builder
Build language course syllabuses aligned to the CEFR (A1-C2, plus levels, Companion Volume 2020): entry and exit levels, guided learning hours and course length (with an L1-distance adjustment), syllabus type (topic, functional-notional, task-based, skills-based, multi-strand), unit-by-unit can-do outcomes, grammar from a core inventory by level, vocabulary, functions, pronunciation, balance of reception, production, interaction and mediation, recycling and assessment points. Checks a syllabus for units without can-do statements, core grammar for the level not covered, items above the course level, skills missing from most units and units with no vocabulary or functions.
classroom-management-for-esl-coach
Coach ESL/EFL teachers in classroom management: the instruction sequence (attention, group first, graded imperatives, demonstration, ICQs, hand out, start, check), ICQ examples, online instructions, routines for the first weeks (class agreement, L1 use, phones, lateness, homework, seating), strategies for L1 use in tasks, dominant and quiet learners, mixed levels, large classes, fast finishers, low motivation, disruptive young learners and teens, cultural expectations, classroom language to teach early and teacher presence. Checks planned instructions for length, missing ICQs, useless ICQs like 'Do you understand?', no demonstration, long sentences, filler and missing grouping or timing, and builds seating plans that keep named learners apart, seat learners who need the front, mix first languages and alternate stronger and weaker learners.