Grades 1–2 Guide

This is the highest-leverage window for reading. Foundational gaps compound quickly — a child who cannot yet decode will struggle with everything built on reading — but early, explicit teaching works very well at this age.

Common struggles at this level

• Reading: slow or inaccurate decoding, guessing words from pictures, poor spelling — the classic early dyslexia pattern.
• Writing: letter formation, spelling, getting ideas onto paper.
• Math: place value, basic fact fluency, and word problems that require reading.
• Attention and executive function emerging: losing materials, not finishing work, calling out. Anxiety and school avoidance can begin here.

Techniques with the strongest evidence

Foundational reading skills Strong

Teach awareness of the sounds in speech and how they link to letters; teach decoding — sounding out words, analyzing word parts, writing and recognizing words. (IES, Foundational Skills to Support Reading for Understanding in K–3, 2016)

Reading connected text every day Moderate

Every child reads real connected text daily to build fluency — not just worksheets. (IES, 2016)

Structured literacy / systematic phonics Strong

Explicit, sequenced teaching of sound–letter relationships, practiced in decodable text (books using patterns already taught). This is the instructional core of the IES recommendations and the National Reading Panel's findings.

Intensive small-group foundational instruction Strong

For children below benchmark: systematic work on up to three foundational skills at a time, in small groups, with progress monitoring. (IES Reading RTI, 2009)

Explicit, systematic math intervention Strong

Model the problem, think aloud, guided practice, immediate corrective feedback, and frequent review of earlier skills. (IES Math RTI, 2009)

What schools do (MTSS)

Most US public schools use MTSS — a Multi-Tiered System of Supports. Tier 1 = good teaching for everyone, plus short screening checks for all students 2–3 times a year. Tier 2 = extra small-group help for students flagged at risk. Tier 3 = intensive, often 1-to-1 help from a specialist. Tiers describe a level of support, not a label — your child can get Tier 2 or 3 help without any diagnosis or IEP.

• Universal reading and math screening 2–3 times a year. Children below benchmark get Tier 2 (for reading, often groups of 3–4) and, if progress is slow, Tier 3 with a specialist.
• Progress is graphed — ask to see your child's progress-monitoring graph.
• Many states now require dyslexia/reading screening in K–3 by law (rules vary by state).

What you can do at home

• Listen to your child read level-appropriate books aloud 10–20 minutes. Sound out missed words together instead of supplying every word; re-read a page for fluency.
• Practice spelling the same patterns the school is teaching — ask the teacher for the current pattern list.
• Math facts in short, game-like bursts (about 5 minutes), plus board and card games that use counting and money. Try the Practice Builder.
• A homework routine: same time and place, a checklist on the desk, a timer for work chunks, and specific praise for effort and finishing.

⚠️ Warning signs — ask for a formal evaluation if:

• By the end of Grade 1: still cannot sound out simple 3-letter words, recognizes very few common words, or reads far slower than classmates despite classroom intervention.
• Guessing, skipping lines, persistent letter/sound confusion — especially with a family history of dyslexia.
• A full cycle of Tier 2 help (often 8–12 weeks) with little progress on the school's graph. That is exactly when an evaluation is warranted — you do not have to wait for another cycle.

Sources: IES Foundational Skills K–3 (2016); IES Reading RTI (2009) and Math RTI (2009); National Reading Panel phonics findings.