Teach phonics with explicit lesson plans

Statistics and the Simple View of Reading tell us there are three areas that students will struggle with when learning to read: decoding, language comprehension, or both. 70% of students that fall into this struggling readers category and are not on grade level have a core deficit in the phonological and orthographic components of language (International Dyslexia Association 2021). They need that explicit targeted intervention to address the core need.

Explicit phonics instruction is one of the foundations of reading success for students with these core deficits. When done with integrity and according to the science of reading, phonics instruction provides students with the skills they need to decode and spell words, to become confident, fluent readers. By implementing a focused, structured phonics intervention approach, educators can support students on their journey from striving readers to proficient learners.

The importance of having phonics intervention lesson plans

Phonics intervention is a strategic approach to supporting students who struggle with reading by explicitly teaching the relationship between sounds and letters. This process facilitates orthographic mapping, the mental process we use to permanently store words for immediate, effortless retrieval (Kilpatrick, 2015). Comprehensive but easy-to-use lesson plans are essential—offering a roadmap for targeted, systematic instruction that addresses individual student needs.

While a good lesson plan isn’t the only ingredient to ensure effective teaching and student growth, having a well-formed lesson plan that clearly guides all the different components necessary for an effective phonics lesson can truly change the way a teacher impacts their students.

There is commonly an overlap between students that struggle with literacy acquisition and students who have executive functioning deficits. These students greatly benefit from routine; specific and consistent routine helps reduce cognitive load so that these students can focus on “the what” and not “the how” of learning.

An interesting study, published in July, 2024, examined the question, “Should teachers stick to the script for literacy skill instruction?” One group of teachers used scripted lesson plans verbatim, and one group did not stick to the lesson plan script. Results clearly showed that students in the groups where teachers taught from scripted lesson plans made significantly more progress because of the repetitive routine and structure of the plan. In addition, for schools where a teacher shortage is the reality, having a scripted lesson plan approach can be really helpful to close the knowledge gap for those that are filling in. Often times, beginning with a scripted lesson is the way for teachers themselves to learn the routines, academic language, and structure so necessary for an effective and efficient lesson.

Core components of effective lesson plans

Successful phonics intervention lesson plans require careful design and strategic implementation to maximize student learning and reading growth. While all lesson plans won’t look exactly the same, they should have more or less the same effective components in order to maximize student learning and independent practice.

Diagnostic assessment

Before intervention begins, educators and students benefit from thorough diagnostic assessments. While many districts require a universal screener to get an overview of student reading levels, these high level assessments don’t offer a zoomed-in look at the skills in a sequence students have already mastered, and which they still need support with in order to fully grasp the concept.

A thorough phonics diagnostic screener will:

• Identify specific phonics skill gaps
• Determine each student’s grade level proficiency
• Create personalized learning strategies

For example, 95 Phonics Screener for Intervention™ offers a diagnostic assessment that maps skill gaps directly to corresponding skill instruction in our phonics intervention resources. For students in need of more intensive Tier 3 intervention, 95 RAP™ (Reading Achievement Program) offers diagnostic assessment and then assigns specific skill lessons right in the same teacher-directed, digital platform.

Structured Lesson Framework

What’s your phonics lesson objective? An effective phonics lesson plan can help teachers understand how all the moving parts fit together as well as what pace is needed in order to ensure completion of each component. This helps teachers to approach phonics instruction and intervention with confidence. A phonics lesson should include:

• Clear learning objectives: What is the specific skill you will be working on? Beginning with phonemic awareness and teaching articulatory gestures helps to connect with the skill.
• Explicit teaching of sound-letter relationships: According to Louisa Moats, teaching a speech-to-print model is most effective. This means we need to accurately represent the way graphemes represent the 44 different phonemes in the English language.

• Systematic phonics skill progression: What came before this skill? Spend a minute or 2 reviewing.  What will come after? Preview the next skill. Instruction should be recursive with a constant spiral of  review—always going back to review previous skills while moving ahead.Jennifer Delano-Gemzik, EdD, literacy expert and consultant for 95 Percent Group, gave us an example of what “stairstepping students to success” means from a lesson planning perspective. “Lessons should move students through a progression of skills in order to help them move from reading words in isolation to being able to read connected text:  sound-symbol level→word reading→phrase reading→passage reading. For a writing progression you should have: sound-spelling mapping→word chains→sentence dictation.”
• An “I do, You do, We do” gradual release instruction model: this framework allows for explicit instruction of new skill, guided practice where teachers watch closely and give immediate feedback or reteach where necessary in order to ensure students are practicing correctly, and then independent practice, where students can practice on their own to build confidence in their new knowledge.
• Multi-sensory instructional approaches: using gestures and manipulatives are great ways to help students anchor their learning.

Progress monitoring

For too long educators assessed students only a few times a year. When assessment is done this way, it doesn’t offer enough time to redirect learning and ensure that all students are moving forward.

Regular assessment helps track student growth by:

• Measuring skill acquisition
• Adjusting instruction as needed
• Providing data-driven, and often “just-in-time” interventions

This ensures that students are mastering skills and moving to the next as quickly as possible, and that skill gaps are continuously identified and not left to be discovered at the end of the school year.

Mentioned above, the Phonics Screener for Intervention can be used as both an initial diagnostic skill assessment and as a progress monitoring tool. Not only that but it maps directly to the skills in our Tier 2 intervention resource, 95 Phonics Lesson Library 2.0™ (with new digital options!). With both the screener and the phonics intervention resource integrated into 95 Literacy Intervention System™, teachers can have a streamlined, end-to-end intervention experience so they know right away what students understand and can apply, and what they may need to continue to work on. Then teachers can move straight from assessment to instruction in one easy place.

Gemzik explains further saying, “With the 95 Literacy Intervention System and Phonics Lesson Library 2.0 integration, teachers now can really pinpoint which specific subskills students need to work on, whereas before we could only see ‘Ok, they need skill 2 or 3.’ Now we can see which students actually need skill 2.2 and 2.3, etc.”

Make Changes in Instruction as Needed

When students aren’t making adequate progress, educators need to reflect on their approach. This should start with looking at implementation integrity—are all components of the lesson being delivered as designed, and with the recommended frequency, allowing the teacher to really focus on the students? Program modifications, such as reducing instruction to three days per week instead of the prescribed five, can significantly impact student outcomes. As noted by Marilyn Adams in Beginning to Read, “The number one determinant of whether a program will be successful is the teacher’s attitude towards it” (1990). This is a great example of why coaching support is crucial for maintaining both integrity and enthusiasm in implementation.

Common Challenges

Implementing phonics intervention isn’t always easy. Educators often face challenges in phonics intervention, including:

• Limited instructional time This one is tough: Schedules are often changed without notice and teachers are losing their Core literacy instruction time in order to accommodate other things. A “walk-to-intervention” model must be prioritized and built into the schedule. This is the time for courageous leadership:  Administrators and those in charge of scheduling must commit to these bold scheduling moves in order to ensure that literacy instruction is a priority for everyone in the building.A second layer of this is that often students who need intervention the most are being pulled from their Tier 1 instruction to participate in intervention. The truth is that in order to accelerate their reading growth instead of just remediate, students need both.
• Limited adult availability Teacher shortages around the nation are a real thing. With less adults available for literacy intervention support, fewer students can receive the help they need. Intervention must be an all hands on deck situation.
• Diverse student learning needs Not all students need the same thing at the same time. Ensuring you are assessing in order to better personalize instruction helps teachers and students to move forward.
• Maintaining student engagement Students only learn if they’re paying attention. Luckily, the next generation of phonics intervention is here. With new engaging digital options like Student Activity Modules and Teacher Presentation Files, 95 Phonics Lesson Library™ 2.0  is our same proven product, with new exciting features. Try it out in your classroom!

*Looking for more resources on bold leadership and taking the first step? Check out our District Administrator’s Tool Kit for a step-by-step guide plus stories from schools just like yours.

Tips for Seamless Implementation

A strong literacy lesson doesn’t begin when you open the teacher’s guide— it starts with intentional preparation. Gemzik explains that taking just 10 minutes to prepare can transform your lesson delivery and student outcomes. Educators can review student data to understand specific needs, identify priority vocabulary, and thoroughly read both the passage and script before instruction begins. Here are a few helpful tips:

1. Stick to the script. Gemzik reminds us that the teaching script isn’t actually for the teachers. This may sound counterintuitive, but it’s designed for the purpose of providing students with consistent, predictable language that reduces their cognitive load. For readers that need extra support, especially, this consistency is critical—even minor variations in routine can make familiar tasks feel entirely new.
2. Adhere to the recommended timing for each lesson component. When you adjust these carefully planned segments, you risk shortchanging students of essential practice, particularly in applying skills to connected text. Using a timer isn’t just about time management— it maintains lesson flow and student engagement while ensuring every component receives its due attention.
3. Stay committed to monitoring choral responses and maintaining student participation. These seemingly simple interactions are actually powerful moments where students forge crucial neural connections through active engagement with the material.

Phonics Intervention That Works

Effective phonics interventions transform reading struggles into success stories. By leaning on structured lesson plans, diagnostic assessments, and targeted strategies, educators can help students develop the foundational reading skills necessary for accelerated and measurable reading growth.

Explore our 95 Phonics Lesson Library™ 2.0 for Intervention for a comprehensive, research-backed phonics intervention solution—with new digital options—designed to support every learner.

Expert Biography

Jennifer Delano-Gemzik, EdD, literacy expert and consultant, 95 Percent Group

Jennifer Delano-Gemzik, EdD has worked in education for the past 25 years as a National ELA consultant and trainer for schools and districts on topics related to the Science of Reading and implementing evidence-aligned instruction. Before joining the 95 Percent Group, Gemzik worked as a national ELA consultant for the Consortium on Reaching Excellence, a National LETRS facilitator, and as a private consultant. She is a North Carolina state certified trainer for Reading Research to Classroom Practice as well as a Dyslexia Delegate. She has served as a member of North Carolina’s ELA Advisory Committee, and as a proud parent of two children with special needs, she has volunteered with a state parent advisory group to advance literacy legislation in the state. She has also worked as an elementary school administrator, literacy coach, classroom teacher, and English as a Second Language teacher in North Carolina and overseas with the Peace Corps.

Sources

1. Adams, Marilyn Jager. Beginning to Read: Thinking and Learning about Print. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1990.
2. International Dyslexia Association. 2021. “Frequently Asked Questions – International Dyslexia Association.” July 26, 2021. https://dyslexiaida.org/frequently-asked-questions-2/.
3. Kilpatrick, David A. 2015. Essentials of Assessing, Preventing, and Overcoming Reading Difficulties. https://www.amazon.com/Essentials-Preventing-Overcoming-Difficulties-Psychological/dp/1118845242.
4. Wael Moussa, Nathalie Louge, Luka Pauwelyn, Rafael Contreras-Gomez, Yvonne Cao,
   Should teachers stick to the script? Examining the effects of scripted lessons on student literacy in Madagascar, International Journal of Educational Research, Volume 124, 2024, 102290, ISSN 0883-0355, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2023.102290.