At the beginning of a phonics lesson, we want to ease students in. We might also want to review previously-taught skills and generally get them "warmed up" to learn! In this article, we'll discuss what an effective warm-up routine might look like for your phonics block in Kindergarten, first grade, and second grade. All of these examples are intended to be used in a whole-group setting, but you could certainly work on them in a small group as well. You'll love how simple and consistent these options are!

Kindergarten Warm-Up Routine

Here is a suggested warm-up sequence for Kindergarten. You can also consider doing A Days and B Days, so you alternate days to cover certain items!

• Quick phonological awareness drill - working with the sounds in words (read this article to get some ideas)
• Practice previously-taught letter sounds and/or names on flashcards (you can alternate days or have students say both, like this: "b, /b/")
• Go through a few high frequency word cards, once you begin teaching high frequency words; practice "tapping out" (multisensory practice) the most recently-taught words
• Blending drill (present students with a couple of words that contain sounds you've already taught, model and guide them through blending to read the words with you)

1st Grade Warm-Up Routine

Here is a suggested warm-up sequence for first grade:

• Quick phonological awareness drill - working with the sounds in words (read this article to get some ideas)
• Practice previously-taught letter combinations (this could be single letter sounds or names and/or combinations like digraphs, vowel teams, diphthongs, etc.)
• Go through a few high frequency word flashcards; practice "tapping out" (multisensory practice) the most recently-taught words
• Blending drill (students blend to read words with the sounds they've been taught)

In the first grade version of From Sounds to Spelling, teachers don't use all of these activities every day. They may alternate activities to keep the warm-up period brief.

2nd Grade Warm-Up Routine

Here is a suggested warm-up sequence for second grade:

• Quick phonological awareness drill - working with the sounds in words (read this article to get some ideas) - you may decide to discontinue this later on in the school year
• Practice previously-taught letter combinations (i.e. digraphs, vowel teams, diphthongs, individual letter sounds, etc.)
• Go through a few high frequency word flashcards; practice "tapping out" (multisensory practice) the most recently-taught words
• Blending drill (students blend to read words with the sounds they've been taught) - you may discontinue or do less of this later on in the school year

In the second grade version of From Sounds to Spelling, teachers don't use all of these activities every day. They may alternate activities to keep the warm-up period brief.

Variety and Brevity

These routines are simple but also extremely effective! Practicing previously-taught skills is essential to students' phonics development, and the warm-up routine is a great time to do just that.

That said, sometimes a little variety is fun! You can create this variety by making phonological awareness activities game-like, or even throwing in a warm-up game or interactive white board activity from time to time.

When it comes to your warm-up routine, brevity is key. At the beginning of the school year, it will take you and your students some time to get into a good "groove." However, once students understand expectations, you'll want to keep a close eye on your time during the warm-up (perhaps even by setting a timer). It's easy to get going on a stack of flashcards and then - poof! - half of your phonics block has magically disappeared.

We hope these routines are helpful to you! To learn more about our phonics program, which includes warm-up routines and so much more, click here.