Essential Reading Skills	Components
Phonemic Awareness Phonemic awareness activities help students hear, identify, and manipulate individual sounds to improve their word reading and reading comprehension. Phonics Phonics lessons teach students the relationship between the letters of written language and the sounds of spoken language to help them understand and use the alphabetic principal in reading.	• The Teacher's Guide provides phonemic awareness routines at the beginning of each lesson. • The Teacher's Guide provides direct instruction lessons in sound-spelling relationships. • The Phonics Reproducibles support instruction with appropriate practice.
Fluency Fluency Cards and lessons provide practice in reading a text accurately and quickly, freeing students to understand what they read.	• The Teacher's Guide provides direct instruction and instructional routines. • The Fluency Cards have practice passages and automaticity drills.
Vocabulary Vocabulary instruction and practice teaches students the words they need to communicate effectively in speaking, listening, and reading.	• The Teacher's Guide provides word lists and instruction in vocabulary strategies. • The Reading Skills Cards support instruction with vocabulary practice.
Comprehension Comprehension lessons teach students strategies to become purposeful and active readers who understand what they read. Students practice these strategies in both instructional and independent reading.	• The Teacher's Guide provides direct instruction lessons. • The Student Workbook supports instruction with engaging reading passages and graphic organizers.