USER GUIDE

From Phonics
to Reading

Discover how you can help your child develop

English language skills, and to start reading and
writing, with FIRST STEPS From Phonics to Reading.

A Unique, Story-Based, Whole Language, Phonics Programme

 About this programme
FIRST STEPS From Phonics to Reading is a comprehensive, 3-level, story-based
language programme designed for 4- to 7-year-old learners of English. It introduces
children to the sounds (phonemes), letter names, and the common letter and sound
combinations of English.

FIRST STEPS offers children meaningful opportunities to apply

their knowledge in the context of engaging stories and stimulating
language development activities. Children will learn from:

 75 stories
 75 songs, chants or rhymes Covers all 44 English sounds
 600 activities + 100 common sight words
 300+ flashcards

How many levels are there to the programme?

First Steps is a 3-level programme for young children.
Lev Lev Lev
3 el 3 el 3 el
2 o 2 o 2 o
Bo 4 Bo 4 Bo 4
6- t r- 6- t r- 6- t r-
ea ea ea
o 7-y ds o 7-y ds o 7-y ds
Lev ks ol Lev ks ol Lev ks ol
2 el 2 el 2 el
2 o 2 o 2 o
Bo 5 Bo 5 Bo 5
5- t r- 5- t r- 5- t r-
e a e a e a
o 6-y ds o 6-y ds o 6-y ds
Lev ks o l Lev ks o l Lev ks o l
1 el 1 el 1 el
2 o 2 o 2 o
Bo 6 Bo 6 Bo 6
4- t r- 4- t r- 4- t r-
e a e a e a
oks 5-y ds oks 5-y ds oks 5-y ds
o l o l o l

The programme may also be suitable for use with younger or older children,
depending on their prior exposure to English and reading.

Level Level Level

1 Sounds that
2 3
Diphthongs, the
correspond to the Digraphs and
beginning, middle
high-frequency
26 letters of the and ending sounds
consonant blends
English alphabet of words
– e.g. sh or tr
– e.g. /d/ or /k/ – e.g. ea or nt

2
What does the FIRST STEPS language coverage consist of?
LEVEL 1 LEVEL 2 LEVEL 3

Book Title Phoneme IPA Book Title Phoneme IPA Book Title Phoneme IPA

Ants are Awesome Harry and

1 a /æ/ 1 sh /ʃ/ 1 the New y /i:/
Amazing! Sharks!
Baby
2 A Muddy Good Choice,
m /m/ 2 ch /tʃ/
Mess Charlie 2 The Big Fish CVC words
Thelma and
3 Tom’s Toys t /t/ 3 the Loose th /θ/ Keiko's New ll, ff, ss
3
Tooth School endings
4 Safi and the s /s/ Welcome,
Snake 4 wh /w/ 4 Quack! ck /k/
Whitney!
5 Izzy and the i /ɪ/ Stan’s The Emperor
Igloo
5 Second st /st/ 5 and the Baby ng /ŋ/
6 Five Funny Fat Chance Bird
f /f/
Frogs
Smile, The Camping nk, nt, nd,
Where is 6 sm /sm/ 6
7 d /d/ Mr Smith! Trip ng & mp
Daddy?
The Frog and cvcc
I Spy at the &
Rita and the 7 sp /sp/ 7 ccvc
8 r /r/ Beach the Crow
Rice words
Scarlet and
Otto the 8 sc /sk/ Let's Bake Short ‘oo’
9 o /ɒ/ the Scooter 8 /ʊ/
Octopus Cookies! sound
Snorri in the
Gogo the 9 sn /sn/ Save Our
10 g /ɡ/ Snow 9 ow / ou /aʊ/
Greedy Goat Rainforests
Skyler Loves
Lara the Lazy 10 sk /sk/
11 l /l/ Skiing 10 Noisy Boys! oi / oy /ɔɪ/
Lion
Winter is
11 sw /sw/ Maisy Bakes
12 Helping Hands h /h/ Coming 11 ai / a-e /eɪ/
a Cake
Rhyming
Umberto and 12 squ /skw/ I Scream for
13 u /ʌ/ Riddles 12 ee / ea /iː/
the Hurricane Ice Cream
Brian and
14 Count the 13 Brad Make br /br/ Hold on
c /k/ 13 igh / i-e/y /aɪ/
Candles Breakfast Tight!
Benjamin Cramer and oa / ow /
15 Bennett and b /b/ 14 cr /kr/ 14 Oh No! /əʊ/
the Cracker o-e
the Lost Shoe
Dragons The Foolish Long ‘oo’
Nora’s Nasty 15 dr /dr/ 15 /uː/
16 n /n/ Don’t Dance! Owl sound
Cough
Frank and What Will I
17 Katy Goes to 16 the Fruit fr /fr/ 16 Be When I Short er /ə/
k /k/
Kindergarten Lady Grow Up?
18 The Vegetable v /v/ Wake Up,
Market 17 Grandad gr /gr/ 17 ar /ɑː/
Barley Farm!
19 Eddie the Princess
e /e/ 18 pr /pr/ 18 Sports Day ir / ur /ɜː/
Elephant Prunella
20 A Walk in the A Visit to the
w /w/ 19 Trapped tr /tr/ 19 ear / eer /ɪə/
Woods Hospital
21 Grandma’s j /dʒ/ Different but air / are /
Jam 20 bl /bl/ 20 The Haircut /eə/
the Same ere
22 Penny Visits Clip Clop
p /p/ 21 Hawks aw / or /ɔː/
Paris 21 Riding cl /kl/
School
23 The Yoyo y /j/ 22 Splish, spl /spl/
Flora the Splash!
22 fl /fl/
Say Please, Flamingo
24 x /ks/ 23 The Stray /str/ and
Baxter! Glenda’s str / scr
23 gl /gl/ Kitten /skr/
New Glasses
25 Quiddles qu /kw/ 24 In the /spr/ and
Our Plastic spr / thr
24 pl /pl/ Garden /θr/
Zac and Zane Planet
26 Play Hide and z /z/ Sleepy
Seek 25 sl /sl/
Sloths

3
 What is included in each of the boxed sets?

Pack of engaging fiction and non-fiction, illustrated

and photographic books that:
 introduce a sound or spelling focus within a natural and meaningful
context
 are written in naturalistic language which will help young learners
become effective communicators
 cover a variety of topics, themes and text types that will appeal to
children worldwide
 e
xpose children to the most frequently used English words, which make
up 50% of the English language
 contain in-built Social-Emotional learning elements, which are woven
naturally into the story

Activity Book with:

 four pages of activities per story
 over 100 activities that relate directly back to the books and that
will engage your child in a range of exciting, multi-sensory learning
experiences
 some science-related activities to begin to develop cross-curricular
concepts
 h
 andwriting practice worksheets for additional practice with letter
formation

App for you to download, to support your child’s learning, with:

 a fully animated version of every book
 a song, rhyme or chant for every book
 a digital activity for each book that links back to the topic
and language of the book
 digital flashcards to model the pronunciation of each
sound and keyword

4
The FIRST STEPS App
300 + 75
Digital Flashcards Lively, Animated
to model the Versions of the
pronunciation of Printed Readers
each sound and bring the characters
keyword in each reader to life!

75
Original Songs,
Chants, Rhymes 75
that link back to the Digital Activities
topic and language to reinforce children's
of the stories learning

How do I activate and access the FIRST STEPS App?

S
T
E
P
1 Scan to download the
FIRST STEPS App.

For International Users For China Users

S Click on the Settings icon S Enter your access code

T
E
P
2 in the left navigation bar.

Click on Add Content.

T
E
P
3 and email address to
unlock the stories.
Happy reading!

5
 How should I use the programme?
Below is a suggested approach to using the programme for parents and teachers.
We recommend using both the printed books and the digital app to conduct the
learning session. Both approaches are effective, and by using both, you will provide
variety which helps to engage your child and keep the learning exciting!

EAD-IN
 Select a book from the series.

L  Option: Play the Hello! or Alphabet song

on the app to stimulate the child’s interest.
You may also play the song linked to the
book you have chosen to let the child learn
English through singing.

B E F O R EN G
 Invite the child to read the book title with you and

READI
to look at the picture on the front cover.
 Invite them to say what they think the book will be
about. Prediction is an important pre-reading skill.
Encourage the child to share any prior knowledge
or experience they may have of the topic. This
activates their curiosity and engagement, and helps
to personalise in order to embed their learning.

FIRST NG
 Read the book to the child or have

READI
them watch and listen to the
animated version in the app.
 Focus on creating an enjoyable,
uninterrupted listening experience.

6
 D
S E C O NN G
 Read or listen to the book again, this time pausing

READI
periodically to talk about the stories, the words and
the pictures in each book.
 Try to focus especially on words that incorporate the
focus phoneme (sound) of the book, and have your
child repeat these words.
 As you read, talk about what the characters might be
thinking and what might happen next.
 N
 OTE: This second reading should be more interactive
than the first.

AFTER NG
 Ask questions to check your children’s understanding

READI
of the story. Try to include some open-ended questions
that begin with ‘how’ and ‘why’. Avoid drilling your
child and killing their enjoyment of the book.
 Use the lesson flashcards to practise the focus
phoneme. Encourage your child to say each target
word and its corresponding sound. Practise blending
together sounds that your child has already learnt.
 Ask your child questions (found in the inside back
cover of the printed books) that will encourage them to
talk about the social-emotional learning (SEL) or focus
of each book.
 Explore the various digital elements of the First Steps
App to extend your child’s learning.

C T I V I TY
A
 Complete the four varied and hands-on

TIME
activities in the Activity Book with your child.
 At the back of the Activity Book, there are cut-outs for
the hands-on activities, as well as handwriting tracks
for your child to use to learn and practise the letters of
the alphabet and high-frequency letter combinations.

7
 THE COMPLETE SET OF

From Phonics
to Reading
Level

Level

Level

FREE RESOURCES!
Visit bit.ly/FirstStepsINTL or
bit.ly/FirstStepsCN
for free resources, learning
tips and FAQs!