Imprint
Pearson Canada
Designed for grades 4 and up students who are not yet proficient in phonics and word-level reading, Literacy Success Foundations (LSF) empowers teachers by providing explicit support for teaching reading skills from phonics to fluency to comprehension. The topics and design will engage and support older students with foundational skills.
Why is LSF Needed?
- Many students in grades 4 and above are not proficient readers because they have not learned foundational word-level reading skills. And yet, the curriculum in most provinces and territories does not include phonics instruction beyond grade 3.
- Teachers in upper elementary or intermediate grade levels often share that they do not have the background knowledge or experience to confidently teach foundational reading skills. LSF is designed to empower all teachers by providing explicit lessons and a comprehensive teacher's guide.
- The lessons reteach foundational phonics to students in a small-group setting within the larger class.
- Students will have regular opportunities to read age-appropriate decodable text written intentionally to connect to the phonics instruction.
- The topics and design will engage and support older students with foundational skills.
Aligns with Current Research
- Targets foundational phonics skills following a research-informed scope and sequence.
- The scope and sequence was developed with the target audience and small-group instruction in mind, strategically grouping grapheme-phoneme correspondences (GPCs) for efficient instruction and learning.
Provides Support for Phonics Instruction and Beyond
- Integrates phonics with morphology and orthography to build fluency, ensuring a comprehensive approach to word-level reading.
- Extends beyond phonics to enhance meaning-making through vocabulary development, knowledge building, and oral language skills, fostering proficiency in reading comprehension.
Offers Teachers Explicit Support
- Provides explicit instructional support through structured and systematic lessons, along with a teacher’s guide containing key background knowledge.
- Suggestions included for differentiated instruction and ways to reinforce phonics throughout the school day.
Supports Students on Their Literacy Journey
- Accessible for learners from diverse linguistic backgrounds, supporting students at various language-proficiency levels.
- Offers an engaging and inclusive design that minimizes the stigma of extra support.
Emphasizes foundational skills over reading levels, ensuring strong literacy foundations for all.
How does Literacy Success Foundations support learners?
This resource supports students in grades 4 and above who are not yet proficient in phonics or word-level reading. The explicit lessons on foundational skills will help improve students’ decoding, fluency, and comprehension while reading, and their encoding when writing.
Gradual Release of Responsibility
Individual lessons (and each kit as a whole) model the gradual release of responsibility
Fluency
Fluency tips are provided throughout the resource
Vocabulary Development
Supports students in expanding their vocabulary through both direct instruction and exposure
Reading Passages
Each age-appropriate, engaging decodable passage is paired with a shared reading passage on a similar topic, so students can apply phonics learning and reading strategies in context
Targeted Phonics Focus
Improves word recognition and decoding skills through explicit phonics instruction aligned to a research-based scope and sequence
Comprehension and Reading Foundations
Addresses many strands of reading during each lesson and provides students with practice using comprehension strategies
Pre-assessment
Which Literacy Success Foundations Kit Should My Students Start With?
If your students are struggling to decode text, we suggest that you begin with Literacy Success Foundations Kit A, and then progress to Kits B and C. Even if your students have some knowledge of the grapheme–phoneme correspondences (GPCs) in Kit A, the lessons are designed to ensure students can blend and segment phonemes, and decode and encode increasingly complex GPCs, including those within multisyllabic words. To determine your students’ phonics knowledge, begin by administering the Kit A Pre-assessment. The pre-assessment tools follow the scope and sequence for the three Literacy Success Foundations kits. These assessments will provide insight into your students’ current abilities to use phonics knowledge to decode while reading and encode while writing. There is no need to give the assessment to the whole class; rather, it is recommended that you administer the pre-assessment to those students who have difficulty decoding text and who you anticipate would benefit from targeted phonics instruction.
For further guidance on where to start, review the Which Kit document. Please find the pre-assessment files below for download.
Virtual Samples
Kit A
- Student Card: Art as Storytelling
- Student Card: Game On!
- Student Card: Food Connects Us
- Lesson Card: Food Connects Us
- Student Card: The Largest Land Animal
- Lesson Card: The Largest Land Animal
Components
Literacy Success Foundations consists of three kits – Kits A, B, and C. Each kit includes materials that align with a research-based scope and sequence to support foundational literacy skills. The content and photos on student cards were chosen to appeal to older students. The intended grade levels are not indicated on student cards, lesson cards, or the kit box.
Kit A
CVC/CVCe Review, Consonant Digraphs, R-Controlled Vowels, Consonant + le, Consonant Clusters (double consonants, r, l, s blends)
Kit B
Predictable Vowel Teams, Unpredictable Vowel Teams, Complex Consonant Clusters
Kit C
Complex Consonants, Silent Letters, Low Frequency Spellings
Components of each complete kit:
- 1 Teacher’s Guide – Comprehensive overview of the resource, relevant research and background knowledge, and information on how to use the kit effectively.
Kit B is publishing May 2026
Kit C is publishing September 2026
- 16 Four-Page Student Cards (6 copies each) – Easy-to-use, high-quality resources for each lesson. Two engaging passages per card, connected by topic—one highly decodable passage and one designed for shared reading—with prompts and activities to support learning.
Click on the images above to view the Student Card features.
- 1 Introductory Lesson and 16 Two-Page Lesson Cards (1 copy each) – Lesson plans tailored to phonics, morphology, and orthography that provide essential background knowledge and teacher script for explicit instruction.
Click on the images above to view the Teacher Card features.
- Access to Companion Website – Instant five-year access (see the inside front cover of the Teacher’s Guide) to digital versions of all print materials, and printable line masters, as well as implementation support videos. A student code allows access (on up to six sessions) to digital versions of the student resources.
- Durable Storage Box – Designed to protect all materials for repeated use in the classroom.
Authors
Meet the Senior Author: Karen Filewych
Karen is an educator, author, and literacy consultant who lives in Edmonton, Alberta. She has more than 25 years of educational experience as a teacher, school administrator, and Language Arts consultant. In 2007, Karen completed her Master of Education degree at the University of Alberta with a focus on literacy. She is the Senior Author of Pearson’s Bug Club Morphology series, as well as the author of four Pembroke Publishers titles and seven of Pearson’s Bug Club Phonics Decodable Readers. She enjoys sharing her love of literacy and empowering others through professional development sessions for teachers, writing residencies for students, and literacy workshops for parents. Karen authored the Literacy Success Foundations Teacher’s Guide, many of the reading passages, the pedagogical text on all student cards, and the lesson for each card.
The following authors contributed reading passages for the Kit A Student Cards.
Kyla Bernard
A15 Reading Passage: “Snakes on Goat Island”
(reviewed by Mi’kmaw Curriculum and Resource Development Lead Bobbilee Dennis)
Kyla is from the Eskasoni First Nation Community in Nova Scotia. She is an Elementary Mathematics Consultant for Mi’kmaw Kina’matnewey, and has published math resources used across the province. Kyla has her Bachelor of Arts, Reading Recovery, Math Certificate, and M.Ed in Indigenous Education and Leadership.
Marty Chan
A3 Reading Passage: “Want a Pet?”
Marty writes books for kids, stage plays for adults, and tweets for fun. He wrote the OWL award-winning Dragon on the Loose. This middle-grade fantasy was also nominated for a Silver Birch Express Award. Marty lives in Edmonton, Alberta, with his wife Michelle and their two cats, Hugo and Minnie.
Crystal Clark
A7 Reading Passage: “The Art of Quillwork”
(reviewed by Red River Métis quillwork artisan Fayth Armson)
Crystal is a Nehiway/Denesuline/Métis mother, educator, and artist. Her family resides in Treaty 6 near the Rocky Mountains in Alberta. She has a B.Ed, BFA, M.Ed, and New Media diploma, and studied creative writing and visual arts at the En’owkin Centre. Crystal has extensive experience in Indigenous Education, developing educational resources, facilitating professional development, and working with First Nations communities.
Leah Dorion
A6 Reading Passage: “I Am a Métis Artist”
(reviewed by Métis Alberta Teachers’ Association Indigenous Association Instructor Cheryl Devin)
Leah is a Métis writer and artist currently living near Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. Her artwork celebrates the strength and resilience of Indigenous women and families. Leah is also a published children’s book author and illustrator. She has a passion for education in the early years, and is currently working with the Métis Nation of British Columbia (MNBC) to develop Métis cultural early-years resources for children and families.
Jennifer Ladipo
A5 Reading Passage: “You Think You Know Elephants?”
Jennifer is an engineer. She writes children’s books, using her science knowledge to create fun adventure stories. She is also the author of a forthcoming book from Corwin Press about how teachers can use creativity and literacy to bring engineering design into the classroom. Jennifer lives in Calgary, Alberta, where she loves reading, looking at the mountains, and running around with her dog, Sir Yogi Bear.
Eileen Marthiensen
A13 Reading Passage: “Sunrise Festival”
(reviewed by Inuvialuit Educator Dwayne Drescher)
Eileen is Inuvialuk from Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories. She is an educator and a proud mother of three. Eileen believes that positive representation and resources developed by Indigenous Peoples are essential to creating systemic change in the education system that will improve opportunities and outcomes for Indigenous students.
Harman Singh Pandher
A4 Reading Passage: “My Mom’s Roti”
Harman lives in Burnaby, British Columbia, and teaches elementary school in Surrey. He is the author of the children’s books Gurpreet Goes to Gurdwara: Understanding the Sikh Place of Worship and Welcome to Paldi, a Celebrate Canada book published in 2022.
Elaine Su
A10 Reading Passage: “Chinese Chess”
Elaine is a first-generation Chinese-Canadian settler living on the beautiful, unceded West Coast lands of the Halkomelem-speaking peoples. She works as an elementary school teacher-librarian and is a consultant in equity, diversity, inclusion, and justice matters. Elaine is the author of the picture books A Stronger Home and the forthcoming Love, Panda (to be released in 2026). She loves hot tea and spicy noodles and puddle-stomping with her children.
William Weekusk
A7 Reading Passage: “The Art of Quillwork”
(reviewed by Red River Métis quillwork artisan Fayth Armson)
William is Nehiway from Peyasiw Awasis (Thunderchild). In his early years, he studied Native American Studies and currently works in the trades. William and Crystal Clark have a son and currently reside in Treaty 6 territory near the Rocky Mountains in Alberta.
Indigenous Content
Each Literacy Success Foundations kit contains at least 4 student cards where page 3 is written by First Nations, Métis, and Inuit authors.
Literacy Success Foundations Kit A:
I Am a Métis Artist
Reviewed by Métis Alberta Teachers’ Association Indigenous Association Instructor Cheryl Devin
Written by Leah Dorion
The Art of Quillwork
Reviewed by Red River Métis quillwork artisan Fayth Armson
Written by Crystal Clark and William Weekusk
Sunrise Festival
Reviewed by Inuvialuit Educator Dwayne Drescher
Written by Eileen Marthiensen
Snakes on Goat Island
Reviewed by Mi’kmaw Curriculum and Resource Development Lead Bobbilee Dennis
Written by Kyla Bernard
FAQs
Purchasing
Each year, students will vary in terms of skills and abilities. Having all three kits allows teachers to support their students regardless of their needs.
The kits are designed for small-group instruction for struggling readers in grades 4 and up within the larger classroom. These kits are specifically intended for students who are not yet proficient in phonics or word-level reading. They can also be used with the entire class. For example, a teacher might use the phonics part of the card for small-group instruction, but they may use the comprehension part with the entire class.
The kits are designed for grades 4 and up, including high school. This is a needs-based resource, so there is no specific grade level on each kit. The page 2 decodable texts are not written for a specific grade level. The page 3 texts are written for a grades 4-5 level but are appropriate in terms of content and design for students in middle grades and also high school.
While these kits were not designed for below grade 4, a few districts feel that the kits could be used for review in grade 3 before students enter the junior grades where the curriculum no longer requires phonics instruction. Although the page 3 reading passages are written at a grade 4 to 5 reading level, these districts feel the kits can still be used in grade 3, since the passages are intended for shared reading. It is not recommended that these kits be used below grade 3.
Getting Started
If you have previewed the scope and sequence for each kit and aren’t sure which kit is appropriate for your students, view the pre-assessment tab for more guidance.
The scope and sequences provide the phoneme/grapheme focus for each kit.
The pre-assessments will assist in determining students’ phonic knowledge. These documents can be found on each kit’s Teacher Companion website in the “Using This Resource” tab under “Additional Resources.” It can also be found on the pre-assessment tab.
No! If you have used another phonics assessment or screener, you can use those results to determine which kit is most appropriate for your students. Compare the assessment results to the LSF scope and sequence and use your judgment.
For example, if your students do not have mastery of the grapheme-phoneme correspondences (GPCs) taught in Kit A, they would benefit from the lessons in Kit A. If they have mastery or near-mastery of the GPCs in Kit A, but struggle with long vowel combinations, begin with Kit B.
Scoring information is included in the pre-assessments. More information about interpreting the results can be found on pages 42–43 of the Teacher’s Guide.
Throughout the country, specific outcomes for phonics instruction are found in curricular documents for primary classrooms. In most provinces and territories, there are no outcomes for phonics in grades 4 and up. Literacy Success Foundations is designed to assist teachers in supporting students beyond the primary grades who need explicit phonics instruction—foundational outcomes from earlier curricula.
More information can be found on the Teacher Companion Website in the “Using This Resource” tab.
Research and Efficacy
Several key resources were consulted during the creation of the Literacy Success Foundations scope and sequence, including
- Essentials of Assessing, Preventing, and Overcoming Reading Difficulties and Equipped for Reading Success: A Comprehensive Step-by-Step Program for Developing Phonemic Awareness and Fluent Word Recognition by David Kilpatrick (2015; 2016)
- Speech to Print: Language Essentials for Teachers by Louisa Cook Moats (2020)
- Literacy Intervention in the Middle Grades: Word Learning, Comprehension, and Strategy Instruction, Grades 4–8 by Kevin Flanigan and Latisha Hayes (2023)
- Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain by Maryanne Wolf (2007)
- Teaching Phonics & Word Study in the Intermediate Grades by Wiley Blevins (2023)
Many of these resources also guided decisions about lesson content and structure. The scope and sequence of other popular resources for primary teachers, such as “Suggested Scope & Sequence for Teaching Grapheme-Phoneme Correspondences” from the University of Florida Literacy Institute (UFLI, 2022), were also considered.
See pages 10–13 of the Teacher’s Guide for more on the Scope and Sequence.
This series was tested pre-publication by ten Canadian educators with a range of grades and students. Testing is currently ongoing. Information about this testing process and the results will be available in Summer 2026.
To ensure that this series aligns with Science of Reading research, Pearson Canada hired Deborah McCallum, currently working on a doctorate focused on the science of reading, as the Senior Series Advisor. Deborah reviewed all teacher and student content to ensure it aligned with the Science of Reading. She and Senior Author Karen Filewych consulted many key resources during the creation of the Literacy Success Foundations scope and sequence, including the following:
- Essentials of Assessing, Preventing, and Overcoming Reading Difficulties and Equipped for Reading Success: A Comprehensive Step-by-Step Program for Developing Phonemic Awareness and Fluent Word Recognition by David Kilpatrick (2015; 2016)
- Speech to Print: Language Essentials for Teachers by Louisa Cook Moats (2020)
- Literacy Intervention in the Middle Grades: Word Learning, Comprehension, and Strategy Instruction, Grades 4–8 by Kevin Flanigan and Latisha Hayes (2023)
- Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain by Maryanne Wolf (2007)
- Teaching Phonics & Word Study in the Intermediate Grades by Wiley Blevins (2023)
Many of these resources also guided decisions about the lesson content and structure. The scope and sequence of other popular resources for primary teachers—such as “Suggested Scope & Sequence for Teaching Grapheme-Phoneme Correspondences” from the University of Florida Literacy Institute (UFLI 2022)— were also considered.
Authors and Content Development
The Senior Author of this series is Karen Filewych. Her bio can be found here. Many of the page 3 reading passages were written by other Canadian authors. Their bios can be found here for Kits A, B, and C.
In response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s (2015) Calls to Action, each Literacy Success Foundations kit includes at least four student cards with reading passages written by a First Nations, Inuit, or Métis author from across the country on a topic of their choice. All three Indigenous groups are represented in each kit. Pearson recognizes the importance of the following saying of the Indigenous consultants who have advised us: “Nothing about us without us.” All reading passages about Indigenous communities and cultures are written by First Nations, Inuit, or Métis authors and reflect Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and doing. All student cards and lessons have been read by at least one First Nations, Inuit, or Métis reviewer to ensure accurate, authentic, and appropriate content.
All three kits were reviewed by a Series Senior Advisor, an Efficacy Consultant, a Reading Level Reviewer, an Indigenous Content Reviewer, a STEM Reviewer, an Equity Consultant, numerous Pedagogical Reviewers, and Classroom Efficacy Testers. The full list of reviewers and testers can be found on page iv of each Teacher’s Guide. When necessary, a subject matter expert also reviewed the content.
All content in this resource has received an independent EDI review. Pearson’s policy is to value the individual perspectives of every author, and we work diligently to ensure that all authors feel respected and honoured throughout the editorial process. We also recognize the increasing diversity of students in schools and believe this is an asset to learning environments and experiences. We have been intentional in working toward equity and inclusion for all learners. This resource strives to
- reflect diverse cultural understandings and values
- address biases and assumptions
- offer diversity in perspectives and lived experiences.
Two Metis Structures
Natural Materials
The Sacred Cedar
My Drum Story
What are educators saying about Literacy Success Foundations?
Teachers will appreciate the clear step-by-step instructions.
Sherri Jansen, Literacy Coordinator K-12, Alberta
The lessons are very clear and easy to follow... These lessons are foolproof.
Gale Kelly, Student Success Teacher, Newfoundland and Labrador
A nice mix of comprehension activities. Well done! Teachers will appreciate this. Make this a viable resource for whole class instruction.
Pamela Thomson, Literacy Resource Teacher, British Columbia
I like that there is explicit instruction for students to navigate different text forms.
Pauline Rodriguez, District Literacy Facilitator, Ontario
I found that the student cards and lessons fit well together. There is a synergy there that will serve both students and teachers very well.