Bridge the Gap is a series of systematic phonemic awareness intervention lessons for students in 2nd grade and above. The lessons can be used in small groups or with individual students who struggle to decode words automatically.

Phonemic awareness, especially when working with older learners, is something that is not often part of classroom instruction or intervention. Yet, it is often the missing piece for students who struggle to decode and encode words.

The lessons in Bridge the Gap were written to provide teachers, Reading Specialists, and interventionists with a simplified curriculum for teaching phonological and phonemic awareness with targeted instruction, based on student needs.

Intended audience: Students in 2nd grade and above
Lesson structure: Small group or individual instruction, as part of a Tier 2 intervention
Duration: 5-7 minutes
Product details: This manual is coil bound, printed on letter size paper (8.5" x 11"), and has a laminated front and back cover. Total book weight is 2.0 lbs.

For many who are familiar with the Heggerty Phonemic Awareness curricula, you may be asking, “What makes Bridge the Gap different?”. The lessons are not written for Monday through Friday instruction, but rather the curriculum structure includes 3 parts, with each part increasing in difficulty.

The Bridge the Gap intervention lessons include explicit instruction in early, basic, and advanced phonemic awareness skills. Teachers may find that students need instruction in multiple skills at the same time. However, a student should be proficient in early and basic phonemic awareness skills before moving to advanced phonemic awareness skills (phoneme manipulation).

Lessons are meant to take 5-7 minutes; an oral warm-up as one part of reading intervention. We recommend follow-up with phonics instruction and opportunities for reading decodable texts.

We are committed to closing the reading gap and ensuring all students become readers. It is our hope that these lessons will help to “Bridge the Gap” by providing students with explicit instruction in phonemic awareness necessary to become proficient readers.

Curriculum components:
1. Anchor Lessons - Included for each skill with a reciprocal teaching model, with I do, We do, and You do learning opportunities.
2. Lesson Focus - Provides explicit language for teachers and students to use when teaching each skill, and focuses the instruction for each lesson.
3. Hand Motions - Hand motions and visual supports are included to scaffold instruction for learners. Each hand motion includes a QR code for easy access to a hand motion explanation and video demonstration.
4. Assessments - A Placement Assessment is provided to identify where to begin targeted instruction. Assessments are also included throughout the manual to progress monitor specific skills and inform instruction.

No notes provided.