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First Steps

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Building Confident Readers
with Core Foundations

  • Designed for Kindergarten, when literacy skills strongly shape future learning

  • Comprehensive instruction grounded in the Science of Reading

  • Builds core skills: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension

  • Delivered in focused 15–20 minute lessons for whole-group and small-group instruction

  • Supports consistent, effective instruction without overwhelming teachers

View Program Brochure
View Program Brochure

What’s in the Bag?

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Who is it for?

  • Kindergarten Students

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Why does it work?

  • Engaging Instruction

  • Whole Group - 20 minutes

  • Small Group - 15 minutes

  • Materials for integrated centers

  • Embedded progress monitoring

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What’s required?

  • First Steps Literacy Kit

  • PAWS Magnet Folders

  • Small Steps Group Reading Set

Required Materials

First Steps Literacy Kit First Steps Literacy Kit
First Steps Literacy Kit
$529.00

In First Steps, your students will have fun with Paws, the Spelling Cheetah. The program features 30 minute lessons filled with games and movement as beginning readers identify, blend, segment and manipulate sounds, understand the alphabetic principle before learning sight words, print lowercase and uppercase letters, fluently read one-syllable, short vowel words in text, consistently apply sound-symbol associations for consonants, consonant digraphs and short vowels, develop Concepts of Print, retell a story with the basic narrative elements, grow confidence as readers and writers, and participate in guiding reading groups using CR Success Readers.

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First Steps (K Level) Magnet Folder and Letter Set First Steps (K Level) Magnet Folder and Letter Set
First Steps (K Level) Magnet Folder and Letter Set
$37.00

PRODUCT SKU: FLS-1

Includes 37 pre-cut CR Success Learning magnetic letter tiles and folder
Dimensions: Open 20” x 12” | Closed 10” × 12”

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Small Steps Group Reading Set (6 copies of 10-book series) + Online Teacher's Guide Small Steps Group Reading Set (6 copies of 10-book series) + Online Teacher's Guide
Small Steps Group Reading Set (6 copies of 10-book series) + Online Teacher's Guide
$299.00

PRODUCT SKU: GRS-1

Includes 6 copies of each title and online access to the Small Steps Teacher’s Guide.

Each set of ten books provides decodable stories to emphasize VC and CVC words, along with selected sight words. The characters Jim and Liz, along with their pets, Sam and Tux, are introduced. The stories have true plots, with characters, setting, and problems. The short vowels are gradually taught, following this pattern:

Book 1 – Short /a/
Book 2 – Short /i/, /a/
Books 3, 4 – Short /o/, /i/, /a/
Books 5, 6, 7 – Short /u/, /o/, /i/, /a/
Books 8-10 – all short vowels

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Browse for Replacement First Steps Products
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