Wormly: Beach Week Edition — Classroom Implementation Guide & Mini Lesson Plans

Before you start

Your first Wormly session

Beach Week opens the school year, so for most classes this is the first Wormly session ever. Tap each item as you finish it — nothing here takes more than a minute.

0 of 5 done

Band snapshot

K–1

20

Words

Phonics

Primary SoR lever

25–30

Lesson minutes

1–2

Difficulty tiers

Why these words, in this order

On repeats: sun and sand appear in both Beginner and K–1. Because Beach Week opens a new school year, incoming students are first-time Wormly users — the repetition is a deliberate anchor, not an accidental overlap.

Mini lesson plan

K–1

Mini lesson plan for the selected grade band
Time	Phase	Teacher does	Students do

Word bank

Every word, tagged

Each word carries its SoR construct and a difficulty tier assigned by syllable and morpheme count — not by feel. Search a word to find which band it lives in, or filter to build a focused small-group list.

Focus

Tier

Word bank with SoR focus, construct, and tier
Word	Band	Focus	Construct	Tier

Tier key: Tier 1 is fully decodable at that band. Tier 2 contains a pattern that merits explicit instruction first. Tier 3 (4–5 only) carries a multi-morpheme chain worth unpacking as a mini word-study.

How it runs

Gameplay and the Activity Record

A session is five words. Students steer Wormly with arrow keys, mouse drag, or finger, collect the glowing letters, then drag them from the tray into the boxes. Correct placements glow; wrong ones shake. After five words, a Mission Report shows time, attempts, and errors per word.

Child strip — a celebratory, kid-facing summary of the words they spelled, styled like a shoreline ticket.

Teacher strip — the formative data: grade level, date, accuracy rate, per-word time, attempts and errors, which letters were confused, plus a QR code back to the full digital record.

Correct-word audio feedback (“Great job! You spelled the word…”) now plays for Beginner and K–1, reinforcing orthographic mapping for the youngest readers.

Names: records never contain student names, which keeps them FERPA-safe by design. Add a token or name by hand before filing, or rename the saved file — JM03-beachweek-2026-08-11.

Background music plays during active gameplay and toggles off in the upper right corner of the game.

Success and error sounds play independently of that toggle. For sensory-sensitive students or silent work periods, mute the device before handing it out — the game is fully playable with no sound at all.

Formative assessment

Read the Activity Record

The record gives you four data points per word: time on task, attempts, errors, and which letters got confused. Pick what you're seeing and get the next instructional move.

Errors per word

Pace

Next step

Pick an error count and a pace

The two together tell a different story than either one alone — fast and wrong is a very different problem from slow and right.

Signal	May indicate	Next step
0 errors per word	Strong orthographic mapping	Introduce stretch words from the next band up
1–2 errors per word	Decoding with some uncertainty	Review the specific phoneme or pattern flagged in the error log
3+ errors per word	Pattern not yet secured	Pre-teach the SoR pattern before replay; consider the prior band
Long time, low errors	Effortful but accurate decoding	Fluency practice with the word in context sentences
Short time, high errors	Guessing without attending to letters	Return to letter-by-letter phoneme mapping activities

Implementation

Where this fits

Standards

Standards alignment

Every row below is quoted verbatim from the state’s own published standards. Only strong fits are listed — nothing that required interpretation to make it fit.

Kindergarten

RF.K.3a

Demonstrate basic knowledge of one-to-one letter-sound correspondences by producing the primary sound or many of the most frequent sounds for each consonant.

RF.K.3b

Associate the long and short sounds with common spellings (graphemes) for the five major vowels.

L.K.2c

Write a letter or letters for most consonant and short-vowel sounds (phonemes).

L.K.2d

Spell simple words phonetically, drawing on knowledge of sound-letter relationships.

Grade 1

RF.1.3a

Know the spelling-sound correspondences for common consonant digraphs.

RF.1.3b

Decode regularly spelled one-syllable words.

RF.1.3c

Know final -e and common vowel team conventions for representing long vowel sounds.

L.1.2d

Use conventional spelling for words with common spelling patterns and for frequently occurring irregular words.

Grade 2

RF.2.3b

Know spelling-sound correspondences for additional common vowel teams.

RF.2.3c

Decode regularly spelled two-syllable words with long vowels.

RF.2.3d

Decode words with common prefixes and suffixes.

L.2.4d

Use knowledge of the meaning of individual words to predict the meaning of compound words (e.g., birdhouse, lighthouse, housefly; bookshelf, notebook, bookmark).

Grade 3

RF.3.3c

Decode multisyllable words.

L.3.2e

Use conventional spelling for high-frequency and other studied words and for adding suffixes to base words (e.g., sitting, smiled, cries, happiness).

L.3.2f

Use spelling patterns and generalizations (e.g., word families, position-based spellings, syllable patterns, ending rules, meaningful word parts) in writing words.

RF.3.3b

Decode words with common Latin suffixes.Cross-referenced from grade 3 — matches the 4–5 word list's Latin suffixes (-ation, -ion, -al).

Grade 4

RF.4.3a

Use combined knowledge of all letter-sound correspondences, syllabication patterns, and morphology (e.g., roots and affixes) to read accurately unfamiliar multisyllabic words in context and out of context.

L.4.4b

Use common, grade-appropriate Greek and Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., telegraph, photograph, autograph).

L.4.2d

Spell grade-appropriate words correctly, consulting references as needed.

Grade 5

RF.5.3a

Use combined knowledge of all letter-sound correspondences, syllabication patterns, and morphology (e.g., roots and affixes) to read accurately unfamiliar multisyllabic words in context and out of context.

L.5.4b

Use common, grade-appropriate Greek and Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., photograph, photosynthesis).

L.5.2e

Spell grade-appropriate words correctly, consulting references as needed.

Kindergarten

K.F.P.1.a

Identify and produce basic one-to-one phoneme-grapheme correspondences for the most frequently used sound for each consonant.

K.F.P.1.b

Identify and produce both long and short vowel sounds for A, E, I, O, U.

K.F.P.3.a

Use knowledge of letter/sound correspondences to connect letters (graphemes) to sounds (phonemes) to encode simple one-syllable words, including high-frequency words (VC, CV, CVC).

K.F.PA.6.c

Blend, count, and segment up to three phonemes in spoken one-syllable words.Covers the oral Word Preview phase of the mini lesson plans, not the game itself.

Grade 1

1.F.P.1.a

Identify and produce phoneme-grapheme correspondences for frequently used consonant blends and digraphs.

1.F.P.1.b

Identify and produce both long and short vowel sounds for A, E, I, O, U, including final -e and vowel digraphs.

1.F.P.3.a

Encode regularly spelled one-syllable words with a variety of spelling patterns (VC, CVC, CVCe, VCC, CCVC, CVCC, CCVCC), including high-frequency words.

Grade 2

2.F.P.1.b

Identify and produce both long and short vowel sounds for A, E, I, O, U, including final -e, vowel digraphs, r-controlled vowels, and diphthongs.

2.F.P.3.a

Encode regularly spelled two-syllable words with a variety of spelling patterns (VVCC, VVCe, VCCC, VVCCC) by applying knowledge of basic phonics skills, including high-frequency words.

2.F.P.3.d

Encode two-syllable words by applying knowledge of all major syllable types.

2.L.V.2.a

Identify and use frequently occurring root words and affixes (e.g., prefixes, suffixes) to deconstruct words to determine or clarify meaning.

2.L.V.2.c

Construct words using frequently occurring root words and affixes.

Grade 3

3.F.P.4.b

Decode and encode single-syllable and multisyllabic words of all syllable types.

3.F.P.4.c

Decode and encode words with common prefixes and suffixes.

3.L.V.2.a

Deconstruct words using common roots, root words, and affixes to determine meaning.

3.L.V.2.c

Construct words using common roots, root words, and affixes.

Grade 4

4.F.P.4.b

Decode and encode single-syllable and multisyllabic words of all syllable types.

4.F.P.4.c

Decode and encode words with common prefixes and suffixes.

4.L.V.2.a

Deconstruct words using knowledge of Greek and Latin roots, root words, and affixes to determine meaning.

4.L.V.2.c

Construct words using knowledge of Greek and Latin roots, root words, and affixes.

Grade 5

5.F.P.4.b

Decode and encode single-syllable and multisyllabic words of all syllable types.

5.F.P.4.c

Decode and encode words with common prefixes and suffixes.

5.L.V.2.a

Deconstruct words using knowledge of Greek and Latin roots, root words, and affixes to determine meaning.

5.L.V.2.c

Construct words using knowledge of Greek and Latin roots, root words, and affixes.

Kindergarten

RF.K.3.d

Isolate and pronounce the initial, medial vowel, and final sounds (phonemes) in three-phoneme (consonant-vowel-consonant, or CVC) words. (This does not include CVCs ending with /l/, /r/, or /x/.)Covers the oral Word Preview phase of the mini lesson plans.

RF.K.4.a

Demonstrate basic knowledge of one-to-one letter-sound correspondences by producing the primary sound or many of the most frequent sounds for each consonant.

RF.K.4.b

Associate the long and short sounds with common spellings (graphemes) for the five major vowels.

L.K.2

Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing; demonstrate proficiency within the K-1 conventions continuum.

Write a letter or letters for most consonant and short-vowel sounds
Spell simple words phonetically, drawing on knowledge of sound-letter relationships

Grade 1

RF.1.3.b

Orally produce single-syllable words by blending sounds (phonemes), including consonant blends.Covers the oral Word Preview phase of the mini lesson plans.

RF.1.4.a

Know the spelling-sound correspondences for common consonant digraphs.

RF.1.4.b

Decode regularly spelled one-syllable words.

RF.1.4.c

Know final -e and common vowel team conventions for representing long vowel sounds.

L.1.2

Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing; demonstrate proficiency within the K-1 conventions continuum.

Write a letter or letters for most consonant and short-vowel sounds
Spell simple words phonetically, drawing on knowledge of sound-letter relationships

Grade 2

RF.2.4.b

Know spelling-sound correspondences for additional common vowel teams.

RF.2.4.c

Decode regularly spelled two-syllable words with long vowels.

RF.2.4.d

Decode words with common prefixes and suffixes.

L.2.2

Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing; demonstrate proficiency within the 2-3 conventions continuum.

Use conventional spelling for high frequency and other studied words and for adding suffixes to base words
Use spelling patterns and generalizations (such as word families, position-based spellings, syllable patterns, ending rules, and meaningful word parts) when writing words

Grade 3

RF.3.4.a

Identify and know the meaning of the most common prefixes and derivational suffixes.

RF.3.4.b

Decode words with common Latin suffixes.

RF.3.4.c

Decode multisyllabic words.

L.3.2

Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing; demonstrate proficiency within the 2-3 conventions continuum.

Use conventional spelling for high frequency and other studied words and for adding suffixes to base words
Use spelling patterns and generalizations (such as word families, position-based spellings, syllable patterns, ending rules, and meaningful word parts) when writing words

Grade 4

RF.4.4.a

Use combined knowledge of all letter-sound correspondences, syllabication patterns, and morphology to read accurately unfamiliar multisyllabic words in context and out of context.

L.4.2

Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing; demonstrate proficiency within the 4-5 conventions continuum.

Spell grade-appropriate words correctly

Grade 5

RF.5.4.a

Use combined knowledge of all letter-sound correspondences, syllabication patterns, and morphology to read accurately unfamiliar multisyllabic words in context and out of context.

L.5.2

Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing; demonstrate proficiency within the 4-5 conventions continuum.

Spell grade-appropriate words correctly

Kindergarten

RF.K.3a

Demonstrate basic knowledge of one-to-one letter-sound correspondences by producing the primary sound or many of the most frequent sounds for each consonant.

RF.K.3b

Associate the long and short sounds with common spellings (graphemes) for the five major vowels.

L.K.2c

Write a letter or letters for most consonant and short-vowel sounds (phonemes).

L.K.2d

Spell simple words phonetically, drawing on knowledge of sound-letter relationships.

Grade 1

RF.1.3a

Know the spelling-sound correspondences for common consonant digraphs.

RF.1.3b

Decode regularly spelled one-syllable words.

RF.1.3c

Know final -e and common vowel team conventions for representing long vowel sounds.

L.1.2d

Use conventional spelling for words with common spelling patterns and for frequently occurring irregular words.

Grade 2

RF.2.3b

Know spelling-sound correspondences for additional common vowel teams.

RF.2.3c

Decode regularly spelled two-syllable words with long vowels.

RF.2.3d

Decode words with common prefixes and suffixes.

L.2.4d

Use knowledge of the meaning of individual words to predict the meaning of compound words (e.g., birdhouse, lighthouse, housefly; bookshelf, notebook, bookmark).

Grade 3

RF.3.3c

Decode multisyllable words.

L.3.2e

Use conventional spelling for high-frequency and other studied words and for adding suffixes to base words (e.g., sitting, smiled, cries, happiness).

L.3.2f

Use spelling patterns and generalizations (e.g., word families, position-based spellings, syllable patterns, ending rules, meaningful word parts) in writing words.

RF.3.3b

Decode words with common Latin suffixes.Cross-referenced from grade 3 — matches the 4–5 word list's Latin suffixes (-ation, -ion, -al).

Grade 4

RF.4.3a

Use combined knowledge of all letter-sound correspondences, syllabication patterns, and morphology (e.g., roots and affixes) to read accurately unfamiliar multisyllabic words in context and out of context.

L.4.4b

Use common, grade-appropriate Greek and Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., telegraph, photograph, autograph).

L.4.2d

Spell grade-appropriate words correctly, consulting references as needed.

Grade 5

RF.5.3a

Use combined knowledge of all letter-sound correspondences, syllabication patterns, and morphology (e.g., roots and affixes) to read accurately unfamiliar multisyllabic words in context and out of context.

L.5.4b

Use common, grade-appropriate Greek and Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., photograph, photosynthesis).

L.5.2e

Spell grade-appropriate words correctly, consulting references as needed.

Kindergarten

KRF2d

Blend and segment individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken one-syllable words.Covers the oral Word Preview phase of the mini lesson plans.

KRF3a

Demonstrate one-to-one letter-sound correspondence by producing the primary sound or most frequent sound for each consonant.

KRF3b

Decode short vowel sounds with common spellings.

KRF3c

Decode some regularly spelled one-syllable words.

NY L2 (Appendix A, PK–2 band)

Demonstrate command of the conventions of academic English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

Write a letter or letters for most consonant and short-vowel sounds (phonemes).
Spell simple words phonetically, drawing on knowledge of sound-letter relationships.

Grade 1

1RF2a

Count, blend and segment single syllable words that include consonant blends.Covers the oral Word Preview phase of the mini lesson plans.

1RF3a

Know the letter-sound correspondences for common blends and consonant digraphs (e.g. sh, ch, th).

1RF3b

Decode long vowel sounds in regularly spelled one-syllable words (e.g., final –e conventions and common vowel teams).

1RF3c

Decode regularly spelled one-syllable words.

1RF3f

Recognize and identify root words and simple suffixes (e.g. run, runs, walk, walked)

NY L2 (Appendix A, PK–2 band)

Demonstrate command of the conventions of academic English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

Write a letter or letters for most consonant and short-vowel sounds (phonemes).
Spell simple words phonetically, drawing on knowledge of sound-letter relationships.

Grade 2

2RF3a

Distinguish long and short vowels when reading regularly spelled one-syllable words (including common vowel teams).

2RF3b

Decode short and long vowel sounds in two-syllable words.

2RF3c

Decode regularly spelled two-syllable words.

2RF3d

Recognize and identify root words and common suffixes and prefixes.

2L4d

Use knowledge of the meaning of individual words to predict the meaning of compound words (e.g., birdhouse, lighthouse, housefly; bookshelf, notebook, bookmark).

NY L2 (Appendix A, PK–2 band)

Demonstrate command of the conventions of academic English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

Write a letter or letters for most consonant and short-vowel sounds (phonemes).
Spell simple words phonetically, drawing on knowledge of sound-letter relationships.

Grade 3

3RF3a

Identify and know the meaning of the most common prefixes and suffixes.

3RF3b

Decode multi-syllabic words.

3RF3c

Identify, know the meanings of, and decode words with suffixes.

3L4b

Determine the meaning of the new word formed when a known affix is added to a known word (e.g., agreeable/disagreeable, comfortable/ uncomfortable, care/careless, heat/preheat).

NY L2 (Appendix A, 3–5 band)

Demonstrate command of the conventions of academic English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

Use conventional spelling for high-frequency and other studied words, and to add suffixes to base words (e.g., sitting, smiled, cries, happiness).
Use spelling patterns, rules, and generalizations (e.g., word families, position-based spellings, syllable patterns, ending rules, meaningful word parts) in writing words.

Grade 4

4RF3a

Use combined knowledge of all letter-sound correspondences, syllabication patterns, and morphology (e.g., roots and affixes) to read accurately unfamiliar multisyllabic words in context and out of context.

4L4b

Use common, grade-appropriate Greek and Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., telegraph, photograph, autograph).

NY L2 (Appendix A, 3–5 band)

Demonstrate command of the conventions of academic English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

Use conventional spelling for high-frequency and other studied words, and to add suffixes to base words (e.g., sitting, smiled, cries, happiness).
Spell grade-appropriate words correctly, consulting references as needed.

Grade 5

5RF3a

Use combined knowledge of all letter-sound correspondences, syllabication patterns, and morphology (e.g., roots and affixes) to read accurately unfamiliar multisyllabic words in context and out of context.

5L4b

Use common, grade-appropriate Greek and Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., photograph, photosynthesis).

NY L2 (Appendix A, 3–5 band)

Demonstrate command of the conventions of academic English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

Use conventional spelling for high-frequency and other studied words, and to add suffixes to base words (e.g., sitting, smiled, cries, happiness).
Spell grade-appropriate words correctly, consulting references as needed.

Kindergarten

L.RF.K.3

Demonstrate basic knowledge of one-to-one letter-sound correspondences by producing many of the most frequently used sounds of each consonant.

L.RF.K.3

Associate the long and short sounds with the common spellings (graphemes) for the five major vowels.

L.WF.K.1

Write a common grapheme (letter or letter group) for each phoneme.

L.WF.K.2

Representing phonemes, first to last, in simple words, using letters with a transparent relationship to sound (e.g., the “o” in “rope” may be spelled with a single letter, o).

L.WF.K.2

Spelling VC (vowel-consonant) [at, in] and CVC [pet, mud] words with short vowel sounds.

L.WF.K.2

Writing initial and final consonant blends (must, slab, plump).

Grade 1

L.RF.1.3

Know the spelling-sound correspondences for common consonant digraphs (two letters that represent one sound).

L.RF.1.3

Decode regularly spelled one-syllable words.

L.RF.1.3

Know final -e and common vowel team conventions for representing long vowel sounds.

L.WF.1.2

Short vowels and single consonants.

L.WF.1.2

Consonant graphemes including qu, x, and –ck; digraphs (thin, shop, when, much, sing); and doubled letters (off, will, mess).

L.WF.1.2

Initial and final consonant blends (must, slab, plump).

Grade 2

L.RF.2.3

Know spelling-sound correspondences for common vowel teams.

L.RF.2.3

Decode regularly spelled two-syllable words with long vowels.

L.RF.2.3

Decode words with common prefixes and suffixes.

L.WF.2.2

Are compounds comprising familiar parts (houseboat; yellowtail).Nested under “Regular two- and three-syllable words that:”

L.WF.2.2

Include the most common prefixes and derivational suffixes (un, re, en; -ful, -ment, -less).Nested under “Regular two- and three-syllable words that:”

L.WF.2.2

consonant doubling (penning, slimmed).Nested under “Words with suffixes that require:”

Grade 3

L.RF.3.3

Decode words with common Latin suffixes.

L.RF.3.3

Decode multisyllable words.

L.WF.3.2

Include common, transparent, prefixes and suffixes (e.g., re-, pre-, sub-, un-, dis-, mis-; -able, -ness, -ful) and suffix -tion.Nested under “Spell regular two- and three-syllable words that:”

Grade 4

L.RF.4.3

Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding and encoding words; use combined knowledge of all letter-sound correspondences, syllabication patterns, and morphology (e.g., roots and affixes) to read accurately unfamiliar multisyllabic words in context and out of context.

L.WF.4.2

Analyze and spell multi-syllable words with the most common Latin roots, prefixes, and suffixes.

L.WF.4.2

Spell grade-appropriate words correctly, consulting references as needed.

L.VL.4.2

Use common, grade-appropriate Greek and Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., telegraph, photograph, autograph).

Grade 5

L.RF.5.3

Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding and encoding words; use combined knowledge of all letter-sound correspondences, syllabication patterns, and morphology (e.g., roots and affixes) to read accurately unfamiliar multisyllabic words in context and out of context.

L.VL.5.2

Use common, grade-appropriate Greek and Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., photograph, photosynthesis).

WormlyBeach Week Edition

Your first Wormly session

K–1

Why these words, in this order

Letter box builder

K–1

Every word, tagged

Gameplay and the Activity Record

Read the Activity Record

Where this fits

Standards alignment

Kindergarten

Grade 1

Grade 2

Grade 3

Grade 4

Grade 5

Kindergarten

Grade 1

Grade 2

Grade 3

Grade 4

Grade 5

Kindergarten

Grade 1

Grade 2

Grade 3

Grade 4

Grade 5

Kindergarten

Grade 1

Grade 2

Grade 3

Grade 4

Grade 5

Kindergarten

Grade 1

Grade 2

Grade 3

Grade 4

Grade 5

Kindergarten

Grade 1

Grade 2

Grade 3

Grade 4

Grade 5