Learning to read involves many small discoveries: connecting a letter to a sound, blending sounds into a word, recognizing a familiar pattern, and understanding what a sentence means.
Throughout my years as an educator and tutor, I have valued teaching tools that make those discoveries easier to explain and revisit. A clear visual reference gives us something to point to, discuss, and practice together.
That is the purpose behind my 60 Reading Charts Collection—a colorful set of visual teaching references for classroom teachers, tutors, and homeschool families.
A Reading Resource Organized into Three Levels
The collection brings together 60 charts covering foundational phonics, word study, and reading strategies. Each chart uses a horizontal layout for display during lessons, with illustrated examples and highlighted patterns.
The three levels help you find a useful starting point. They are flexible groupings rather than fixed steps every child must follow at the same pace.
Level 1: Foundational Reading Skills
The first 20 charts focus on letters, sounds, and simple words.
Topics include:
- Alphabet letters and sounds
- Beginning consonant sounds and short vowels
- CVC words, such as cat, hen, and sun
- Beginning and ending blends
- Digraphs, including SH, CH, TH, and WH
- Word families
- Introductory high-frequency words
- Simple sentences
These charts are designed for early reading instruction and for learners who need additional practice with foundational skills.
Level 2: Growing Decoding Skills
Charts 21–40 introduce more spelling patterns and word structures.
Students can explore:
- Long vowels with silent E
- Vowel teams and r-controlled vowels
- OU/OW and OI/OY patterns
- Three-letter blends
- Soft C, soft G, and silent-letter patterns
- Contractions and compound words
- Common prefixes and suffixes
These charts provide examples to discuss as students learn to recognize patterns beyond simple CVC words.
Level 3: Syllables, Word Study, and Reading Strategies
Charts 41–60 extend the collection into longer words, vocabulary, and meaning.
Topics include:
- Six syllable types
- Common syllable division patterns
- Prefixes, suffixes, and base words
- Homophones, synonyms, and antonyms
- Multiple-meaning words and irregular plurals
- Reading strategies
- Fluency and expression
- Context clues
A chart can introduce a concept or serve as a reminder while students apply the skill to words, sentences, and connected text.
How I Would Use a Chart in a Reading Lesson
Displaying a chart is only the beginning. Its value comes from the teaching and practice around it.
For example, a short-U chart can support a brief lesson using an “I do, we do, you do” approach.
I do: Point to sun. Say each sound, then blend the sounds to read the word. Draw attention to the short-U sound.
We do: Read bug and mug together. Ask the student what stays the same and what changes.
You do: Invite the student to read another word, such as cup, without relying on its picture. Then use the word in a short sentence.
The picture can help explain meaning, while attention stays on the letters when reading the word.
For a learner working on vocabulary, a context-clues chart offers a different kind of discussion: Which words or details help explain the unfamiliar word? Does the suggested meaning make sense when we reread the sentence?
Ways to Use the Collection
In the classroom: Display a chart during a focused mini-lesson, use it with a small group, or return to it when a familiar pattern appears in a text.
During online tutoring: Share one relevant chart on screen. Point to examples, invite the student to explain a pattern, and follow with practice beyond the chart.
At home: Choose a chart connected to a skill your child is learning. Keep the practice manageable and revisit examples over time.
For targeted review: Select charts based on what the learner needs. An older student may benefit from reviewing vowel patterns, while a younger learner may be ready to explore particular vocabulary concepts.
The suggested range is Pre-K through Grade 3, but a student’s current skills are more useful than grade level alone when choosing a chart.
A Visual Toolkit to Support Your Teaching
I created this collection to make a wide range of reading references easier to find and use.
The charts are supplemental teaching aids. They work alongside explicit instruction, opportunities to read connected text, discussion, and feedback. They do not replace a complete reading curriculum or an individual assessment of a learner’s needs.
My hope is that they give educators and families a practical place to begin a lesson—and a helpful reference to return to.
Explore the 60 Reading Charts Collection
The collection includes:
- Level 1: Foundational Reading Skills—20 charts
- Level 2: Growing Decoding Skills—20 charts
- Level 3: Syllables, Word Study & Reading Strategies—20 charts
This is a digital collection. No physical items will be shipped.
👉 View the 60 Reading Charts Collection at EDM Shop
By Esther Manzano, Certified K–8 Educator and Tutor
Suite & Stories—where education, AI, storytelling, and entrepreneurship come together.
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