English Language ArtsK-2
Heart Word Progress Monitoring Checklist by Unit
By Elizabeth W.
A unit-by-unit checklist for tracking students' mastery of heart words, where each word is rated as automatic, decoded, or not yet. It supports early elementary readers working through phonics units, and the teacher can use it to spot which words need more practice.
Customize for your classroom
Teacher Guide & Tips
- Use this as a quick, recurring check at the end of each phonics unit, ideally in a one-on-one conference of about 5 minutes per student.
- Ask the student to read each heart word aloud and note whether it is automatic (instant recognition), decoded (sounded out), or not yet known; then ask, "How did you figure out that word?" to reveal their strategy.
- For struggling readers, pre-teach a small set of 2 to 3 words from the current unit with flashcards and sound-it-out routines before re-assessing.
- For advanced students, have them use the heart words in sentences or find them in a leveled text to show automatic recognition in context.
- Plan roughly 3 to 5 minutes per student for each unit's word set, and record results over time to track growth across units.
English Language ArtsK-2
Heart Word Progress Monitoring Checklist by Unit
By Elizabeth W.
A unit-by-unit checklist for tracking students' mastery of heart words, where each word is rated as automatic, decoded, or not yet. It supports early elementary readers working through phonics units, and the teacher can use it to spot which words need more practice.
Customize for your classroom
Teacher Guide & Tips
- Use this as a quick, recurring check at the end of each phonics unit, ideally in a one-on-one conference of about 5 minutes per student.
- Ask the student to read each heart word aloud and note whether it is automatic (instant recognition), decoded (sounded out), or not yet known; then ask, "How did you figure out that word?" to reveal their strategy.
- For struggling readers, pre-teach a small set of 2 to 3 words from the current unit with flashcards and sound-it-out routines before re-assessing.
- For advanced students, have them use the heart words in sentences or find them in a leveled text to show automatic recognition in context.
- Plan roughly 3 to 5 minutes per student for each unit's word set, and record results over time to track growth across units.