A Day in the Life: How to Use TPRs in Daily Lessons

Incorporating Target Practice Readers (TPRs) into your daily lessons can significantly enhance your phonics instruction and give students the structured practice they need. TPRs are designed to be used as part of a regular teaching routine, providing consistency and helping students develop their reading skills incrementally. In this post, we’ll walk through a day in the life of a classroom using TPRs and show how they can fit seamlessly into your lesson plans.

Morning Session: Phonics Instruction

1. Revisit and Review: Start the day by revisiting the phonics sounds that students have already learned. Use flashcards or a phonics chart to quickly go over previously taught sounds, ensuring that students are ready to apply them in the day's reading session.
2. Teach New Letter-Sounds: Introduce two new letter-sounds for the week, which aligns with how TPRs are structured. As part of your phonics instruction, model blending these new sounds into words. Show students how to sound out and blend letters together, giving them multiple examples.

Mid-Morning Session: Group Guided Reading with TPRs

1. Small Group Instruction: Divide the class into small reading groups based on their current phonics level. Each group should have access to a Target Practice Reader that focuses on the letter-sounds they’ve been learning. For example, one group may be reading a TPR that focuses on /s/ and /t/ sounds, while another group works on more advanced blends like /ch/ and /sh/.
2. Teacher-Guided Reading: In each group, guide students through the TPR, emphasising the target sounds. Ask students to take turns reading aloud, helping them sound out words as needed. Use this time to check for understanding and provide individualised support.

Midday Session: Whole-Class Shared Reading

1. Reinforce Phonics with Shared Reading: After lunch, gather the class for a shared reading session using an enlarged version of a TPR on an interactive whiteboard. This is a great time to model fluent reading, pausing to show students how to blend and decode words that contain the week’s letter-sounds. Ask the class to participate by reading along with you.
2. Discuss the Story: After reading, engage the class in a discussion about the story. Ask comprehension questions and invite students to share their favourite parts of the book. Use this opportunity to reinforce the phonics skills they’ve been practicing.

Afternoon Session: Independent or 1:1 Reading

1. Independent Practice: Set aside time in the afternoon for independent reading. Students can choose a TPR that aligns with their current phonics level and practice reading on their own. Encourage them to focus on sounding out tricky words and blending sounds they’ve learned throughout the day.
2. 1:1 Support: While some students are reading independently, take this time to work with individual students who may need extra support. Provide additional guidance as they read through a TPR, helping them with blending and decoding.

End-of-Day Reflection:

1. Review and Reflect: Before the end of the day, bring the class together for a quick review. Ask students to share something they learned about reading that day or a new sound they practiced. Reflect on the TPRs they read, reinforcing the day’s phonics lessons.

Integrating Target Practice Readers into your daily lessons provides students with structured, consistent practice in phonics. By using TPRs in small group reading, shared reading, and independent practice, you can ensure that every student is reinforcing their phonics skills while building fluency and confidence. Make TPRs a regular part of your day, and watch as your students progress in their reading abilities.