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The UFLI Lesson Steps, Start to Finish
Updated: Sep 22
Every UFLI Foundations lesson follows the same 8 steps, split across 2 days, in about 30 minutes a day. Once you know the steps and how long each one takes, the whole block gets so much easier to plan, pace, and protect. 💛
Here's the quick version first, then each step in plain language, then exactly what to trim when your block runs short.
The 8 UFLI Lesson Steps at a Glance
Day 1 (about 30 minutes)
Step 1: Phonemic Awareness, about 2 minutes
Step 2: Visual Drill, about 3 minutes
Step 3: Auditory Drill, about 5 minutes
Step 4: Blending Drill, about 5 minutes
Step 5: New Concept, about 15 minutes
Day 2 (about 30 minutes)
Step 5 Review: New Concept, about 3 minutes
Step 6: Word Work, about 6 minutes
Step 7: Irregular Words, about 6 minutes
Step 8: Connected Text, about 15 minutes
Why does Step 5 show up twice? It's taught on Day 1 and quickly reviewed at the start of Day 2, so it still counts as one step. Want a one-page version to keep next to your manual? UFLI has a free Lesson Step Pocket Reference you can print.
Day 1: Steps 1 to 5
Step 1: Phonemic Awareness (about 2 minutes). Quick, oral, and eyes up. No letters here, just sounds. Students blend, segment, or play with sounds out loud to warm up their ears for everything that comes next.
Step 2: Visual Drill (about 3 minutes). You show a grapheme, students say the sound. Fast and snappy, all review of what's already been taught.
Step 3: Auditory Drill (about 5 minutes). Flip it around. You say a sound, students write the grapheme that spells it. This is where you find out who is solid and who is still guessing. 👀
Step 4: Blending Drill (about 5 minutes). Students blend sounds into words, sound by sound and then the whole word. The free UFLI Blending Board app makes this one easy.
Step 5: New Concept (about 15 minutes). The heart of Day 1. You introduce the new sound and spelling, model it, practice letter formation, and students read and spell words with the new pattern.
Day 2: Review Step 5, Then Steps 6 to 8
Step 5 Review (about 3 minutes). A quick revisit of yesterday's new concept, so it's fresh before students build on it.
Step 6: Word Work (about 6 minutes). Students build and change words with the new pattern, one sound at a time, using letter tiles or the UFLI Word Work Mat app.
Step 7: Irregular Words (about 6 minutes). Heart words! Students map the parts that follow the rules and learn the tricky part by heart.
Step 8: Connected Text (about 15 minutes). Students read and spell sentences, then read a decodable passage with the new pattern plus everything taught before it. This is where it all comes together. 🙌
Short on Time? Here's What You Can Trim
Some days you just don't get the full 30 minutes. An assembly, a fire drill, a schedule change nobody warned you about. When that happens, here's where you can trim without losing the lesson.
On Day 1:
Cut the Visual Drill or Auditory Drill short. The graphemes and sounds in those drills are ordered from most important to review down to least important, so if you stop early, you've already hit the ones that matter most.
Skip letter formation during the New Concept.
Spell just 1 or 2 of the spelling words instead of the whole list.
On Day 2:
Read or spell fewer of the Connected Text sentences.
Move the decodable passage to a small group rotation or centers.
Trimming on a short day isn't skipping the lesson. It's teaching the lesson you actually have time for. 💛
Your UFLI Implementation Checklist
Teaching UFLI with fidelity just means teaching it the way it was designed. UFLI has an official Implementation Fidelity Checklist you can print and use. Before you grab it, here's a quick self-check:
✅ All 8 steps happen, in order, across the 2 days
✅ Day 1 and Day 2 each land close to 30 minutes
✅ Students are saying, writing, and reading a lot, not just listening
✅ The new concept is modeled before students try it
✅ Heart words get their own time in Step 7
✅ Students read connected text with the new pattern every Day 2
✅ Materials are out and ready before the lesson starts
✅ You know what you'll trim on a short day (see above!)
UFLI Classroom Setup and Organization
The smoothest UFLI block is the one where nothing has to be found. Here's what to have within reach, step by step:
All steps: the lesson slides pulled up and ready (free in the UFLI Toolbox)
Steps 3 and 5: something for every student to write on
Step 4: the Blending Board app open
Step 6: letter tiles or the Word Work Mat app
Step 8: decodable passages printed and ready to hand out
Setting up for the whole year? Check out The Ultimate UFLI Classroom Checklist for the full list.
Want Students Practicing Every New Concept?
The UFLI Interactive Notebook gives students hands-on, cut-and-paste practice for every concept, in a routine they can do on their own. There are Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade versions, plus a K to 2 bundle. Try some pages free first:
Happy Teaching!
FAQ: UFLI Lesson Steps
How many days does it take to teach a UFLI lesson? Two days, about 30 minutes each. Steps 1 to 5 happen on Day 1. Day 2 opens with a quick review of Step 5, then Steps 6 to 8.
How do you do a UFLI lesson? Teach the 8 steps in order: Phonemic Awareness, Visual Drill, Auditory Drill, Blending Drill, New Concept, Word Work, Irregular Words, and Connected Text. Keep each step quick and keep students responding.
What is the UFLI scope and sequence? It's the order UFLI Foundations teaches phonics skills across 128 lessons, from single letter sounds up to more complex patterns. It's cumulative, so taught patterns keep showing up again and again. New to the program? Start with What is UFLI Foundations?
How do you use UFLI as an intervention? Place students first, then teach their lessons in small groups. Here's how UFLI placement works and what to do during UFLI small groups.
Flying Through Phonics resources are original materials created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence. They are not created or endorsed by UFLI.
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