67 core topics
+ 22 prerequisite topics taught
as needed · approximately 24 hours of instruction
including spaced review
How the course runs
An adaptive diagnostic (up to
40 questions) places the student on the course's knowledge
graph - topics already known are credited, and instruction begins exactly
at the learning frontier. Every topic is taught with a worked-example
lesson and auto-graded practice; a topic is mastered at
75%+ and then maintained through spaced reviews on an
expanding schedule. Mixed checks follow every 6 lessons;
each unit ends with a 12-item quiz, and course-wide assessments appear at
25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% mastery. Prerequisite gaps below the course are detected and taught rather
than skipped, so completion certifies the whole tower, not just the top.
Core curriculum
Prefixes & Suffixes
· 10 topics
Finding the Base Word[M]
Strip the extra parts off a word to find the word underneath.
What a Prefix Means[M]
Know what the common prefixes do to a word.
Using a Prefix to Read a Word[M]
Work out what a prefixed word means without being told.
What a Suffix Means[M]
Know what the common suffixes add to a word.
Using a Suffix to Read a Word[M]
Work out what a word with a suffix means.
Building Words from Parts[M]
Put a prefix, base word, and suffix together into one word.
Reading a Word You Have Never Seen[H]
Work out an unfamiliar word from its prefix, base, and suffix.
Spelling Changes When You Add an Ending[H]
Apply the three rules for adding a suffix to a base word.
Endings Change a Word's Job[M]
See how a suffix turns one kind of word into another.
Choosing the Right Form[H]
Pick the form of a word that a sentence actually needs.
Greek & Latin Roots
· 8 topics
What a Root Is[M]
Find the root inside a long word and tell it from a base word.
What the Common Roots Mean[M]
Know what the roots that build academic English actually mean.
Words That Share a Root[H]
Sort words into families by the root they are built on.
Words Built from Two Roots[H]
Read a word built out of two roots by putting both part meanings together, in order.
One Root, Many Prefixes[H]
Use the prefix to tell apart words built on the same root.
Reading a Word You Have Never Met[H]
Work out an unfamiliar word from its root and the sentence together.
When the Letters Lie[H]
Test a root by meaning, not by letters, and catch the look-alikes.
Greek Spelling Clues[H]
Spell the Greek words in science and math, and know why they look odd.
Homophones, Homographs & Word Traps
· 8 topics
Words That Sound the Same[M]
Recognize two words that share one sound and nothing else.
Choosing the Right Spelling[M]
Use the meaning of a sentence to choose between two spellings.
its and it's, your and you're[M]
Tell a contraction from a possessive using the long-form test.
One Spelling, Two Meanings[H]
Use the sentence to choose between two unrelated meanings of one word.
One Word, Many Meanings[H]
Pick which of a word's several related meanings a sentence is using.
Words That Are Nearly Twins[H]
Separate two words that look almost alike and mean nothing alike.
The Mistake a Spell Checker Misses[H]
Find a word that is spelled correctly and is still the wrong word.
Same Spelling, Different Sound[H]
Decide how a word is pronounced from the job it does in the sentence.
Word Relationships: Synonyms, Antonyms & Categories
· 8 topics
Words That Go Together[M]
Spot the word that belongs with a group, and the word that does not.
Naming the Group[M]
Give a group of words the name that covers all of them.
Parts and Wholes[M]
Tell a piece of something from one kind of something.
Words That Mean Almost the Same[M]
Find a word that means nearly the same as another word.
Words That Mean the Opposite[M]
Find the word that means the opposite of another word.
How Two Words Go Together[H]
Name the relationship between a pair of words.
Some Words Are Stronger[M]
Put words with the same meaning in order of how strong they are.
Choosing the Word That Fits[H]
Choose the word whose strength matches what the sentence says.
Context Clues (Grades 2-3)
· 8 topics
When the Sentence Just Tells You[M]
Find a word's meaning written into the sentence itself.
A Nearby Word That Means the Same[M]
Use a synonym elsewhere in the passage to unlock a word.
When a Contrast Points the Other Way[M]
Use a contrast word to work out the opposite meaning.
Working Back From Examples[M]
Use a list of examples to work out the category.
When There Is No Clue Word[H]
Work out a meaning from the whole situation.
Naming the Clue[M]
Say which kind of context clue a sentence is using.
Putting Your Guess Back In[H]
Check a guessed meaning by reading the sentence again with it.
Words With More Than One Meaning[M]
Choose the meaning a sentence needs, not the one you thought of first.
Context Clues & Word Nuance (Grades 4-6)
· 8 topics
When the Clue Is Somewhere Else[H]
Find the meaning of a word when the clue sits in a different sentence.
Shades of Meaning[H]
Choose the word whose size matches what actually happened.
Words That Carry a Feeling[H]
Hear the approval or disapproval hidden inside a word choice.
Reporting or Arguing?[H]
Tell a sentence that reports from one that argues, and name the word doing it.
Word Parts Plus Context[H]
Take an unfamiliar word apart and check the pieces against the sentence.
Everyday Words With a School Meaning[H]
Catch a familiar word being used in its science, math, or history sense.
The Words the Directions Use[H]
Know the words that every subject and every test direction line uses.
Can You Swap That Word?[H]
Test a replacement word against meaning, size, and feeling all at once.
Figurative Language & Idioms
· 9 topics
Noticing When Words Are Not Literal[M]
Tell when a sentence is not meant exactly as written.
Working Out What It Really Means[M]
Say in plain words what a figure of speech is telling you.
Similes[M]
Read a comparison made with like or as.
Metaphors[M]
Read a comparison that says one thing IS another.
Simile or Metaphor?[M]
Tell the two kinds of comparison apart.
Personification[M]
Spot something not human doing something only people do.
Hyperbole[M]
Read an exaggeration that nobody is meant to believe.
Idioms[H]
Learn set phrases whose meaning the words do not give you.
Naming the Device[H]
Say which kind of figurative language a sentence uses.
Academic Vocabulary
· 8 topics
Three Kinds of School Word[M]
Sort a word into everyday, used in every subject, or belonging to one subject.
The Words Every Subject Uses[H]
Give the exact meaning of the words that show up in every subject.
The Everyday Word and the School Word[H]
Match a school word to the everyday wording that means the same thing.
One Word, Many Forms[H]
Choose the right form of an academic word for the slot it has to fill.
The Same Word in a Different Class[H]
Work out which meaning a familiar word carries in a school subject.
Command Words: What the Task Asks For[H]
Name what a direction word is telling you to do before you start writing.
Reading the Question Before You Answer It[H]
Say what a test question requires before looking at the choices.
How Sure Does the Writer Sound?[H]
Tell what a writer is claiming from the verb that carries the claim.
Prerequisite material
- taught
automatically when the diagnostic finds gaps
Phonological & Phonemic Awareness· 7 topics
Hearing Rhymes
Tell when two words end with the same sound.
Counting Syllables
Break a word into its beats.
Hearing the First Sound
Tell which sound a word starts with.
Hearing the Last Sound
Tell which sound a word ends with.
Hearing the Middle Vowel Sound
Find the vowel sound in the middle of a short word.
Blending Sounds into Words
Push separate sounds together to make a word.
Breaking Words into Sounds
Split a word into every separate sound.
Phonics: Letters, Sounds & Short Vowels· 6 topics
Capital and Lowercase Letters
Match every capital letter to its lowercase partner.
Letter Sounds
Say the sound each letter stands for.
Short Vowel Sounds
Hear and write the five short vowel sounds.
Reading Short Words
Sound out and read consonant-vowel-consonant words.
Spelling Short Words
Write the letter for each sound you hear.
Word Families
Read a whole set of words by learning one ending.
High-Frequency Words & Sight Vocabulary· 2 topics
Recognizing High-Frequency Words
Know the most common words on sight, instantly.
High-Frequency Words in Sentences
Use common words correctly inside a real sentence.
Print Concepts & Early Comprehension· 1 topics
Listening Comprehension
Understand a story that is read out loud to you.
Sentence & Capitalization Basics· 2 topics
What Makes a Sentence
Tell a complete sentence from a group of words.
Naming Part and Telling Part
Split a sentence into who it is about and what happens.
Nouns & Verbs· 4 topics
What a Noun Is
Name the words that stand for a person, place, or thing.
What a Verb Is
Name the words that tell what someone does.
Finding the Verb in a Sentence
Pick out the verb inside a whole sentence.
One Word, Two Jobs
Decide whether a word is a noun or a verb from the sentence it is in.