Illinois K–5 Literacy and Math Resources: Phonics, Handwriting, Fluency and Grade 3–4 Math
Illinois K–5 Literacy and Math Resources: Phonics, Handwriting, Fluency and Grade 3–4 Math
Illinois has two rules that touch every elementary classroom. Public Act 103-0402 (2023) had ISBE write a statewide, evidence-based literacy plan, which was released in 2024. Public Act 100-0548 (2017) requires at least one unit of cursive instruction before students finish Grade 5, in effect since 2018–19, with the grade left to the district. The eight units below cover sounds, decoding, handwriting, fluency and Grade 3–4 math. The Illinois overview has our other resources for the state.
Browse the K–5 ELA resources →Resources that fit
Eight units for Illinois K–5 classrooms
Each unit has a classroom PDF, a teacher guide, an editable DOCX and PowerPoint. They are supplements for US grades and can be used alongside the curriculum your Illinois district runs.
Phonemic Awareness Daily Routines | 36 Weeks of Oral Sound Routines | Kindergarten
36 weeks of oral sound routines; children answer with sounds, not letters.
Decodable Readers Grade One | 20 Stories with Word Work & Comprehension | Grade 1
20 stories using only taught patterns, each with word work and comprehension.
Heart Words | 100 High-Frequency Words with Sound Mapping | Grade 1
100 high-frequency words mapped sound by sound, with a key for each.
Manuscript Handwriting | Basic Strokes & A–Z Letter Practice | Grades K–1
Basic strokes, then A–Z upper and lowercase with a stroke model per letter.
Cursive Writing | Strokes, Letters a–z & Joining Words | Grades 2–3
Lowercase letters by stroke family, a page per letter and joining words.
Reading Fluency Passages | 24 Original Passages with Meaning Checks | Grade 4
24 passages, each with a meaning check, so speed is never the only goal.
Multiplication Fact Fluency | Strategies, Fact Families & Array Labs | Grade 3
Strategy lessons, fact family pages and array labs for the Grade 3 facts.
Multi-Digit Multiplication and Division | Area Model, Partial Products & Partial Quotients | Grade 4
Area model and partial products, then a bridge to the standard algorithm.
The state picture
The state literacy plan in practice
The state literacy plan points districts toward evidence-based reading instruction. In K–2 that mostly means explicit teaching of sounds, spellings and decoding, followed by enough practice for it to stick. Phonemic Awareness Daily Routines gives Kindergarten 36 weeks of short oral routines, with picture cues and counter mats. Decodable Readers Grade One gives Grade 1 students twenty stories that only use taught patterns, from short vowels to silent e. Heart Words covers 100 high-frequency words by mapping them sound by sound, and the teacher guide has a mapping key for every word.
The plan is guidance, not a curriculum. Use these units where your district program needs more practice or for small groups.
Grade by grade
Which unit goes with which grade
Each unit by the grade it was written for, with a note for Illinois classrooms. Place students by what they can do, not by the cover.
| Grade | Focus | Resource | Illinois note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | Sounds; first letters | Phonemic Awareness, Manuscript | Oral sound work before formal phonics |
| Grade 1 | Decoding; high-frequency words | Decodable Readers, Heart Words | Decodable practice in small groups |
| Grades 2–3 | Cursive letters and joins | Cursive Writing | Optional early cursive start |
| Grade 3 | Multiplication facts | Fact Fluency | A good grade for the required cursive unit; first IAR year |
| Grade 4 | Fluency; multi-digit operations | Fluency Passages, Multi-Digit | Fluency and multi-digit work |
| Grades 3–5 | Long words, struggling readers | Multisyllabic Decoding, Reading Support Pack | Last year to fit the cursive unit; intervention |
Handwriting
The cursive unit before Grade 5
Public Act 100-0548 asks for at least one unit of cursive before students finish Grade 5, and each district picks the grade. Grade 3 is one sensible place for it. Cursive Writing Grades 2–3 fits that requirement well because it is a self-contained unit: ten lessons from posture and stroke families to joins, capitals and fluent sentences, plus a page for every lowercase letter. A Grade 4 or 5 class that has not had cursive yet can use it the same way. In Kindergarten and Grade 1, Manuscript Handwriting K–1 covers print strokes and letters.
Fluency and tested grades
IAR grades, fluency and Grade 3–4 math
Illinois students take the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) in ELA and math from Grade 3; check ISBE for its testing plans for 2026–27 and later. Whatever the test is called, Grade 3 and 4 need the same skills. Reading Fluency Passages Grade 4 pairs 24 passages with meaning checks so students practice phrasing and understanding together. Multiplication Fact Fluency builds Grade 3 facts from strategies such as doubles, fives, tens and the distributive property. Multi-Digit Multiplication and Division takes Grade 4 from the area model to partial quotients. These are teaching units, not test prep.
How to use it
A practical order for the year
- Start with sounds.One oral routine a day, five to eight minutes, in Kindergarten.
- Follow your phonics sequence.Hand out a decodable story only after its pattern has been taught.
- Make handwriting daily.Ten minutes, four or five days a week. Use manuscript in Kindergarten and Grade 1. Teach the cursive unit in the grade your district has chosen, at the latest before students leave Grade 5.
- Pair fluency with meaning.Partners read a passage twice, then complete the meaning check.
- Facts before multi-digit work.Teach the Grade 3 strategy lessons in order. In Grade 4, start with place-value decomposition and use the compare strategies lesson to let students explain which method they trust.
Questions teachers ask
Frequently asked questions
Are these resources aligned with the Illinois standards?
We do not claim alignment, approval or endorsement by Illinois or any district. Each unit sits closest to the skills its US grade usually covers, so compare the lesson list with your own standards.
Does the cursive unit satisfy Public Act 100-0548?
The law asks for at least one unit of cursive instruction before the end of Grade 5 and does not name a program. This is a full ten-lesson unit with letter pages, so it can be that unit. Your district decides how it counts.
How does this connect to the state literacy plan?
The plan points toward evidence-based reading instruction. The oral routines, decodable stories and heart words follow that approach, sounds first and decoding with taught patterns. They are supplements, not a curriculum.
Will the fluency set still work if the state test changes?
Yes. It practices accurate, phrased reading with a meaning check, not a test format, so it works the same whatever the test is called.
Will the PDFs print on US Letter?
Yes. They are A4 and print on US Letter with fit-to-page. Each unit also has an editable DOCX and PowerPoint.
Plan your Illinois K–5 year
Pick one reading unit and one math unit for your grade and try them for two weeks. The state overview lists the rest.
Go to the Illinois overview →