Massachusetts K–5 Literacy and Math Resources: Phonics, Handwriting, Fluency and Grade 3–4 Math
Massachusetts K–5 Literacy and Math Resources: Phonics, Handwriting, Fluency and Grade 3–4 Math
Massachusetts signed a new early literacy law in June 2026. It bans three-cueing, requires evidence-based K–3 instruction and adds K–3 screening twice a year. This page sorts our K–5 units by grade and explains where each one fits next to the state's frameworks and MCAS.
Browse the K–5 reading and writing resources →Resources for Massachusetts classrooms
Seven units for phonics, handwriting, fluency and grade 3–4 math
These seven cover the structured early reading the new law asks for, print and cursive handwriting, and the grade 3–4 math and fluency work that sits right before and during the first MCAS years.
Phonemic Awareness Daily Routines | 36 Weeks of Oral Sound Routines | Kindergarten
A daily oral sound routine; children answer with sounds, not letters.
Decodable Readers Grade One | 20 Stories with Word Work & Comprehension | Grade 1
Twenty stories children can read by blending the patterns taught so far, with no picture guessing, which fits the state's move away from three-cueing.
Manuscript Handwriting | Basic Strokes & A–Z Letter Practice | Grades K–1
Basic strokes, then a model for every letter.
Cursive Writing | Strokes, Letters a–z & Joining Words | Grades 2–3
Ten lessons from stroke families to joined words, for districts that teach cursive.
Multiplication Fact Fluency | Strategies, Fact Families & Array Labs | Grade 3
Hard facts built from easier ones, with array labs.
Multi-Digit Multiplication and Division | Area Model, Partial Products & Partial Quotients | Grade 4
Area model and partial products before the algorithm.
Reading Fluency Passages | 24 Original Passages with Meaning Checks | Grade 4
Twenty-four passages, each with a meaning check.
Massachusetts standards in plain terms
What Massachusetts expects in K–5 reading, writing and math
Massachusetts teaches to its own curriculum frameworks for English language arts, math and science and technology/engineering. Students take MCAS in ELA and math in grades 3–8, and the STE test in grade 5.
We don't tag our pages with framework codes. Each unit is written for a US grade and focuses on one skill: hearing sounds in words, decoding, letter formation, multiplication strategies or reading with meaning. Compare the lesson list on each product page with the state's ELA and math frameworks and your district's scope and sequence.
Grade bands
Which resource fits which Massachusetts grade
Each unit is listed at the grade it is written for. These are practice and lesson sets to use alongside your district's core program, not a state-adopted curriculum.
| Grade | Resource | Massachusetts note |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten |
Phonemic Awareness Daily Routines Manuscript Handwriting K–1 |
Oral sound work for the K–3 screening the 2026 law adds. |
| Grade 1 |
Decodable Readers Grade One Heart Words |
Decodable text without three-cueing; words mapped sound by sound. |
| Grades 2–3 | Cursive Writing Grades 2–3 | Check your district's current handwriting requirement for cursive. |
| Grade 3 | Multiplication Fact Fluency | First MCAS year; fact strategies support the grade 3 multiplication work. |
| Grade 4 |
Multi-Digit Multiplication and Division Reading Fluency Passages |
Multi-digit methods and fluency for MCAS-year reading and math. |
| Grades 3–5 |
Multisyllabic Word Decoding Text Evidence and Constructed Response |
Small-group practice for students the screening flags. |
Early reading
The 2026 Massachusetts early literacy law
On June 26, 2026, Governor Healey signed an early literacy law that requires evidence-based reading instruction in K–3, bans three-cueing, calls for a state-recommended curriculum by 2027–28 and adds K–3 screening twice a year along with dyslexia screening. Dyslexia screening itself dates back to a 2018 law.
Three-cueing asks children to guess a word from pictures or context. Our early reading units do the opposite. In the Decodable Readers, every word can be read with the patterns taught so far, so children blend sounds to get to the word. The Phonemic Awareness Daily Routines build oral sound skills in Kindergarten, and Heart Words maps high-frequency words sound by sound. For grades 3–5, the multisyllabic decoding lessons and the Dyslexia-Friendly Reading Support Pack give your intervention group a routine that repeats.
Handwriting
Handwriting and cursive in Massachusetts
The state frameworks include handwriting in K–5. Whether and when cursive is taught varies, so check your district's current handwriting requirement before you plan.
For print, the Manuscript Handwriting K–1 set teaches the basic strokes first, then every upper- and lowercase letter with its own model and large writing spaces. If your district teaches cursive, the Cursive Writing unit for grades 2–3 moves from posture and movement through the stroke families to joined words, with a page for every lowercase letter and a lesson on capitals.
Classroom use
How to use these units in a K–5 week
Teachers can use these sets in small groups, an intervention block or a short daily routine.
- Read the teacher guide firstIt explains the routine and where children usually get stuck.
- Pick the grade by skill, not only by ageTwice-yearly screening will sort students by skill. Use the same logic: a grade 3 student who stalls on long words belongs in the multisyllabic lessons, and a grade 2 child still weak on blending can use the grade 1 decodable stories.
- Keep sessions shortSound routines take a few minutes a day; handwriting works best as ten-minute practice several times a week.
- Edit the DOCXChange names, examples or word lists to match your class.
- Print on US LetterThe A4 PDFs print on US Letter with fit-to-page.
By subject: K–2 phonics, grades 1–4 math, grades 3–6 reading and K–3 handwriting.
Questions teachers ask
Frequently asked questions
Do these resources match the Massachusetts standards?
We don't claim alignment or approval from the state. Each unit is written for a US grade and sits closest to the skills in the grade-level ELA and math expectations. Compare the lessons with the Massachusetts frameworks and your district materials.
Does Massachusetts require cursive?
There is no statewide cursive mandate we can point to. Handwriting is part of K–5 ELA, but practice on cursive varies, so check your district's current handwriting requirement.
What do I get when I buy a unit?
A classroom material PDF, a teacher guide PDF, an editable DOCX and an editable PowerPoint. Page counts are on each product page.
Do these materials use three-cueing?
No. The decodable stories use only patterns already taught, so children blend instead of guessing from pictures, and the high-frequency words are mapped sound by sound.
Will these replace my district curriculum?
No. They are focused sets for practice and intervention, used next to your core program.
Planning for a Massachusetts classroom
For every subject and grade we cover, the Massachusetts Teaching Resources & Worksheets (Grades K–12) page collects it in one place.
See the elementary math resources →