North Carolina K–5 Literacy and Math Resources: Phonics, Handwriting, Fluency and Grade 3–4 Math
North Carolina K–5 Literacy and Math Resources: Phonics, Handwriting, Fluency and Grade 3–4 Math
North Carolina is changing its ELA and math standards over the next few years. This page sorts our K–5 units by grade and explains what the state's cursive law means for your planning.
Browse the K–5 reading and writing resources →Resources for North Carolina classrooms
Seven units for phonics, handwriting, fluency and grade 3–4 math
These cover the first steps into reading and print, cursive, and the grade 3–4 push in multiplication, division and fluent reading.
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
Stories built from taught patterns, so children blend instead of guess.
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
Undercurves, overcurves, loops and joins in ten lessons, a starting point for the cursive North Carolina expects by grade 5.
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.
North Carolina standards in plain terms
What North Carolina expects in K–5 reading, writing and math
North Carolina teaches K–12 to the North Carolina Standard Course of Study (NCSCOS). For English language arts, the 2017 ELA standards stay in use through 2026–27. The State Board of Education adopted a new 2026 ELA Standard Course of Study on January 8, 2026, and schools start teaching it in 2027–28.
Math follows a similar pattern on a later timeline. A new 2026 K–12 Mathematics Standard Course of Study was adopted on October 1, 2026 and is implemented in 2028–29, so the current NCSCOS for Mathematics remains what you teach for now. Science also runs on its own NCSCOS standards. Students take the End-of-Grade (EOG) tests in reading and math in grades 3–8, and in science in grades 5 and 8.
Grade bands
Which resource fits which North Carolina 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 | North Carolina note |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten |
Phonemic Awareness Daily Routines Manuscript Handwriting K–1 |
Oral sound work and first strokes sit next to the K foundational reading and writing expectations. |
| Grade 1 |
Decodable Readers Grade One Heart Words |
Decoding practice for the year before EOG preparation starts to shape the timetable. |
| Grades 2–3 | Cursive Writing Grades 2–3 | North Carolina law expects readable cursive by the end of grade 5; the start grade is set locally. |
| Grade 3 | Multiplication Fact Fluency | First year of EOG math; fact strategies support the multiplication work. |
| Grade 4 |
Multi-Digit Multiplication and Division Reading Fluency Passages |
Supports the move to multi-digit methods under the current math standards. |
| Grades 3–5 |
Multisyllabic Word Decoding Text Evidence and Constructed Response |
Useful for students who decode short words but stall on long ones in EOG-length passages. |
Early reading
The science of reading in North Carolina
The Excellent Public Schools Act of 2021 wrote the science of reading into state law and paid for LETRS training for K–5 teachers. Our early reading units follow the same logic: phonemes before letters, decodable text, and words mapped sound by sound.
In practice that means the Phonemic Awareness Daily Routines in Kindergarten, where children answer with sounds rather than letter names, then the Decodable Readers and Heart Words in grade 1. For students in grades 3–5 who still guess at longer words, the multisyllabic decoding lessons and the Dyslexia-Friendly Reading Support Pack give your intervention group a clear, repeating routine.
Handwriting
North Carolina's cursive law and how to plan for it
North Carolina is one of the states where cursive is set in law. The Back to Basics Act of 2013 requires cursive instruction so that students can write readable documents in cursive by the end of grade 5. The law sets the end point, not the starting grade, so the year your school begins cursive is a local decision. Check your district's pacing before you plan.
Our Cursive Writing unit is written for grades 2–3. It starts with posture and movement, works through the stroke families, then joins letters into words. That leaves grades 4 and 5 for speed and real writing. Before cursive, the Manuscript Handwriting K–1 set gives children secure print letters with clear stroke direction.
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 ageA grade 3 class that missed cursive can start the grades 2–3 cursive unit at lesson 1. A grade 4 group that still guesses at long words belongs in the multisyllabic lessons, whatever the label says.
- 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 North Carolina 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 named in the grade-level ELA and math expectations. Compare the lesson list on each product page with the North Carolina Standard Course of Study and your pacing guide.
Does North Carolina require cursive?
Yes. The Back to Basics Act of 2013 requires cursive instruction so students can write readable documents in cursive by the end of grade 5. When to start is up to your district.
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.
What changes when the new ELA and math standards arrive?
The new ELA standards start in 2027–28 and the new math standards in 2028–29. Decoding, letter formation and multiplication strategies stay useful across both; recheck grade placement when your district publishes new pacing.
Will these replace my district curriculum?
No. They are focused sets for practice and intervention, used next to your core program.
Planning for a North Carolina classroom
For every subject and grade we cover, the North Carolina Teaching Resources & Worksheets (Grades K–12) page collects it in one place.
See the elementary math resources →