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BUILD
BUILD is an early reading intervention designed for students ages 5–6 who are beginning to develop foundational literacy skills.
Why BUILD works
BUILD was created specifically for kindergarten and early elementary students who may be at risk for dyslexia or early reading challenges. The program includes 100 carefully sequenced lessons that develop foundational literacy skills using explicit, cumulative instruction.
Every sound, letter pattern, and rule is taught clearly and in logical order. Skills build step by step so students develop a strong understanding of how written language works.
Lessons are designed specifically for young learners with shorter sessions and developmentally appropriate pacing that supports attention and engagement.
Students develop strong sound awareness skills including rhyming, blending, segmenting, and phoneme manipulation. These skills form the foundation for learning to read.
Concepts are introduced gradually and practiced consistently. Students master each skill before moving forward, building confidence and reading independence.
BUILD targets five key areas of reading development including alphabet knowledge, letter sound relationships, phonological awareness, vocabulary development, comprehension strategies.
Research shows students participating in BUILD demonstrate meaningful growth in phonemic awareness, decoding, fluency, and comprehension when provided early intervention.
What your child will learn
BUILD systematically teaches the foundational skills children need to become successful readers.
Students develop strong phonological awareness, alphabet knowledge, and letter sound relationships, then begin applying those skills to read and spell simple words and sentences.
By the end of the program, students are able to decode simple text independently and have the strong foundation needed for future reading success.
Students first develop strong listening and sound awareness skills, which are critical for learning to read.
- Phoneme identification (hearing individual sounds)
- Oral blending and segmenting (c-a-t → cat)
- Rhyming and syllable awareness
- Sound manipulation activities
- Introduction to letter sound relationships
These skills build the phonological foundation necessary for reading and spelling.
Students begin connecting sounds to letters and applying those patterns to read and spell words.
- Short vowel patterns (CVC: cat, hop, sit)
- Consonant blends (st, bl, mp, nd)
- Reading simple words with immediate feedback
- Beginning spelling (encoding simple words)
- Decodable sentences and short passages
Students begin to see howsounds and letters work together to form words.
As skills develop, students begin reading connected text and expanding their knowledge of spelling patterns.
- Digraphs (sh, ch, th, wh)
- Introduction to long vowel patterns
- Reading connected text with expression
- Continued spelling practice with learned patterns
- Transition toward independent reading
Students finish BUILD with the skills needed to move into more advanced structured literacy programs like Take Flight.
BUILD moves more deliberately than typical school phonics instruction. Each concept is taught until mastery so students build accurate reading habits rather than guessing at words. A strong foundation now leads to confident, independent readers later.
Provided materials
All BUILD materials are provided by DysConnections and are designed specifically for young learners developing early reading skills.
Our therapists carefully track student progress so families can see how their child’s phonological awareness, letter knowledge, and early decoding skills are developing over time.
Materials included
- Student workbooks used during each lesson to practice new skills
- Blue alphabet letters and letter line for building words and strengthening letter–sound connections
- Sound counters used to push and manipulate sounds within words during phonological awareness activities
- Dry erase board and marker for interactive reading and spelling practice
- Multisensory learning materials that help students see, hear, and manipulate sounds as they learn
These tools allow students to see, hear, and manipulate the structure of language, reinforcing the multisensory learning approach used throughout the program.
Progress we track
Early reading skills develop step by step. In BUILD, we carefully monitor each student’s progress as new skills are introduced and mastered.
As students advance through the program, we add additional skills to track so we can clearly measure growth and ensure a strong reading foundation is being built.
Students develop the ability to hear and manipulate sounds within words. Rhyming and sound matching, blending sounds into words, segmenting words into individual sounds and manipulating sounds within words. These listening skills form the foundation for learning to read.
We track both letter identification and letter sound knowledge to ensure students build strong alphabet foundations. Capital and lowercase letter recognition, letter–sound recall and automatic identification of learned letters
Students begin applying letter–sound knowledge to read simple words. Reading CVC words, blending sounds to form words and reading simple word lists with increasing accuracy. This shows that students are beginning to apply decoding skills independently.
Spelling helps confirm that students truly understand how sounds connect to letters. Hearing sounds in words, writing the correct letters for each sound and spelling simple phonetic words.
Students also develop automatic recognition of high frequency words to support reading fluency. Instant word reading and rapid recall of previously learned words
Families receive regular progress updates showing which skills have been mastered and what your child is currently working toward.
As students grow, additional reading skills are added to our progress monitoring to ensure steady development and long term reading success.
Is BUILD right for your child?
BUILD is designed for younger students (ages 5–8) who are developing early reading skills, showing signs of difficulty learning to read, or who would benefit from strengthening their foundational literacy skills.
Through structured, systematic instruction, BUILD develops the critical skills needed for successful reading. The program supports early intervention and prevention—helping students build a strong foundation before reading gaps emerge and grow.
Your child is learning to read but struggles with letter sounds, blending sounds together, or recognizing simple words. BUILD develops the foundational skills needed to support successful reading.
Reword the last sentence here Early intervention helps prevent small reading struggles from becoming long term gaps.
Your child is already in elementary school but reading development has been slower than expected. BUILD helps strengthen foundational skills while students are still young enough to make rapid progress.
BUILD is designed specifically for younger students who are just beginning their reading journey. Lessons are developmentally appropriate and focus on strengthening the foundational skills young readers need most.
By building strong sound awareness, letter knowledge, and early decoding skills at the right age, students develop the confidence and readiness needed for future reading success.