Find teaching resources
Last updated: 29 January 2025
Implementing a structured literacy approach also requires a set of resources, such as games and manipulatives. Here are a selection of NZ based businesses selling resources to complement a structured literacy approach. These may also include online systematic structured synthetic phonics apps or even intgrated online platforms. See our separate entry on decodable readers for a list of suppliers of those, although some listed below also supply decodable books.
Please note that we do no endorse any of the suppliers listed here. We are merely providing these details as a starting point for your own evaluation of teaching resources. You may want to look up reports on different programmes from the US Institute of Education Services, ‘What Works Clearinghouse’.
Note that the Ministry of Education also provides free to all schools the Phonics Plus Ready to Read series of teaching resources, including the decodable book series, sound cards, video guides and supporting games. Copies may be ordered from Ministry of Education Customer Services, online at www.thechair.co.nz; by email: orders@thechair.minedu.govt.nz; or freephone 0800 660 662.
Online Platforms & Apps
Agility with Sound and Wordchain Apps
Grow the Code - online systematic synthetics phonics platform aimed at the first four years of schooling. Follows the Letters and Sounds scope and sequence. Over 300 interactive daily lessons; embedded teacher guidance; daily lessons with animated formation - upper and lower case; fully decodable books; captions for dictation, easy assessment and detailed reporting.
IDeaL - An online structured literacy platform from Learning MATTERS Ltd designed primarily for Years 0 to 8 but offering flexibility to support learners in secondary settings. Alignment with the Literacy Learning Progressions and the levels of the New Zealand Curriculum. Diagnostic assessment tools to pinpoint teaching starting points within the stages. Content that is regularly reviewed, updated, and expanded to support kaiako in delivering effective instruction. The four stages integrate phonological awareness and spelling instruction to support both reading development and writing development (pending). They follow a clear, consistent scope and sequence, acting as a guide for systematic and cumulative instruction. There are two versions (For schools and for Specialists).
Lexia Reading - Lexia Reading programs are a research-proven structured literacy resource that implement the components, principles, and instructional practice that align to both the Science of Reading and Structured Literacy. Accessed via I.T. Education Company NZ. There are two versions - Lexia Reading Core5 (for Years 1-6) and Lexia PowerUp Literacy aimed at non-proficient readers in years 7 and above. Lexia auto-places students at a just right start level, and continuously adjusts learning paths based on their responses. The blended learning model provides the digital student program, print materials, and progress data. Data links to scripted lesson plans in a teacher portal when one-on-one instruction is recommended in any skill area (both printable and slides formats). A large library of supporting resources include pen and paper activities for skill review, at home activities, decodable readers and close reads.
Spellcaster - online systematic synthetics phonics platform tailored for upper primary and lower secondary students. Provides fully customisable lesson plans.
StepsWeb - online systematic synthetic phonics platform. Lessons can be personalised with custom word lists, images and voice recordings.
Various resources (games, activities, decodable books, lesson plans, online platfors etc) These provide a range of different resources. Need to search each site to see what they offer.
Engaging Minds - Distributors of ‘All About Reading’ and ‘All About Spelling’ and Fitzroy scripted reading progammes. Aimed at homeschooling parents and tutors.
GEM Literacy - Limited selection of teaching resources and games.
Junior Learning - Distributors of Beanstalk decodable books (350 titles). Includes teacher books. Based on Letters and Sounds scope and sequence. Large selection of games, puzzles and activities.
Learning Matters - Sell a wide range of decodable texts to support beginner readers and catch-up readers; sound packs, posters, decodable passage texts, handwriting books, webinars, and professional learning books. Some free downloads as well. In addition they offer an online subscription to their iDeaL online platform. This includes access to all assessments and reporting, a systematic and cumulative scope and sequence, step-by-step lesson plans and in-built instructional videos.
Liz Kane Literacy - Sole NZ distributors of Little Learners Love Literacy decodable series and supporting teaching resources and games, and The Code - a systematic approach for teaching spelling across the school from Year 1 - Year 8. It includes the Phonological Assessment Screening Tool, a Scope and Sequence, Word Checks to place students on appropriate Year Groups, Progressions for each year level with lists that have an explanation/definition to support Explicit Teaching, a Lesson Sequence and supporting activities. Also includes links to free downloads.
Mahi by Mahi - Te Reo Māori structured literacy resources, including kāri and decodable pukapuka.
Marianne Brown Literacy - Creator of hand-on literacy activities - sound cards, sentence strips and games.
Ōhinerangi Rauemi Reo Māori - Te Reo Māori structured sentence builders.
Smart Kids - Distributors for Letters and Sounds books and resources, PhonicBooks, and Pocket Rockets. Both early readers and catch-up readers. Stock games and other manipulatives, including those to help with sentence and grammar knowledge. They have also developed an online platform (Grow the Code) aligned to the Letters and Sounds programme. It has 300 interactive daily lessons, teacher guidance, daily lessons with animated letter formation, fully decodable books, captions for dictation and assessment and reporrting.
UFLI Foundations - The UFLI Foundations Toolbox is free and contains all the lesson resources to accompany the lesson plans provided in the UFLI Foundations manual. Foundations is an explicit and systematic phonics programme. Every lesson has companion resources that will help you implement the lessons efficiently, effectively, and consistently. Some of the companion lesson resources include: lesson slide decks (in PowerPoint and Google Slide formats); decodable passages; homework sheets; games and activities for additional practice.
Books (predominantly)
J and J Literacy - sell selected litreacy teaching resources/books and children’s picture books. The only official distributor of Heggerty books and teaching resources in New Zealand.
Sound Foundations for Literacy - Distributors of Sounds-Write decodable books, games and activities. Creator and stockist of NZ Sound Wall cards (also in Te Reo Māori).
Sunshine Books - Sunshine Books has a core structured literacy programme for years 0-3 consisting of 180 decodable books (both fiction and non-fiction). This is available in print and also digitally, from 2025, in the Sunshine Online programme (which consists of two libraries – the Decodable Library and a Levelled Library). Grants for Sunshine Online are available to New Zealand schools from the Pye Foundation enabling them to access Sunshine Online for free. Sunshine Online has been assessed by Safer Technologies for Schools. Sunshine Books’ programme also contains teachers books and plenty of free resources, including a free assessment kit. They also have decodable books for both struggling older readers (Reading Road series) and for confident older readers who have completed a structured literacy programme (Next Steps Decodables series).
Games (predominantly)
Love Literacy Mount Maunganui - Yeet card games plus other free activities and games.
