Letterland

by Letterland

ElaGrades K–2

About This Curriculum

Letterland is an award-winning, research-based phonics program for pre-K through grade three that combines imaginative character-based stories with multi-sensory instruction to teach foundational literacy skills including phonemic awareness, phonics, and spelling.

What makes it unique: Distinctive mnemonic pictographs where letter shapes are drawn to resemble words starting with that letter's sound, supported by engaging character stories and multi-sensory learning (music, movement, actions, art, games, role-play).

Letterland: Character-Based Synthetic Phonics for Early Elementary

Letterland is a synthetic phonics curriculum for grades K-2 that uses character-based stories and mnemonic pictographs to teach foundational literacy skills. The program combines multi-sensory instruction with imaginative storytelling, where each letter is represented by a character whose shape resembles a word starting with that phoneme.

Best for

Early elementary teachers (K-2) seeking a structured, multi-sensory phonics program with engaging character-based instruction for foundational literacy skills

Evaluation Criteria

5 strengths · 1 concern · 3 insufficient evidence

Text ComplexityStrength

EdReports confirms the curriculum meets expectations for text quality and complexity alignment.

EdReports Gateway 1 rating shows 'Meets Expectations' for 'Text Quality & Complexity — alignment to grade-level text demands'

Teacher TrainingStrength

The curriculum meets expectations for teacher support and usability.

EdReports Gateway 3 rating shows 'Meets Expectations' for 'Usability — teacher support, assessment, differentiation, technology integration'

Direct InstructionStrength

The program uses explicit, systematic instruction with multi-sensory approaches.

Reviews consistently describe 'explicit, systematic instruction' and 'multi-sensory instruction' as core program features

Systematic PhonicsStrength

Letterland provides explicit, systematic phonics instruction using a synthetic phonics approach.

Teaching By Science review confirms it includes 'explicit, systematic instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, morphology' and is described as a 'synthetic phonics program'

Vocabulary BuildingStrength

The curriculum includes vocabulary instruction as part of its comprehensive approach.

Teaching By Science review notes the program 'provides ample instruction primarily for phonics, phonemic awareness, and vocabulary'

Knowledge RichConcern

The curriculum does not appear to systematically build domain knowledge across content areas.

Reviews focus on phonics, phonemic awareness, and character stories rather than building knowledge in history, science, or other domains

Retrieval PracticeInsufficient Evidence

The curriculum incorporates game-based learning which may include review opportunities.

Teaching By Science review mentions 'game-based learning' as a program component, though specific retrieval practice methods are not detailed

Writing InstructionInsufficient Evidence

Limited evidence available regarding structured writing instruction components.

Reviews mention spelling instruction but do not detail comprehensive writing instruction across genres

Whole Books Vs ExcerptsInsufficient Evidence

The curriculum appears to focus primarily on character stories and phonics instruction rather than whole book reading.

Reviews emphasize story-based learning through character narratives and phonics activities, with no mention of whole book reading components

Review Sources

edreports

EdReports Panel

Gateway 1 Alignment:Meets Expectations
Gateway 3 Alignment:Meets Expectations
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Teaching By Science

Key Facts
GradesGrades K–2
SubjectEla
PedagogyInquiry Based
Faith-BasedNo
FormatDigital + Physical
PricingGrade One Pack: $949.99; Grade Two Pack: $969.99; Grade Three Pack: $549.99; Kindergarten Pack: $1,199.99; Pre-K Pack: $519.99; Homeschool Pack: $329.99; Phonics Online subscription: $79.99/year (teacher plan)

Looking for something different?

If none of these options feel right, explore a non-traditional approach. Pallas Center offers a unique curriculum, or design your own with Palladay.

Data sources: edreports