Overview

Bug Club Phonics is an evidence-based phonics teaching program centered around an accessible and inclusive teaching approach. Created by the authors of the ground-breaking Clackmannanshire study (2007), the program follows a progression based on Letters & Sounds phonic phases and sets that provides students with a solid foundation for reading.

  • Year Levels F–2
  • Curriculum ACT, NSW, NT, QLD, SA, TAS, VIC, WA, NZ
  • Subject Literacy
  • Resource Formats Print, Digital
  • Learning Focus Synthetic phonics and decodable readers, Modelled reading, Independent reading, Take-home reading
  • Last Updated Mar 2024

What it is

Bug Club Phonics consists of:

  • 243 decodable fiction, non-fiction and comic readers available in both print and digital formats, with reading guidance
  • a comprehensive, full-year long online teaching program on ActiveLearn Primary to deliver effective explicit teaching for both individual students and classrooms with:
    • 165 lesson plans on phonemic awareness, phoneme and language
    • audio-embedded eBooks 
    • sound mats, charts and flashcards 
    • on-demand professional development modules to support  
    • interactive assessments, games and more

Why it works

Developed by authors of the seven-year Clackmannanshire study, proving the efficacy of systematic synthetic phonics in teaching children to read.
In a one-year trial across 30+ primary schools, students achieved reading scores 11 months ahead of expectation.
Teachers are supported with structured text resources for easy differentiation on ActiveLearn Primary.

How it helps

Learners

Encourage a love of reading: Weave videos and books featuring much-loved characters, such as CBeebies Alphablock characters into lessons to help students link home with school.

Support at every stage: Guidance on how to support students who fall behind is provided throughout the program.

Read independently or at home: Audio narration assists with pronunciation, modelling and fluency.

Educators

Provide a solid foundation in reading: Backed by research, Bug Club Phonics is written by the same authors of the seven-year Clackmannanshire study shown to give the best foundation in reading for all children regardless of social and economic background.

Measure progress regularly: A comprehensive assessment schedule and guide on ActiveLearn primary provides opportunities to monitor student progress.

Access a giant repository of teaching resources: Access downloadable sound cards, sound mats, grapheme charts, blackline masters, assessments and more.

What it includes

Bug Club Phonics provides everything teachers need to teach synthetic phonics, including a huge selection of decodable books and an evidence-based comprehensive online teaching program.

Decodable books

Bug Club Phonics Readers

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What is Bug Club Phonics Readers? 

Bug Club Phonics Readers consists of 177 carefully constructed fiction and non-fiction decodable books aligned to the Letters & Sounds scope and sequence. The readers can be used for whole-class explicit instruction, as well as for independent and take-home reading. 

How do the features in Bug Club Phonics Readers support teachers and students? 

  • detailed instructional notes for each title to support lesson planning and teaching 
  • print and eBook (on ActiveLearn Primary) formats for students to make progress both in school and at home  
  • audio narration to assist with pronunciation for effective independent reading and home reading 
  • quizzes embedded in eBooks to constantly assess phonic knowledge 
  • fiction titles featuring popular CBeebies Alphablock characters and recurring characters to help students relate to the texts 
  • non-fiction titles featuring interesting cross-curricular topics to easily engage students 

 

Decodable books

Bug Club Phonics Independent

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What is Bug Club Phonics Independent? 

Bug Club Phonics Independent consists of 54 new fiction and non-fiction titles at Units 0 to 27. These titles are ideal for independent and take-home reading to help students consolidate explicit classroom teaching.

How do the features in Bug Club Phonics Independent support teachers and students? 

  • fully decodable books focus on all sounds covered up to the unit level, allowing for greater variety in stories to support teaching choices 
  • titles organised in series of three to engage students with recurring characters, stories and themes 
  • titles written by a diverse group of authors, allowing students to see themselves in the literature they consume 
  • non-fiction titles span a wide range of topics from geography to design technologies to expose students to cross-curricular content while they learn to read 
  • carefully crafted design and captivating photographs support understanding and engagement 

Decodable books

Comics for Phonics

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What is Comics for Phonics? 

Comics for Phonics is a series of 12 decodable comics spanning Phases 1 to 3 of the Bug Club Phonics scope and sequence. These high-interest titles are ideal for independent and take-home reading to help students foster a love of reading. 

How do the features in Comics for Phonics support teachers and students? 

  • colourful and dynamic comics with child-friendly characters and interesting subject matter to engage students with images and text 
  • decodable comics help expose students to different text types  
  • carefully crafted design that is ideal for teachers to assign for take-home reading 

Online teaching program

ActiveLearn Primary

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What is ActiveLearn Primary? 

ActiveLearn Primary is an online teaching and learning hub for phonics and reading. For educators, the hub is where the Bug Club Phonics evidence-based and comprehensive online teaching program is found, bringing all your planning, teaching and assessment needs together in one place. 


How does ActiveLearn Primary support Bug Club Phonics users? 

  • comprehensive lesson plans with embedded assessments and consolidation
  • video animations featuring popular Cbeebies Alphablock characters
  • interactive whiteboard activities that deliver effective synthetic phonics-based teaching
  • over 240 decodable fiction and non-fiction books with embedded quizzes that focus on assessing phonic knowledge 
  • games to encourage even the most reluctant readers
  • tests to help students prepare for the Year 1 phonics screening test
  • downloadable sound mats, flashcards and posters to support in-class learning
  • blackline masters, assessments and curriculum correlation charts to assist with planning and further classroom resources

The high-quality resources offered as part of this program provide invaluable support to help busy teachers ensure they are effectively developing phonics within their classroom and having a lot of fun at the same time.
— John Dabell, Primary Teacher

Support materials

These guides and videos will walk you through getting started with Bug Club Phonics on ActiveLearn Primary.

Getting started

An overview of Bug Club Phonics

Getting started

How to make the most of your phoneme and language lessons using the magnetic board

Getting started

Bug Club Phonics resources

Samples & downloads

Explore related resources

ON-DEMAND WEBINAR

Championing oral language in your school

Using the Science of Learning research to support early oral language development

Join the expert panellists to uncover the facts about the impact early oral language difficulties can have on a student’s future. By the end of the webinar, you will understand how your school can positively impact learning by firstly identifying and then addressing early oral language difficulties with greater accuracy and efficiency using the Science of Learning research.

 Watch the webinar recording

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