DecodiVerse uses a structured phonics scope and sequence with 13 skill steps from Kindergarten through Grade 2. Each step adds the next phonics patterns in the sequence, starting with short-vowel words and building through blends, digraphs, silent e and word endings, r-controlled vowels, vowel teams and longer words.
When a story is written, a phonics checker reads it word by word against the selected step. A word must use only patterns the step has taught, or be one of its tricky words. Tricky words are introduced a few at a time, in order, and the reading guide marks the part of each one that doesn't follow the usual pattern, so a child learns them by their sounds. A story with untaught words goes back for a rewrite. If one to three still remain, the story is delivered and the reading guide lists them as words for the parent to read aloud; if more remain, the story isn't delivered and the story credit is returned.
A parent picks a grade and a step. Here is what each step adds:
| Step | What it adds | Example words |
|---|---|---|
| K · Step 1Kindergarten · Step 1 of 5 | Short-vowel words | cat, map, sit |
| K · Step 2Kindergarten · Step 2 of 5 | All the letter sounds and first blends | stop, skip, lamp |
| K · Step 3Kindergarten · Step 3 of 5 | Longer blends and double letters | strap, split, puff |
| K · Step 4Kindergarten · Step 4 of 5 | Two letters, one sound | duck, back, ship |
| K · Step 5Kindergarten · Step 5 of 5 | Magic e and word endings | cake, game, bike |
| 1st · Step 11st Grade · Step 1 of 5 | Tricky endings and y | catch, itch, badge |
| 1st · Step 21st Grade · Step 2 of 5 | Bossy r | car, star, fork |
| 1st · Step 31st Grade · Step 3 of 5 | Vowel teams | rain, day, feet |
| 1st · Step 41st Grade · Step 4 of 5 | More vowel teams | new, fruit, haul |
| 1st · Step 51st Grade · Step 5 of 5 | Silent letters and word parts | knee, write, faster |
| 2nd · Step 12nd Grade · Step 1 of 3 | Longer words | rabbit, napkin, robot |
| 2nd · Step 22nd Grade · Step 2 of 3 | More vowel spellings | worry, around, chair |
| 2nd · Step 32nd Grade · Step 3 of 3 | Big-word endings | action, vision, picture |
Age-appropriate themes are maintained independently of reading level. A kindergartener asking for a story about dinosaurs gets dinosaur content with CVC-level vocabulary — the theme doesn't dictate the words.