Mindful Readers
Building Literacy and Life Skills, One Story at a Time.
Mindful Readers is a supplemental decodable reader series for grades K-2 that builds foundational phonics skills and social-emotional intelligence simultaneously, through high-interest stories, systematic lessons, and life skills woven into every page.
Why It Works
Build Confident Readers Who Are Ready for the World
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Grounded in the Science of Reading
Systematic, explicit phonics instruction woven through every lesson builds decoding skills and automaticity, aligned to Scarborough’s Reading Rope and the Simple View of Reading.
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Designed for Whole Child Development
Every reader is anchored to a CASEL-aligned life skill, building social-emotional competencies alongside foundational literacy so students develop as readers and as people.
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The Perfect Companion to Your Core Phonics Program
Works alongside SIPPS, UFLI Foundations, Wilson Fundations, RALLY!, and Amplify CKLA, no extra planning required.
Program Components
Everything You Need, All in One Program
The Mindful Readers Approach
A Systematic, Research-Based Approach to Literacy and Life Skills
Every Mindful Readers lesson is grounded in the Science of Reading and CASEL framework, building foundational literacy skills and social-emotional intelligence together.
Decode It
Build phonics skills and automaticity
Read It
Engage with meaningful, high-interest stories
Live It
Apply life skills to the classroom and beyond
Browse the Program Components
Everything You Need, All in One Program
18 High-Interest Decodable Readers
Decodable Readers
- 6 titles per grade level across kindergarten, grade 1, and grade 2
- Captivating illustrations and full-color text designed to engage young readers
- Diverse and relatable characters and story lines that reflect students’ lives
- Life-skill story lines that make every reading experience meaningful
- Back covers that ignite curiosity and launch the reading process
- Many opportunities to practice decoding and high-frequency word recognition
Systematic Lessons Grounded in the Science of Reading
Lesson Plans
- Complete before, during, and after reading lesson structure
- Reading, writing, language, and SEL objectives aligned to state standards
- Explicit phonics instruction and high-frequency word practice in every lesson
- Life Skills Teaching Point and Life Skills Journal integrated into every lesson
- English language support with sentence frames for multilingual learners
- Over 100 minutes of learning per title across five flexible lesson sessions
Engaging Practice That Reinforces Every Lesson
Student Activity Sheets
- Phonics practice and progress checks aligned to each reader’s phonics focus
- Multi-modal activities that reinforce decoding and high-frequency word recognition
- Life Skills Journal pages build SEL and writing skills through metacognitive reflection
- Designed to be used during and after reading for immediate skill application
Connect Literacy and Life Skills to the Home
Homeplay Activities
- Family-facing activity that extends life skills lessons beyond the classroom
- Reinforces high-frequency words with at-home reading and writing practice
- Builds family engagement and broadens the life skills conversation
- Simple, ready-to-use format that requires no additional materials
Digital Access Included with Every Package
Digital Resources
- Digital access to all lesson plans for each reader
- Student activity sheets available as PDFs
- Homeplay activities for easy digital sharing with families
- Systematic Scope & Sequence available digitally
- Device- and platform-agnostic, share through any learning management system
Instructional Settings
Resource Library
See How Mindful Readers Fits Your Program
Mindful Readers is a supplemental program, so it works alongside what you already teach. Explore the alignment guides, research, and planning tools below.
Alignment guides show how Mindful Readers fits your core phonics program. Additional resources supplied by ERC as they become available.
How to Purchase
Order Mindful Readers
Packages
Order Mindful Readers
All packages include digital access to: Lesson Plans, Student Activity Sheets, Homeplay Activities, and Systematic Scope & Sequence.
Get Purchasing InfoSchool or District
Order for Your School or District
- Bulk pricing available
- Purchase orders accepted
- Implementation support included
Recommended
Bundle with Professional Development
- Pair Mindful Readers with ERC’s Elementary Literacy Lab PD
- Onsite, virtual, and on-demand training options
- Maximize implementation and results
Pricing shown per ERC’s current package sheet. ERC to confirm current vs. pre-publication pricing before go-live.
Frequently Asked Questions
Get the Answers You Need
Mindful Readers includes 18 titles across three grade levels, 6 titles each for kindergarten, grade 1, and grade 2, with a systematic scope and sequence that progressively builds foundational phonics skills and life skills from level to level.
Yes. Every Mindful Readers lesson is grounded in the Science of Reading, with explicit and systematic phonics instruction, phonological awareness practice, fluency development, vocabulary building, and comprehension, based on Scarborough’s Reading Rope and the Simple View of Reading.
Mindful Readers is aligned to SIPPS, UFLI Foundations, Wilson Fundations, RALLY! Phonics, and Amplify CKLA. Alignment guides for each program are available in the Resource Library.
Each Mindful Readers title is anchored to a specific social-emotional life skill aligned to the CASEL framework, such as sharing, honesty, empathy, or inclusion. Every lesson includes an SEL teaching point, life skills journal, and SEL extension activity.
Each reader includes over 100 minutes of learning with flexible pacing across five lesson sessions. The program can be used for 20-30 minutes per day or adapted for longer blocks in summer school or after-school settings.
Mindful Readers is a supplemental program, not a standalone curriculum. It works alongside your core phonics program, SIPPS, UFLI, Wilson Fundations, RALLY!, or CKLA, providing additional decodable text practice and life skills instruction.
Use the Request a Price Quote button on this page or contact ERC directly at (888) 661-7071 or info@eduresourcecompany.com.
Testimonials & Results
Educators See the Difference
ERC will supply an attributed testimonial (name, title, school or district, grade level, and state) about phonics growth and student engagement with Mindful Readers.
ERC will supply an attributed testimonial highlighting the life skills component and the ease of pairing Mindful Readers with a core phonics program.
ERC will supply at least one data-driven result if available (for example, growth on a phonics or early-literacy measure).
ERC to supply real, attributed testimonials (name, title, school or district, grade, and state), minimum 3, plus at least one data-driven result. Real and attributed only.
Get in Touch
Request a Price Quote
Whether you’re ordering for one classroom or an entire district, we’re here to help you find the right solution.