Make 30 Minutes Count
Just Words® is a targeted Tier 2 literacy intervention for students in grades 4–12, with a standard 45-minute implementation model and a new 30-minute option for schools that need greater scheduling flexibility.
Students Need Intervention.
Finding Time for It Is the Challenge.
Schools structure intervention time in different ways. For schools that need a shorter daily block, the new 30-minute Just Words® implementation option provides greater scheduling flexibility while maintaining the same explicit, multimodal instructional approach.
You may not need to find more time. You may need an intervention option that fits the time you have.
More Flexibility. Same Just Words.
Schools can now choose between the standard 45-minute Just Words® implementation model and a new 30-minute option based on their scheduling needs.
Both models maintain the same explicit, multimodal instructional approach and five-day cadence. With the 30-minute model, the pacing and sequencing are adjusted to accommodate the shorter daily block.
Choose the Implementation Model That Works for Your School
|
45-Minute Daily Lesson Model | 30-Minute Daily Lesson Model |
|---|---|---|
| Days per week | 5 days | 5 days |
| Unit length | 2 weeks; Bonus Units: 1 week each | New 2–3 weeks (Bonus Units: 2 weeks; Review Plans: 1–2 weeks) |
| Time to complete curriculum | 1 year | New 2 years |
| Lesson activities | Full activity set each day | Same activities in re-sequenced, combined, or split lessons |
| Extra practice support | Not included | New Check-Up Preparation, added midway through some units, with a word bank included |
| Spiraled review | Built into standard sequence | New 4 dedicated Review Plans added after Units 3, 7, 10 & 13 |
| Instructional approach | Wilson's explicit, multimodal methodology | Unchanged — same methodology, same rigor |
Same Program. Same Rigor.
Two Implementation Options.
Every activity from the standard 45-minute model is included in the 30-minute implementation, with activities resequenced, combined, or split across days to accommodate the shorter daily block. The instructional approach itself remains the same.
Want to take a closer look? See how lessons map into a 30-minute block, and how the curriculum is paced across two years.
Targeted Support for Students Who Need More
Just Words® is a Tier 2 intervention that provides a sophisticated study of word structure, explicitly teaching how English works to achieve decoding and spelling automaticity.
Just Words supports those who have not mastered the foundational skills of language structure typically learned in Grades K–3, offering strategies that enable them to read and spell words independently and build the skills necessary to access and master grade-level standards.
Results That Speak for Themselves
Studies have demonstrated significant improvements in literacy skills for students using Just Words compared to standard instruction. Recent research shows that the program is highly effective at helping students close word-level reading gaps, even with limited daily instructional time. These gains were consistent across grade levels and student demographics.
- 1+ year growth for grades 4–8
- Nearly 2 years’ growth in 1 year for high school students
- Gains in real word reading, spelling, and pseudoword decoding (WIST)
- Improved word-reading accuracy and speed (TOSWRF-2)
- Fluency gains support reading comprehension
- Students read more confidently across content areas
- ELLs, students with IEPs, and those receiving Free/Reduced Lunch made equal gains
- Achievement gaps narrowed in decoding and spelling
- Effective for diverse Tier 2 populations