Decodable texts are a great foundational tool for emerging readers. Our kids use decodable phonics passages and readers to tap into the parts of their brain that give them a concrete understanding of how words work.
When kids get regular guided access to this kind of fluency practice, they make the connections necessary to become successful readers.
A Few Reasons Decodable Texts Work:
- Just as kids need to practice sight words to grow their long-term memory, decodable texts help kids who usually use pictures and guessing as their primary reading strategy. It’s another great tool to help them expand that internal word bank.
- Decodable texts are a tool to expand your phonics instruction and become the building blocks to engage students, enhance their reading comprehension, and build fluency.
- The English language can feel overwhelming when students are learning to read and write. SO many rules! But decodable texts follow a systematic, predictable, pattern and sequence. That helps kids make connections and start taking steps toward being fluent readers and spelling stars!
- Decodable texts are great for intervention and students in special education to fill gaps in their learning and understanding of reading and spelling concepts.
It’s all about the repetition of patterns to create automaticity. To us, it’s brain science. To kids, it’s a way to feel successful and feel like readers!
Ready to Grab a Decodable Readers for your class?
Looking for a resource to use in your classroom? I have a great set to use during your fluency instruction. It’ll get kids practicing and mastering both decodable words and sight words in partnership with each other.
Each set includes practice with decodable words and sight words. Practicing both kinds of words will help students with fluency. They help kids recognize word patterns and rules, while also committing sight words to memory. Students learn to transfer words from their working memory to their long-term memory. Eventually, this helps build their comprehension and ability to analyze what they’re reading.
What Else I Included in this Bundle, and How to Use it with Your Class:
There are 39 sounds in this set. For each sound, there’s a specific activity for each day of the week. Kids get to practice and strengthen their skills each day, progressing towards fluency all week.
Monday
Start with the “drill” page to practice individual sounds and the passage on one page. Teachers can display this on the smartboard and introduce any new sounds from the drill page and practice them as a whole class.
Read the passage to the class. Then practice with the class as shared reading. Students are NOT expected to read this fluently by themselves at first.
Tuesday/ Wednesday
Practice reading this passage over and over during the week. It can be done during morning meeting or during transition/filler times. Continue it is a shared reading as it is a work in progress all week.
Wednesday/Thursday
You can print and send home the two drill pages for extra practice. The parents will love seeing their student’s progress and look forward to a new passage each week to work with their child.
The mini reader can be handed out to kids after a couple of days of practicing as a class. Kids will keep a collection of readers in their desk, book box, fluency folder, or whatever system works for your classroom.
You can have a similar system for drill pages sent home. They can become a growing collection during the year for extra practice, and to celebrate growth throughout the school year.
Friday
Most kids should be pretty fluent with the week’s passage and ready for a new one on Monday morning! Consider a small informal assessment to see if you have students who need more one-to-one or small group practice. I simply print a copy of the passage and use it as a running record!
Ready for Fluent Readers?
Just a few minutes of explicit fluency practice a day can have a big impact on reading progress.
It’s always a goal to work smarter, not harder. I hope this ready-to-use resource is exactly what you need to help your students shine during your reading block.
THEMED readers are here!!
Themed readers have recently been added to my TpT shop and they are AMAZING!
They are the perfect reading tool to help your students build reading fluency, gain confidence, develop sight word fluency and master phonics skills. These 40 NO PREP, PRINT & GO differentiated reading passages focus on specific themes that will help Kindergarten, 1st and struggling 2nd grade students soar with reading proficiency.
Each passage in this themed readers resource provides targeted vocabulary and includes grade level sight words. These differentiated readers are fun and engaging for students. The vocabulary fluency drill sheets are great for daily practice and quick student assessments.
Students will love filling their book boxes with the themed readers and taking home the fluency drill and passage to show off their reading success.
Check them out and get more info by clicking here.
