Introducing a Decodable Text with Just Right Reader

So I don’t want to admit it, but we’ve all done it before: we’ve all used leveled texts in our classrooms!  Back when I taught first grade when students came across a word they didn’t know, I gave them strategies to figure it out.  “Look at the picture!”  “Just skip over it and come back!” “What would make the most sense here?”  Even typing these words just makes me cringe!  I was creating a class full of great guessers - not great readers.  But, when you know better, you do better.

Thank goodness I found the blessing of decodable texts!  These decodables weren’t super fancy at the time, but they got the job done.  Lucky for you, there are so many amazing decodable texts out there now.  Today, I’d love to talk to you about decodable texts, what they are, who needs them, and how to use them in your classroom.  Specifically, the magic of Just Right Reader Decodables! 

What Are Decodable Texts?

Decodable texts are carefully chosen and controlled texts that align with phonics skills taught on a structured scope and sequence.  They make sense with and follow your curriculum, and are meaningful, and intentional.  As a student’s phonics skills progress, so do these texts.  For example, if your students are just starting out with CVC words, there’s a decodable text for that.  As they graduate more towards vowel teams and diphthongs, you’re sure to find a decodable text for that, too.  When you’re looking for decodable texts, here are some key characteristics:

• Phonics Alignment:  Words adhere to specific phonics patterns and rules taught in a structured literacy program.  

• Just Right Reader (JRR) does an amazing job of ensuring that phonics skills within each text are aligned, giving ample time to practice in context.  This also allows you to be able to give a specific text to a child that they can read and that’s at their level.  JRR books include a quick little tip for teachers and students to serve as a reminder for the phonics skill they are focusing on.  

• Controlled Vocabulary:  Decodables focus on words easily decoded based on acquired phonics skills. 

• JRR understands the importance of building background knowledge, which is why they chose two vocabulary words for each story.  This helps build children’s vocabulary and gives teachers a quick note about instruction.

• Sequential Progression:  This one is important!  Decodables should be organized to introduce and reinforce phonics patterns systematically.  

• While JRR ensures the main focus is the phonics skill your student is currently practicing, they also do an excellent job of pulling in previously taught skills for cumulative review.

• Support for Decoding Skills:  Decodable books help students practice their decoding skills in context with real text that’s at their phonics level.

• JRR provides engaging texts for students to practice this essential skill.  Books are interesting and keep the attention of the reader so they can focus on decoding while enjoying it!

• Phonemic Awareness Reinforcement:  Decodable books highlight the relationship between sounds and letters.  When phonics skills are practiced in a way that is controlled, students get meaningful practice in studying the relationship between letters and their sounds.  This also means that they’re learning this skill gradually and in a way that makes sense for the reading journey.

• JRR decodable books are perfect for this because they encourage students to use their decoding skills.  And because they are a controlled text, it means that students will be practicing phonics skills that they’ve already learned.  This way, students can practice their decoding skills and truly understand the relationship between letters and their sounds. 

• JRR also offers engaging activities that promote phonemic awareness, such as sound blending, segmenting, rhyming, and syllables. These interactive exercises help students develop a strong auditory foundation, enabling them to recognize and manipulate sounds in words effortlessly. 

• Additionally, JRR builds feelings of confidence in students as they decode their way through the book, actually reading the text instead of just words in isolation.

Who Needs Decodable Texts?

Well, I would say all students need decodable texts!  But there are some “musts” before you toss one a student’s way.  Students who have received direct letter-sound instruction and practice with decoding benefit from decodable texts.  This also means that they’ve been taught in a way that’s aligned with the phonics skills they’ve been previously-taught.  It’s also crucial to use them shortly after instruction. In short? Decodable books are for students who are following a scope and sequence and who have received explicit phonics instruction.

Decodable Text Routines

When I’m working with decodable texts in my classroom, I like to break down a decodable lesson into three main components: warm-up, time in text, and follow-up.  Instead of diving straight into decodable texts, dividing it up into parts helps students access the text and prepares them for what’s ahead.  A quick warm-up with phonemic awareness practice, high-frequency words, and new vocabulary primes their brains for what they’ll come in contact with in the text.  Time in the text gives students a chance for individual feedback and to see the vocabulary words in context.  As always, a follow-up is important so that we can ensure that students understand the text.  Breaking this down into small parts makes decodable easier to digest for students and allows them to become familiar with the text before they even start.  Here are the three parts in short:

• Warm-up: Engage in phoneme-grapheme practice, review high-frequency words, and introduce new vocabulary.

• Time in Text: Practice reading in context, utilizing strategies like choral reading and individual feedback for fluency and accuracy.

• Follow-up: Review comprehension and reinforce vocabulary, emphasizing the importance of language comprehension alongside decoding.

Warm-up (Before Reading)

• Before reading, phoneme-grapheme map the high-frequency words students will come across as they read the text.  Phoneme-grapheme mapping is important because it helps facilitate the brain in orthographic mapping, which is the way the brain stores words.

• Doing this helps students recognize these high-frequency words they’ll encounter in their decodable texts.

• After this, we can move on to the text.  JRR is an incredible resource for fiction decodable series.  Not all decodables are greeted equally, but JRR has this in the bag.  They are engaging to students and will hold their interest.  Plus, gives you resources you can use at as the teacher at your fingertips!

Time in Text (During Reading)

• This is where we get to dive into the decodables!  This is where the hard work happens and where students can show off their decoding skills in context.

• Students practicing their decoding skills in context is so important because this is where we can see students comprehending the text and interacting with it.  When students only decode single words, they’re practicing decoding, but they’re not making the connection that word has to other words on the page.

• When students practice decoding in context, only then can they begin to think critically about the text and focus on their comprehension.

• Before sending the students off on their own to read the decodable, consider choral or echo reading with students first.  Then, students can individually whisper read their decodables.  Starting with an echo or choral reading allows students to hear the story once before trying it on their own.  When they are sent to read it individually, it won’t be the first time they’ve come in contact with the text.  Your choral or echo reading can act like a “book walk” through the text.

• While reading, be sure to address decoding errors right away if they make mistakes.  Ensure that you’re not flowery in your speech - be explicit.  This could sound something like this:

• Student: “The cat is in the bat.”

• Teacher: “Put your finger under the word hat.  That word is hat.  Can you say it?”

• Student: “Hat.”

• Teacher:  “Good!  Now read the sentence again.”

• Additionally, as you read, you’ll come across new vocabulary words.  Take a quick moment to review them.  This might sound like this:

• Student: “The cat did yelp.”

• Teacher:  “What does Yelp mean? Do you remember?”

• Student: “It means to cry out.”

• Teacher:  “Right.  The cat cried out.”

• Ensure that the text is read twice - this allows room for practicing fluency and builds automaticity.

• Decodable texts can always and should be read multiple times!  Perhaps not right after another all in one sitting, but students can always circle back to them for repeated readings.

Follow-Up (After Reading)

• After reading, it’s important to review the vocabulary again and focus on comprehension.  The point of a decodable text is not just to be able to read, but to be able to understand the text and its meaning.  After your second read, review comprehension questions with your students and discuss the text so that they have a firm grasp of what it’s about.

• This amount of time doesn’t have to take long, and it shouldn’t replace your daily read-aloud time.  Daily read-aloud time is so important because it strengthens that language comprehension piece for students.  It’s one of the essential building blocks of comprehension in general.  When children hear you read, their language comprehension is strengthened.  When this happens, students can make all sorts of connections within the book’s pages - vocabulary, how words are connected, etc.

• The Simply View of Reading states that reading comprehension can be predicted based on a student’s decoding and language comprehension abilities.  Strong readers need both decoding skills and comprehension skills in order to understand a text.  This means we need to practice decoding and continue our read-aloud so they receive that decoding practice and language comprehension piece.

• If a student has strong decoding skills, he or she frees up cognitive space in the brain and makes room for other areas of reading - like comprehension.  All of this “freed” brain space gives students the opportunity to access the meaning of the text because they’re not spending all of their time decoding.  Decoding and comprehension go hand-in-hand

Conclusion

• We need decodables in our classrooms in order to get our students to that fluency/comprehension level.  Decodable give them words students can access appropriately at that time.  And although we shouldn’t use them forever and we should eventually introduce authentic texts, their role in our students’ reading journey is essential.

• Encourage the implementation of shared strategies for immediate impact.

• Embracing decodable texts in your room will create successful and confident readers for years to come.  Decodable books give students the opportunity to practice the specific phonics skills they’re working on and will encourage successful decoding, which students need in order to comprehend and achieve fluency.

If it sounds like decodable books are right for your room (and they are!) check out Just Right Reader Decodables.  They take all of the guessing work out of how to use them because they’re so easy to use.  JRR books deserve a place in your classroom, and when students get their hands on them, be prepared to watch them soar!  

Engaging Reading Strategies

If you’re looking for some engaging reading strategies that you can use in your classroom, take a look at some of my favorite approaches!

Staggered Reading: Divide the text into sections and have students read aloud in a sequence, allowing each student to contribute and engage actively in the reading process.

Partner Reading: Pair students up to take turns reading sections of the text to each other, promoting collaboration and peer support.

Echo Reading: The teacher reads a sentence or phrase, and then students repeat it, reinforcing fluency and pronunciation while providing a fun and interactive reading experience.

Choral Reading: The entire class reads a passage together, creating a unified reading experience that promotes fluency and builds confidence in reading aloud.

Model Reading:  Modeling fluent reading is essential for students so they can see the “end game” result and understand how a story should sound.  By reading out loud to students, we’re showing them how to pace a text, how to read with expression, and how to use intonation.  We are doing the “heavy lifting” for students when we model fluent reading and by doing this, we’re giving them access to the text.

Repeated Reading:  Reading a passage repeatedly is a great way to practice fluency.  This gives students a chance to see the text more than once, and therefore practice fluency skills and access the vocabulary words to see how they’re used in context.  This helps improve accuracy and speed, which are two key components of fluency.  You can also consider setting student goals not on how fast they’re reading, but on how much more fluid they can get over time.

Phrased Reading:  Teach students how to read in meaningful phrases rather than word-by-word.  Phrasing or “scooping” helps students pause naturally in a text and in a conversational way.

Decodable texts serve as stepping stones in the literacy journey, providing essential support for developing readers. By embracing the power of decodable and incorporating engaging reading strategies like staggered reading, partner reading, echo reading, and choral reading, educators can nurture confident and successful readers. Let’s ensure every student has access to the tools they need for reading success.

Just Right Reader (JRR) does an amazing job of ensuring that phonics skills within each text are aligned, giving ample time to practice in context.  This also allows you to be able to give a specific text to a child that they can read and that’s at their level.  JRR books include a quick little tip for teachers and students to serve as a reminder for the phonics skill they are focusing on.

If you haven’t had a chance to check them out yet, head over and see all the wonderful things they have to offer! When I say that I use these books every day, I truly do! CLICK HERE TO CHECK THEM OUT!