As teachers, we are constantly bombarded with new methods, new information, and new ways we should be teaching our students. I will be the first to say, it’s overwhelming. I have been teaching for a long time and things change a ton even from year to year. And, teaching our students to read is an overwhelming task in itself. So, how do you decide what kind of text you are going to be giving your students? How will you introduce it? In this blog post, I am going to dive into decodable text and why it’s important. First, I think it’s extremely important to understand what decodable text is and why we use it.
What is Decodable Text?
Decodable text is a text that contains phonics patterns our students are familiar with. It is controlled and follows a general sequence. Every decodable text will have a phonetic pattern that is repeated and able to be identified by your students. It can focus on specific sounds or word families. Decodable text allows students to read practically every word in the text. A good decodable text will be 75-80% decodable. If it’s more than that, success will diminish.
Why use it?
Decodable text is essential for beginning readers because most of the time it is sequenced to incorporate consistency with the letter and sound relationships that our students already know. I have seen firsthand how phonics skills really begin to click after they have had practice with decodable books. This essentially forces our students to practice and work to put their decoding skills to work. It reinforces phonics lessons so those skills will stick!
Decodable text is crucial in the path to building fluency. Decodable text forces them to practice and use decoding strategies instead of relying on pictures. Predictable text encourages our students to focus on the pictures and memorization rather than developing strategies. If I am being honest, students who use predictable text will learn to read but they are more likely to struggle in later grades because they solely relied on memorizing or visuals. And let’s be real, no one can remember every single word. I truly believe there is a time and place for predictable text, especially once students have mastered most phonics skills!
My Favorite Thing About Decodable Text
My favorite part of using decodable text with my students is that it removes the pressure of comprehension and gives kids the chance to practice to gain fluency. They can have the opportunity to practice isolated skills that were learned in a larger capacity. When they are given hands-on opportunities to practice they will become more confident. Decodable text sets our students up for success and when they feel proud of themselves they will want to continue practicing. Have you ever tried something new and flat out failed- I sure have! Did you want to try it again? Probably not, your mindset was already in failure mode. One thing I often hear is that decodable text is repetitive and boring but that’s not true! Like with anything else, tweak it and make it more engaging. This is the main reason I created my own decodable bundles because I know how important repetition is but I did not want my students to dread having to read these decodable passages. This is one of my favorite bundles that include questions as well!
Decodable passages are so important in building the foundation to becoming a successful reader. I have had students that just get it, reading clicks so easily with them but that isn’t always the case. This is where decodable text plays a crucial role in the learning process, it’s an approach that allows our students to take the knowledge they have, apply it, and continuously practice. Remember decodable text is best used when it’s engaging, systematically sequenced, and when it uses natural language.
As educators I strongly believe we must set our students up for success, we can help them succeed by giving them tools and strategies that help them succeed not only now but in the future. When our students are given text that isn’t decodable, they will start guessing or rely solely on memorization. When that happens they are losing the connection between phonics and actually analyzing the words. When they read decodable text, they have the knowledge of phonics and in turn, use their skills which creates a feeling of success and accomplishment. I think we can all agree on one thing: students need a ton of exposure to text and consistent practice. But it’s important to keep in mind that the text we ask our students to read makes a huge impact. I still find that the importance of decodable text is often not considered and it’s not always widely adapted. Decodable text will help your students build their confidence as they use phonics skills they have learned in the classroom. Do you use decodable text in your classrooms? Let me know in the comments below!
Don’t forget to check out my other decodable text resources:
Phonics Based Decodable Passages
Controlled R Decodable Passages
Short Vowels Decodable Passages
Interested in how to use decodable text in your classroom. Read about it here.
Pin to read later
