Decodable Texts: What Teachers Need to Know in 2024

Decodable texts focus on phonetic patterns and present words that match the phonics concepts students have already learned.

They provide valuable support for all beginning readers, helping them improve without negatively impacting anyone. 

Decodable texts aim to provide a structured approach for students to practice and master phonics skills, helping them transition to reading complex, authentic literature independently.

However, decodable texts are more effective for reinforcing previously taught phonics skills than for introducing new ones. As a tutor, you’re expected to use reading or spell assessment to ascertain your learners' academic performance and then place them in groups based on the skills yet to be mastered. 

In this article, we'll highlight the importance of decodable books and guide you on how to select high-quality texts that align with your phonics program. We'll also highlight how to integrate text-talk lessons effectively.

What are Decodable Texts?

Decodable texts are books or passages specifically designed to help beginning readers develop their reading skills. 

They contain letter-sound or grapheme-phoneme correspondences (GPC), allowing beginning learners to match a grapheme (sound) to a phoneme (written representation) and vice versa. They develop within the learners the ability to recognize words quickly and effortlessly and experience independent reading success. 

To be proficient in reading, learners must develop fluent word recognition and skilled language comprehension. Decodable texts allow them to reinforce their acquired phonics knowledge, with a strong emphasis on letter-sound relationships. Once learners can fluently apply their decoding skills, they can transition from decodable books to less phonetically controlled, authentic text. 

Students should be able to pick any book they choose and successfully read and enjoy it. 

Decodable books play a crucial role in phonics instruction. They allow learners to practice varied phonics features within a connected text rather than in isolation. This creates a sense of success in early readers and builds their confidence.

Characteristics of Decodable Texts

Decodable texts reinforce previously taught phonics skills and support early learners in developing their decoding skills and reading fluency. The only unfamiliar or high-frequency words included in the text are the ones the learners can decode by applying their current phonics knowledge.

Although they may include diagrammatic illustrations, learners do not need to rely on them to read the text. As an educator, you should choose a decodable text for a small group of learners based on the phonics feature, reinforce it, and practice with them. 

Here are some characteristics of decodable texts: 

• Phonics patterns are presented in text and are aligned with skills that have been explicitly taught: The text contains phonics patterns that match the skills students have already learned, ensuring that they can apply what they've been taught. For example, If students have learned the short “a” sound (as in “cat”), a decodable text might include sentences like “The cat sat on the mat.”
• Targeted phonics pattern is deliberately repeated to provide ample practice: The text includes repeated instances of the phonics pattern being practiced, allowing students to gain confidence and fluency in decoding that specific pattern. For instance, a text designed to reinforce the “sh” digraph might include sentences like “She shut the shop,
• High-frequency words presented in the text have been explicitly taught: The text incorporates high-frequency words that students have learned, helping them to recognize these words quickly, which aids in reading fluency.
• The text progresses in a scope and sequence from simple patterns (e.g., CVC) to more complex: The complexity of the text increases gradually, starting with simple consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) patterns and moving towards more complex phonics patterns as the reader's skills develop. E.g., A text might start with simple CVC words like “dog,” “hat,” and “pig,” and then progress to more complex patterns like “blend,” “stump,” and “clamp.
• Focus is on accurate decoding first, before making meaning: Initially, the emphasis is on students accurately decoding words to build their foundational skills, with comprehension coming as they become more proficient.
• Making meaning is prioritized over accurate decoding: In some approaches, understanding the meaning of the text may be given more importance, but this is less typical in decodable texts, which generally prioritize accurate decoding to build a strong phonics foundation.
• Text features: Decodable text embraces a consistent layout to enable easy reading. It may include large and clear fonts with a spacing that supports readability. To reinforce their learning, the text may highlight or draw attention to the practiced phonetic patterns.  

Characteristics of 

Leveled Texts (or Leveled Readers) refer to books that are organized by levels of difficulty to match the reading abilities of students at various stages of their reading development. 

Unlike decodable texts, which focus heavily on specific phonics patterns and controlled vocabulary, leveled texts are designed to increase in complexity across a range of language features gradually.

Level Texts allow learners to read the text using high-frequency words, context, and pictures. Leveled texts also focus on building reading fluency and comprehension. As a tutor, you should select leveled books based on the group's reading level. Learners' reading level is judged by their ability to read the text with at least 95% accuracy. 

Here are some characteristics of level texts:

• The level is determined by length and number of words, sentence length, and complexity: The difficulty of a leveled text is assessed based on factors like the total word count, the average length of sentences, and the complexity of the language used. As students advance, they read texts with longer, more complex sentences and a greater number of words.
• Text is selected by topic or interest; the focus is on “authentic” text: Leveled texts are often chosen based on topics that are engaging or relevant to the reader’s interests. The emphasis is on providing “authentic” texts, which means the content is natural and meaningful, rather than artificially simplified or controlled.
• In early texts, sentence patterns are often repeated and predictable: In the initial levels, texts may use repetitive sentence structures to help beginning readers gain confidence and fluency. For example, a text might repeatedly use the structure “The dog is…” with different adjectives to describe the dog, making it easier for students to predict and understand the text.
• Text is not controlled for phonics patterns that have been explicitly taught to students: Unlike decodable texts, leveled texts are not strictly controlled to match the phonics patterns students have been taught. This means students may encounter a variety of phonetic patterns and words that haven’t been explicitly taught yet, encouraging them to use context and other strategies to decode words.
• Pictures are highly supportive: Leveled texts, especially at lower levels, often include illustrations that provide strong visual support to help readers understand the content. The pictures are carefully chosen to align with the text, making it easier for students to infer meaning and follow the story or information being presented.

Selecting Decodable Text

Carefully selecting and purchasing decodable texts is crucial to enable progressive learning. In reading instruction, you’ll determine if the text is decodable by evaluating if the phonetics structure's vocabulary aligns with the phonics knowledge already acquired by your learners. 

Remember, decodable text is only decodable if the child has already been taught that particular letter pattern. It’s important to align the text with what the learners have been taught already. 

Quality decodable texts will include the book's scope and sequence to help match the book with the reader. 

Your focus in selecting the text should be on the phonetic code and decoding to ensure learners apply the phonics knowledge rather than guessing the strategies. 

Also, avoid highly repetitive texts to the point where learners can guess or predict what comes next in a sentence. If texts are highly repetitive, students might be able to guess what comes next without fully engaging with the material, which can limit their learning experience. 

Also, if pictures are used merely to match specific words, students might rely on the pictures to identify words rather than actually learning to read and understand the words themselves. 

The goal is to encourage active learning by ensuring that students have to think critically and engage with the text, rather than just relying on patterns or visual cues.

Text Talk Lessons

Text Talk is a reading-aloud learning approach designed to enhance young readers' ability to construct meaning from decontextualized language. 

Text Talk lessons provide educators with a resource for carrying out the complex and demanding task of growing children's literacy through read-aloud. On the other hand, decodable text is structured to help children practice specific phonetic patterns and word recognition skills in Text Talk.

The interactions within a Text Talk lesson include open-ended questions that the teacher poses during the reading process. The educator asks children to consider the ideas in the story, discuss them, and link them as the story progresses. 

Reading aloud improves your learners' learning advantage. It stimulates their imagination and allows them to explore places, events, and time beyond their experience. Consequently, you condition them to associate print with pleasure, sparking their interest in reading and fostering a lifelong love for books. Also, reading aloud increases your learners' attention and listening skills. 

Tips for Teachers

Reading sessions should be interesting and enjoyable for the learner. Here are some tips for teachers to enhance your read-aloud sessions:

• Make the read-aloud session enjoyable: You can enhance the experience by snuggling up, relaxing, and savoring every moment of the reading process. Take time reading, and point to words, pictures, and other print features that elaborate on the section. 
• Choose books with robust vocabulary and interesting stories: Select texts that introduce new words and concepts while captivating the child's imagination. This helps enrich their language development and keeps them engaged.
• Point to words as you read them: Use your finger to track the words on the page. This visual connection helps children understand that print carries meaning and supports their word recognition skills.
• Ask questions where the child responds with text evidence: Encourage children to answer questions by referring back to the text. This way, you strengthen their comprehension skills and ability to find information within the story.
• Talk about the story and relate it to their personal life: Connect the story's themes or events to the child's own experiences. This makes the reading more relevant and helps deepen their understanding and engagement.
• Talk about new vocabulary words that you come across: Discuss and define new words found in the text. This builds the child's vocabulary and helps them understand the story better.
• Continue a read-aloud practice even after the child becomes a reader: Maintain read-aloud sessions to introduce more complex texts and concepts. This supports ongoing literacy development and fosters a love for reading.
• Choose books with robust vocabulary and exciting stories: You can also choose from various genres and illustration styles to stimulate their minds differently.  It is also essential to discuss new vocabulary words you encounter as you read. 
• Fluctuate your pace: Varying your reading speed—slowing down during complex parts and speeding up during simpler sections—can help maintain the child's attention, especially if they become distracted. Also, you can adapt the length and complexity of the reading material as the child grows, keeping them engaged and challenged at appropriate levels.
• Read with expression: Use varied voices and sound effects for different characters to capture the child's interest and make the story more engaging. Adding emotion to your reading helps children connect with the characters' feelings, deepening their understanding and enjoyment of the story.

As your learners grow older, it is time for them to read aloud themselves. You can introduce this to them by reading the first chapter and then prompting them to take turns reading the next chapter aloud. Such reading will foster in them a love for reading and allow them to increase their reading levels. 

The independent reading skills learners acquire will allow them to learn at their own pace and explore their interests as they mature.

Here are some tips to optimize the read-aloud experiences for your learners:

• Know what they have learned and what they have not
• Ask the child to sound it out
• Point to letters and ask what sounds they represent
• Choose texts with phonic patterns that the child has learned
• Consider looking at the pictures after reading the words
• Reread sentences with accuracy
• With irregular words, talk about the sounds the letters are making

Reflecting on the World Around Us

As we’ve seen, decodable texts enhance learners' reading skills by allowing them to practice with the phonics they are learning. They enable learners to practice with high-frequency words, work on comprehension, and improve fluency. 

When learners can apply their phonetics skills to connected text, young readers become more independent in word-solving. 

The decodable text can also build the learner's neuronal pathways through repetition. This is because, as the brain interacts with repeated words, it creates neural networks for connecting the word's pronunciation, meaning, and spelling. 

You can now tap into the power of decodable texts with decodable texts from experts. Get your Free decodable texts prompts now and help your learners get better.