Decodable, levelled and patterned texts: Making sense of instructional texts for beginning readers
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Textes déchiffrables/ Decodable texts-TEACHER PosterFRENCH Final versions French FLS FSL(1) (1).pdfDecodable texts:
Decodable texts can be thought of as the “training wheels” which focus specifically on purposeful practice of decoding to reinforce the importance of using letter-sound knowledge to decode words, They provide students with opportunities for controlled reading practice of multiple words that include only letter-sound correspondences that have explicitly been taught. Research tells us that his helps to build automaticity with word recognition. They also increase the confidence of beginning readers.
Used for a short period of time as “training wheels”, to focus on purposeful practice decoding and to build automaticity with word recognition.
Used when students have learned sounds in isolation and can blend sounds.
Contain words made up of letter-sounds, spelling and morphological patterns students have been explicitly taught.
Usually accompany their own scope and sequence that aligns directly with the texts.
Considerations before choosing decodable texts:
Prior to introducing a decodable text to students, consider the following:
Does the student know how to segment and blend simple phonemes? Has the student received modeled and guided practice decoding isolated words, phrases, or sentences, before introducing a decodable text?
Has the student received explicit instruction in all of the phoneme-grapheme correspondences contained within the text? Look at the targeted skills and previously learned concepts in each text (usually found on the inside or back cover) to make sure they align with what the student has already learned.
Is the decodable text highly controlled with very few non-phonetic high-frequency words?
Have the high-frequency words been explicitly taught?
Is the intended learning objective to provide purposeful practice in word level reading and decoding?
Does the text have a predictable and repetitive sentence structure, or picture/visual support that could distract the reader from attending to the print? (E.g., I can see the _____, I can see the _____)
Is the text actually decodable or is it simply targeting a specific sound? (E.g., the text contains the phoneme and grapheme on which you are working but also reviews previously taught skills vs the text displays a large number of words which contain the same sound.)
Levelled Texts
Levelled books are texts that are assigned a level (letter or number) intended to indicate the difficulty level of the text, and not a students’ level of reading. Text levels indicate a progression from easiest to increasingly challenging, and are not limited to a specific grade level.
Beginning levelled texts are most often patterned texts that have a lot of repetition of high-frequency words, often unfamiliar to emergent readers. Patterned texts are designed to teach children not to depend on decoding to tackle unfamiliar words.
Does not necessarily align with the phonics skills students have already been taught.
Words are NOT controlled for phonetic complexity.
Texts contain predictable sentence structure and pictures which can promote guessing the words.
Used once students have acquired the letter-sound knowledge needed for proficiency with decoding.
Why should levelled texts be reconsidered for emergent readers learning how to read?
Levelled texts:
are NOT controlled for phonetic complexity
contain predictable sentence structure
may or may not align with the phonics skills students have already been taught.
illustrations or pictures help to emphasize meaning
So what to do with all our predictable books?
There are a variety of reasons why leveled texts can still be useful, even with students who are not yet decoding. Rather than use them for targeted decoding practice or assessment, here are some possibilities for how we can repurpose the use of predictable or patterned texts:
Create Text Sets - Collate texts at different levels based on a shared topic or theme. Provide students opportunities to further their background knowledge about something they are interested in or learning (e.g., animals, sports, science).
Vocabulary - Use texts with rich pictures to support building vocabulary and background knowledge
Rewrites - Work on rewriting a text by covering up the existing print with a sticky note, or improve upon the existing text with a focus on word choice.
Click HERE for more ideas about a purposeful and responsive use of levelled texts, even during whole-group instruction with beginning readers.
WHEN are students ready for decodable texts?
Decodable texts serve the purpose of providing controlled practice with reading multiple words that only include letter-sound correspondences that have explicitly been taught. For this reason, decodable texts should be used with learners who have learned sounds in isolation and can blend sounds. It should also provide review and repetition of previously learned skills.
For more information, check out these printable posters:
Levelled texts-considerations.pdfTextes déchiffrables/ Decodable texts-TEACHER PosterFRENCH Final versions French FLS FSL(1) (1).pdfDecodable texts-teacher Final English.pdf
Wondering whether a decodable, predictable or levelled text best aligns with your students' readiness and learning needs? Click here for considerations and guiding questions to help you choose the best instructional texts.
Click here for decodables titles (Express Readers, SPIRE, SyllaSense, Facile la lire)