Scrambleable books in kindergarten are essential to support phonics instruction and develop strong reading skills. but let’s be honest, when you’re teaching a book about short, it may not be the most interesting topic. You may have wondered “what is the best way to use these decodable books?” Learn more about using decodable readers in your kindergarten classroom and get a free decodable reader from the new Simply Kinder game.
Learn more about what decodables are and how they can be a great learning tool in your classroom! Get the free set of new decodable readers and word work activities below!
You are reading: Decodable books for kindergarten
what are decodables?
decodable books focus on letter and sound patterns to guide students in practicing phonics in context. decodable readers are meant to be sequenced in a way that progresses through the phonics skills it teaches. By doing this, your students can focus their learning on one set of skills at a time. students can build on that skill and understanding before moving on to the next set. examples of these would be short vowel words, long vowel cvce words, digraphs, etc.
why are decodables important?
Students need explicit phonics instruction, especially in kindergarten to develop strong reading skills. By using decodable readers, students can practice decoding words that focus on a specific skill.
reading strategies to focus on include:
- read from left to right across the page and the word
- grapheme sounds
- match the sounds
- apply the phonics rules they know
- meaning decoding
By explaining instruction to focus on letters and sounds in words, students focus on words instead of using pictures or guessing strategies to read. having decodable books where students succeed in reading, develop their skills to progress through the reading process, and gain the confidence (and automaticity) they need to be fluent readers is essential to learning to decode.
explicit phonics instruction is key.
how are decodables used?
When using decodables, it is important to be clear with your students about the specific phonic focus, such as short a. Also, connecting the lessons you are teaching with your student’s reading helps them a lot. providing a variety of ways to practice each phonetic sound is key. use manipulatives in your instruction such as word sorts, highlighters, cut/paste letters, and more to support student learning.
The goal of reading is always comprehension, whether it’s understanding the word, sentence, or story being read. the decodables themselves do not usually follow a repetitive structure because we want students to decode the words. Because of this, they are a combination of letters and sounds that students know and simple sight words that make sense. when these come together and students are skill-ready, they will be successful in reading decodables.
Our decodable routine varies by need, but has many of these elements:
- preview the books, look at the title and build on what knowledge they may have about the title
- read some decodable words that are reviewed and/or focus on skill before reading the book
- check the high-frequency words that are present in the book
- read the book one page at a time, stopping to discuss any errors immediately
- talk about the meaning of the page and the book
- have the student read the book to a friend in class or some type of rereading
- follow up with a work activity of words with students that we can do together or independently
this can be a lot and then finding books that allow all of this is tricky, but just kinder has developed a decodable set [here] that will help! our decodables have:
- book centered on a phonetic pattern (prints horizontally, which we all know is better).
- small group aids, such as wall cards and student reading cards
- printables in which students touch the words before they write them
- cut printables and glues in which students are working on those phonic patterns from the book
- build a word activities that can be done independently or in small groups
- focus activities using the skills from the book
- books to create on your own that match the book we are reading
- digital interactive activities on google and see-saw (with voice)
The best part is that each phonetic pattern (short a, cvce a, etc.) has several books to choose from. so you have a student who is not ready to move from one short book to the next week, grab another short book to use with him/her. We thought this was important because some students need more practice on a phonics skill, but there is only one book for that skill. we definitely do not want our students to read the same book over and over and over again.
check out the full set here!
when do you use decodables?
decodable texts can be used in whole groups, mini-lessons, independent, small groups, reading groups, or at home as a review when you are independent with them. Your kindergartners will be able to move through these decodables and advance phonics word sets as the year progresses with proper reinforcement of these skills.
decodable readers in kindergarten
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what order should you do them in? well this is a tricky question and you will get many different answers. the key here is to follow the order in which you have taught your students. this means that the decodable that comes with your core curriculum may be the best. technically, you should only have phonetic patterns and sight words that have been taught so far.
but we all know that supplementation is necessary and that is where we are here to help. our decodable readers start with the short vowel cvc (a, e, i, o then u) and go to cvce (a_e, i_e, o_e and u_e). this pack is endless and we plan to add all the books and activities for all the other sounds we teach in kindergarten like ch, ee etc. our books focus on the target skill, but we also know that by the time your student is ready for a_e, they will most likely have reduced cvc, so it will include both. this allows us to have richer and more complete stories for your students to read.
Simply Kindergarten sets will include multiple books for each skill set and a wide variety of activities to support each book. so if a student needs extra practice with short a, she has a choice of other books and activities with that skill. students will not memorize the book because it has several to choose from that are engaging and on target.
check out the full set here!
decodable readers are great for everyone!
Of course, decodable readers are beneficial to all kindergarten students. If you’re looking for a set of decodable readers to use with your students, along with a wide variety of phonics activities, be sure to check out our new decodable readers and word work activities here! This set includes readers, printables, centers, word work, wall cards, small group helpers, and much more. everything you need for your students to enjoy decodable learning!
free decodable reading activity
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Hopefully you now have a better understanding of decodables. It is important that your students can develop their reading with the right tools! Let us know how you’re teaching with decodables in the Simply Kindergarten Teachers Facebook group or tag us #simplykinder on Instagram!
This post was written by Lindsey Ward. Lindsey is a certified teacher with several years of teaching experience and a great love for all things kindergarten and first grade.
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