Decodable Books

& Learning to Read

Whether your child is beginning to read or needs extra help,

decodable books are an important part of the reading process.
All children benefit from learning to read with decodable books. However, children who struggle
to read will need decodable books longer.

For a child to learn to read, they need language comprehension to understand what they read and
skills that help them learn to pronounce and recognize words so that reading becomes automatic.
Children learn these decoding skills through direct phonics instruction, and decodable books
provide the practice.

About Decodable Books

Decodable books follow a phonics-based structure for teaching letter patterns in a sequence to
introduce children to decoding slowly and methodically. The sequence used is cumulative, starting
with simple patterns and building to more complex patterns. Rather than looking to context or
pictures to figure out words, children are encouraged to read left to right and all through the word
parts. Decodable books match up to what the students have already learned so that they can
practice their skills efficiently. When children learn to use phonics skills, they are less likely to
develop poor reading habits such as guessing or using pictures. Once children develop good habits
and understand the grapheme-phoneme (letter-sound) connection, all children can develop the
confidence to pick up any book they choose. Here is an example from one of the decodable book
publishers of how as early reading series fits with the specific phonics skills:

Courtesy of Phonic Books

Books Commonly Used to Teach Reading
What emergent readers typically read in most schools are “leveled” books, organized by a gradient
scale from A-Z, with A being the easiest and Z being the hardest. The levels match up
approximately to grade-level expectations. However, unlike decodable books, which allow children
to practice the phonics and decoding skills they are learning, leveled books contain words with
random spelling patterns and no structure or connection to the phonic elements the children may
or may not know. Instead, the children learn to “read” on their own by memorizing high-frequency
words, looking at picture cues, or guessing based on context. While some children can and do
advance using this “Guided Reading” approach, others struggle and never figure out how to
decode words without the pictures and other cues.

When children are learning to read, predictable and leveled readers are most effective to build
language skills rather than decoding. Use leveled texts as read alouds to build comprehension
skills. Decodable books are intended to teach children to read with accuracy.

Courtesy of Express Readers

Using Decodable Books
Courtesy of
Make sure children have the code Phonic Books
knowledge before using the
decodable book. The book's intent
is for the child to practice what they
learned. If the decodable books do
not align with a phonics program,
just preview the books to ensure that
the children know the letter patterns.
Some people use the sequence in
the decodables to inform which letter
patterns to teach before reading the
books. You can mix and match decodable book series as long as the
child knows the phonics elements. If you are new to decodables, you
might want to stick with one series before jumping around.

Do not use the books in the same way as leveled books! Pictures should confirm an understanding
of the content after the child reads the page. Do not use pictures as the primary cue. For some
children, you might want to cover the picture with a sticky note until after reading the page to
reduce the desire to guess. Instead, encourage children to read through the word. They might be in
the habit of guessing from the first letter and using the picture or context. The design of decodable
books is to give children the confidence that they know enough to read through the whole word.
Encourage children to read in syllables, not sound-by-sound. The decodables promote fluency as
well as accuracy. Show children how to blend one sound into the next. Many struggling readers
want to stick with just sounds rather than trying to blend sounds because it is safe, and some
cannot remember all the sounds to read the word. Model how to blend sounds and use the books
for practice. We want children to have multiple
exposures to the alphabetic rules to retain the letter
Finding Decodable Books patterns for reading and spelling. Most of the time,
children do not get nearly enough practice, and the
Go to your library or visit letter patterns never reach long-term memory.
www.teachmykidtoread.org
Make sure that the books are appropriate for the age
to link to the
of the students. There are some books designed for
decodable book publishers. the older, struggling reader that will be a better fit
than books written for beginning, younger readers.
More About Reading The Importance
of Decodables
What is Phonological Awareness, • Research proves that a phonics-based
Phonemic Awareness, and Phonics? approach to reading helps all children
Phonological awareness is a pre-reading skill that learn to read.
focuses on identifying and manipulating sounds in
• Decodable books enable children to
language. One component of phonological awareness, practice the phonics skills they have
phonemic awareness, is identifying and manipulating learned and cumulatively build on these
the smallest sounds in words. Phonemic awareness skills to develop fluency and confidence,
connects directly to learning to read. Phonemic becoming skilled readers.
awareness is a pre-reading skill. Some decodable book
publishers offer games and resources to build these early • For children with dyslexia, a phonics-
based structured approach is the only
skills. Phonics is sounding out and spelling the words.
way they will learn to decode. All
Decodable books provide the practice.
children benefit from this approach,
whether or not they have a diagnosed
Learning the Letters learning difference.
Letters are symbolic codes for what we hear. Decoding
is sounding out printed words. “Phonics” refers to the • Decoding is a necessary skill for reading
knowledge of letter sounds and the ability to apply that comprehension. If children cannot read
knowledge to decoding printed words. Before children the words, children will not comprehend
what they are reading.
benefit from a phonics program, they must be able to
recognize and quickly match letters to the sounds in • As a matter of inclusion, all children
words. Knowing letter sounds, not letter names, is crucial should have access to resources that help
to reading. Many emergent and struggling readers confuse them learn to read.
letter sounds with letter names when trying to read and
• Many school reading programs minimize
spell words because they focus on the letters' names rather
the importance of decodable text, and
than their sounds. For example, a child might spell the
children have little opportunity to
word “end” as ND or the word “empty” as MT.
practice their reading skills
For this reason, TMKTR endorses a sounds-first approach independently and learn how to decode
to reading instruction. A sounds-first approach includes words properly.
teaching letter names only after introducing the letter– • Memorizing sight words is not the same
sound foundation. TMKTR also encourages the teaching as learning to read and should not be a
of lowercase letters before adding capital letters since so primary teaching strategy, especially for
many more words appear as lowercase in print. children with learning differences.

• Decodable books help children master

essential reading skills so that they can
learn to read anything!