Do's and don'ts for using decodable books with beginning readers

04/12/21 • 22 min

#041: For years I thought that decodable texts were a necessary evil ... I thought they were boring, stilted, and nonsensical. Now I know that quality decodable books are vital for helping young learners build a strong foundation. The good news is that there are many wonderful decodable books, and more are being published all the time. Listen to find out my top tips for choosing and using decodable books.

Previous Episode

Should you use leveled or decodable books?

#040: Leveled books are predictable books with strong picture support. Decodable books feature words whose sound-spelling patterns have been explicitly taught. Which are best for beginning readers?
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Next Episode

What's the difference between balanced and structured literacy?

#042: It’s time to take a good look at what we’re doing when we teach children to read. I considered myself a “balanced literacy” teacher for many years. It’s the approach I learned in graduate school, the approach I used as a classroom teacher, and the approach I (used to) teach on my website and in my online course.

However, after a great deal of research into the science of reading, I now see things differently. I now advocate a structured literacy approach to reading instruction.
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