- Tuesday 09 January 2024
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We all know that reading is an essential life skill. But reading among younger learners has been proven to be significantly less effective before they have learned to master and decode sets of focus sounds.
That’s where decodable texts come in.
Decodable texts are an essential part of early reading instruction, as they provide a supportive and structured way for learners to apply their phonics knowledge to real reading experiences.
After growing demand, we’ve developed a brand new range of decodable readers to assist with this: Book monster decodable readers.
About the Book monster decodable readers collection
Our very first decodable collection has been developed to contain a wide assortment of stories that span all 44 phonemes, so children can work to master three rewarding levels of focus sounds or read at their own pace.
With stories ranging from clever cat shenanigans, surprising animal friendships, and important life lessons, each book is full of joy, meaning, laughter, and adventure. Each book is designed to build learner confidence and foster a deep love of reading.
Written by educators, for educators, these exciting features make our collection of decodable stories one of the most engaging and effective sets available for early readers.
Here’s what educators have been loving most about them:
1.) Flexibility: We know educators love flexible resource solutions to support and supplement their existing lesson plans, which is why our decodable readers are designed to work flexibly within existing programmes that are already in use in the classroom.
2.) Varied levels: Our series is broken into three levels (‘Basic code’, ‘Extended code’, and ‘Complete code’) and contains eight stories per level. This allows educators to select the most appropriate readers for their programme, guiding children through a gradual, cumulative understanding of phonics.
3.) Independent learning: The series is designed for use in classrooms and at home, offering additional stories for educators to add to their reader library, and keeping little learners engaged and eager to read outside of school.
4.) Accessibility: We also know how important accessibility is, which is why our readers are printed on low-glare, sand-coloured paper to support readers with sensory challenges.
Should you use decodable texts in your teaching programme?
Decodable texts are written to help younger readers with phonics and sound mastery through segmenting and blending of the alphabetic code. This means that the use of decodable texts first requires each focus sound to be taught.
You’ll know if learners are struggling to develop their reading skills and if they need to be taught focus sounds if:
- they guess unknown words based on accompanying illustrations in picture books
- they struggle to understand and use new words encountered in provided texts
- they struggle to recognise and manipulate individual sounds in words
- you witness a frequent mispronunciation of words.
Once the focus sound has been taught, decodable texts will help learners to develop a gradual, cumulative understanding of phonics.
And, to make decodable texts even easier to integrate, we’ve broken down our Book monster decodable readers collection into three levels to ensure seamless alignment with any existing phonics programme:
- Basic code - use these texts for short vowel CVC, CVCC, and CCVC words.
- Extended code - use these for long vowel sounds, vowel teams, and diphthongs.
- Complete the code - use these for controlled vowels and alternative graphemes.
Decodable texts can be read aloud in lessons, added to a classroom library, or even sent home with learners as part of their homework, providing many flexible ways to utilise them.
Book monster decodable readers are available to purchase now!
With 24 captivating stories to dive into, Book monster decodable readers will delight your early readers and be a charming addition to your classroom library. Explore the full collection of Book monster decodable readers today.