- Wednesday 24 April 2024
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Due to popular demand, we’re adding to our decodable product range and are thrilled to finally reveal our brand new resource: Star Strategy Decodable Workbook!
Written for beginner readers, these workbooks are designed to assist with phonics and sound mastery through segmenting and blending of the alphabetic code, so that learners can build confidence and proficiency in reading instead of relying on guessing or memory.
The Star Strategy Decodable Workbook series have been developed using a comprehensive body of research known as the Science of Reading. They offer a systematic and cumulative approach to teaching learners the connection between letters and sounds.
Decodable texts and workbooks are perfect for early years, or any students visibly struggling to understand words, manipulate individual sounds, or use new words they encounter during reading activities.
Ready to stock your classroom? Read on to explore our shining new range.
Recommended Reading Order
The Star Strategy Decodable Workbook series uses a cumulative synthetic phonics sequence that typically spans two to three years (though this pace may vary.)
Because of this, the four books in the series are categorised by colour rather than year level, meaning educators should select the most suitable workbook based on their learners’ needs rather than strictly purchasing based on year level.
The first three books contain 24 sounds, 24 stories, over 300 new words for learners to read, while the fourth book focuses on revision of learned concepts from previous books.
Star Words and Bright Star Words
In every set, learners will be introduced to a set of letters and sounds. Alongside this, they are also introduced to star words and bright star words.
This is because a distinction was needed between words that will never follow taught spelling patterns, and those that will eventually follow common spellings once they have been taught.
Star Words
These are words with common spellings that have not been introduced yet. For example, if the learner has not yet been taught the ‘sh’ sound, they might be introduced to the word ‘ship.’
Bright Star Words
These are exception words with irregular spellings. For example, ‘people’ is a bright star word as the ‘eo’ spelling is making an irregular, long /e/ sound. Bright star sounds are marked with a star symbol (★) to indicate an irregular spelling for learners and educators.
Reading Repetition
Throughout the Star Strategy Decodable Workbook series there are two star stories per set, and two additional stories per set (with six sets per book.).
As learners progress, you may discover that they don't finish a star story, or only read part of it—and this is okay!
Reinforcement is important for fluency and comprehension, so learners should be encouraged to read the same text multiple times. This promotes accuracy and expression
If your learner is stuck on a star story or tired of re-reading it, it’s important to stay positive and prioritise your learner’s self esteem. Here are some tips to help:
Review Previously Learned Concepts
Set the expectation with your learner early that revising learned concepts is part of the journey.
As your learner gets used to a routine, they will come to expect that you will go back and read previous texts together–they may even develop favourites that they look forward to re-reading with you!
Use Different Voices
You can make the reading experience more engaging by using different voices (e.g. a robot voice, a mouse voice, an angry voice, etc.) which introduces a playful approach to reading and decoding.
Use the Bonus Star Stories
Learners aren’t required to read the bonus star stories—these are offered for choice, variety and additional skill development. So remember to have fun with it and diversify your learner’s reading experience as you go!
Use a Multimodal Approach
Use a multimodal approach to reviewing words, sounds and texts. For example, you can say certain words and segment them into sounds (auditory), count each sound as you say a word (kinaesthetic) and look at each sound as you write it down (visual.) You can also use flash-cards for another multisensory element!
Use the Bonus Activities
Each book contains a list of bonus activity suggestions that learners can implement to get the most out of each story.
Activities like putting on a play and acting out a story as they re-read it, or imagining a different ending and retelling the story with their own twist are all fun ways for learners to go back and interact with the decodable texts time and time again.
Assessments
Each set contains check-in pages that contain assessment tools to track learner progress and identify areas for growth.
For example, Educator Checks provide a quick checklist of questions to ensure learners are doing things like accurating decoding sounds, identifying phonemes and graphemes correctly, and writing letters in correct formation.
There are also Checks for Understanding under each Star Story to consolidate learning and ensure learners are comprehending the texts.
Celebrating Achievements
Learners can celebrate their growth and progression in many ways throughout the series.
For example, every time a learner masters a star story, they get to colour the corresponding badge to celebrate their achievement. This creates a sense of accomplishment and learners will look forward to being able to colour all of their badges and keep practising so that they can master every story.
Another rewarding outcome is when learners complete each book, they receive a certificate page that they can sign and display.
Explore the stars and embark on a journey helping your learners to become confident readers and spellers—shop the new Star Strategy Decodable Workbook series today!