Non-Fiction Decodable Readers

In this post, I explain how decodable books help beginning readers and offer details about my NEW Non-fiction decodable books with comprehension questions and teacher lesson plans. Finally, I leave you with FREE non-fiction decodable readers you can download and begin using in your classroom today!

The ultimate goal of reading is comprehension, but how do we help our students get there? How can we ensure our students make meaning of what they read? The Simple View of Reading tells us that reading comprehension is the product of decoding and language comprehension. The formula is Decoding X Language Comprehension = Reading Comprehension. Therefore, in order for reading comprehension to improve, a student’s ability to decode must increase. A powerful way to improve a student’s decoding skills is through the use of decodable texts.

In the past, I have shared details about my decodable fiction books and passages. I heard from many teachers who have had great success with these resources and they wanted more! They asked for decodables to use with their non-fiction units. So today I am thrilled to introduce you to my new Non-fiction Decodable Readers!

In this post, I share information about decodable books and help you understand how they help beginning readers. Then, I’ll leave you with 3 FREE non-fiction decodable books with lesson plans and student activities you can download and begin using in your classroom today!

What is a Decodable Reader? 

A decodable reader is a text you use in beginning reading instruction.  It is a story that is controlled based on the phonics skills you have taught your students up to that point in your scope and sequence.  There is often a heavy focus on the target phonics skills for a specific week of instruction.  For example, if you are teaching blends, your students can read a decodable book called, Sloths.

The majority of the words in a decodable reader can be sounded out based on the sound-spelling relationships students have been taught.  Decodable texts also include some high-frequency words students have learned.   

Why use Decodable Readers? 

We know that children progress at a much faster rate in phonics when the majority of the time is spent applying the skills to authentic reading and writing experiences.  Application is how the skills stick. 

Decodable books give students practice applying the skills that you have taught. It offers them to real reading experiences. This connection is essential for building a faster foundation in early reading.  As studies have shown, students who use decodable controlled text in their early reading instruction get off to a stronger start in their reading instruction.  

My New Non-Fiction Decodable Books

Today I am excited to share details about my new Science of Reading-aligned nonfiction decodable books! These engaging are the perfect resource to support your beginning readers. 

Each nonfiction text is a phonics-based controlled text that contains target phonics skill words, previously taught phonics skill words, irregular high-frequency words, and select high-interest story words.  Every book includes explicit lesson plans, as well as activities to use before, during, and after reading to strengthen students’ phonics skills.   

We know that our students always have lots of questions about non-fiction topics, so each lesson plan includes a quick cheat sheet of information on the topic to help build your teacher knowledge!  You’ll also get 200+ story word cards with color photographs to build your students’ background knowledge before reading the text. 

To help you differentiate and meet the needs of all of your students,  the resource includes two different versions of the student printables, as well as audio recordings for each passage which allows students to listen to the story read alone when they are working independently. 

Are you ready to begin using non-fiction decodable texts in your classroom? To help get you started, I’m happy to share these FREE nonfiction decodable books. This freebie includes 3 sample books with color photographs, as well as explicit lesson plans for each passage and activities for before, during, and after reading to strengthen phonics skills!

I hope the information and resources I have shared here today help you understand the benefits of decodable readers and motivate you to begin using them in your classroom today!

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