What It Means
Decodable books are short, simple books for beginning readers, written mostly with the letter-sound patterns the child has already been taught. Because most words follow patterns the child knows, they can sound the words out instead of guessing. Reading Rockets says they let children use what they just learned in phonicsPhonicsTeaching children how letters and letter groups stand for the sounds in spoken words, so they can sound out words to read them and spell them. See more in connected text, and the IES practice guide for kindergarten through 3rd grade includes reading decodable words both alone and in sentences.
Try It: Check How Decodable a Page Is
Count the words on one page, then count the ones your child could sound out with the patterns they've learned so far. Example numbers are filled in.
Our sources give no cutoff for "decodable enough." Before reading, go over the words your child can't sound out yet, as whole words, the way the IES guide suggests for words a story needs.
How Parents Say It
- "The teacher sent home a decodable reader with short a words."
- "He can read this one because it only uses sounds he knows."
- "Can we get decodables that match what she's learning?"
The Breakdown
Where decodable books fit as reading grows
| Stage | What fits | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Learning first letter sounds | Hearing and saying sounds, and books read aloudReading aloudReading a book out loud with a child, from birth on. The AAP advises it because shared reading builds language, early literacy skills and the parent-child bond. See more by an adult | Buhata's pages on phonemic awarenessPhonemic awarenessThe ability to hear, pick out and play with the single sounds (phonemes) in spoken words, like hearing that "cat" is made of three sounds. See more and reading aloud |
| Kindergarten to grade 3, early phonics | Decodable books that match the patterns just taught, so new skills get used in sentences | Reading Rockets; IES practice guide, 2016 |
| Words a storyUser storyA short description of something a product should do, written from the point of view of the person who needs it, often in the form "As a, I want, so that." See more needs | A few words that can't be sounded out yet, taught as whole words before reading | IES practice guide, 2016 |
How to check a book at home (Buhata's suggestion)
- Ask the teacher which letter-sound patterns the class has covered.
- Open the book to any page and count the words.
- Count the words your child could sound out with those patterns.
- Read the leftover words together before the story, as whole words.
When to talk to the teacher. If every book that comes home has many words your child can't sound out, ask whether there are books matched to the phonics lessons. If sounding out simple words stays very hard even with matched books, ask how your child is doing on phonics checks.
Good to Know
Reading Rockets says decodable books help children build the habit of using letter sounds as their first move on an unfamiliar word, instead of guessing. No source in this check gives a percentage a book must reach, so use the calculator to compare books, not to judge one. Keep reading other books aloud together too; Buhata's page on reading aloud covers why the AAP advises it.
FAQ
What makes a book decodable?
Most of its words use letter-sound patterns the reader has already been taught, so they can be sounded out. Reading Rockets describes decodable books as simple books built from the sound-letter links students have learned.
Are decodable books good for kids with dyslexia?
They give practice sounding out words with known patterns, and NICHD says linking letters to sounds is usually hard for children with dyslexiaDyslexiaA learning disability that makes reading words accurately and smoothly hard, mostly because linking letters to sounds is hard; schools call it a specific learning disability. See more. Ask your child's teacher or reading specialist which books match their program.
Should my child only read decodable books?
The IES practice guide pairs decodable text with teaching key non-decodable words as whole words. Keep reading other books aloud together, and ask the teacher how they balance the two for your child.
Do It in Buhata
Reminders
Set a Reminder in Buhata on library day that lists the phonics patterns your child's class is on, so you can pick books that match.
Open BuhataRelated Terms and Categories
- Phonics
Teaching children how letters and letter groups stand for the sounds in spoken words, so they can sound out words to read them and spell them.
- Sight words
Words a reader knows instantly, without sounding them out; schools also use it for common words like "the" and "said" that children practice early.
- Phonemic awareness
The ability to hear, pick out and play with the single sounds (phonemes) in spoken words, like hearing that "cat" is made of three sounds.
- Guided reading level
A letter from A to Z, most often from Fountas and Pinnell's text gradient, that a teacher uses to match a child with books for small-group guided reading.
- Science of reading
The large body of research on how people learn to read and how reading is best taught; it names a field of evidence, not one curriculum or program.
- Dyslexia
A learning disability that makes reading words accurately and smoothly hard, mostly because linking letters to sounds is hard; schools call it a specific learning disability.
Sources
Reading Rockets (WETA), "What Are Decodable Books and Why Are They Important?"; Reading Rockets, "Using Decodable Books"; Reading Rockets, "Matching Books to Phonics Features"; What Works Clearinghouse, Institute of Education Sciences, "Foundational Skills to Support Reading for Understanding in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade" (practice guide, 2016)
- www.readingrockets.org/topics/curriculum-and-instruction/articles/what-are-decodable-books-and-why-are-they-important
- www.readingrockets.org/classroom/choosing-and-using-classroom-texts/using-decodable-books
- www.readingrockets.org/classroom/classroom-strategies/matching-books-phonics-features
- ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/docs/practiceguide/wwc_foundationalreading_070516.pdf
Last updated .