How long should you stay on one decodable text?

There a number of things you can do during your guided reading session that work alongside decodable texts or stories. Some of these could be:

  • Using picture cards to match to single word books, or words within decodables, to build vocabulary.
  • Create your own single sentence strips or simple decodable texts. This can give further practice on the same unit or skill you are working on e.g. blending.
  • Lots of practice at word, phrase and sentence level for the unit you are working on.
  • Use decodable readers from other publishers to supplement your guided reading collection, as long as they match the code!

Aim for greater depth but stay on the same set of grapheme-phoneme correspondences (GPCs), until students build automaticity and become fluent. Don’t use early levelled or predictable readers, as they won’t support your explicit, synthetic phonics teaching effectively.

Relevant Related Content

Guided Reading Dem Lessons:

https://www.training247.com.au/modules/dem-lessons-guided-reading-k-1

https://www.training247.com.au/modules/dem-lessons-guided-reading-k-3

Decodable texts modules and ‘Five from Five’ links:

https://www.training247.com.au/modules/guided-reading-1-what-are-decodable-texts

https://www.training247.com.au/modules/guided-reading-2-using-decodable-texts

https://fivefromfive.com.au/decodable-readers/

https://fivefromfive.com.au/blog/whatarepredictabletexts/

Guided Reading Mythbusters module – Text Selection (Myth 4):

https://www.training247.com.au/modules/guided-reading-mythbuster-edition