Hey teacher friend, ever walk into well…. pretty much any store in July and cringe when you see the big Back to School display glaring right at you? I am pretty sure that it gets earlier and earlier every year! I usually put my blinders up, and walk quickly by to whatever it is that I have come for.
But come August, my tune changes a bit. I begin to get excited when I am blasted with all those wonderful back-to-school goodies. As much as I love those new Crayola crayons, I have something else that is an even bigger must-have for my classroom! Decodable texts!
Decodables Are Perfect for Any Back to School List
Having some decodable all ready for the first week of school has become an essential piece of preparing for the back-to-school season. They are the perfect tool to start your year off with a solid foundation that is aligned with the science of reading.
I know what you are thinking! Whoa, decodables for the first week that kids are back to school?! Yes! And no, I don’t skip over all the valuable routine learning and practice. I like to incorporate as many fun but also continuous activities into that practice as possible. Let me tell you how I do it.
Introducing Reading Folders in Kindergarten
On any given day through the school year, the first thing my kindergarten students do is hang up their backpacks and then get out their reading folders. These reading folders are packed full of decodables and other text that I know they know how to read. So, one of the very first procedures that I teach is how to hang up backpacks and get out our fluency folders.
Now kindergarten is a little different. Let me explain how I do that as a kinder teacher, then I’ll share my secrets for first and second grade.
On the very first day of kindergarten, students are surprised with new playdough and fun mat in their fluency folders. They use this mat and playdough to work on letter formation, and fine muscle skills as everyone settles in. On day two, that fun playdough mat is still there, and I add a page with their name or an alphabet chart. We start very slowly!
But, by week two, we have read a few familiar nursery rhymes and those are going to the folder too. Once students are ready and we begin decodables whole group (and small group) they will be placed in the folder too. Decodables are so, so magical in kindergarten! But we will talk more about that later.
Introducing Reading Folders in First and Second Grade
Okay! Now I am going to tell you about decodable magic for first and second graders heading back to school. Before I began teaching kindergarten, I was an inclusion teacher, so I cotaught BOTH first and second grade. By first and second grade, these kiddos knew some procedures and how to do things at school. Additionally, most students also knew how to read cvc words and sentences, heart words, and more.
Day one, reading folders were introduced, but guess what was in them? That’s right! Decodable passages just like the one you see above.
Since I knew these kiddos were already readers, I would place decodables passages inside their reading folders. For my first graders, I chose kindergarten passages that contained phonics skills that I was pretty sure they could handle. For second graders, I chose a first grade passage with phonics skills that would be a good fit for them.
I also liked to use decodable passages that had pictures for them to color. (Yes! Since you asked, I had a just for fun coloring page as well)
As an unforeseen bonus, I was able to get a very quick gauge of reading abilities for my students during this time! I noted kiddos who were reluctant to try to decode the words as well as the ones who tackled them with ease. This gave me so much valuable information without ever even doing a formal assessment!
Decodables for the Whole Group in Kindergarten
I don’t want you to leave me without me sharing with you how helpful decodables can be whole group.
In all grades, I love to display a digital version of a decodable text for my students. The activities vary, but in each case, all the students were engaged. They also saw me model fluency, accuracy, thinking aloud, and most importantly a love and joy for reading.
In kindergarten, my students love to be detectives. They help find certain letters, like a k for kindergarten or the first letter of their name as we read. They also feel like big kid smarty pants when they can help their teacher, “who forgot” which way to move across the lines while reading.
Decodables for the Whole Group in First and Second Grade
In first and second grade, I use those lower grade texts, and students feel so smart when they are able to help me read tricky words and answer questions based on what we have read. In all situations, it’s a win-win for the kiddos in my class, as well as for me as a teacher!
You can grab great decodable passages in soooo many places these days, but I would LOVE to share mine with you! I have FOUR levels of passages in my tpt store– and a money-saving bundle where you can grab them all at one time! And yes!!! This includes level four! I know you have all been waiting on this one!
Just click below to check them ALL out!
And if you want decodable passages and readers— I got you there too! My Mega Bundle of Decodable Readers and Passages will save you the most- but if you just need a certain level, I have those smaller bundles for you too!
Let me know if you try any of these tips for decodables during the back to school season OR if I can help you in any way!
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