Decodable passages: what to look for
Updated
A decodable passage is a short text your students can read using the letter-sound patterns you've already taught them, plus a few high-frequency words they've already learned. The point is practice with what they know, so they read by sounding out rather than guessing from pictures or context.
That means "decodable" depends on your students. A passage full of short vowel words is decodable for a class that has learned short vowels and not for one that hasn't started them. A passage is only decodable when it matches your sequence.
How to check a passage against what you've taught
- List what your students know. Write down the patterns and the high-frequency words you've taught so far.
- Read the passage as one of your students. Mark every word that uses a pattern from your list, every taught high-frequency word, and every word left over.
- Count the leftovers. A word or two you can pre-teach is fine. If many words use patterns you haven't taught, save the passage for later in the year.
What a useful passage page includes
- The target pattern, named. "Short a, CVC words" or "silent e" tells you right away where it fits.
- A word list. The decodable words and the high-frequency words, so you can preview them before students read.
- A comprehension question or two. Decoding is the goal, but students should still understand what they read.
- Print that's easy to read. Clear font, plenty of space between lines, and no clip art crowding the words.
- More than one version, such as a shorter passage or a highlighted copy, if you teach a wide range of readers.
Free or paid?
Plenty of teachers share good decodable passages for free, and plenty of paid sets are worth it because they follow a full sequence and save you the checking. Either way, check the license before you share a passage with your team. The guide to free phonics resources covers what to look for.
Where to find them
The phonics and phonological awareness section lists resources from teachers on Honor System, and the free resources page shows only the free ones. If your school uses a published phonics program, the programs page groups resources by the lesson they go with.