A very exciting package arrived at school this week - our new decodable readers from Decodable Readers Australia!
As a school, we have been working on further developing our knowledge and skills in teaching reading over the past three years. This has included in engaging in research and professional learning that focuses on the 5 elements of reading -
Phonemic Awareness | The ability to identify and manipulate the distinct individual sounds in spoken words |
Phonics | The ability to decode words using knowledge of letter-sound relationships |
Fluency | Reading with speed and accuracy |
Vocabulary | Knowing the meaning of a wide variety of words and the structure of written language |
Comprehension | Understanding the meaning and intent of the text |
These components should be taught explicitly, systematically and sequentially. if you would like to learn more about effective reading instruction, CESE have a very comprehensive publication that explains the 5 elements in greater detail.
https://www.cese.nsw.gov.au//images/stories/PDF/Effective_Reading_Instruction_AA.pdf
Decodable readers are texts that contain specific knowledge which the students have been taught. This knowledge consists of phonics (letter-sound code), the blending strategy and eventually irregular, high frequency words often known as tricky words. Students are able to use taught decoding skills to work unknown words, rather than using other cues that encourage guessing.
Over the past three years we have spent much of our time looking at the first three components and have purchased the decodable readers as a essential resource to support our practice. We feel this is going to help us pull all the pieces together and allow the students to better apply what they have been learning in phonemic awareness and phonics lessons when reading complete texts.
We thank the fundraising efforts of our community and generosity of the P&C for funding half the cost of this reading set. Thank you!
Lisa Hughes
Principal