In this episode, Katie and Kevin welcome a kindergarten teacher from Orchard View Early Elementary, to explore the purpose of decodable texts and how to make them a meaningful part of classroom instruction. Amber shares practical strategies for introducing decodables, organizing student book bins, building partner-reading routines, and fostering independence in young readers.
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I've noticed that the kids feel more confident. They're going to those decodables first, even if they're not even able to read the whole decodable. They're pulling pieces out. That's just further helping them become more independent. Before, when I first started, like silence was golden. If it was silent, the kids were engaged doing what they're supposed to do. Well, that's not true. Noise-you can hear exactly what they're doing. Are they engaged? Are they? Are they getting it? Are they struggling?
Welcome back to Fuel Up, a place for conversations with and for those using EL education as a resource to support K5 literacy learning. We are so excited to have you with us for this week's episode. Today we zoom in on the topic of decodables. We hope today's talk serves as a pit stop, a chance to swing by for some fresh energy, insights, encouragement, and celebration as we work together to do what's best for our learners. This is a chance to fuel up. So wherever this finds you today, we hope you are able to pull over, take a breath, and crank it up. And in that spirit, here we go. Episode 21 coming at you today. Last time we talked about classroom libraries, and today we build on that topic and talk about decodables. What are they? Why use them? And some hints and tricks and things you might consider as you use those in your classroom. Katie, I don't remember decodables when I was younger, you know, as I think about the 20 years I taught in the classroom, I don't remember hearing about decodables either. I don't think I heard about decodables until I took this job as a literacy coach. Like, what about you?
I 100% agree. I don't remember them when I was in school, and I taught first grade, and that was not something I used or had heard of until, similar to you, I became a literacy coach. Yeah, and now I'm very familiar with them, but that was not my experience.
Yeah, if I think back to myself being a student, I remember being in like I think it was like the Blue Jays or the Robins. Yeah, that's what I remember.
I really cannot remember any choice reading, any decodables. Just everyone read one story.
Okay, so today one of our goals is going to be let's define what a decodable is because there may be some of our listeners who have heard decodable, but maybe they're not using them either, and I'm sure we have listeners who are using them all the time. So to get us all on the same page, let's stop for a minute and just define what a decodable is. Here we go. A decodable is an early reading text that contains a high percentage of words with phonetic patterns, these phonics skills that have been explicitly taught, and it's all about practicing. These are books where learners get the chance to practice the skills that they've been learning about in class. There is not a skill that's going to be in this decodable that they haven't been explicitly taught. So that's what a decodable is, Katie. Say that in a simpler way.
I was just thinking when you were saying that a decodable book is decodable, right? Right. So when I'm thinking about a decodable book, if I'm working on the short A pattern, it might be the rat sat. I've already taught the as a high frequency word, and then I've taught cat and rat. Right. So it's the patterns that the kids can. We've taught them, and now they're seeing them in a book.
Yeah, a book where learners can practice their decoding and feel successful due to the fact that it includes mostly letter patterns and phonics skills that have been explicitly taught, this would be different than a leveled book. A leveled book would be grouped by general text difficulty, like sentence length or the amount of words in the book, and it often mixes the untaught phonics patterns and some irregular sight words, and definitely has heavy picture support. As we think about that, current research has some things to say about decodables. So let's take a minute to get grounded. Katie, what are a few of the highlights that research has to say about decodables?
Yes, so there's actually a lot of research out right now around decodables and the positive effect they have on students in their reading. Today, we're going to lean into the essential practices. We talked about this in the last episode. They are 10 essential practices that we have in Michigan, and the specific one today is essential number five, which is explicit instruction in letter sound in sound letter relationships, and that bullet is going to be instruction in letter sound relationships is accompanied by opportunities to apply the knowledge of the letter-sound relationship taught by reading books or other connected text that include those relationships. For example, text in which most of the words are decodable based on what children have learned up to that point in the scope and sequence. In addition to being written with attention to other factors such as engageness and the extent to which the reader is likely to be able to create a mental image associated with the meaning of the word, so that says a lot. But there is tons of research around it. But really, what you said earlier, Kevin, is that these decodables are meant to support what phonic skill is being taught in the classroom.
Makes me think of a book study we did at school a couple years ago from Dr. Julia Lindsay's book, Reading Above the Fray. She adds some additional research around decodables. Two bullets. First, it says research supports the value of reading decodable text. Number one, because readers are likely to be more accurate, rely less on the teacher, and apply the phonics more frequently. That's from Mesmer in 2005. And the second piece of research she quotes talks about decodables, and it says early exposure to decodable text may help children rely more on decoding and less on guessing. That's from Jewel and Roper Schneider in 1985. So those are just some extra pieces of research that add to what you said in the essentials.
Yeah, there's so many good points out there around decodables,
and it's all about the word practice. These books give kids the opportunity to practice the skills and use the skills that they're learning in class.
Yeah, it's that exposure and repetition.
Okay, now that we are grounded, we are so excited to invite our guests to the table today. This educator is one of a kind. Her classroom is a well-oiled machine, and she is always willing to jump in and try something new if it might benefit the learners in her classroom. A big welcome to Amber McMullen. Hi, Amber.
Hello.
Amber teaches kindergarten at Orchard U Early Elementary. Amber, it's good to have you at the table today.
Thank you. I'm glad to be here.
Well, as always, when we invite a guest, we like to get started with some fun questions to get us fueled up. Katie, the mic is yours.
All right, this is my favorite question. What is your go-to snack or drink to fuel you up and get you moving? Okay, well, depending on the time of day, in the morning I always have a banana and some coffee, and then the afternoon I have popcorns white cheddar.
Ooh, I discovered popcorns so good, and they are so good. I don't even know what those
are. Oh,
popcorn! No, no,
it's almost like rice cakes, but they're like chip form, and they're so good. They are like
popcorners,
pop corners, and there's different flavors. Okay, but my go-to is white cheddar.
White cheddar is a good one, and kettle corn is also yes.
If you want toxic tender,
noted. It is added to the grocery list. All right, Amber. Next question: What song would you crank up to the max to fuel you up and launch your day?
I don't have a particular song, but an artist that I'm really into lately is Teddy Swims.
Okay,
I can listen to his voice all day long, but one that is popular right now is the door. Okay, so it's light and upbeat, and so yeah, anything Teddy swims just
Teddy swims the door and anything upbeat, man, that gets you fueled up in the morning. I'm gonna I'm gonna find that on my music app, and that is my drive home today.
I wouldn't say that might be my drive to work tomorrow. Yeah, might be that. And that's our second song for our playlist. Right,
two for the season.
Two, yeah, that's a good one. All
right, Teddy swims and the door. Well, now that we are fueled up, we are ready to get into our. Topic for today, and it is all around decodables. And Amber, as we invite you to the table, speak into the conversation Katie and I had earlier. We were sharing about when we heard about decodables for the very first time, and I guess before that, you've been teaching how many years?
This is my 19th. 19th year,
and you've had a balance of preschool and kindergarten, right?
Correct. What started? I started in preschool.
Preschool for how many years?
Eight and a half ish.
Eight and a half ish, and then
transitioned to kindergarten.
Kindergarten about 11 years. So, as you think about that span, preschool and kindergarten, when was the first time you heard about decodables?
When I transitioned into kindergarten, I attended a readers and writers workshop and heard about decodables for the first time.
So you heard about it in a training, yes. And is it was in the context of readers and writers workshop?
Yes.
Do you remember how they define a decodable?
I don't remember the definition, but I just remember them more being so as leveled readers, and the kids would have their level, and based upon that level, they would have books to practice within that skill set.
So it was called a decodable, but it was connected to a level, and do you remember what the words looked like inside?
They were very repetitious, a lot of high. Well, some high frequency words. Yep. So if students didn't know what those words were, then they were going to essentially fail in that level or not be able to go to the next level because they weren't able to decode the book to move on.
Yeah, a lot of those early books had heavy high frequency words, and in some cases were like pattern books. It was like yes, like
I like the ball, I like to jump. Yes, yes, a lot of repetition and just memorization.
Right. Kids just learn to memorize those books, and if they didn't know, if you watch their eyes,
they typically
turn to the pictures.
The pictures. Yes. Or they look at the ceiling, or they look at your forehead because they're memorized it, and they're and teachers
would often say, "Look at the picture to be able to. Yes,
right. Makes me think about another book that we spent time in, and this is Shifting the Balance by Jan Birkins and Carrie Yates, and they talk a little bit about these pattern books. Here's one quote. It says, "Beginning readers are forming a hypothesis about how reading works, and without aligned text slash decodables, readers are at the risk of formulating the misguided hypothesis that reading is simply using the pictures and maybe a few letters to infer the words, and worse yet, can begin to think that reading is really just memorizing the text, and I think that's what a lot of us encouraged to do years ago, especially with these early readers.
Absolutely. So thinking about that and memorizing, I have early readers in our house, two kindergartners that are just starting to be readers, and they brought home a pattern book the other day, and my son goes, "I can read this. And he was reading it, but he was looking at the ceiling. Sam can paint. Sam can jump. And then the other day, he went to get it back out to read it to me. He was like, "Mom, I forgot what those words said. Like, you sure did. We're gonna get some decodables to support that, but it was just a good reminder of what you know pattern books are, and they're not designed for that decoding skill.
Yeah, he's excited about books, and that is a good thing.
Yes,
and as we build readers, we definitely want their eyes on the letters and the words, and not the pictures. So, Amber, you teach kindergarten. I do, and we use Yale Education and Skills Block. We're in a edition 2024, the second edition, and decodables are part of that resource. Every time there is a new skill or new cycle that's introduced, there's an accompanying decodable that goes with that, and so that's exciting to have that as part of a resource. And so think for a minute as you've used SkillsMach over the years, and there's a new skill that's introduced, and a decodable comes along with that. What does that look like to introduce a decodable in kindergarten.
So on Monday we start with a new skill that we're going to be working on for the entire week. Yep. And at the end of that lesson we have the decodable. So I show that to the kids, and then they will get their own copy, and we will utilize that the whole week. And then after it is introduced, and we finish with it for that week, then it will go into their personal book bin.
So that decodable is introduced in a whole group, and we can talk a little bit deeper about the intention that you put behind that. But at the end of that week, that book ends up going into like a book bag into a book box that's housed there for the weeks to come, and we can circle back later to talk about how you design your book box. But let's stay on this idea of introducing a decodable. As you think about the week and how that week unfolds, what are some of the routines that are used in kindergarten to support students in the introduction of this decodable.
So for kindergarten, we're a little bit different with our cycles. The first half of the cycles is all about letters and letter sound relationships. So when they have a decodable on Mondays, we will review the letters that we previously learned about and reviewed those, and in their decodable for the week, they will have the new letters, and then on Tuesday they will, with me, do a beginning sound match, and within the book. And then on Wednesday we do the end sound match. On Thursdays we do the medial sound, and then on Fridays it's independent reading. So it's progressively going through all the book, and then we, when we get to Friday, they will be familiar with it all the way through, and then they can enjoy that on their own while I'm kind of watching and checking and seeing how the kids are doing individually.
So they're really immersed in it throughout the week in a very scaffolded way with support for those four days with you.
Yes. Then switching to the second half of the cycles on Monday we have a pattern search, so we search for that pattern that we're learning for the week. Yep. On Tuesday they independent read on their own. On Wednesday we'll echo read on Thursday. Will choral read, and then on Fridays they read for enjoyment. So I'm listening for that fluency piece, along with just watching how the kids are engaging with each other and with the books. And yeah, it's fun to see them learn and grow and progress as the as we get deeper into the cycles throughout the school year,
and that fluency routine is built in. So when we get in the older grades, that is what they do. They build fluency by reading it together, by choral reading, by echo reading, independent reading. So I love that that's already built in in that second half of the year for you guys,
yeah, and the first half is exciting too. You know, to have sometimes we think we need to know all the letters in order to get into practicing in a decodable. And you know, Yale's been intentional in some of with the updates and the beginning cycles in kindergarten that they're building fluency just with letter names and letter sounds too to support the work of taking those letter sounds, and now I'm going to start blending them together into some CVC words. That's been kind of exciting to incorporate into kindergarten at the beginning.
Yeah, the light bulbs when they go off in their brains-it's just-it's really cool to see.
Permission to say another quote.
Permission granted.
Okay, this is also from shifting the balance, and it makes me think about some of the routines that y'all are intentional about in kindergarten. It says maximizing orthographic learning opportunities from the start requires text that will give children reasons to slow down and look closely at the print, even if this makes them sound less skilled for a little while. That quote in the book is from Doctor and Cold Heart from 1980 and Harm in Seidenberg from 2004. But made me think about the value of putting the decodables in front of them earlier after you've you know, we've introduced the skill, allowing them to get messy with it. It's not when we've read it aloud 100 times and now they're just doing it from memory, right? Like we introduce it, and then some of that independent reading was even at the beginning of the week because they you've introduced it and modeled some things. Now it's like you know we're just going to get a little messy, and it's going to force your eyes to get right on this letter or a couple of these letters, and to slow down and really think about it, and begin to put some of these decoding skills into practice. And you know what? Sometimes that's a little tough and messy, but that is the work of getting our eyes on print and try and putting some of these skills into practice,
and it's building that brain muscle, right? We talked about that in an episode last season about the older grades. The kindergarten we are building their brain muscle. It's it's hard work, and I also think it gives them engagement. They're engaged in the learning because they know they're going to be. Readers, especially early in the year, right? And I love the light bulbs when they go on. Like I was able to be a reader. I read that. Hey,
listen, kindergarteners have brain muscles too.
They sure do. They can
do it.
They can do it. So we talked about how you introduce a decodable, but how do you integrate decodables into student reading time.
So the particular book that we're working for that week, I will hold on to. But the following week, when we're doing a new skill, they'll get that book and put into their book bins because they've had lots of time and practice within our our time together, where they are familiar with it, and then it's there for them to utilize over the next few weeks.
So they spend a week with you, learning, immersed in those, building the skills, and looking for the patterns. And then that following week, it goes into their book box for independent reading practice.
Yes, or with partners.
So partner reading and independent practice, and you build those routines in throughout the week. Oh yes.
So kids get multiple opportunities, not just with you, but in the weeks following to just really build a fluency in the practice with that book. Can we pause for a minute? You talked about with Katie, like taking the decodable and putting it into their book bin. Walk us into your room. We're standing in front of your classroom library or wherever you hold these student book bins. Describe to us what does a kindergarten book bin in mrs. McMullen's class look like?
So it is a bin essentially that gets housed in an organizational way, so all the kids know exactly where theirs go, and it has choice books in there, and then also has decodables in there, and their decodables are put into a zipper mesh bag. I used to use Ziploc bags, but that's really hard for kindergartners to open and close those. So now they have a bag with a zipper, and all of those decodables go in there. And when it's time for them to look at their books and read, they are to read their decodables first. And then after they read their decodables, sometimes they can have like eight or so books in there. So I only give them like three or four. Like we have to build up the stamina.
Yep.
But after they read that set number, then they could either look at their choice books or read more decodables. But the decodables always come first.
So you have in their book box their decodables are in there, but then they're also book shopping for interest space books as well.
Yes, yep, and they have an assigned day, so they know exactly what day they're going to shop for their new books, but their decodables are always in there, so they keep those in their book bins.
This reminds me of our episode last week about balanced book boxes. Yes, those decodables are really those low lift, right? Because they're able to decode them, and they practice with you. And then those choice books are more the heavy or medium lift, depending. But they're motivated to read them, I'm sure.
Yes, and it's based off their interest too, so that makes that even a higher engagement.
Absolutely.
Yes, and just side note: like your library is beautiful, and it's such a complement to our conversation, like you said, with Stephanie just a week or two ago, yours is organized the same way by genre and topic that it can be the same in kindergarten, and they get to do some book shopping to put their their their choice books in there for engagement and interest. And you know what my hunch is that there are books in that book, Ben, that kindergartners can't read all the words. 100% and that's okay. Yeah, because we're building their their concepts at print, how a book works. We're building their enthusiasm and their engagement about topics they like, and we are also giving them practice with decoding, because you're intentional to put those decodables in a ziplock bag and say, "Listen, we've been working on these. This is your like treasure chest of books you can read, and so you're going to open that up, and you're going to read three today, and then you get to continue into your book box with your choices.
Yes, such a smart
move. Have you always done your book boxes like that?
I have not.
What have you noticed since you switched?
I've noticed that the kids feel more confident because they're going to those decodables first, even if they're not even able to read the whole decodable. Yeah, they're pulling pieces out. That's just further helping them become more independent. And then they are noticing in their choice books, "Hey, I can read this word because they're decoding it, or they see the high frequency word. So, just giving them that confidence and more independence, so when I'm not available, they are able to do things more on their own with a longer span of time.
That echoes that piece of research from reading about the fray that talked about the use of decodables really encourages students to rely less on the teacher, and you've. That where they're relying less on you when during this independent reading time.
You were also talking about when they read, they read independently, but they also do partner reading.
Yes.
What does that look like in kindergarten? I know some of our listeners are probably like, "Wow, kindergarteners do partner reading. Like that's amazing. What does that look like in your room?
Well, it's very messy to begin with, but I had an awesome person come in my room, and he walked me through partner reading, and I was a little nervous and thinking this was not going to work, but I dove in, and I was pleasantly surprised. So we have these little folders, or I guess sleeves that have the partner reading options for the kids, and they will choose a partner. Sometimes it is organized where I have partners together. It just depends on the group of kids that I have, or they they choose their partner. And there's always two non-negotiables where they are sitting side by side, and they have their fingers ready, and they move these little Velcro pieces over on their sleeve to show that they have completed those tasks, and then they choose whether they're going to coral read or echo read, I read, you read, and we start in the beginning of kindergarten just using one of those because we need to really learn what those are, and then as the school year moves forward, we will add those other pieces too. But just watching the kids work side by side together and encourage one another and really dive into those books and work on those skills. It's been it's been an awesome addition into my classroom.
I love that, and I love that you mentioned it gets a little messy in my hunches. It might get a little loud,
a little bit, which is something that I've had to let go of in the last few years.
But they're doing work, right? You can hear them decoding those words, and they're not talking about recess. So it's that good learning noise that's happening.
And you you talked about the routine that kids do, and they have this this sleeve or this folder that guides the work. And the first two things you said are there's some accountability of how you're sitting, like you're sitting side by side,
yes,
and you're engaged with your partner. And number two, your fingers are ready. And what we're celebrating about that is we can be the most equipped with the greatest knowledge about how to decode and all the tools from the decodables. But if we don't have the routines and structures in place to make that happen smoothly, it becomes a headache. And you've seen the interaction between the great learning routines and having a great organized system in place and teaching kids how to do that, which allows kindergartners to partner read. And you don't even have to be there because the tool itself, by the fact that they're moving over these routines, guides their learning, which is so smart. Because sometimes, like you said, kindergarteners partner reading-how is that supposed to happen? And Amber's not even there. She's sitting at her table running a small group, and kindergarteners are monitoring their behavior with this folder or a sleeve, which is so smart.
Yeah, it's amazing, and I think there's some other teachers that don't teach kindergarten that are gonna be like, wait, what? Right, that's an amazing thing to try because partner reading it can get loud, but the benefits to it, I think you've spoken to, are really amazing for our learners.
Yeah, and just them taking ownership, and they love to be in charge of things. So giving them a little piece of something they're in charge of really also helps grow that independence and the stamina, along with practicing the skills that we're working on.
I love that you said that. That's at the heart of it: practicing the skills we're working on. This isn't find a partner and explore an I Spy book, or find a partner and explore a great picture book. And yeah, there's probably appropriate times for that. This is find a partner and decode. Practice the skill you've been working on. Eyes fingers on the letters. Eyes on the letters. Decode. I'm going to decode. You're going to echo and decode after me. And this isn't like just handing them a book. You've already introduced this. This is about building their fluency and their automaticity with it. And we're being successful because this book we've read like five times already. So I can do it with a partner, and it does free you up to go work at your table because these are books that kids are familiar with. They're just becoming more fluent with it and supporting. Maybe a learner who still has some areas to grow in fluency. What have you noticed about partner reading as you've stepped back and just kind of watched it? You said this is kind of a new thing. Like, what have you noticed?
I've noticed kids challenging themselves more and taking steps to even though I might not know how to do this, I'm going to do hard things, and my partner can help me, and they can work side by side and together, and they build each other up, and they cheer each other on. And sometimes they like working with the same partner. Sometimes they go off and show their skills to another another partner in the room. So it's just the independence is is wild. How how fast they can become independent and not need me so much, but utilize their classmates.
Yeah, you've also increased the engagement and brought in other tools to like get kids' eyes on the words with these Wonderful, colorful, playful glasses. Talk to us about that.
So that was a fun little addition. Also, when I started partner reading, they are from Amazon and they are glasses without lenses, so you don't have to worry about that. But the kids were able to choose the color that they wanted, and those went into their decodable bags, and every time that they were partner reading or reading their decodables on their own, they would put on those glasses, and it just helped them feel more powerful that they could read and they could stay with reading their decodables, and it just was just a little extra touch that helped them, and they're very proud of them.
How fun, right? Like learning should be fun, like always. But especially with our little five-year-olds that are just being immersed in this, so how fun to let them pick some glasses, their reading glasses, right? I love that. That's such a fun small hint or tip trick.
Our power glasses to get our eyes on the letters. Let's go. Yeah, it is so fun to walk into your classroom and see kids in partners sitting side by side with their decodables open, and they've got their glasses on and their fingers ready, and they're just working their tails off trying to decode these these small little CVC words. It is a blast, job well done.
So, Amber, you've been teaching, you've taught leveled books, and now interest based and decodables and non decodables. So, over the years, what have you noticed about yourself now that you have a true decodable?
So, the biggest thing is to embrace the noise.
Ooh,
oh, I like that. That's a tough one. It's a very tough
one. And because before, when I first started, like silence was golden. Like if it was silent, the kids were engaged doing what they're supposed to do. Well, that's not true. And so the noise you can hear exactly what they're doing. Are they engaged? Are they are they getting it? Are they struggling? Are they working well with a partner? And I could be listening while I'm doing a small group. So the noise has been was hard at first. Not going to lie, it was hard. But just teaching those expectations and embracing it.
There's learning noise, and then there's off-task noise, and you're experiencing a learning noise. Yeah, I'm sure there's some off-task noise mixed for sure. Because classrooms are normal. Yeah, but the learning noise-that's good. We want kids who are learning to code to be able to hear themselves as they decode and get messy and work through some of those things, and that's what's so respectful about the work you do in your classroom. Is you're like, you know what? I am super uncomfortable with this, and I'm doing it anyway. I'm going to embrace the noise.
Exactly.
And look what happened. How do you feel about today?
I feel good about it. I still feel like I could do better and not cringe. I guess it's maybe not the best word, but like sometimes you're just like, oh, it's so loud in here, but it's it's really not. It's just more of my perception, and I need to let go of that and just again embrace it and let them let them go.
Well, Amber, it is so good to have you at the table today. And as we wrap up this conversation about decodables, if you could invite listeners to be mindful about one thing when thinking about decodables and their classroom, what small step would you invite them to consider
probably the bag the bag for decodables to house those in, so they have first you're going to do your decodables and then you have your choice books, and then also again embrace the noise and let them read out loud, let them work with a partner. Be a little messy, because true learning-you're going to hear that.
Yes,
over the silence.
Great advice.
Organization, how you organize your book box, and the healthy noise that comes from learning. Embrace it. Good stuff. There you go. Two small steps to consider over the next few weeks as you get back into the work. And as we close up this episode, we hope you are leaving encouraged, inspired, and re-energized for the weeks ahead. And we're going to close things off today with high fives and hitchhikers. Here's the cool thing: we have the power to re-energize and refuel those around us. So find a colleague. It could be the person next door. It could be the person across the hall. Maybe it's in another grade. Find that colleague and give them a high five. Tell them you got this. Remind them you're a rock star, and pick them up as a hitchhiker. Invite them to join the conversation and take a seat with us at the table. All the best to you, and see you next time on Fuel Up.