Decodable Books BLENDS Decode and Draw Series | Printable Classroom Resource | Miss DeCarbo

Are you in need of decodable books for students? This is a set of TEN decodable books that focus on blends (initial blends, final blends, mixed initial and final blends, three letter blends, and digraph blends). Your students will love being the readers AND the illustrators of these adorable decodables! The format of these books require students to focus on what we want them to focus on- the graphemes on the page- not the pictures, as they decode and construct meaning with the text.

Click here to check out the preview file.

Teachers who have embarked on a journey into the science of reading are making exciting, positive changes within their classrooms! As a fellow lifelong learner, I applaud your bravery and courage to continue to seek out resources and instructional strategies that will best meet the needs of the readers within your classroom. Moving away from instructional strategies and materials that utilize the three-cueing systems is a vital step teachers need to take in order to put the science of reading research into practice.

As a reading teacher and literacy coach, I have a lot of students who come to me with a habit of relying heavily on pictures to decode unknown words. While pictures are certainly important in books, I found myself covering them up so that students would stop guessing unknown words! When it comes to learning how to read, we want students to focus on connecting their understanding of sounds to the written letters on the page in order to decipher unknown words.

With this need in mind, the decode and draw series was born! These simple, short, easy-to-assemble, printable books help students concentrate on the words first. After they practice reading the text, they can illustrate each page within the book. The final page of each book contains word work practice. The result is an interactive decodable book that boosts word recognition, comprehension, fluency, and word mapping skills. I hope you and your students enjoy these books just as much as mine have!

"Tell me more about these decodable books. What makes them different than typical decodable books?"

Each of the ten decodable books contains five pages of controlled text. The following books are found within this set of books:

• Three books with a focus on initial blends
• Three books with a focus on final blends
• Two books with a focus on initial and final blends
• One book with 3 letter blends
• One book with digraph blends

The text in these books are controlled. The only patterns or sounds you will find in the books are words with the current phonics focus, or words already introduced in my previously released Decode & Draw Series:

CVC WORDS

DIGRAPHS

FLOSS WORDS, SUFFIX -S, SUFFIX -ES

The final page (which is on the back of each book) contains a word work component. Students will say each picture and touch the sound boxes to tap out the sounds in the words. Students will then spell and write the words on the lines.

The word mapping page follows the targeted phonics skill that the book featured. The word work page helps students make the connection between reading the words and writing the words with the targeted phonics skill. An answer key is located on the back of each book, for teacher-reference.

Who are these books for?

Use these decodables with any student who is ready to begin blending and reading closed, one-syllable words with initial and final blends.

When and how can I best use these decodable books in my classroom?

These books can be used at the small group table, as a whole-group phonics activity while reading each page together, or as independent work. Personally, it is the independent practice that I struggle with this year in my classroom. Finding independent work that is meaningful can be challenging. These books are PERFECT for this! After your students have started practicing digraphs with you explicitly, they can apply their reading skills by reading and illustrating one page at a time. Being able to check their picture on each page provides you with comprehension accountability and the perfect way to jump into a discussion with students.

Are the books difficult to assemble?
One of my biggest hurdles as a teacher is TIME! (Raises hand) Fellow reading teacher, here! I get it. One of the reasons I don't use the printable decodable books on some other commercial websites is because I cannot figure them out ha! I've made these books super simple to put together, and they are all printer-friendly. They don't even use a lot of ink because your students are the ones who will become the illustrators of these books! Talk about ownership and meaningful reading!

Will there be more books to come in this new series?

Yes! I will be adding more books to this series throughout the remainder of this year and into the summer of 2023. You can stay updated on additions to my shop by following me on Instagram at @missdecarbo or by subscribing to the email list on my website, www.missdecarbo.com

I hope you love this new reading resource as much as I do!

Miss DeCarbo

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