Decodable Books vs. Levelled Readers
Apr 26, 2023
As parents, we all want our children to be successful readers. However, it can be confusing to navigate the different types of books that schools send home. You may have heard of decodable books and levelled readers, but what is the difference, and why is it important for your child's reading development?
Let's start with decodable books. These books are specifically designed for beginning or struggling readers. Decodable books contain only the letter/letter combinations that the child knows, so they can read the book with 100% success. This is because the book is written using phonics, which means the child can sound out the words and blend the sounds together to read the words on the page.
Think of decodable books like training wheels for a bike. Just like how training wheels help a child learn to balance and ride a bike, decodable books help a child learn to read by providing them with a text that they can read independently. As the child becomes more confident and proficient, they will no longer need the training wheels, or in this case, the decodable books.
On the other hand, levelled readers are books that are organised based on a child's 'reading level'. These books are not designed to be decodable, meaning they may contain words that the child has not yet learned. These books promote the '3 cueing system'.
The three cueing system is part of the whole language approach to teaching reading and can be harmful for young developing readers as it promotes negative reading habits such as guessing, rather than decoding and learning what words actually say. As guessing is not an effective reading strategy, and the words guessed are often wrong, the child doesn't learn how to read the word at all and by making guesses they misunderstand the meaning of the text producing low comprehension skills.
The three cues to avoid are:
1. Look at the picture to work out the word.
2. Look at the first letter, guess what it might say.
3. What word might fit there based on the story context. 
Levelled readers are to be avoided for struggling or beginning readers.
So, why is it important for children to read decodable books? Well, reading decodable books helps children develop their phonics skills, which are crucial for learning to read. By reading books that contain only the letter/letter combinations they know, children are able to build their confidence and fluency, which will help them tackle more complex texts in the future.
As parents, you can support your child's reading development by asking their teacher about decodable books and making sure your child has access to them. You can also help your child practice their phonics skills by reading appropriate decodable books together and sounding out the words together. Make sure the decodable only contains the elements of text that your child can read.
Love & nerdy literacy vibes,
Kristy xo
Are you following along with us on Instagram?
Want to know how to help your child thrive with their literacy skills?
As parents, we can make a massive difference to how our child develops with their reading. Click below to find out more about how we empower you with the knowledge on how to do that.
Join the waitlist to stay up to date on when Step into Literacy opens again.
