What is "Decoding?"Decoding is the ability to apply your knowledge of letter-sound relationships, including knowledge of letter patterns, to correctly pronounce written words. Understanding these relationships gives students the ability to recognize familiar words quickly and to figure out words they haven't seen before. Although students may sometimes figure out some of these relationships on their own, most children benefit from explicit instruction in this area. Phonics is one approach to reading instruction that teaches students the principles of letter-sound relationships, how to sound out words, and exceptions to the principles.
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Mini-Lessons/Interventions for DecodingClick here for a sample of reading mini-lessons on decoding from Jennifer Serravallo's book, Reading Strategies. I highly recommend this book! (Must have an AISD login to access the excerpt; you may have to download for hyperlinks to work.)
Also, check out the "Fix-Up Strategies" page for strategies for decoding words or phrases, and when to use them. |
How to Assess for Decoding:
The above SBG rubric is a good starting point to figure out which students are struggling with decoding. From that point, use a formal Decoding Assessment, such as this one from CORE, which has assessment K-11 to determine which specific areas of decoding a student is struggling with. If they don't perform at grade level on this assessment, try this phonics survey.
* NOTE: If a student is at this level in a secondary classroom, contact your AISD MTSS team.
* NOTE: If a student is at this level in a secondary classroom, contact your AISD MTSS team.
What this feels/looks like:A student's perspective: What this feels like to me
Students will usually express their frustration and difficulties in a general way, with statements like "I hate reading!" or "This is stupid!". But if they could, this is how kids might describe how word decoding and phonics difficulties affect their reading:
Here are some clues for parents that a child may have problems with word decoding and phonics:
Here are some clues for teachers that a student may have problems with word decoding and phonics:
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How to HelpWhat students can do to help themselves
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