Decodable First Reading Books

To maximise gains in the early reading phase, students require access to high quality reading books. Quality early reading materials will facilitate the opportunity for students to rehearse their decoding skills in a context that gradually increases in complexity and length. Within the designed book lists, sight words and phonic concepts are progressively introduced.

The PLD book sets are modern and engaging while being decodable. What are decodable readers? Decodable readers present text that can be read using the decoding skills that have been acquired. Hence decodable reading material should be presented in conjunction with a structured synthetic phonics approach. Students are then able to practice in the context of reading, the phonic concepts that have been taught explicitly and systematically. Decodable readers typically should be viewed as a short-term resource, until students develop fluency and word attack skills. Read more on decodable reading material HERE.

The recommended reading books have been organised into sets of take home readers and in-class multiple copy sets to facilitate guided reading and repeated reading. The books have been selected for the junior primary and when students are first learning to read. However, the books can be presented to older students who are slow to progress within other reading schemes.

The books are designed to run alongside an evidence-based structured synthetic phonics program. Research repeatedly reports that the gains are greatest from the initial years of schooling when students are first learning to read. In terms of allocating reading books, tracking the progress within each school term, the Early Reading Profiles are recommended.

• The Foundation version of the screen can be found HERE
• The Year 1 and 2 version of the screen can be found HERE

The books are supplied with identification labels to assist with storage and organization. The books, which are available only in sets and cannot be purchased as individual copies.

These book-lists are provided as cost-effective options for schools to modernise their early reading material and to achieve a positive start to reading for the students in their care.

• Home reader Set 1 and  Guided Reading Books Set 1  are ideal for semester one in Foundation (Prep. in QLD,/Vic/Tas, Kindergarten in NSW/ACT, Transition in NT and PrePrimary WA)
• Home reader Set 2 and Guided Reading Books Set 2  are ideal for semester two in Foundation (Prep. in QLD,/Vic/Tas, Kindergarten in NSW/ACT, Transition in NT and PrePrimary WA)
• Home Reader Set 3 is ideal for semester one Year 1.
• Home Reader Set 4 is ideal for semester two Year 1.

It is also true that a proportion of students will require decodable reading material for longer than others. This group of students may have presented at school with speech and/or language delays. These students may have had a history of multiple ear infections. They may have family members who have experienced literacy and learning difficulties (and hence present with a genetic predisposition to literacy difficulties). Alternatively there may be other reasons why additional structured reading material is necessary. In addition to the four general sets of decodable reading material for the initial two years of learning to read. Some students however (for reasons such as those listed) may require additional decodable reading material before progressing to higher levels. The only way to achieve this, is by supplementing with additional reading series. For this reason, three additional reading book sets have been sourced.

If students have read all of Home Readers Set 1 the additional set of 20 Home Reader Further Practise Set 1 may be appropriate. They are also suitable for students who are still acquiring accuracy and automaticity at an Exercise 2 level on the PLD Early Reading Profile.

Or additional reading on the introduction of decodable reading books into the initial years of reading the following recommended readings have been provided: