Struggling readers in grades 3-12 often feel left behind when it comes to practicing foundational reading skills. Traditional decodable books, geared towards younger children, can be unappealing and lack the complexity needed for older students.
Storyshares offers a revolutionary solution: the Storyshares Decodable Library. This library boasts 110 engaging decodable texts across 3 series, specifically designed to capture the interest of pre-teens and teenagers.
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Engagement: The Secret Sauce
Unlike typical decodables, Storyshares prioritizes student engagement. Here's how:
- Chapter Book Look and Feel: Forget picture books! Storyshares decodables look and feel like real Young Adult chapter books, eliminating stigma and boosting interest.
- Eye-Catching Visuals: Real photographs and captivating graphics make Storyshares stand out. These elements keep students interested, regardless of their grade level.
- Diverse & Relatable Characters: Our stories feature culturally inclusive characters relevant to older students, ensuring kids see themselves reflected on the page. Additionally, Storyshares utilizes authors and educators from diverse backgrounds, bringing authenticity to the characters and cultures portrayed.
- Intriguing Themes: Ditch the "tug boats and red caps" stories! Storyshares tackles relatable topics for pre-teens and teens. Students delve into the subjects that interest them, building background knowledge while practicing essential decoding and fluency skills.
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Science of Reading: Building a Strong Foundation
Storyshares Decodable Collections seamlessly blend engagement with structured literacy principles. Based on the Science of Reading, these books provide a platform for students to develop and solidify their reading skills.
Here's how Storyshares incorporates best practices:
- Controlled Text: Over 75% of words in each book are decodable, aligning with respected phonics scopes and sequences.
- Scaffolded Skill Development: New skills and sounds are introduced in a carefully sequenced way, building on prior knowledge.
- Spiraled Learning: Sequential decodables get progressively more challenging as students amass more skills. We designed each chapter in the decodables series to help readers practice a phonics concept. These decodables are supplemental chunks of text in the form of stories that align with the research-based science of reading concepts taught. These decodables are supplemental practice books, meant to provide additional practice on discrete sounds aligned with a skill/lesson, as students scaffold up.
- Word Lists and Practice: Pre-identified word lists allow students to preview upcoming vocabulary and practice challenging words, fostering independence and confidence.
- Content Area Vocabulary: Informational text companions supplement our fiction series. These decodable books enhance students' background knowledge in subject areas, bridging the gap to academic rigor.
- Fluency Practice: In the educator materials that accompany the decodable series, teachers are shown how to use the phonics guides and decodable texts to model fluent reading with prosody, teach students to read with purpose, and use fluency routines and structures to accelerate comprehension. The educator materials also come with a fluency lesson plan template that teachers can use to connect the decodable series with the other structured literacy programs they use.
- Written Response Prompts: Many early literacy programs excel at using evidence-based practices to teach reading skills, but what about writing? Our decodable chapter books are paired with graphic organizers, scaffolded written response to reading questions, worksheets, CLOZE (fill-in-the-blank) paragraphs, and self-editing checklists so that students can grow their writing skills as they use the decodables to advance their reading skills.
Storyshares Decodable Collections offer an exceptional resource for educators and parents alike. By prioritizing engagement and aligning with the Science of Reading, Storyshares empowers struggling readers in grades 3-12 to build a strong foundation for literacy success.
Check out our eLibrary (FREE for the summer!) to discover the power of Storyshares yourself.