What is a decodable vs. high-low book?
Here’s what we know: 773 million teens + adults lack literacy skills worldwide. In the US, 2/3 of fourth graders are reading below grade level. This is a crisis.
Storyshares has a solution. Storyshares empowers older striving readers to rediscover the joy of reading by offering a curated library collection designed just for them.
We offer a continuously expanding selection of over 500 engaging and relevant decodable and high-low titles catering to older, struggling readers. Furthermore, we support educators with a comprehensive suite of literacy resources and professional development opportunities. This ensures that educators can effectively bridge the Science of Reading with culturally relevant content, fostering significant literacy growth for students in grades 3-12.
Storyshares was the first to publish decodable chapter books for teen readers. Our recently-released high school decodable chapter books are flying off the shelves!
Let’s take a look at the different ways to support literacy development for older readers with decodable and high-low books.
Why decodable chapter books?
Decodable books follow a phonics scope & sequence where each decodable text has a specific focus that needs to have been previously taught in order for the reader to decode the text. Sequential decodables get progressively more challenging as students amass more skills. Typically, decodable books are written for readers in grades K-2. However, we know that there are millions of readers in older grades that would benefit from practicing decoding skills. At Storyshares, our decodable chapter books are designed for older struggling readers to look and feel like popular young adult chapter books. Each chapter in the decodables series helps readers practice a phonics concept. These decodable chapter books contain supplemental chunks of text in the form of stories that align with the Science of Reading concepts taught.
Decodable texts are sometimes called “controlled passages.” Storyshares authors wrote each chapter of our decodable chapter books specifically to maximize the number of words students can read independently based on the phonics concepts. All our decodable chapter books were edited for control; many non-controlled words that would demand knowledge of untaught concepts were swapped out for their more controlled synonyms. Controlled means that a phonics scope and sequence controls word choice. Non-controlled text means that a phonics scope and sequence does not govern word choice. Each book aims for 75% of the text to be controlled and decodable.
In addition to our decodable chapter book series, Storyshares has also published over 500 high-low titles, written specifically for older, striving readers in grades 3 and up.
What to know about high-low books:
- Targeted towards older readers who are working on foundational reading skills, usually in middle or high school.
- Aim to engage reluctant readers with high-interest teen topics like sports, mystery, or friendship.
- Written at a lower reading level than typical books for that age group.
- May use simpler vocabulary and sentence structures but still offer engaging and relevant plots and characters.
- Goal is to make students feel successful about and build enjoyment of reading, as well as motivate them to keep practicing reading skills
Here's an analogy:
- Think of decodable books as the “training wheels” of reading. They provide a safe and achievable way for readers focusing on foundational reading to practice applying phonics skills to decode words.
- High-low books are more like riding a bike with pedals on a flat road. They challenge readers with more complex, high-interest stories but help them feel successful and supported with a lower reading level.
Whether it’s decodable chapter books or high-low, Storyshares offers a wide selection of diverse + relevant titles to engage even the most reluctant older striving readers. Happy reading!!