A decodable reader is a book that only contains the letter patterns that a child has already learned. For instance, a child starting out in the earliest stages of reading who has learnt the sounds s / a / t / p, would be able to decode words in a book such as at, sat, tap, and pat. Therefore, the decodable reader would only contain these words and would not introduce any unfamiliar letters and sounds.

Each decodable reader in the Rainbow Phonics program follows the Scope and Sequence of Rainbow Phonics.  Books are designed to work after explicit instruction of a particular letter sound and build on previous letter sounds that have been taught.  Here, a mini scope and sequence is provided within the front cover of each decodable reader.  Letters are  coded, where letters in black have been taught previously, letters within the black box are targeted for the respective reader, and letters in gray will be coming up in future weeks.  

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Decodable Readers use a strictly controlled vocabulary.  Texts use only decodable regular words (according to the week by week scope and sequence of Rainbow Phonics) along with heart words.  Heart words are common exception words (or tricky words) that are frequently used and are not decodable at this phase.  These are also presented inside the front cover of decodable texts so that they can be refreshed before reading a decodable text to support fluency and comprehension.

The decodable readers supporting Rainbow Phonics are 100% decodable (with the exception of heart words). The program is designed to help children build on their reading success and feel a sense of accomplishment as they work their way through each decodable story. Each series of books follows children week-by-week through the scope and sequence, providing them text-based context to practice their emerging decoding skills. Multiple genres are also provided to support all learners, including fiction, non-ficiton, HiLo, science and chapter books.

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