Choosing the Right Texts for Diverse Learners: A Guide for Educators

As a former classroom teacher, there are few things as near and dear to my heart as my collection of books. I’d be willing to bet that I’m not alone in that sentiment. But as important as it is to have books in an elementary classroom, it’s equally important to understand where those books fit into instruction in an elementary curriculum. This includes knowing the what, why, and how for authentic texts, hi/lo readers, graphic novels, and decodable text.

Let’s start with some quick definitions. 

• Decodable texts are texts that have been controlled to only include words with certain phonics patterns and certain high-frequency words. The patterns and high-frequency words included in the text are aligned to a scope and sequence. This scope and sequence introduces phonics skills along a continuum from easier to harder. Good decodable texts don’t include words that are beyond the patterns students have been taught. They include lots of opportunities for students to decode new words with the target pattern. And the pictures in the text, if there are any, don’t promote guessing of words.
• Authentic texts are ones that have been written by authors to entertain and inform readers. They make up the picture books and chapter books we love. Authentic texts have varying types of sentence complexity and rich vocabulary. They build knowledge and introduce our students to the world.
  • Hi/Lo texts and graphic novels are two types of authentic text that have their own special characteristics. Hi/Lo texts, as the name suggests, are books that are high-interest but low readability. These texts are a bridge between decodable text and more complex authentic texts. They’re a natural fit for our readers who have developed accuracy and automaticity with decoding but need more supportive text for independent reading. They’re also perfect for our older, struggling readers because they provide the supportive text needed to practice foundational skills while also appealing to an older child’s interests.
  • Graphic novels are the popular comic-book-style text that has been sweeping through elementary schools for the past few years. They include a more even balance of text and picture, providing visual supports to storytelling. Graphic novels are also a natural fit for students crossing that bridge from decodable text to authentic text because they provide an interesting, but supportive, way of reading text.

When do we use these texts?

Rest assured that all of these types of texts have a place in an elementary classroom. But knowing when to use them falls on the expertise of the teacher. 

Decodable texts are an instructional tool that belong in a strong phonics curriculum. Because of this, we often see them in kindergarten, first grade, and second grade classrooms, as well as in reading intervention settings. Decodable texts enable our beginning readers to practice their new decoding skills in an authentic but supportive format, helping them build automaticity with their new phonics skills. But there’s an end to using decodable text. Or, one could argue that all texts become decodable texts once students have become fluent readers! 

Once students have the decoding skills to read authentic texts, they should! You can start them off with easier authentic texts, like hi/lo books and graphic novels. Students with the decoding skills to read authentic texts will benefit from ample opportunities to read. This will increase their vocabulary acquisition, build their background knowledge, expose them to more advanced syntax, and support their pattern-learning brain! 

But don’t wait until students can read authentic texts to expose them to authentic text. As students are doing the hard work of learning how to read, they should also have opportunities to listen to great authentic texts in the classroom. This will help them practice their listening comprehension and build their oral language capabilities. Read-alouds are a key component in all elementary classrooms, regardless of what kind of texts students are reading on their own. 

How do I use these texts?

The way you use a decodable text is different than how you would use authentic text. When using decoding texts, your goal is accurate word reading. You want students to use their sound-symbol knowledge to build strong orthographic knowledge of words. With authentic texts, your goal is comprehension. You want students to develop a deep understanding of the content they’re reading. These different purposes require different approaches for using texts. 

To help support word reading, a decodable text routine can be a useful tool for elementary teachers. There are intentional instructional moves you can use before, during, and after reading decodable text. Teachers should explicitly teach the target phonics patterns and then provide lots of opportunities to read and write with that pattern. The image below outlines a strong decodable text routine. 

Instruction for comprehension is a more complex topic. Our goal as educators should be to create the conditions for comprehension to occur. To do this, there are also things we can do before, during, and after reading. 

• Before reading, we can introduce new vocabulary words that are essential to understanding the text. We can build background knowledge related to the text to help students with knowledge they’ll need to connect to new learning.
• During reading, we can support student understanding of text structure and syntax. We can study difficult sentences and use graphic organizers to help organize key ideas in the text.
• After reading, we can write about what we’ve learned to strengthen comprehension.

Want to hear more?

I’ll be sharing more about these different types of texts during my webinar, Different Types of Text: The What, Why, and How for Elementary Classrooms, on January 21 at 4pm CT. I hope to see you there! (Hint: you may also use the same link to watch the recording if you missed the live webinar!)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Hannah Irion-Frake is a literacy coach in Central Pennsylvania with over 16 years of classroom experience. She has degrees in Elementary Education, Reading, and Curriculum & Instruction. Hannah is also a Local LETRS Facilitator. She’s a self-proclaimed literacy nerd. Hannah shares passionately about reading at www.readingwithmrsif.com and on Instagram @readingwithmrsif.

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