Decoding Teaching Resources
Build students' decoding skills with reading activities, printable worksheets and more teacher resources, all created by teachers for classrooms like yours.
This comprehensive collection is filled with resources aligned with both the TEKS and Common Core English curriculums, and each resource has undergone the Teach Starter teacher team's thorough review process. Download resources you know you'll be able to add to your lesson plans immediately!
New to teaching students decoding strategies? Read on for a primer from our teacher team, including a look at how this skill plays into early literacy development and tips to help your students build their decoding savvy!
What Is Decoding in Reading?
It's something you likely know, but we like to start from the top, so let's dig into the meaning of decoding in a reading context. (Just want some ideas? Feel free to scroll down to our collection!)
Simply put, decoding is translating written words into spoken language.
Need a little more?
In early literacy education, decoding refers to the process of breaking words down into their individual sounds and then blending those sounds together to form recognizable words. As students build their skills, they are eventually able to decode — or read — increasingly more complicated written texts.
The process of encoding builds off of phonics instruction, understanding of sight words, pattern recognition and the use of context clues, helping students become fluent readers with strong comprehension skills.
Decoding vs. Encoding — What's the Difference?
When discussing decoding in early education, we typically talk about reading instruction. As noted above, we teach our students to decode — or translate — the written word into the spoken form.
Of course, we don't do this in isolation. Kids need to learn to encode too, and linking instruction of both has been shown to help students learn to be stronger readers and spellers.
So, what is encoding, and how does it differ from decoding?
In an educational context, encoding is the polar opposite, and we tend to use the term in regard to teaching kids to write. In its most basic forms, encoding involves learning to spell different words by representing the sounds with corresponding written letters.
In essence, instead of translating written words into speech, encoding means teaching our students to translate spoken words into written words.
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Digraph Coding Robot Mat
Practice identifying digraphs with the help of a coding robot and mat.
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Th Word List and Digraph Flashcards
Practice reading and spelling words with the Digraph TH with a list of 50 words and accompanying illustrated flash cards.
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Science of Reading Decoding Strategy Bookmarks and Poster
Help students succeed in reading fluency with this free printable bookmark and poster set of strategies for decoding unknown words.
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Segmenting and Blending Mats
A set of beautifully designed templates for students to practice blending and segmenting words.
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Kn, Ph and Wr Digraph Flashcards
Seventeen flashcards showing kn, ph and wr digraph words and pictures.
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Ultimate Blends Poster Pack
Supplement your phonics curriculum with a consonant blends anchor chart/poster pack.
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Vowel Digraphs Poster Pack
A poster showing words and pictures for various vowel blends.
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Sh Digraph Words With Images
Learn words that contain the 'sh' digraph with these word and picture flashcards.
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Color By Vowel Sound (Winter Worksheet for Kindergarten & 1st Grade)
Use a "cool" color by vowel sound worksheet to bring a bit of Winter into the classroom this season.
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Apple Barrel Blends - Sorting Center
Supplement your phonics lessons with a consonant blend “Apple Barrel” sorting center.
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Blends and Digraphs Clip Card Reading Center
Practice identifying digraphs and blends in word through interactive Google slides and traditional PDF printable formats.
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Months of the Year Worksheets
Read, write, and spell the months of the year with a set of printable Months of the Year worksheets for kindergarten.
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Ch Digraph Words With Images
Learn words that contain the 'ch' digraph with these word and picture flashcards.
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Ng Digraph Words With Images
Learn words that contain the 'ng' digraph with these word and picture flashcards.
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R-Controlled Vowel Posters
Supplement your phonics curriculum with an R-controlled vowel poster display.
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Google Slides Interactive- CCVC Word Building Activity
Practice identifying consonants, vowels, blends, and digraphs sounds while spelling 22 CCVC (consonant-consonant-vowel-consonant) words.
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Final e BINGO - A_E
Decode final e words with the long a vowel sound using this set of 20 bingo game boards.
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Phonics Assessment - Long and Short Vowel Sound
Test your students' long and short vowel sound knowledge with this phonics assessment kit.
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L-Blends Blending Flashcards
Practice blending l-blends with this set of blending l word cards.
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S-Blends Blending Flashcards
Practice different s blends with this set of flashcards.
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Medial L Words - List & Flashcards
Practice reading and articulating Medial L words with a list of 50 words and accompanying illustrated flash cards.
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Wh Digraph Words With Images
Learn words that contain the 'wh' digraph with these word and picture flashcards.
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Trick or Treat Digraphs Worksheet
Sort Halloween Digraphs and color them by code with a fun Halloween Phonics worksheet.
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Spelling CVCC Words - Worksheets
Develop students’ ability to segment and blend the sounds in CVCC words with this set of differentiated worksheets.
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My Magic E Story - Silent E Words Mini-Book
Practice reading and writing sentences with silent e words with this magic e-mini-book.
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Learn to Read Short I - Daily Phonics for Kids
Teach your students to read short I words with a daily digital phonics instructional slide deck.
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Gingerbread Vowels - Printable Vowels Worksheets
Use coloring and Christmas to engage your students with printable long and short vowel worksheets like these!
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Snow Globe Digraphs - Google Interactive
Bring some winter fun into your phonics lessons with an interactive Snowglobe Digraph activity.
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Thanksgiving Color by Code - Vowels
Use this color by vowel sound Thanksgiving worksheet as for a bit of Turkey Day fun in the classroom.
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Learn to Read Short E - Daily Phonics for Kids
Teach your students to read short /e/ CVC words with a daily digital phonics instructional slide deck.
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Pumpkin Patch Sight Words
Build reading fluency and practice reading and spelling Dolch sight words with a pumpkin word-building center.
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Which Letter? Poster - K or C
Help your students remember when to use the letter K and when to use the letter C with this colorful classroom poster.