Comprehension and Decodables
Sometimes crayons tell you more than words
If you are using an explicit, structured phonics program, you are probably using decodables for reading.
Decodable stories provide practice in the phonics elements that students are learning. This is a best practice when following the Science of Reading.
But if a student can only decode lets say, short a, i and o, how are they going to read and answer comprehension questions?
The obvious answer is to ask and answer questions orally. And its works great in group teaching. But what if you want to hear from every student?
One teacher asking questions and listening to answers X 20 students may be a very hurried affair.
A surprising solution is to ask the student to read the decodable and then illustrate it.
Students will often show LAYERS of understanding in their illustrations. Most will show details, characters, and the overall gist of the story.
The best part? This is INDEPENDENT work. You will be able to tell at a glance whether or not they understood the story.
The catch is that the story cannot have illustrations of its own. This assures you that the student is not guessing.
If you want to try this for your students, I have a sample CVC decodables unit called, READ IT, DRAW IT that you can grab:
