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 the Australian English curriculum (V9.0 included!), and each resource has undergone the Teach Starter teacher team's thorough review process. Download resources you know you can 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 recognisable 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're teaching 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.
Instead of translating written words into speech, encoding means teaching our students to translate spoken words into written words.
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R-Controlled Vowels Poster Pack
Supplement your phonics curriculum with an r-controlled vowel poster display.
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Long A Words - Word Search
Explore words containing some of the most common ‘long a’ graphemes with this set of differentiated word searches.
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My Magic E Story - Mini-Book
Practise reading and writing sentences with CVCe words with this magic e mini-book.
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Vowel Team Digraph Poster Set
Display this poster set in your classroom when teaching children about different vowel team digraphs.
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Long I Vowel Digraphs Interactive Activity
Practise identifying the different vowel digraphs that spell the long /i/ sound with this fun iceberg-themed interactive activity.
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'EE' Vowel Digraph Board Game
Decode words with the ee long vowel team in this word card board game.
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Vowel Digraph Dominoes - EE, EA, and EY
Decode words with ee, ea, and ey vowel digraph conventions for representing long vowel sounds using this set of 26 dominoes.
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Consonant Digraphs Worksheet Pack
Practise writing and enhancing knowledge of consonant digraphs with this worksheet pack.
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Word Study List - Long A Graphemes
Introduce and explore words containing graphemes that make the ‘long a’ sound with this extensive list of words.
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Long E Graphemes - SCOOT! Task Cards
Explore words containing graphemes that make the ‘long e’ sound with this active classroom game that will get your students moving!
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Long E Vowel Digraphs Interactive Activity
Practise identifying the different graphemes that spell the long /e/ sound with this fun space-themed interactive activity.
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Long U Words - Word Search
Explore words containing some of the most common ‘long u’ graphemes with this set of differentiated word searches.
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OI and OY Words - Word Search
Explore words containing ‘oi’ and ‘oy’ with this set of differentiated word searches.
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SPLAT! CVCC Word Game
A set of 36 task cards to practise decoding CVCC words.
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SPLAT! CCVC Word Game
A set of 36 task cards to practise decoding CCVC words.
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Ultimate Blends Poster Pack
Expose your students to a range of common consonant blends with this set of 20 posters.
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Consonant Digraph WR Interactive
Engage students in practising their learning around the consonant digraph of ‘wr’ with this fun building site-themed interactive activity.
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Consonant Digraph Cover Up Game
Practise consonant digraphs with your students with this set of two fun partner cover up games.
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Long Vowel O Teams Interactive Activity
Practise identifying the different graphemes that spell the long /o/ sound with this fun boat-themed interactive activity.
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Consonant Digraph TH Interactive Activity
Engage students in practising their learning around the consonant digraph of ‘th’ with this fun sloth-themed interactive activity.
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Consonant Digraph PH Interactive Activity
Engage students in practising their knowledge of the consonant digraph ‘ph’ with this fun ocean-themed interactive activity.
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Diphthong Fluency Charts
Practise reading out these word lists that contain different diphthongs with these fluency charts
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Long OO Graphemes - SCOOT! Task Cards
Explore words containing graphemes that make the ‘long oo’ sound with this active classroom game that will get your students moving!
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Long O Graphemes - SCOOT! Task Cards
Explore words containing graphemes that make the ‘long o’ sound with this active classroom game that will get your students moving!
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Final 'E' Worksheet Pack (O_E)
Explore words that make the 'long o' sound using the split o_e digraph with this set of 11 worksheets.
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W, WH, or U? Phoneme Interactive Game
Decide when to use w, wh, or u to spell the /w/ sound with an engaging Interactive Phonics Game!
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Consonant Digraph KN Interactive Activity
Engage students in practising their learning around the consonant digraph of ‘kn’ with this fun knight-themed interactive activity.
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Ph Digraph Lesson Resource Pack
Introduce students to the ph digraph with this set of teaching slides and mini activity book.
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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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Short OO Words - Word Search
Explore words containing some of the most common ‘short oo’ graphemes with this set of differentiated word searches.
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Vowel Teams Phonics Journal
Help students remember and record words and examples of different vowel digraphs during your phonics lessons.
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Vowel Teams Sorting Activity (OA, OW and OE)
Decode words with the OA, OW and OE vowel teams using 18 picture cards with sorting mats.