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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Word Study List - Long I Words
Introduce and explore words containing spelling patterns that make the “long i” sound with this long I words list.
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Word Chain Worksheet - Beginning L Blends
Manipulate the individual phonemes in words to create new ones with this differentiated word-building worksheet.
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Short Vowel Worksheets (Middle Sounds Practice)
Identify medial or middle vowel sounds with this set of three worksheets.
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Meet Magic E - Poster and Worksheet Set
Remind your students how words are transformed by the magic e with this poster and worksheet set.
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R-Controlled Vowel Clip Cards-Digital and Print
Build an engaging literacy center or station activity around r-controlled vowels with these digital and/or printable r-controlled vowel clip cards.
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Four In A Row Vowel Digraphs Game — OA, OW, and OE
Decode words with OA, OW, and OE vowel teams representing the long 'o' vowel sound.
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Long Vowel Digraph Writing Worksheet
Learn to encode long vowel digraphs with this set of writing worksheets.
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Consonant Digraph Phonics Journal
Help students remember and record words and examples of different consonant digraphs during your phonics lessons.
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Long Vowel Digraph Cut-and-Paste Worksheet
Reinforce your students' knowledge of long vowel digraphs with this set of cut-and-paste worksheets.
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Digraph Search and Find Worksheet Pack
Search for images that contain particular consonant digraphs with this worksheet pack.
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Long I Vowel Teams Interactive Activity
Practice identifying the different vowel teams that spell the long /i/ sound with this fun iceberg-themed interactive activity.
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Consonant Digraph CH Interactive Activity
Engage students in practicing their learning around the consonant digraph of ‘ch’ with this fun beach-themed interactive activity.
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Consonant Digraph SH Interactive Activity
Engage students in practicing their learning around the consonant digraph of ‘sh’ with this fun beach-themed interactive activity.
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Consonant Digraph WH Interactive Activity
Engage students in practicing their learning around the consonant digraph of ‘wh’ with this ocean-themed interactive activity.
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Read and Type Diphthongs Interactive Activity
Practice diphthong vowel team knowledge with this engaging ‘read and type’ style interactive activity.
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Sh Digraph Lesson Resource Pack
Introduce students to the sh digraph with this set of teaching slides and mini activity book.
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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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'EE' Vowel Team Board Game
Decode words with the ee long vowel team in this word card board game.
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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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1st Grade Consonant Digraphs Worksheet Pack
Practice writing and enhancing knowledge of consonant digraphs with this worksheet pack.
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Vowel Teams Worksheet Pack
Practice writing and enhancing knowledge of vowel digraphs with this worksheet pack.
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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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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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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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Silent Letter Flap Books
A great worksheet alternative to help your students identify silent letters in words.
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Words with Silent Letters - Worksheets
Identify silent letters in words with this set of six decoding worksheets.
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Silent Letters Word Sort - Cut and Paste Worksheets
Identify silent letters in words with this set of four cut-and-paste worksheets.
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Word Study List - Consonant Digraphs
Cover consonant digraphs in the classroom with a printable list of digraph words.
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Word Study List - Silent Letters
Introduce and explore words containing silent letters with this extensive list of words.
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Word Study List - Ending Blends
Introduce and explore words containing ending blends with this extensive list of words.
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Word Study List - Long Vowels
Introduce and explore words containing graphemes that make long vowel sounds with this extensive list of words.
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Word Study List - Long E Words
Explore and practice the many ways to spell the long E sound with a list of 50 long E words.