24 FREE books from Decodable Readers Australia - but which ones suit Read3 kids?

If you haven't spotted it yet on Facebook, Decodable Readers Australia currently have a great offer available.

You can download 24 readers - one from each level and category of their sequence - for FREE! Their categories are:

  • Early Reader
  • Main Reader
  • Non Fiction

In this post, we'll run through which of these suit Read3 kids and at which level. 

But first 👉 Download the 24 FREE Readers

Main Fiction versus Early Readers 

Main Fiction are the first series of books released by Decodable Readers Australia. While the target sounds align reasonably well with early steps of the Read3 program, the length of words extends past 3 sounds (CVC) to include additional consonants (CVCC, CCVC, CCVCC).

For children with processing difficulties the cognitive load of decoding 4 and 5-sound words is too much in the early stages of learning to read. As a resultmany of the Main Fiction books will not be suitable until your child is in Module 3 Step 1.

Having said that, you could look to introduce some of these books earlier but supervision will be required to ensure Read3 strategies are implemented. For example, you'll need to cover up the plurals on the ends of words and remind your child to chunk the occasional CCVC or CVCC word and blend through the sounds.  

Fortunately Decodable Readers Australia have now released their Early Reader series. The Early Reader series is a much better fit for our beginner Read3 kids. The number of sounds in each word has been limited, which is great news, but there may of course be some high-frequency words that have not yet been taught. Be sure to double-check the content of each book to determine if the code is appropriate for your child's current skill level. 

Which free readers can I use with my Read3 kids? 

So with that general proviso out of the way, let's take a look at the specific titles that Decodable Readers Australia has so generously offered for free.

I've listed any of the 24 that match our scope and sequence and outlined where to introduce them. 

Module 1

Module 1 Step 1 (M1.1)
Pat a Pan (Early Reader Level 1 Book 8)
Extra word: the (introduced in M1.2 Say & Snap )

Module 1 Step 4 (M1.4)
Dom the Dog (Early Reader Level 2 Book 5)
Includes ck.
Has some plural s and 's words (e.g. naps, Nan's)

Module 1 Step 5 (M1.5) (with support) or Module 3 Step 1 (M3.1)
Fish in a Dish (Early Reader Level 4 Book 1)
Mostly CVC with double and digraphs
Minimal CVCC and CCVC included

End of Module 1 (with support) or Module 3 Step 1 (M3.1)
Fun in the Sun (Early Reader Level 3 Book 5)
Mostly CVC
Extra words: swim ramp camp zags buns

Module 3 Step 1

Of the 24 free titles on offer, the following are suitable once your child reaches Module 3 Step 1 when extra consonants are added to the beginning or end of words. Plurals are included in many of these books.

Fun in the Sun (Early Reader Level 3 Book 5)
Mostly CVC
Extra words: swim ramp camp zags buns

Eric's Socks (Main Reader Level 2 Book 2)
Focus: CVC including ck plus plural s and 's words
Extra words: Eric's, track, drip, stinks, stamps

Camp (Non-Fiction Level 2 Book 4)
Focus: CVCC, CCVC, CCVCC

Nat Lends a Hand (Main Reader Level 3 Book 3)
Mostly CVCC, a few CCVCC plus plural s words
Includes a few 2-syllable words (e.g. cobweb, bucket) 

Fish in a Dish (Early Reader Level 4 Book 1)
Mostly CVC with double and digraphs
Some CVCC and CCVC included

Module 3 Step 2

Of the 24 free titles on offer, these ones are suitable once your child reaches Module 3 Step 2. Long vowels, 2-syllable words and word endings feature in these books.

Is it Junk? (Non Fiction Level 3 Book 5)
Up to CCVCC with plural s and 's words
Some 2-syllable words (e.g. constructs, objects)

Nat's Fudge (Early Reader Level 8 Book 7) 
Great practise for M3.2 Extension _dge
Warning: some vowel digraphs included.
Extra words: eat, treat, tried

Pat's Kite (Early Reader Level 7 Book 6) 
Warning: some vowel digraphs included.
Extra words: right, high, beach

A Trip to the Beach (Early Reader Level 5 Book 3)
Despite the title, this story features more ee than ea words.
ea words: beach, sea, heap, eat, treat  

Big Things (Main Fiction Level 4 Book 17)
Focus: CCVCC.
Includes some 2-syllable words and endings.
Note: if a child has completed Module 3 Step 1 prior to commencing Module 2 (an alternate pathway we offer for younger students), this book is suitable from Module 2 Step 2.

Insects, Slugs and Bugs (Non-fiction Level 4 Book 2)  
There is more text in this book but the code it totally manageable!
Focus: CCVCC
Includes some 2-syllable words and endings
Note: There are a few 3-syllable words that can be decoded if 'syllable split' principal is applied (e.g. abdomen, habitats).

Beyond Read3

The remaining FREE books offered through Decodable Readers Australia are beyond the scope of Read3, but we're sure some of your other kids will thoroughly enjoy reading these :)

Happy practicing!

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