Should You Get Rid of Predictable and Leveled Texts?

My goodness, there are a lot of misconceptions out there.  To name a few: that kids should only read decodable text.  Or that phonics is the answer to every single reading issue.  And the topic I’ll address today:  that predictable texts are synonymous with leveled text and why there’s no need to get rid of either predictable or leveled texts.

Hold on, before you shout at me, let’s get clear on a few things.

First, let’s talk about leveled vs predictable texts.

I’ve discussed the topic of leveled texts before, so I’m not going to go into much detail here.  But to sum it up, levels still do have a place in the classroom library, so kids have built-in support in choosing books that they can read with skill and confidence.  And levels are still a helpful guide for teachers in choosing books they might use for small group instruction. They help support specific readers in specific ways, as they were always intended.

Notice I did not say that levels should be used to limit or label kids.  That has never been the intent of levels, and it’s absolutely never been a practice I would use or condone.  And notice I also didn’t say that leveled texts should be the only texts kids should encounter.  Far from it.

What kinds of text should kids encounter?  Many. 

I’m a huge proponent of strong interactive read alouds.  This versatile teaching tool is hands-down my favorite one. They can be used to build background knowledge, foster enjoyment for reading, build classroom community, teach vocabulary, and can become fodder for myriad lessons.  Not only can read alouds become excellent sources for reading lessons, there’s also nothing like a great read aloud to use as a mentor text for writing.  

I also agree that kids should be exposed to grade-level texts (although what makes it “grade level” is a very elusive thing).  Shared reading and small group instruction are perfect places for these texts, and I’ve written before about how to make these complex texts more accessible to all.  This is where content area texts can really pack a powerful punch.  I’m a huge supporter of bringing literacy into the content areas and content into literacy.  This is natural knowledge-building, after all, and it’s also extremely efficient.  Efficient teaching is what I’m all about. 

But just as with leveled texts, complex texts that require high levels of support and scaffolding also cannot be the only kind of text students encounter.

Early readers (and those who struggle) will need a heavier dose of decodable texts, too.  But they will also need authentic texts. This is something 7 Mighty Moves author and teacher Lindsay Kemeny strongly echoes in her recent Melissa and Lori Love Literacy podcast episode:

“People are sometimes saying things about leveled books–like they’re getting rid of all their leveled books.  And to me any book can be leveled so that’s a huge problem.  I replace the predictable repetitive texts, those very beginning levels; usually those guided reading levels A through D. I’m using decodables there instead.  I’m not going to get rid of all my other texts because I have to transition students into them.”

Lindsay Kemeny

Students need all of these kinds of texts.  It’s up to us to determine what they need so we can make appropriate book choices that will support them.  

There’s absolutely no need to get rid of leveled texts.  As always, we need to strike the right balance.  

But let’s get one thing straight: predictable, patterned texts are not synonymous with leveled texts.  As Kemeny says, “any  book can be leveled.”  Even highly decodable books.

Meaning yes, patterned books are included in leveling systems, but levels go far, far beyond this.  

Let’s now take a look at some of those very early, predictable and patterned texts. 

Because of copyright rules, I can’t take photos of most of the books I have on hand. But here’s an example of what we’d typically see in a level A book, where each line is one page:

The fox is in bed.

The duck is in bed.

The pig is in bed.

I am in bed.

You can see that  it’s extremely patterned, but changes slightly at the end.  That’s by design.  Level A and B are primarily meant for developing very beginning skills:  left to right, concept of word, and 1:1 correspondence.  High frequency words are meant to serve as anchors to help kids develop 1:1 correspondence.  Familiar words (like fox, duck, and pig) are used, which can promote that “look at the first letter” idea. 

This is actually meant to help kids confirm their word choice by ensuring that what they say begins with the first letter of the word they’re pointing to. (Is it enough to look at just the first letter? No–I’m just explaining the intent behind their design.) The text usually changes slightly at the end of the book to send the message that kids should be looking at the print.  In the above example, if a child ended with “the boy is in bed,” as the pattern would set them up for,  we’d see that they don’t have 1:1 correspondence down, nor are they looking at the print. 

Couldn’t the same skills be built with decodable texts? 

Absolutely! And it would be a great decision to opt for a more decodable text in this case.  In the above level A, although much of it is highly decodable,  the “ck” pattern will likely not have been taught yet, which, without the careful guidance of a teacher, could definitely promote guessing by looking at just the first letter and the picture.

But there’s still no need to get rid of predictable texts like these. 

They can become perfect texts for shared reading in large or small group to practice 1:1 correspondence.  And since the majority of this particular text is actually highly decodable, a skilled teacher could also reinforce looking all the way through words to decode.  Another idea would be to cover the words with correction tape and use interactive writing to create your own text together.

But these very early books support more than 1:1 correspondence.  They also support development of concept of word, something we don’t hear enough about.  Most words in level As and all words in decodable books at these very early stages will consist of only single syllable words.  But not all words are one syllable.  Which is why many level A/B books might have something like this (no copyright infringement on this one):

Why is the word little in there?  Because kids need to understand that we move from left to right word by word, not syllable by syllable.  A child without understanding of the concept of  word might point correctly to I, run, with, and my, but then end up pointing to the space after “cat” if they were pointing based on syllables.  They might say lit-tle and point, respectively, to “little” and “cat,” which would cause them to run past the actual words on the page. Hopefully, the child would realize there is no print after cat, which doesn’t match their spoken words, and go back to correct.  Level B is set up pretty much the same, but usually include 2 lines of print to encourage maintaining 1:1 correspondence with return sweep.  

Concept of word is very important to develop, and very few early decodables will include longer words to develop that.

So again, this kind of predictable, leveled text is a perfect one for shared reading–no need at all to get rid of it.

Then, once the skills of 1:1 correspondence and concept of word are in place, which is usually quite quickly, kids need to move OUT of these books.  Precisely because they can lead kids to guess words.  

However, usually at about level C, these leveled books become more highly decodable.  I disagree with Kemeny when she says that C and D are predictable and repetitive.  Some can be, sure, because every publisher is different.  The teacher must carefully choose here. There are even plenty of level A and B books out there that are highly decodable. 

More often than not, Cs apply a lot of CVC patterns and Ds apply mostly words with common vowel teams.  Ds are often not even repetitive at all.  In other words, the patterned, repetitive texts that aren’t so great for kids generally end at about level D.  These levels can provide practice with exactly the kinds of things that would be taught at these times.  

“Without wide and varied text practice, students may not be exposed to enough word types to jumpstart this self-teaching and phonics flexing muscles.”

Tiffany Peltier, NWEA blog, 8/8/24

Once kids have enough phonics under their belt, this then makes these leveled books excellent text to work with what’s termed “set for variability.”  This basically means that because English phonics “rules” are so inconsistent, kids need to have opportunities to be flexible.  “Read” is a perfect example.  The “rule” says “ea” is pronounced with a long “e” sound.  But we know that this word can also be pronounced with a short “e” sound depending on context.  This is where the cueing systems must kick in–those meaning and context processors–and the child learns that there can be variability in the “rules.”  Debbie Heppelwhite, representative of the UK Reading Reform Foundation, recently talked about this on The Literacy View.  She cautions that “we’re teaching the code as if it’s in tablets of stone, which it’s not.”  Wiley Blevins also talked about this very same thing on an earlier episode. 

However…

We must be careful here.  As Tim Shanahan explains, “Decodable texts, too, can be problematic as they tend to steer kids away from meaning, and at times even away from real words. Kids who are used to  strong phonics support and decodable texts tend to try to sound words out more than do other kids. But when this doesn’t work (and it doesn’t always work), these kids end up producing nonsense words (mispronunciations based on the sounds they know) or they balk and don’t even read words that they can’t decode easily.”   Authentic books–leveled books–provide this crucial practice opportunity.  For more detail on this, I encourage you to read the 8/8/24 NWEA blog post as well as Shanahan’s 2/9/19 blog post which address this topic beautifully.

This is where teachers need to make wise decisions.  Book selection is key. 

Teachers must keep in mind what phonics skills and what high frequency words have been taught, and line that up with the books they choose for kids.  There’s no need to fret about making sure books are 100% decodable, either.  While there isn’t much research on the exact formula yet, literacy experts like Heidi Ann Mesmer, author of Letter Lessons and First Words, remind us that 100% decodable isn’t necessary.  We still want texts to sound natural.   

Beyond the Level A-C Stage

Level D typically consolidates CVC, common vowel teams, inflectional endings, and common high frequency words. Rarely are these books patterned.  Again this depends on the publisher, but more often than not, these books are pretty authentic texts.  But because these books are still meant for young, developing readers, things like sentence and concept complexity are factored in.  This is what makes them appropriate for a first grader but babyish for a 4th grader.  Levels increase based on many qualitative and quantitative factors to help teachers choose age- appropriate and developmentally supportive texts.  

This selection, as always, is considerate of what students need and what they’ve learned.  It is the teacher’s deep understanding of this, as well as their understanding about what the book offers in the way of support and practice that makes employment of a leveled text useful or not.

“Leveled texts do not have the same purpose as decodable texts. They are not meant to practice a specific phonics skill. Instead, leveled texts can be useful to practice generalizing phonics skills already taught, high-frequency words previously introduced, and specific vocabulary from prior lessons.”

Tiffany Peltier, NWEA blog, 8/8/24

There’s a place for all kinds of books in our classrooms, including predictable and leveled ones.  It all depends on why and how they’re used. 

And it depends on you: the discerning, skilled teacher who knows their kids’ needs well to make those instructional decisions.  

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Could you use a thinking partner to help you decide what kinds of texts will best support your diverse group of readers? I’m here to help.  Just reach out at any time to set up a coaching call!

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Who is Coach from the Couch??  I’m Michelle, a 25-year veteran educator, currently a K-5 literacy coach.  I continue to learn alongside teachers in classrooms each and every day, and it’s my mission to support as many teachers as I can.  Because no one can do this work alone. I’m available to you, too, through virtual coaching calls! 

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