Curated OER
Decoding the First Alphabets: Not as Simple as A, B, C
Explore early writing systems and their significance in understanding the development of past civilizations. In groups, learners research early writing systems and then present their findings to the rest of the class. They teach their...
Florida Center for Reading Research
Word Steps
Blending basic CVC letters to make words is one of the first steps to independent reading. Provided here are several images of stairs and several letters to cut and arrange. The learner rearranges the letters to form CVC patterns, sounds...
David Suits
“Wild Readers” Decoding Skills Lesson Plan
Set young readers on the path toward fluency with this phonemic awareness resource. Based on the award-winning children's book, Where the Wild Things Are, this lesson allows beginning readers to practice isolating phonemes and...
Curated OER
The Big Hit
Students are introduced to the phonetic sound associated with the short letter "i" and listen to a story which includes words with this sound. For this the big hit starfall lesson, students build sound letter accuracy. Students also...
Newseum
Decoding an Editorial Cartoon
What advantages do political cartoons have over written editorials? Scholars discuss the topic by exploring editorial cartoons. Working in small groups, pupils analyze an Uncle Sam cartoon and complete a worksheet. As a fun extension,...
Curated OER
Using the Sounds of Words Reading Task
Young readers demonstrate phonemic awareness in words and blends, and recognize 100 high-frequency words. Use a nursery rhyme to point out rhyming words, and change the words by putting a new letter at the beginning. Each learner will...
New Class Museum
Lesson: Emory Douglas: Decoding Images and Vocabulary Activity
To better understand the work of Black Panther logo artist Emory Douglas, learners define literary devices. They define a series of words such as metaphor, simile, and assonance, then place an example of that device found in Emory...
Curated OER
Magnetism-Decode Encrypted Statements
Third graders solve a cryptogram by decoding a message written with wingdings. In this decoding lesson, 3rd graders solve a message related to magnetism. Students have notes about magnets once they've finished.
Curated OER
Decoding Nazi Secrets
Students practice decoding messages given the key. They continue to practice solving messages without a key. They must determine the best way to view the message. They examine secret messages during World War II.
Curated OER
Caesar Ciphers: An Introduction to Cryptography
Students encode and decode messages using a Caesar Cipher. In this encoding and decoding messages using a Caesar Cipher lesson, students discuss cryptography and how it is used. Students make a Caesar wheel to encode and decode...
Curated OER
Diving into Iceland's Genetic Pool
Investigate ethical issues surrounding the Decode project in Iceland. Middle and high schoolers take the positions of the Icelandic government, scientific researchers, and citizens and defend or refute the Decode project in a Reykjavik...
Curated OER
Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass an American Slave, Written by Himself
Foster reader confidence when encountering complex text and reinforce the skills readers have acquired to build and extend their understanding of text. The plan uses a section of Douglass’ narrative as an exemplar text. Directions for...
ReadWriteThink
Decoding the Dystopian Characteristics of Macintosh’s “1984” Commercial
Known as one of the most iconic advertisements of the 20th century, Macintosh's "1984" commercial has become more of a social statement. Present the ad to a new audience of viewers with a lesson focused on identifying dystopian...
Curated OER
Decoding Strategies
Students practice using context clues to decode the meanings of unfamiliar words. In this vocabulary skills lesson, students follow the provided instructions to complete graphic organizers that enable them to decode words in Lewis...
Curated OER
Quick and Sticky Context Clues
Discuss strategies for defining word your young readers don't know. They read sentences with key words covered by sticky notes and guess from the context what the word might be. They peek at the first letter and guess again.
Alabama Learning Exchange
Phonics lesson for -ew and -oo
First graders identify letters and sounds associated with -ew and -oo sounds. Each learner receives a stack of cards containing these sounds, and they must determine whether the word uses the -ew or the -oo sound. This could easily...
Curated OER
Blending Best Buddies
Practice blending letters together to make the words learners are reading. They decode words familiarized with the concept of blending. This instructional activity utilizes the Body-Coda method of blending developed by Lloyd Eldredge....
Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk, University of Texas at Austin
Lesson 17 - Adding Suffixes That Change Base Words' Finally to I
If it ends in a y, change the y to i when adding a suffix like -ness, -ly, or fy. The final activity in the Word Recognition and Fluency series of 17 explains when to change the final letter in a base word to i before adding a suffix....
Curated OER
Alphabet Poems
Develop fluency with a variety of works. Help kindergartners use multiple strategies to understand text and decoding. They will create an alphabet poem book on Kid Works 2 to illustrate and write their own poem. In the end, they will...
Curated OER
Word Origins
Understanding a word's etymology can really help with decoding and building vocabulary skills. Readers compare and contrast words of similar origins but with different difficulty levels. They focus on prefixes, suffixes, and affixes....
Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk, University of Texas at Austin
Lesson 9 - Contractions
Is it do'nt or don't? How about doesn't or does'nt? A lesson on contractions helps learners identify, form, and use contractions. Components within the plan include direct instruction on decoding and encoding contractions, as well as...
PBS
Decoding Media Bias
Alternative facts? After watching the We The Voters film, "MediOcracy," viewers compare how cable news outlets CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC report the same story about politics or public policy. After a whole-class discussion of their...
Curated OER
At Lightning Speed
Review how to decode words and practice repeated readings for fluency. Kids review the cover-up method as a way to decode unknown words and then practice reading sentences for fluency and short passages with partners. They record their...
Curated OER
Using Picture Cues to Read Unknown Words
Help readers identify new words. Learners will use illustrations in the story From Head to Toe by Eric Carle to help them with unknown words. As they read new vocabulary words, they will use pictures on the imbedded worksheet to discover...