In this blog post: Grab a set of 4 free winter themed decodable readers perfect for Kindergarten or first grade students.
One of the biggest challenges I had when switching from leveled books to decodable readers was not having books for all of my favorite classroom themes. It was such an easy way to instantly hook students in what we were reading!
That’s why I started writing seasonal and thematic decodable readers.
And i’ll admit, it’s been a special kind of challenge to write books that are both thematic AND fully decodable, but it’s been 100% worth it!
These free winter themed decodable readers are perfect for engaging your Kindergarten or first grade students in reading small groups.
Why should I be using decodable readers?
Decodable readers are books that focus on a specific phonics pattern or skill. Good decodable readers will build through a specific phonics scope and sequence and be very controlled. They will only contain past phonics skills learned and few high frequency words.
If you choose a decodable book series that follows your phonics scope and sequence, the books will build in a meaningful way allowing your students to slowly add on new skills. This allows students to feel successful and promotes fluency and independence.
Choosing high interest decodable books
When looking for the best decodable readers for your students, it is important to look for books that are high interest to your students if possible.
You won’t always be able to do this if you’re sticking to an explicit and systematic phonics scope and sequence, but adding in high interest books whenever possible is an easy way to promote student buy in.
High interest decodable texts for students might include:
These free winter themed decodable readers will be high interest to your students right now!
4 free winter decodable readers
This set of free winter decodable readers includes a little something for everyone and covers a wide range of skills perfect for kindergarten or first grade reading small groups.
The skills follow the same scope and sequence as my Science of Reading Guided Curriculum, so you know that you can easily add these books into your small group lessons.
The phonics skills covered in the winter decodable books include:
- CVC Words
- Digraphs
- Beginning Blends
They also include two options to help you further differentiate – decodable books with and without pictures.
Why choose decodable readers without pictures? Because these books don’t have any pictures, students are forced to focus on the text and not use any guessing strategies. Not only does this promote decoding, but it also requires students to think about and comprehend the text to match the pictures to each page.
CVC Word Readers
This set of free winter themed decodable readers includes two CVC short vowel decodable books. These books have mixed short vowels, but the sentences are short and focused.
These winter readers would be perfect for Kindergarten or first grade students who are at the end of Unit 2 or working in Unit 3 of the Science of Reading Guided Curriculum!
Sledding is the first book. This book follows Tim and his pet, Dot, as they get ready to sled. The sentences in this book are short and words often repeat, although not in a patterned way.
The second CVC words book is Snowball Fight.
The sentences in this book are still made up of short vowel CVC words, but they are a little longer. Each page has two short sentences on it.
Digraphs decodable book
After short vowel CVC words, my phonics scope and sequence goes into digraphs. The book On the Ice is perfect for practicing mixed digraphs.
This winter themed reader is all about a friendly ice hockey game played by winter animals!
Beginning Blends decodable book
I know not everyone teaching beginning blends specifically, but I think that it’s an important skill to focus on as we are adding in a fourth sound to decode and blend. I don’t know how many times I’ve had students write “sled” as “sed”!
The book Brad’s Sled is about a moose, Brad, who is excited to take his new sled sledding. Students will love reading about the animals playing on this winter day.
Grab your free winter themed decodable readers
Ready to add these 4 free winter themed decodable readers to your collection? You can grab them here:
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SOR Winter Decodable Books
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Looking for more free thematic decodable readers? Find them here:
Seasonal and Thematic Decodable Readers for the Year!
Are you wanting to add seasonal and thematic decodable books into your small groups all year long? Then you will LOVE the Seasonal and Thematic Decodable Readers ENDLESS Bundle!
This endless bundle is already packed full of fun seasonal readers.
And the best part? The ENDLESS part means that I will never stop adding readers to the bundle for you! By purchasing now, you get all future additions for free.
Each set includes:
- Books with and without pictures
- Print, staple, and cut formatting
- Print and fold formatting
- Read and Visualize decodable passages
Do these books align with the Science of Reading? YES! These books align 100% with SOR best practices and follow the same scope and sequence as my Science of Reading Guided Curriculum.
What are other teachers saying about the Seasonal and Thematic Decodable Readers Endless Bundle?
These are great to add themes within the guided reading lessons, independent practice or at home reading assignments. My students were excited to see books about the current themes that are taught in the classroom!
Almira T
Love that these are thematic. Not only are the decodables perfect for our school’s shift to SOR, but the fact that they still work with themes throughout the year make them so engaging and fun!
Meggie S.
Ready to add these thematic books to your decodable collection? Grab the bundle here!
Thankyou for the wonderful freebies, they are a great help to us homeschooling in South Africa.
I love your free resources because my budget is very, very limited. I need all the freebies you can supply for the students I tutor. Thanks so much.