Reading Comprehension Passages & Phonics - LONG VOWEL PAIRS - Lexile Levels

Do you work with upper elementary, middle school, or even high school students who have yet to master reading comprehension and the rules of phonics and long vowel pairs and need practice that is age-appropriate and NOT babyish?

If so, these reading comprehension and phonics passages are for YOU!

What are Balanced Readers?

• Balanced Readers are short stories focused on specific phonics or spelling patterns.
• They are a combination of decodable and predictable readers that help bring a balanced approach to reading.

Who are Balanced Readers for?

1. Students in need of direct phonics instruction with vocabulary and comprehension included.
2. English language learners in all grades.
3. Students with dyslexia who need repeated practice on phonics rules and spelling patterns.
4. Upper elementary, middle school, and even high school students who have yet to master the phonics rules and need practice with work that is age-appropriate and NOT babyish!
5. Advanced readers in first or second grade who are ready for a challenge.

LEXILE PARTNERSHIP

I am BEYOND excited to now be partnering with Lexile and bringing you levels for the Balanced Readers!!

• Each passage has been professionally leveled by Lexile and has been correlated to F&P, AR, DRA, and the grade level equivalent.

Now you'll be able to make teaching decisions for each passage based on the levels and student abilities.

• If the text is independent for students, have them work on it in a center, as an exit slip, review, homework, etc.
• If the text is instructional, use it in Guided Reading, partner work, in a strategy group, or as an intervention.
• If the text is advanced, use it as a mentor text or whole class read aloud.

These are just a few examples of instructional use.

ALIGNED TO THE SCIENCE OF READING

• The research collected from The Science of Reading has led to a unanimous conclusion that in order for students to learn to read successfully, they require explicit, systematic and cumulative phonics instruction. Based on the science, 3 elements needed for phonics instruction are: a hands-on approach, moving from presentation to practice, and showing direct application to reading and spelling.
• The Balanced Readers are designed to specifically target the last 2 needed elements, according to The Science of Reading. Each passage offers a direct move from presentation to phonics practice.
• Even more exciting, the phonics skills are directly implemented within the context of a reading passage, allowing students to move from learning phonics skills in word isolation, to applying the skills inside the context of a larger passage to understand meaning and comprehension.
• The Balanced Readers are a tremendous help in transitioning young readers from practicing phonics skills in a hands-on, manipulative way, to practicing using their newly acquired phonics skills directly into the context of a reading passage so that they can read words with automaticity and ease, focusing all their mental efforts on the main reason for reading, to comprehend and understand.

In What Order Should I Teach the Balanced Readers?

• It is recommended to keep in mind the specific needs of your students and use your own professional autonomy, benchmark assessments, and informal assessments when necessary to adjust the order of instruction. With that said, The Science of Reading recommends this general scope and sequence for teaching phonics skills:

1. Short Vowels
2. Long Vowel Pairs
3. Magic –e
4. Consonant Digraphs
5. Consonant Blends
6. Vowel Digraphs
7. Vowel Diphthongs
8. R-Controlled Vowels
9. SpecialConsonantPatterns

What is Included in this Vowel Pair Set?

1. 20 passages focused on specific long vowel pair spelling patterns.
2. Google Drive digital version
3. Dyslexic-friendly font based on multiple sources of research (arial)
4. 20 comprehension Pages (multiple choice and open-ended)
5. 20 word work practice pages (complete the sentence, Create the sentence)
6. 20 suffixes practice pages (learn how words change when common endings are added)
7. Answer Keys

80 total student practice pages for understanding common Vowel Pair sounds and spelling patterns!

Follow the 4-Day Guide!

Day 1: Phonics and Vocabulary

Day 2: Comprehension

Day 3: Word Comprehension

Day 4: Suffixes and Tenses

CUSTOM ARTWORK!

Each story includes beautiful custom artwork, created exclusively for Out of This World Literacy by Malaya Bengel Art

ALL BALANCED READERS SETS AVAILABLE:

1. Consonant Blends
2. Consonant Digraphs
3. Long Vowel Pairs
4. Magic -e
5. R-controlled Vowels
6. Short Vowels
7. Special Consonant Patterns
8. Vowel Digraphs
9. Vowel Diphthongs

How Balanced Readers Were Born:

• When my son Jonah was in 5th grade he struggled with reading and I was about to pull my hair out after going over the same phonics and spelling rules for the 1,002 time.
• I started thinking about decodable readers. Then I did a TON of research on both decodable and predictable readers.
• I wanted to create something that is a balance between having intentional, repeated, phonics practice AND a whole language approach, where students study illustrations and vocabulary within the context of a story to help solve new words.
• It's also very important to me to create work that helps students (especially those who struggle) develop reading confidence and a love of reading.
• From this, I created Balanced Readers!  

Copyright © 2020 Jen Bengel

All rights reserved by author.

Permission to copy for single classroom use only.

Electronic distribution limited to single classroom use only.

Not for public display.

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