The Importance of Nonfiction Decodable Texts in Phonics Instruction

As educators and parents, we all know that teaching reading is a multifaceted process that involves more than just recognizing letters and sounds. Scarborough’s Reading Rope outlines the interconnected strands of skilled reading, one of which is literacy knowledge—an essential component for helping young learners become proficient readers. A key element of literacy knowledge is exposing students to different genres and teaching them how to use texts for their authentic purposes.

While fiction books often take the spotlight in early literacy instruction, it’s just as important to introduce nonfiction decodable texts as part of the phonics instruction process. Here’s why:

Why Nonfiction Decodable Texts Are a Crucial Part of Reading Instruction

1. Exposure to Different Genres Nonfiction texts give students a unique opportunity to explore the real world through print. From informational texts to how-to guides and biographies, nonfiction books introduce children to a variety of structures, such as headings, captions, graphs, and charts. These features are crucial for helping kids learn how to navigate real-world texts they will encounter as they get older. Learning to read nonfiction is an important skill for academic success across subjects like science, social studies, and even life skills.
2. Supporting Literacy Knowledge One of the strands of Scarborough’s Reading Rope is literacy knowledge, which encompasses understanding how different types of texts work. Nonfiction texts offer insight into how different genres serve different purposes. For example, a recipe or a news article has a different structure than a storybook. By practicing with nonfiction, children get to understand and use these different formats effectively.
3. Real-World Applications Reading isn’t just about being able to understand a story—it’s about using that ability to interact with the world around us. Nonfiction reading helps children develop the ability to synthesize information, draw conclusions, and use the content for practical purposes. Whether it’s reading a menu, directions, or job instructions, knowing how to navigate nonfiction is an essential life skill.

The Struggles of Finding Nonfiction Decodable Texts

If you’re teaching reading using a phonics-based curriculum, you already know that decodable texts are an important part of building fluency. But when it comes to nonfiction decodable texts, finding books that align with your phonics scope and sequence can be a challenge.

While there’s an abundance of fiction decodable books to choose from, nonfiction options are far less common. Many nonfiction texts, especially for early readers, contain complex vocabulary, abstract concepts, or sentence structures that don’t easily lend themselves to decodable phonics patterns. This makes it difficult for educators and parents to find appropriate nonfiction resources that match their child’s current reading level while still providing meaningful exposure to nonfiction text features.

Introducing Our Solution: Nonfiction Decodable Texts from Laprea Education

At Laprea Education, we understand the importance of introducing nonfiction texts early in a child’s reading journey, and we’ve worked hard to create a solution that combines both decodable phonics instruction and authentic nonfiction experiences.

We’re excited to announce that Laprea Education will be releasing a set of nonfiction decodable texts designed to meet the needs of early readers and written to align to the UFLI scope and sequence. These books will provide students with the opportunity to explore a variety of nonfiction text features—including headings, captions, glossaries, and more—while still focusing on the critical phonics skills they need to build a solid foundation in reading.

These books will:

• Follows a scope and sequence that grows from simpler phonics skills like the closed syllable type to more complex skills like vowel teams and multisyllabic words, so you can continue your phonics instruction without interruption.
• Expose children to authentic nonfiction features such as labels, headings, and factual information.
• Support literacy knowledge, helping young learners understand how to navigate the different genres and use texts for various real-world purposes.

We believe that giving children access to nonfiction decodable texts is a critical step in building well-rounded, proficient readers—and we’re here to help make that possible.

Ready to Learn More?

If you’re excited to bring nonfiction decodable texts into your phonics instruction and help your child become a more well-rounded reader, we invite you to click here to learn more about our upcoming nonfiction decodable text set!

At Laprea Education, we’re committed to providing you with high-quality, research-backed resources to support your child’s reading journey—so you can feel confident knowing that you’re providing the very best education possible.

Interested in continuing your education about nonfiction decodable texts?

Register for our on-demand webinar, where we cover the importance of nonfiction decodable texts in K-2 classrooms. In this session, we’ll explore how incorporating these texts can boost reading comprehension, foster critical thinking, and promote vocabulary development. 

What You’ll Learn:

✅ Why nonfiction decodable texts are powerful tools for reinforcing phonics while building knowledge

✅ How to incorporate a variety of nonfiction genres while supporting skill-based instruction and fostering student engagement

✅ Practical ways to incorporate content-rich activities that connect decoding with real-world topics

Whether you're supporting early readers or working with students who need extra practice, this session will give you the tools to make nonfiction decodables a meaningful part of your literacy block.