Be a Reader
Offering services and resources to support every child in Dakota County in becoming a successful reader.
Enhanced collections for younger readers
Decodable books are written to help students develop their phonics skills. Phonics skills are the understanding of the relationship between letters and sounds. Decodable books help students practice connecting letters to sounds — rather than guessing. They move from simple to more advanced letter patterns, giving students a chance to practice reading sound by sound.
Decodable overview
- Decodable books are designed for grades Pre-K to younger elementary
- They are meant to help students develop phonics patterns — the understanding of the relationship between letters and how they sound
- The collection starts at step one then progresses to more advanced letter patterns ending at step six
- The young reader does not need to start at step one, they should start at the step that matches their current reading ablity
- Search Decodable in the catalog to browse available titles
Striving Reader books (also known as Hi-lo books) are specially written for older elementary, middle schoolers and teens. These books focus on topics, characters, and stories that are interesting to older readers but written at an easier reading level.
Striving Reader overview
- Hi-lo is a combination of high interest and lower lexile
- These books are designed to keep older elementary, middle school and teens interested in the story while building reading skills
- A sticker with two blue arrows on the spine will help you easily find hi-lo specific titles in our collections
- You may also search Striving Reader in the catalog to browse available titles
For more information, contact: