DécodeHabile resources are for emergent French as a second (FSL) or French as an additional language readers. Anyone who is learning to pair sounds and graphemes in French can benefit from the graduated activities, exercises and texts that make up DécodeHabile. We believe all French language learners can learn to decode and read French texts with explicit and systematic instruction and with practice. Furthermore, we use inclusive language and original images so that all students can see themselves represented within our products. Introducing gender neutral pronouns right from the start, students become familiar with them and their use. We are excited to share our DécodeHabile resources to help all FSL students gain confidence and become capable decoders and fluid readers!

A decodable text is a text in which all sounds are coded into graphemes (letters / letter combinations that make a sound). With a structured literacy approach, students are explicitly taught and learn to read one grapheme at a time in combination with other graphemes already learned. Decodable texts are carefully sequenced starting with a few graphemes and progressively adding more graphemes as emerging readers gain confidence. In our DécodeHabile resources, we include words that students who are starting to learn French can understand.

Beginner decodable texts contain mono-syllabic words (CV, VC, CVC, VCV) that students can sound out in simple syllable patterns. As students progress and more sound-grapheme combinations are added, words with increasingly complicated syllable patterns (CCV) and longer words are included. In our first DécodeHabile series and modules, we explore all of the sound-grapheme combinations that can be sounded out before we add other components. We include words with silent letters in subsequent series and modules. High frequency words are added as their sounds are taught. High frequency words with irregular spellings may be included in future series - stay tuned!

Where decodable texts use only words that students can sound out, levelled texts include high frequency words that are not easily sounded out, words which contain infrequent sound-letter combinations or words which need contextual support.

Decodable texts are useful for building confidence in sounding out words independently. Their content is very simple and may not be particularly interesting in itself. So what roles do student motivation and engagement play? Students are motivated to read decodable text not for its content but because they are excited to be able to decode the words all by themselves.

As more and more graphemes are taught, and students master decoding, they will be ready to tackle more complicated text and text with more content like that found in levelled readers. Levels increase as students gain in word knowledge, richness of vocabulary and complexity of ideas. Levelled texts are used for guided and differentiated instruction. As the levels increase, lessons will focus more on comprehension and fluidity.

When we came up with the idea to write decodable texts for FSL students, we researched existing progressions (cited as resources on our progression) for the French language and found that while there were not many, all were geared and designed for native French speakers. As a result, we decided to compare the existing progressions and take into consideration the needs of our FSL learners, our Canadian context, and other factors including the frequency of phonemes in French words, the vocabulary and phoneme exposure FSL students would have, the stage of development of learners and their capacity to pronounce certain phonemes at those stages, as well as the exposure students would have to similar phonemes in English. We also introduce similar spelling for sounds together so that students will be able to read more words, even though they may not yet be ready to spell them. As they read more words with the complex spellings, they will gradually integrate those spellings into their writing.

Our progression includes a column called “justifications” which explains our thinking when deciding the order of introduction of the phoneme-grapheme combinations. There is no one right answer for a grapheme-phoneme progression which is why we suggest determining student readiness and classroom need. We hope our progression will support the needs of FSL learners.

In the French language, there are oral and written syllables (syllabes phonétiques et graphiques), the difference occurring with the silent e in a final syllable. Orally, the word will be divided according to sound eg., lune, a/vale, ja/louse; but in written syllables the word is divided according to spelling, eg., lu/ne, a/va/le, ja/lou/se. Since we are focusing on decoding the written word, we will follow the rules for written syllable division.

• A consonant between two vowels introduces a new syllable, eg., a/va/é, rou/ge, en/ga/é, jour, trou/blé, a/mour

• If there are two consonants between vowels, the first consonant goes in the first syllable; the second consonant goes with the second syllable, eg., por/te, gar/çon, in/for/ma/tion, for/me, four/mi

• When there is a double consonant, the syllable division occurs between them, eg., pom/me, pas/se, bal/lon, ad/di/tion,

• A consonant blend with a first consonant followed by an l or an r cannot be divided eg., ta/bleau, no/tre, ca/pa/ble

• Semi-consonants need another vowel in the syllable, eg., pia/no, fille, a/beille, jouer, voya/ger, nua/ge, fruit

Note: For the emergent reader practising during the first series (modules 1-6), we have included syllable division to practise words of more than one syllable, but have used a point to divide syllables, eg., jo⋅li. The point is more discreet than the backslash universally used to indicate syllabic division, and therefore less distracting for the emergent reader.

There are two types of syllables in the French language: open/ouverte (ending in a vowel sound) and closed/fermée (ending in a consonant sound). Open syllables represent 80% of syllables in French (whereas in English there are more closed syllables eg., CVC). There are as many syllables as vowel sounds in a word.

For our decoding purposes, we will focus on the most common consonant-vowel combinations in French with C indicating consonant sounds and V indicating vowel sounds.

• V (une voyelle seule) : à [a], eau [o], an [ã], un [ɛ̃], on [õ],

• CV : la [la], tu [ty], se [sə], tout [tu], pas [pa]

• VC : os [ɔs], art [aʁ], une [yn]

• CCV : clou [klu], [gʁa]

• CVC : par [paʁ], vol [v၁l],

DécodeHabile resources are organised in modules according to our grapheme-phonics progression. These modules are grouped into series in order to chunk learning and to provide opportunity for consolidation of learning and assessment of learning as learners progress. It can be gratifying to learners to know they are moving up in levels, but the levels are not intended to be used for grading or streaming purposes. Grading should follow curriculum and school board guidelines.

Our grouping of modules into these recommended Grade-levels is meant to provide a structure according to developmental stages of language production. Modules are grouped according to level of difficulty and manageable goals for the end of the grade level assuming students are at the beginning stages of language acquisition. Depending on the learners’ prior knowledge and readiness, the teacher can determine where to begin and which grades are most appropriate. Review and re-teaching may be helpful at various stages of language acquisition and at various entry-points depending on the program. More or less time and practice may be needed for each module according to student facility in mastering decoding skills.

Each series comprises multiple components including:

• Single CV combinations - to introduce and practice static two letter combinations.

• Pairing of consonants with various vowels - to practice two letter combinations by pairing vowels with one consonant at a time.

• Single VC combinations -to introduce and practice static two letter combinations.

• Pairing of vowels with various appropriate consonants - to practice two letter combinations by pairing consonants with one vowel at a time.

• Découper et manipuler activities - to practice pairing learned consonants and vowels randomly.

• Pratiquer ensemble activities - practising first one syllable combinations, then two syllable combinations forming imaginary words using learned graphemes

• De vrais mots - practice reading real words using learned graphemes starting with one syllable, then two or more syllables

• De vrais phrases - practice reading short sentences using words made from the learned graphemes.

• La compréhension et la graphie: Worksheets for guided group work to demonstrate comprehension in illustrations, develop phonemic awareness skills and associating phonemes with graphemes, read practice sentences, practice spelling of words in the targeted sentences

• Formative evaluation sheets incorporating phoneme-grapheme combinations from the unit.

• Separate collections of DécodeAgile stories are available to support learning following each series. Each DécodeAgile collection of stories follows the same DécodeHabile scope and sequence and provides decoding practice using the grapheme-phonemes practiced in the corresponding modules.

Starting with the very first modules, there will be a series of 10 DécodeAgile stories to accompany each module. For the first two series, five stories will be made up of repetitive text for recognition practice, and 5 without repetitive text to ensure students are decoding. As students progress into the third series and beyond as more and more phoneme-grapheme combinations are introduced, not only are there more possible combinations of structures accessible to students, but the more proficient decoders the students become the more variety of structures they will be able to decode.

DécodeAgile stories are written so that students can gradually incorporate the phonemes and graphemes practised into their reading. Our stories are written in French and not as translations in order to ensure that the words used are truly decodable in French and that our FSL students will recognize the words they are reading.

In addition to a greater variety in structures, as students progress from one module to another, the texts become longer and there is a gradual shift to more meaningful text in the DécodeAgile stories. Ultimately, the goal of decodable text is to provide the student with the skills necessary so they will no longer need decodables!

Stories are illustrated with original images to engage and motivate emerging readers.