For Educators
Choosing the Right Phonics Resources for Your Students
A practical guide for classroom teachers, learning support educators, tutors and allied health professionals who want to match their students with the right decodable readers and phonics resources.
If you’re here, you already understand that not all reading resources are created equal, and that matching the right book to the right student at the right time is the difference between a child who thrives and one who quietly falls behind.
This guide covers how Soundality’s resources map to the two key stages of reading development, which products to reach for first, and how Sounds-Write training can sharpen your teaching across it all.
The Real Challenge: Meeting Students Where They’re At
One of the most difficult aspects of teaching reading is differentiation — the ability to meet the needs of every student in a class that may span a wide range of skills. Some students are ahead of where you’re teaching. Some are keeping pace. And others are struggling, with gaps that compound if they’re not addressed early.
To do this well, you need two things: a deep understanding of the structure of English reading and spelling, and resources that are carefully designed to support students at each stage of their development.
“Teachers need to have a really good depth of knowledge to know how to scaffold their teaching in different ways to meet students where they’re at.”
- Alison Perry, Speech Pathologist & Sounds-Write Trainer
Understanding the Two Stages of Reading Development
The resources available at Soundality are organised around the Sounds-Write phonics sequence, which breaks reading and spelling development into two core stages. Knowing where your students sit determines which resources are the right ones to make a difference.
Foundational Skills
This is where every reader starts, regardless of age. The Initial Code covers the basics of the alphabetic principle: early on students learn individual letters and the sounds they represent, and later learn that sometimes two letters write down one sound (like ss, sh, th). Words in the Initial Code are short words with two to five sounds (e.g. up, cat, frog, splat, brush).
A student is working at this stage if they:
- Are in their first year of formal literacy instruction
- Have not yet mastered all of the basic sound-spelling correspondences
- Are learning to read and spell simple CVC words, and working towards words with 4+ sounds
- Are an older student or adult with foundational gaps — age is not the deciding factor
The Initial Code builds the trust and logic students need to approach the written system with confidence. Don’t rush past it.
Expanding Complexity
The Extended Code introduces two main layers of complexity: the fact that the same sound can have multiple spellings (e.g. the /ae/ sound is spelled differently in play, rain, and bake) and polysyllabic words — starting with two-syllable words and progressing to more complex structures.
A student is ready for Extended Code when they:
- Can read and spell Initial Code words accurately and consistently
- Know their basic sound-letter correspondences and some common digraphs (e.g. ss, ch, ng, ck)
- Are reading with some fluency but making errors on more complex words
- Are not yet ready for unsupported reading of chapter books
ASSESSMENT NOTE
Readiness to move from Initial to Extended Code is not determined by age or year level; it’s determined by mastery. A student should be able to read and spell Initial Code words accurately most of the time before moving on. Successful reading will only happen if the foundations are secure before moving on to more complex words, regardless of age.
Resources at a Glance
Here’s how Soundality’s range maps to each stage:
| Product | Stage | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Sounds-Write Readers (Initial Code) | Initial Code | Beginning readers in Prep–Year 2; older students with foundational gaps; small group or 1:1 instruction |
| Sounds-Write Readers (Extended Code) | Extended Code | Students who’ve mastered the basics and need carefully controlled texts for practice reading complex words |
| SPELD-SA Readers | Initial → Extended | Strong complement or alternative to Sounds-Write readers; follows the same phonics teaching sequence |
| Classroom Packs | Initial & Extended | Discounted pricing for bulk sets for classroom libraries — available for Initial Code, Extended Code, or the full range |
| Powerful Vowels Kits 1 & 2 | Kit 1: Initial / Kit 2: Extended | Durable magnetic letter tiles for hands-on reading and spelling work — great for intervention and small groups |
| Wiz Words Game | Initial Code | Engaging card game for reinforcing reading and spelling in a low-pressure, play-based way |
| Activity Workbooks | Initial & Extended | Structured activity sheets and games — great for home practice, 1:1 or small groups |
| Skills & Concepts Posters | Teacher Reference | Posters for your classroom or clinic — most effective for educators who have completed Sounds-Write training |
How to Use These Resources Effectively
Here are a few tips that make a real difference in how you use decodable readers with your students:
- Match the book to the student, not the year level. A Year 4 student with foundational gaps needs Initial Code readers. They need books they can read accurately and fluently in order to achieve reading comprehension (and enjoy reading!).
- High accuracy is the target. Students should be reading the vast majority of words in their books correctly. If they’re making frequent errors, the book is too hard.
- Errors are an opportunity to learn. When a student makes an error, prompt them to say the sounds and listen for the word. Don’t let guessing become a habit. If you are trained, refer to the Sounds-Write ‘teaching through errors’ strategies.
- Use games and activities to reinforce, not replace, reading practice. Resources like Wiz Words are great for motivation and repetition, but they work best alongside regular reading of decodable texts.
Is Sounds-Write Training Right for You?
Many educators who come to Soundality’s resources find their way here through a colleague’s recommendation, or they’ve seen the program make a difference for a student in their class. If that’s you, or if you’re simply finding that your current approach isn’t giving you the depth of understanding you need, the Sounds-Write practitioner training could be what you need.
The program’s philosophy is straightforward: the teacher’s knowledge is the most important resource in the room. The training gives you not just what to teach and how to teach it, but why — including what to do when a student makes an error and how to differentiate your instruction when teaching students at very different levels within the same session.
Training is available to classroom teachers, learning support educators, tutors, speech pathologists, principals and parents. No prior knowledge is assumed.
ONLINE
6-Week Online Course
Comprehensive training delivered online over six weeks with flexible study hours, supported by your trainer, Alison Perry.
Find out moreIN PERSON · BRISBANE
4-Day Workshop
An intensive face-to-face workshop run by Alison Perry in Brisbane. Practical, immersive and highly effective.
Find out moreWHAT ABOUT RESOURCES WITHOUT TRAINING?
Most of Soundality’s decodable readers and activity resources can be used without having completed the training, and can be used to complement any phonics-based reading program.
Ready to Take the Next Step?
Browse Soundality’s full range of educator resources, or find out more about Sounds-Write practitioner training with Alison.
This guide was written by Alison Perry, Speech Pathologist and Sounds-Write Trainer at Soundality. Questions? Email alison.perry@soundality.com.au or call 0490 913 219.