BEGINNING DECODING SKILLS SURVEY General Instructions
The Beginning Decoding Skills Survey is designed to pinpoint specific difficulties the struggling readers have decoding words with short vowels and reading simple sentences. The Survey is NOT exhaustive. Rather, it is carefully designed to identify specific skills the student may not have mastered. A general rule of thumb is that students who make more than three errors on the Beginning Decoding Skills Survey need instruction in how to read simple, one syllable words with short vowels accurately. A student who has one or more errors checked in any column indicates a weakness in that skill. The Beginning Decoding Skills Survey is for struggling readers of any age from the middle of first grade through adulthood. We recommend administering the Beginning Decoding Skills Survey to any struggling reader older than 6 years old. If a student who is in second grade or older makes three or fewer than errors on the Beginning Decoding Skills Survey, administer the Advanced Decoding Skills Survey. Directions: Record scores and errors on the Scoring Form. If the student makes an error, be sure to record what the student reads. If the student doesnt get the correct answer, record the number of times it takes to get the answer correct. 1. Give the student the Words and Sentences to Read page. 2. Ask the student to read the words at the top of the page. Ask the student to read the words in each column. Stop when the student misses three in a row and ask the student if s/he can read any other words in that part of the page. 3. Ask the student to read the sentences in the middle of the page. 4. Ask the student to read the nonsense words at the bottom of the page. You may have to explain that nonsense words can be read, but they dont mean anything. (I call them Martian words.) 5. When a student misreads a word, write what he reads next to the word on the Error Pattern Chart. 6. Record error patterns on the Error Pattern Chart by putting a check in the box that describes the specific student error.
USING THE ERROR PATTERN CHART TO GUIDE INSTRUCTION Teach the skills the student is missing, which will be indicated by more than one checkmark in a column with the missing skill, or area of weakness, as the header. In general, begin teaching the skill furthest to the left on the chart that is checked.
2004 by Linda Farrell. Permission granted to reproduce for educational purposes. PDF file available at Center for Development and Learnings website at [Link].
Words and Sentences to Read see one play you are rag lid dot hum bet rich shop tack whip thin dust step trip pond brag
1. The cat hid in a box. 2. The fish is still in the deep lake. 3. Seven pink shellfish were in my bathtub.
vop yuz zin keb
shap thit chut wheck
Linda Farrell is a nationally certified DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) and LETRS (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling) trainer. Linda also conducts workshops on delivering intervention lessons. She obtained her practical classroom experience as an English teacher and a middle school reading teacher. She tutored scores of adults during her 12 years as a volunteer with the Washington Literacy Council. Serving as an early literacy consultant, she now endeavors to eliminate the need for adult literacy organizations by ensuring all children learn to read in early elementary school. She may be contacted at Linda@[Link]. 2004 by Linda Farrell. Permission granted to reproduce for educational purposes. PDF file available at Center for Development and Learnings website at [Link].
Name ______________________________________
Grade _______
Date ________________
ERROR PATTERN CHART - Beginning Decoding Skills Survey
1. Attach the Beginning Decoding Skills Survey Scoring Form. 2. Cross off all words not attempted and put a check in the No Try box. 3. Write all words read incorrectly on the line next to the word attempted. 4. Put a check in the box in the chart that describes the error(s) for each word.
Observations: (check all that apply) Slow Guesses after trying to decode using letter-sound analysis Reads sound-by-sound, but cannot blend Quick to guess Possible b/d reversal
Comments (continue on back):
Error Patterns Real Words
High Frequency Words 1 see 2 one 3 play 4 you 5 are CVC Words 6 rag 7 lid 8 dot 9 hum 10 bet Digraphs & Short Vowels 11 rich 12 shop 13 tack 14 whip 15 thin Blends & Short Vowels 16 dust 17 step 18 trip 19 pond 20 brag
No Try Sight Word Consonants Initial Final Short Vowels Extra Sound(s) Added Digraphs Blends Long Vowels Two Syllables
Sentences
1 2 3 The cat hid in a box. The fish is still in the deep lake. Seven pink shellfish were in my bathtub.
Nonsense Words
CVC 21 vop 22 yuz 23 zin 24 keb Digraphs 25 shap 26 thit 27 chut 28 wheck 2004 by Linda Farrell. Permission granted to reproduce for educational purposes. PDF file available at Center for Development and Learnings website at [Link].
