Free printable · Grades 4 to 8
Free decodable passages for older students
Older students who are still building decoding need practice text that doesn't look like it was written for a six-year-old. These passages use longer words built from patterns taught through second grade, on topics like a skate contest, a robotics match and a shy shelter dog. Every word is checked, and nothing on the student page says a level.
More pages in this PDF
The Robot That Would Not Move
Pepper Comes Out
Make your own in seconds
Ask for a decodable passage for older students or a pattern your student is learning, and SCAFLI opens a checked passage with questions.
Try asking for:
- “decodable passages for older students”
- “decodable passage for middle school”
SCAFLI is in early access. The free PDF above needs no sign-up.
What it is
Decodable passages for students in grades 4 to 8 who read below grade level, each with words to read first, questions with sentence starters and a key.
How to use it
- Read the longer words at the top together, clapping the parts if it helps.
- Have the student read the passage aloud, then read it again more smoothly.
- Talk through the questions, especially the why questions, and point back to the text.
Three quick tips
- Never call it a baby book or name a level out loud.
- Let the student choose which passage to read first.
- Pair it with a grade-level text on the same topic for listening.
Questions
- Is every word really decodable?
- Yes. SCAFLI checks every word: it uses that pattern, one taught before it, or one of the listed heart words.
- Does the page show a reading level?
- No. The student page never shows a level or a grade. The pattern is named only in the teacher key.
- What are heart words?
- Words with a part that can't be sounded out yet, like the or was. They are listed at the top so the student can learn them by heart first.
A starting point for your own professional judgment. Use initials only on any page about a student.