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F–2Decodable

ELSA Phonic Readers

A decorative image of the ELSA readers

New decodable readers aligned to Letters and Sounds!

ELSA Phonic Readers is matched exactly to the Essential Letters and Sounds Australia program but can be used on their own in the classroom or at home!

There are 91 new fiction and non-fiction titles, that provide before-and after-reading support, engaging cross curricula topics, thoughtfully chosen designs to reduce cognitive load and a diverse range of content that students will love!

Decodable Readers enable children to practice decoding skills based on their secure phonic knowledge, in context, whilst building comprehension and fluency, ensuring confidence and success for all children.

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  • This image shows the cover of an ELSA Phonic Reader, Street Art Festivals. There is also a page from the inside of the book providing before reading support, including words that the student should know 'street, 'scrap' and 'strong' as well as some words they will read in the book that might be tricky

    Before- reading support

    The start of the book identifies the GPCs, words that the students should be able to read and some that might be tricky.
  • This image shows the cover of the ELSA Phonic Reader Fix It. Next to it is a page from the inside showing a small sewing kit, a ball of string, some safety pins, glue and a rubber band ball. At the bottom of the page is a question to read during the story about what could be fixed using these things.

    During-reading activities

    Small activities within the books keep students engaged in the story and what they have read. These usually require the student to recall information from the book.
  • The cover of ELSA Phonic Reader, What Are Feelings, with two pages from the back of the book. One is a look it up section showing words and their definitions and the other is comprehensions questions for the student to answer.

    After-reading support

    Each book includes comprehension questions at the back that a teacher or parent can ask. These get the student to not only recall what they have read, but extend their thinking to beyond the pages.
This image is decorative, showing a screenshot of the Decodable Packs PDF

Decodable Books Packs for Foundation and Year 1

The Essential Letters and Sounds Australia Foundation and Year 1 Pack provides decodable readers perfectly matched to the ELSA Scope & Sequence for every week of the program. Students will read one book in pairs during the explicit teaching weeks (one book between two students), and two or more books in pairs across each review week (one book between two students).

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Implementing impactful paired reading sessions in your classroom

This webinar focuses on designing paired reading routines that reinforce decoding and fluency. Dr.  Nathaniel Swain highlights how structured paired fluency—supported by clear routines—can promote reading accuracy, prosody, and reading volume in your literacy block.

The session covers how to pair students effectively, scaffold practice with decodable or appropriately challenging texts, and ensure meaningful corrective feedback. Practical classroom examples and implementation tips are provided to make paired reading a high-impact, low-preparation routine.

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A collection of ELSA resources, including presentations, classroom posters, grapheme cards, eBook Library, grapheme tiles, Year 2 Teacher Handbook and phonic readers

Essential Letters and Sounds Australia

Essential Letters and Sounds Australia (ELSA) is a research-based program tailored for Australian schools, designed to simplify routines and reduce cognitive load for students and educators.

Effective teaching within ELSA involves delivering high-quality, explicit instruction through structured daily lesson plans and using consistent terminology and resources. Key elements include repetition, reinforcement, and regular assessments to ensure all students keep up, rather than catch up.

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An Oxford Education Consultant can show you physical book samples, talk you through the progression and assist in ordering our books. Contact us today to get started!