How to Combine PHONICS with COMPREHENSION: A.I. Decodables Plus Diffit!

While some folks argue over whether we should spend more time on phonics or more on comprehension, I have found a way to use AI tools to do BOTH. Because both are needed.

This approach assumes you have phonics instructional materials (e.g., Fundations, Just Words, Orton Gillingham, etc.) and that teachers have been trained in the use of those materials.

To support direct phonics instruction, you also need decodables—stories that utilize the phonics patterns you’ve been teaching (such as short “a” sounds)—so students can practice reading with patterns they now recognize. But often these stories are in short supply.

The GOOD news is that you can use ChatGPT or Bard to create customized decodables.

Here’s a sample prompt to plug into your favorite chatbot:

“You are an expert in phonics. Please write a 150-250 word [realistic/science fiction, you pick] short story using ________ [you pick the phonics sound] for_______- grade students. Please be sure to include at least two characters, a conflict, and dialogue.”

NOTE: You can customize these prompts based on student interests or on content you want to address, making the stories about basketball, weather, volcanos—really, anything!

EXAMPLE: You are an expert in phonics. Please write a 150-250 word realistic fiction short story using long “o” sounds for 4^th-grade students. Please be sure to include at least two characters, a conflict, and dialogue.

The EVEN BETTER news is that you can now use Diffit to generate comprehension questions for that same text. Diffit identifies vocabulary words and creates multiple-choice, short answer, and open-ended questions, which you can present to students in the template of your choosing.

Here’s the recipe:

1. To create your own customized decodable texts, use ChatGPT/Bard with the prompt above. (Or, pull pre-made decodables from the UFLI Toolbox!)
2. Copy your decodable text and paste it into Diffit here. This will provide vocab and comprehension questions (MC, short answer, open-ended).
3. In Diffit, select a template you like (there are several dozen). Generate the handout for the students and explain how to work through it. Remember to print an answer key for yourself separately.
4. NOTE: If you use Google Docs, you can save your decodable texts and Diffit products in your Google Drive, making them easy to share, modify, and re-use.

Try it out! And if you find this post useful, please share it with friends, including educators AND parents.

For more AI support, check out the TLC A.I. TIPS page. For more resources related to phonics, see the TLC Phonics page. The Literacy Cookbook Website offers 2,000-plus teacher-friendly tools.  As a bonus for TLC Blog followers, here is the 50%-off discount code for yearlong access to The Literacy Cookbook Website: TLCBOOK50 (Note: ALL CAPS).