How to Build a Dyslexia Friendly Classroom Library

New Zealand is in the middle of a significant shift in how reading is taught. After decades of Reading Recovery and levelled text dominance, the Ministry of Education has moved decisively toward structured literacy, with new curriculum expectations, updated teacher resources, and a clear signal that systematic phonics is now the expected approach in New Zealand classrooms.

The NZ Curriculum Refresh (2023) explicitly includes phonological awareness and phonics as foundational literacy skills. The Ministry's structured literacy resources and the updated English curriculum signal a clear departure from the three-cueing model that underpinned Reading Recovery. Schools are now expected to teach phonics explicitly and systematically from the start of schooling.

What this means for NZ teachers: levelled readers are no longer the recommended primary reading tool for readers building their phonics foundation; decodable books aligned to a phonics scope and sequence are now the appropriate text type for phonics practice; and assessment should track phonics knowledge, not just reading level.

NZ teachers looking for decodable books need: books written in New Zealand English (or at minimum, Commonwealth English spelling), phonics sequence alignment to a recognised scope and sequence, books that cover the full range from early CVC words through to complex vowel patterns and multisyllabic words, and classroom sets suitable for guided reading groups.

Innerlinks decodable books are written in New Zealand English, mapped to UFLI Foundations, and designed for NZ classroom use. Browse at innerlinks.info.