Encoding and decoding together

By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated November 1, 2026

Short answer

Encoding and decoding activities pair spelling with reading for the same phonics pattern in the same lesson. The student reads words with the pattern, spells words with it from dictation, then reads back what they wrote. Use a fixed dictation routine (repeat, segment, spell, check, read), keep both on the same pattern, and track reading and spelling as two separate scores.

Decoding is turning letters into sounds to read a word. Encoding is turning sounds into letters to spell it. They are two directions of the same knowledge, and practicing both on the same pattern strengthens each. A student who spells "chip" by saying /ch/ /i/ /p/ and writing ch, i, p has just rehearsed the exact link they need to read it.

Research on orthographic mapping describes how linking a word's sounds to its letters builds both the memory for reading it and the memory for spelling it.^[1] The What Works Clearinghouse foundational skills guide also recommends teaching students to write and recognize words as part of decoding instruction.^[2] For where this fits in a full phonics plan, see the phonics interventions pillar guide.

Why pair them in the same lesson

Spelling slows the student down. In reading, a student can guess from the first letter. In spelling, there is no guess; every sound must be found and written.
Spelling errors show what the student hears. "Sop" for stop means the /t/ is missing in the student's ear, not just in their eye.
Reading back closes the loop. The student checks their own spelling by decoding it.

Teach them together, but measure them separately. Spelling usually lags reading by a few weeks on a new pattern, and that is normal.

The five-step dictation routine

Use the same steps every time, so the student's attention goes to the pattern.

Repeat. You say the word. The student repeats it. ("Shop." "Shop.")
Segment. The student taps one finger per sound: /sh/ /o/ /p/. Three sounds.
Spell. The student writes one sound at a time, saying each as they write.
Check. The student touches each letter and says its sound.
Read. The student reads the whole word.

If the check step reveals an error, the student finds and fixes it before you say anything. That self-correction is the most valuable part.

Five paired activities

Activity 1: Read it, spell it, read it

Show a word card ("plate"). The student reads it. Turn it over. The student spells it. Turn it back. The student compares and reads it again. 8 to 10 words, 5 minutes.

Activity 2: Build, write, read

The student builds a dictated word with tiles, then writes it on a whiteboard, then reads it. Tiles first lowers the load; writing second builds the motor memory.

Activity 3: Word chain, both directions

Dictate a chain for the student to build (sat, sap, map, mop), then show a printed chain for the student to read. See word chains for decoding practice for chains at each stage.

Activity 4: Sentence dictation and reread

Dictate one sentence with 3 or 4 pattern words: "The snail is on the trail in the rain." The student writes it using the five steps for each pattern word, then reads the whole sentence aloud.

Activity 5: Error detective

Write 5 words, 2 of them misspelled in the target pattern (rain, plai, train, stay, rane). The student reads each word as written, decides which are wrong and fixes them. This trains the check step.

Matching patterns to dictation lists

Pattern	Read list	Dictation list	Sentence
CVC	sat, pin, hug, red, mop	fan, lid, cup, wet, dog	The dog sat on a rug.
Digraphs	ship, chop, thin, duck	shed, chin, moth, sock	A fish is in the shop.
Blends	stop, flag, hand, crisp	slip, frog, mint, stamp	The frog hops on the plant.
Silent e	cape, hide, rope, cute	tape, bike, home, mule	Jake rode his bike home.
Vowel teams	rain, feet, boat, play	mail, seed, coat, stay	We wait for the train in the rain.
R-controlled	farm, fork, bird, hurt	park, corn, girl, turn	The girl ran to the barn.

Keep the read list and the dictation list different. If the student spells the same words they just read, they may copy from memory rather than segment.

Scoring spelling so it shows growth

Whole-word right or wrong hides progress. A student who writes "stp" then "stap" then "stop" is improving, but scores 0, 0, 1. Score correct letter sequences instead, or count the target pattern only (did the student write "ai" for long a in the middle?). See correct letter sequences for spelling for how to score them.

Worked example: one 2nd grader over 6 weeks

Grace is a fictional 2nd grader working on digraphs. Each Friday she reads 20 unpracticed digraph words and spells 10 different digraph words from dictation. Her teacher scores reading as words correct and spelling as digraphs written correctly.

Week	Reading (of 20)	Spelling: digraph correct (of 10)	Note
Baseline	8	2	Writes "s" for sh, "c" for ch
1	10	3	Five-step routine started
2	12	4
3	13	6	Added error detective
4	15	7
5	17	8
6	18	9

Spelling started further behind and climbed faster once she used the check step. The two scores together show the pattern is becoming solid in both directions. These numbers are illustrations, not norms. Weekly probes with new words make each trend readable.^[3]

Common mistakes

Weak: Spelling tests on Friday from a list sent home Monday. Better: Daily dictation of the pattern being taught, with unpracticed words for the probe.
Weak: Telling the student which letter is wrong. Better: Have the student touch and say each letter to find the error.
Weak: Dictating words with untaught patterns. Better: Dictate only taught patterns plus the one being taught now.
Weak: One combined "phonics" score. Better: Track reading and spelling separately.
Weak: Scoring spelling all-or-nothing. Better: Score correct letter sequences or the target pattern.

Templates and tools

The phonics decoding goals page has 80 reading templates. For spelling goals, see IEP spelling goals examples and spelling interventions. Pattern-specific routines are in digraph activities and silent e activities. More reading goal wording is in phonics IEP goal examples. Check drafts with the goal checker.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between encoding and decoding?

Decoding is reading: turning letters into sounds and blending them into a word. Encoding is spelling: hearing the sounds in a word and writing the letters for them. Both use the same letter-sound knowledge in opposite directions.

Should spelling be taught in a reading intervention?

Yes. Spelling the pattern being taught makes the student attend to every sound and letter, which supports reading. Keep spelling on the same pattern as reading, and track the two skills separately.

Why is my student's spelling behind their reading?

Spelling is harder because the student must recall every letter with no visual help. A lag of a few weeks on a new pattern is common. If the gap keeps growing, add more daily dictation with the check step.

Use it in IEP Atlas

Sources

Orthographic Mapping in the Acquisition of Sight Word Reading, Spelling Memory, and Vocabulary Learning (Ehri, 2014), Scientific Studies of Reading, via ERIC
Foundational Skills to Support Reading for Understanding in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade, What Works Clearinghouse, Institute of Education Sciences
Progress Monitoring: Data & Goal Setting, National Center on Intensive Intervention

Written and checked by the IEP Atlas editorial team under our editorial policy. This guide describes general practice and federal rules. It is not legal advice; your state may add requirements, and the IEP team makes the decisions for each student.