Igniting the Joy of Reading

 In

Inspired by her own students, SPELD NZ Teacher Ali Fullick taught herself to write, illustrate and publish her own decodable books.

 My main goal has always been to inspire and motivate learners. Reading is the key that unlocks countless opportunities for personal growth and success. However, I often pondered a crucial question: How can I ignite more enthusiasm for reading in my students? That’s what motivated me to create my own decodable readers.

My books evolved from discussions with the children I tutor. One child reluctantly began to read a book that I had chosen specifically for the spelling pattern he was learning. I stopped him and asked him why he was so unenthused. His response was “I just don’t like reading this stuff!” So we dug deeper into what would motivate him to pick up a book. I then asked all the students I work with. I needed to see through their eyes, so I could learn what would captivate and engage them There’s nothing like a child’s honest feedback. They give it to you straight, that’s for sure! It became apparent that movies excited ALL my kids. During our discussions, I also realised the importance of creating a genuine connection between the reader and the story and for students not to feel that they were reading stories for younger children.

The characters were carefully thought through and debated with the students I work alongside. I decided on Pixar animation style as I felt they appealed to either gender and a wide age range. I wanted the characters to be humourous and cute, occasionally reappearing in ongoing titles so children could revisit their favourites. I also wanted to introduce new characters to keep motivation and curiosity at a peak.

I certainly wasn’t what you call ‘tech savvy’. However, I did have the skills for writing. It was all about using what I knew and building on it from there, just like the way we teach in SPELD NZ. Firstly, I looked at and compared a selection of top-quality, decodable books. I noted what I wanted to include and tried to put a unique spin on mine.

I used UFLI (University of Florida Literacy Institute) Foundations as my chosen scope and sequence. This was the critical primary tool that guided my work, just as it is for a SPELD NZ Teacher. There are many excellent free decodable passages within the UFLI programme. Still, I felt there was nothing quite like a tangible book.

My students ‘came along for the ride’ as I shared each stage of my journey with them.

Once I had written my first of four books, I went about finding an illustrator. I tried Fiverr (an online service connecting freelancers worldwide). I must be a control freak though, as I couldn’t quite get across my vision of ‘movie animation characters’ and it was costly. Therefore, I set out to teach myself AI illustration. It’s not that you don’t know, I told myself; it’s that you don’t know yet! I virtually locked myself away for nearly a month, and then voila! I had upskilled in AI technology. There are many AI tools out there, and I just chose one and watched tutorial after tutorial on YouTube. I’m gradually getting faster and learning the smart, efficient prompts that create outcomes for my illustrations. I won’t lie; it takes me endless hours, and if I were to incorporate these hours into my sales costs, these books would be worth a million dollars!

Writing and illustrating my decodable books was a long and expensive process. I quickly learned that it’s also costly to publish and distribute books. Even going down the print-on-demand route, Amazon and companies like it have a minimum sale cost with the type of book I wanted to create. This would have meant an outrageous price to publish. I wanted to keep the retail cost as low as possible for the consumer but still provide the best quality/durability. So, I felt I had no option but to organise print runs myself using a local printer.

I have learned that you do not do this to make money! However, my pleasure and learning in creating them is worth every cent. Any money I do make goes into being able to print the next set or print run. So far, I have created three book sets. There are two versions – one in NZ English and the other in American English.  My aim is to create 17 sets altogether so I can have a complete scope and sequence from simple to complex.

I’m excited to share that I have now signed up with a large American distributor who will be taking over sales and distribution in North America. This new partnership brings a lot of potential to my work and easy access for schools, libraries and educators worldwide. My books are now available on UFLI’s website as well, under the recommended decodable text guide. The UFLI team I met with in Australia last year noted that they loved my illustrations as they have a ‘Pixar style’ theme, which appeals to all age groups. I was ecstatic with this comment as this was the aim and what drove me to write and publish. As UFLI is widely used in the USA, I think my sales will increase hugely. The books are also available in all four of Tauranga’s libraries and through SPELD NZ’s Auckland library.

Writing and publishing decodable books has been a transformative journey for me as an educator. It is a testament to the power of personalised learning alongside the students I teach. My students ‘came along for the ride’ as I shared each stage of my journey with them. I hope they’re inspired by it. By igniting that spark of curiosity and providing tailored reading materials, we can empower young learners to become confident, independent readers, eager to explore the vast world of literature. Let’s continue to embrace the magic of decodable books and inspire a generation of lifelong readers.

By SPELD NZ Teacher Ali Fullick

To learn more about Ali’s books, head to https://innerlinks.info/decodable-readers where you can find both paperback and e-book options. You can also find them on the UFLI’s website: https://ufli.education.ufl.edu/foundations/toolbox/.