Phonics intervention that older students will actually use.
Multisyllabic decoding and structured literacy tools for grades 3–12 — designed for the real constraints of intermediate and secondary classrooms.
Navigate — live and free | Decode — launching May 2026
No credit card. No expiration. No student PII collected.
February 2026 educator survey that shaped both tools.
Reading intervention for upper grades shouldn't feel elementary.
Most decoding materials for older students fall into two categories: repackaged elementary phonics worksheets, or comprehensive programs that move too slowly to adapt.
Meanwhile, teachers are working with students who stumble over longer words — and that stumbling has a chain reaction. When a student can't decode a multisyllabic word quickly and accurately, they read slowly, lose the thread of the sentence, and comprehension breaks down.
This isn't a comprehension problem. These students can often understand grade-level content when it's read to them. The barrier is word-level access — they don't have systematic strategies for breaking apart and reading the multisyllabic academic words that make up 65% of unique words in grade-level texts by third grade.
Student needs shift in real time. Teachers adjust daily. Materials don't.
Decode
Structured phonics practice built on the gradual release model.
Decode is built on the gradual release model — Introduce, I do, We do, You do. The app introduces each phonics pattern, models the decoding strategy, guides the student through practice with feedback, then releases them to work independently. The app handles all three stages — students practice in 10–15 minute blocks with no second adult required.
- Introduce: App presents the phonics pattern with audio, meaning, and context
- I Do: App models syllable chunking, vowel patterns, and blending strategies
- We Do: Guided practice with real-time corrective feedback — not just right/wrong
- You Do: Independent decoding with mastery checks before advancing
- 70 units across 8 levels, from alphabetic foundation through morphemic mastery
- Wrong answers get coaching, not penalties — feedback explains the why
- Dignity-first framing: "You weren't taught this" — not "You're behind"
How a Lesson Works
Each word is chunked into syllables, mapped with consonant/vowel tiles, then blended back together. Students hear the word, see it broken apart, learn the decoding strategy, and prove they can apply it — all within a single lesson cycle.
Mastery Checks
Students don't just practice — they prove they decoded the pattern. Transparent feedback shows exactly why an answer was right or wrong.
Built for the 43-Minute Period
Designed for 10–15 minute instructional blocks that fit inside a full ELA class. No separate intervention period required.
The model behind the tools
Juniper Reading CoLab tools aren't one-time curriculum purchases. They're versioned — built, tested, refined, and improved through short classroom cycles.
This is not curriculum publishing. It's disciplined iteration.
AI accelerates drafting. Teachers validate what ships. Your feedback directly shapes what gets built next.
What educators told us
We have 43-minute classes to teach all things ELA, so short bursts of learning are most helpful.
It wasn't just 'another thing' for teachers to do but something that would actually support them.
Time requirements allowed it to be integrated into current district curriculum requirements.
My only barrier is district/site approval.
Common questions
Navigate is live. Decode is coming.
Both are built for your classroom.
Modern phonics intervention for grades 3–12 — built with teachers and improved with every release.
Responsible AI · Teacher-verified · No student PII