> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.litlab.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Let Students Create Their Own Decodable Stories

> Let students build their own personalized decodable stories in LitLab — always aligned to the phonics skill you have assigned, with safe teacher controls.

The **Student Creator** lets developing readers build their own decodable story by tapping through picture cards for a character, a setting, and a name. The result is a personalized story they're motivated to read, always aligned to the phonics skill you've assigned them.

<Note>
  **We hold strict safety standards for students interacting with AI.** Students never use a text-input AI. There is no chatbot, no open-ended prompt, no place to type. Students tap picture cards; AI runs entirely behind the scenes to assemble a decodable, skill-aligned story from their selections.
</Note>

## How It Works

<Steps>
  <Step title="Choose a character">
    The student taps through a carousel of character cards.

    <frame>
      <br />
    </frame>

    <frame>
      <br />
    </frame>

    <Frame>
      <img src="https://mintcdn.com/litlab/Ci1Ngws2vsnB22tp/images/Screenshot-2026-08-11-at-4.04.52-PM.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=Ci1Ngws2vsnB22tp&q=85&s=d06c37ebb442ec93faceca4be0a82008" alt="Screenshot 2026 08 11 At 4 04 52 PM" width="1810" height="1362" data-path="images/Screenshot-2026-08-11-at-4.04.52-PM.png" />
    </Frame>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose a setting (if available)">
    If the chosen character has settings tied to it, the student picks one; if not, this step is skipped automatically.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose a name">
    The student taps a name card — one of the options is always pre-filled with their own first name.

    <Frame>
      <img src="https://mintcdn.com/litlab/Ci1Ngws2vsnB22tp/images/Screenshot-2026-08-11-at-4.05.51-PM.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=Ci1Ngws2vsnB22tp&q=85&s=8f1a7f7206c88296c802a553ddb2de7e" alt="Screenshot 2026 08 11 At 4 05 51 PM" width="1812" height="1344" data-path="images/Screenshot-2026-08-11-at-4.05.51-PM.png" />
    </Frame>
  </Step>

  <Step title="LitLab generates the story">
    A decodable story is built from the student's selections, aligned to whatever skill they're currently assigned.

    As students wait for the story to generate, they play a High-Frequency Word matching game, with words that come directly from the skill you assigned them. 
  </Step>

  <Step title="Students read their story">
    The student reads their personalized story. 

    <Info>
      **Students do not record while reading their creations.** Recording is available for assigned texts. 
    </Info>
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Why It Works for Developing Readers

* **Agency without risk.** Students feel ownership without any open-ended AI input.
* **Motivation.** Students re-read their own story more willingly than an assigned one.
* **A name they know.** One of the name options is always their own first name — many students pick it.

## What You Control

| Setting              | What you decide                                                                                                                                                                                                                  |
| -------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Phonics skill        | Set via a regular skill-based assignment — students create within whatever skill you've currently assigned them                                                                                                                  |
| Illustrations        | "One illustration" vs. "Fully illustrated" (full illustration mode is a Premium feature). <br /><br />Learn more in [Student Illustration Preferences](/account/teacher-settings#student-illustration-preferences).              |
| Classmate visibility | One class-wide toggle — allow or block students from seeing each other's creations. <br /><br />Learn more in [Allow Students to Read Classmates' Stories](/account/teacher-settings#allow-students-to-read-classmates-stories). |

<Note>
  Students are capped at a fixed number of 3 creations per day platform-wide.
</Note>

## Classroom Ideas

* **Independent rotation.** Students who finish their assigned story early can build one for fun.
* **Choice writing.** Use the Student Creator as the "draft" stage of a writing block — students see model decodable structure.
* **Engagement boost.** Reluctant readers often re-read their own creations dozens of times.

<Tip>
  Turn on "Allow students to read their classmates' stories" so students can also enjoy what their peers created.
</Tip>