At Barkisland we use a range of banded books across a variety of schemes to teach and support reading.
In addition, we use banded books not linked to a scheme to promote a love of reading.
Below you will find detailed information on the bands and the learning opportunities to help you support your child in their reading.
Book Bands
Band |
Colour |
1 |
Pink |
2 |
Red |
3 |
Yellow |
4 |
Blue |
5 |
Green |
6 |
Orange |
7 |
Turquoise |
8 |
Purple |
9 |
Gold |
10 |
White |
11 |
Lime |
Band 1 – Pink
Learning opportunities
- Locate title
- Open front cover
- Turn pages appropriately
- Understand that left page comes before right
- Understand that we read print from left to right
- Match spoken word to printed word (one to one correspondence)
- Locate familiar words and use them to check own reading
- Use the meaning of the text
- Use language patterns (syntax)
- Predict the story line and some vocabulary
Text characteristics
- Natural language following children’s speech patterns
- A short, simple, highly predictable text involving familiar objects and actions
- Repetitive sentence structures including high frequency words
- Illustrations that provide full and direct support for the text
- Reasonably large print size with clear spaces between words
- Fully punctuated text in the same position on each page
Band 2 – Red
Learning opportunities
- Locate and recall title
- Have secure control of one-to-one matching
- Use known words to check and confirm reading
- Start to read more rhythmically or use phrasing while maintaining track of print
- Repeat words, phrases or sentences to check, confirm or modify own reading
- Predict from meaning, syntax and print to solve new words
Text characteristics
- Slightly longer, highly predictable text involving familiar objects and actions
- Repetitive sentence/phrase patterns including high frequency words
- Sentences short, clear and straightforward following children’s speech patterns
- Illustrations provide full and direct support for the text
- Simple story development (fiction text)
- Non-fiction texts may have more than one type of print format
- Reasonably large print with obvious spaces between words
- Full range of punctuation
Band 3 – Yellow
Learning opportunities
- Follow print with eyes, finger-pointing only at point of difficulty
- Take more note of punctuation to support the use of grammar and oral language rhythms
- Cross-check all sources of information more quickly while reading
- Note familiar words and letter clusters and use these to get to unknown words e.g. look > took
- Search for information in print to predict, confirm or attempt new words while reading
- Notice relationships between one text and another
- Predict in more detail
Text characteristics
- Some repetition of phrase patterns, ideas and vocabulary
- More variation of sentence structure
- Story lines include more episodes following a time sequence
- Some literary conventions along with familiar oral language structures
- Stories may involve imaginary happenings in framework of familiar experiences
- Non-fiction texts still use personal experience & children’s language patterns
- Illustrations still support the text quite closely
Band 4 – Blue
Learning opportunities
- Move through text attending to meaning, print and sentence structure flexibly
- Self-correct more rapidly on-the-run
- Re-read to enhance phrasing and clarify precise meaning
- Solve new words using print information along with attention to meaning
- Use analogy with known vocabulary to solve new words
- Manage a greater variety of text genre
- Discuss content of the text in a manner which indicates precise understanding
Text characteristics
- Greater variation in sentence patterns and content
- Literary language integrated with natural language
- Any repeated language patterns are longer or act as refrains
- More lines of text on page, sometimes up to 6 or8 lines
- Stories have more events
- Non-fiction texts include some abstract terms and impersonal sentence structures
- Pictures support story line rather than convey precise meaning so closely
- More similar-looking words appear in text
Band 5 – Green
Learning opportunities
- Read fluently with attention to punctuation
- Solve new words using print detail while attending to meaning and syntax
- Track visually additional lines of print without difficulty
- Manage effectively a growing variety of texts
- Discuss and interpret character and plot more fully
Text characteristics
- Varied and longer sentences
- Little or no repetition of phrases
- More varied and larger number of characters involved
- Events sustained over several pages
- May have larger number of words on page
- Less familiar or specialised vocabulary used
- Illustrations may provide only moderate support for the text
Band 6 – Orange
Learning opportunities
- Get started without relying on illustrations
- Read longer phrases and more complex sentences
- Attend to a range of punctuation
- Cross-check information from meaning, syntax and print on the run
- Search for and use familiar syllables within words to read longer words
- Infer meaning from the text
Text characteristics
- Stories are longer – 250-300 words
- Increased proportion of space allocated to print rather than pictures
- Illustrations support overall meaning of text
- More literary language used
- Sentence structures become more complex
- Non-fiction texts contain more formal sentences and a widening range of unfamiliar terms
Band 7 – Turquoise
Learning opportunities
- Extract meaning from the text while reading with less dependence on illustrations
- Approach different genres with increasing flexibility
- Use punctuation and text layout to read with a greater range of expression
- Sustain reading through longer sentence structures and paragraphs
- Tackle a higher ratio of more complex words
Text characteristics
- Elaborated episodes and events
- Extended descriptions
- More use of literary language
- May have full pages of print
- More unusual and challenging vocabulary
- Illustrations provide a level of support in fictional texts
- Non-fiction texts contain longer, more formal sentences and a widening range of unfamiliar terms
Band 8 – Purple
Learning opportunities
- Look through a variety of texts with growing independence to predict content, layout and story development
- Read silently or quietly at a more rapid pace, taking note of punctuation and using it to keep track of longer sentences
- Solve most unfamiliar words on the run
- Adapt to fiction, non-fiction or poetic language with growing flexibility
- Take more conscious account of literary effects used by writers
- Begin to make more conscious use of reading to extend speaking and writing vocabulary and syntax.
Text characteristics
- Sentence structures become longer and more complex
- Story plot may be more involved and reflect the feelings of the writer
- Wider variety of text genre but still illustrated
- Some books with chapters for more sustained reading
- Characters are more distinctive and rounded than at earlier levels
- Widening vocabulary and range of terminology
- Non-fiction texts cover an increasing curriculum range and different text formats
Band 9 – Gold
Learning opportunities (as for Band 8)
- Look through a variety of texts with growing independence to predict content, layout and story development
- Read silently or quietly at a more rapid pace, taking note of punctuation and using it to keep track of longer sentences
- Solve most unfamiliar words on the run
- Adapt to fiction, non-fiction or poetic language with growing flexibility
- Take more conscious account of literary effects used by writers
- Begin to make more conscious use of reading to extend speaking and writing vocabulary and syntax.
Text characteristics
- Somewhat more challenging than in Band 8
- Sentence structures become longer and more complex
- Story plot may be more involved and reflect the feelings of the writer
- Wider variety of text genre but still illustrated
- Some books with chapters for more sustained reading
- Characters are more distinctive and rounded than at earlier levels
- Widening vocabulary and range of terminology
- Non-fiction texts cover an increasing curriculum range
Band 10 – White
Learning opportunities
- Read silently most of the time
- Sustain interest in longer text, returning to it easily after a break
- Use text more fully as a reference and as a model
- Search for and find information in texts more flexibly
- Notice the spelling of unfamiliar words and relate to known words
- Show increased awareness of vocabulary and precise meaning
- Express reasoned opinions about what is read
- Offer and discuss interpretations of text
Text characteristics
- Widening range of genre and writing style
- Story line or theme may be sustained over a longer period of time with chapters or sub-sections of text
- Sentences structures may be longer with more subordinate phrases or clauses
- Characters may be more fully developed
- More than one point of view expressed within the text
- Information or action may be implied rather than spelled out
- Texts may contain more metaphorical or technical language
- Non-fiction texts placed in a broader context and include more detailed information
Band 11 – Lime
Learning opportunities
- Use experience of reading a variety of material to recognise text types and predict layout and general content
- Read silently most of the time, adjusting speed of reading to suit material and monitoring the precise meaning
- Rerun to make different interpretations of dialogue, more complex sentences, unfamiliar language, etc
- Sustain interest in longer texts, returning easily to them after a break
- Make use of blurbs, chapter headings, glossaries, indexes and procedural texts to search for and locate information quickly and accurately
- Take notes and devise ways to remember the meaning and spelling of unfamiliar words
- Express reasoned opinions about what is read, and compare texts
- Investigate and identify the styles and voice of a range of different text types including plays, poetry, narrative, procedural and explanatory texts