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  • Reading

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 – NC Reading Levels

 

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

  1. Locate title
  2. Open front cover
  3. Turn pages appropriately
  4. Understand that left page comes before right
  5. Understand that we read print from left to right
  6. Match spoken word to printed word (one to one correspondence)
  7. Locate familiar words and use them to check own reading
  8. Use the meaning of the text
  9. Use language patterns (syntax)
  10. Predict the story line and some vocabulary

 

Text characteristics

  1. Natural language following children’s speech patterns
  2. A short, simple, highly predictable text involving familiar objects and actions
  3. Repetitive sentence structures including high frequency words
  4. Illustrations that provide full and direct support for the text
  5. Reasonably large print size with clear spaces between words
  6. Fully punctuated text in the same position on each page

 

Band 2 – Red

Learning opportunities

  1. Locate and recall title
  2. Have secure control of one-to-one matching
  3. Use known words to check and confirm reading
  4. Start to read more rhythmically or use phrasing while maintaining track of print
  5. Repeat words, phrases or sentences to check, confirm or modify own reading
  6. Predict from meaning, syntax and print to solve new words

 

Text characteristics

  1. Slightly longer, highly predictable text involving familiar objects and actions
  2. Repetitive sentence/phrase patterns including high frequency words
  3. Sentences short, clear and straightforward following children’s speech patterns
  4. Illustrations provide full and direct support for the text
  5. Simple story development (fiction text)
  6. Non-fiction texts may have more than one type of print format
  7. Reasonably large print with obvious spaces between words
  8. Full range of punctuation

 

Band 3 – Yellow

Learning opportunities

  1. Follow print with eyes, finger-pointing only at point of difficulty
  2. Take more note of punctuation to support the use of grammar and oral language rhythms
  3. Cross-check all sources of information more quickly while reading
  4. Note familiar words and letter clusters and use these to get to unknown words e.g. look > took
  5. Search for information in print to predict, confirm or attempt new words while reading
  6. Notice relationships between one text and another
  7. Predict in more detail

 

Text characteristics

  1. Some repetition of phrase patterns, ideas and vocabulary
  2. More variation of sentence structure
  3. Story lines include more episodes following a time sequence
  4. Some literary conventions along with familiar oral language structures
  5. Stories may involve imaginary happenings in framework of familiar experiences
  6. Non-fiction texts still use personal experience & children’s language patterns
  7. Illustrations still support the text quite closely

 

Band 4 – Blue

Learning opportunities

  1. Move through text attending to meaning, print and sentence structure flexibly
  2. Self-correct more rapidly on-the-run
  3. Re-read to enhance phrasing and clarify precise meaning
  4. Solve new words using print information along with attention to meaning
  5. Use analogy with known vocabulary to solve new words
  6. Manage a greater variety of text genre
  7. Discuss content of the text in a manner which indicates precise understanding

 

Text characteristics

  1. Greater variation in sentence patterns and content
  2. Literary language integrated with natural language
  3. Any repeated language patterns are longer or act as refrains
  4. More lines of text on page, sometimes up to 6 or8 lines
  5. Stories have more events
  6. Non-fiction texts include some abstract terms and impersonal sentence structures
  7. Pictures support story line rather than convey precise meaning so closely
  8. More similar-looking words appear in text

 

Band 5 – Green

Learning opportunities

  1. Read fluently with attention to punctuation
  2. Solve new words using print detail while attending to meaning and syntax
  3. Track visually additional lines of print without difficulty
  4. Manage effectively a growing variety of texts
  5. Discuss and interpret character and plot more fully

 

Text characteristics

  1. Varied and longer sentences
  2. Little or no repetition of phrases
  3. More varied and larger number of characters involved
  4. Events sustained over several pages
  5. May have larger number of words on page
  6. Less familiar or specialised vocabulary used
  7. Illustrations may provide only moderate support for the text

 

Band 6 – Orange

Learning opportunities

  1. Get started without relying on illustrations
  2. Read longer phrases and more complex sentences
  3. Attend to a range of punctuation
  4. Cross-check information from meaning, syntax and print on the run
  5. Search for and use familiar syllables within words to read longer words
  6. Infer meaning from the text

 

Text characteristics

  1. Stories are longer – 250-300 words
  2. Increased proportion of space allocated to print rather than pictures
  3. Illustrations support overall meaning of text
  4. More literary language used
  5. Sentence structures become more complex
  6. Non-fiction texts contain more formal sentences and a widening range of unfamiliar terms

 

Band 7 – Turquoise

Learning opportunities

  1. Extract meaning from the text while reading with less dependence on illustrations
  2. Approach different genres with increasing flexibility
  3. Use punctuation and text layout to read with a greater range of expression
  4. Sustain reading through longer sentence structures and paragraphs
  5. Tackle a higher ratio of more complex words

 

Text characteristics

  1. Elaborated episodes and events
  2. Extended descriptions
  3. More use of literary language
  4. May have full pages of print
  5. More unusual and challenging vocabulary
  6. Illustrations provide a level of support in fictional texts
  7. Non-fiction texts contain longer, more formal sentences and a widening range of unfamiliar terms

 

Band 8 – Purple

Learning opportunities

  1. Look through a variety of texts with growing independence to predict content, layout and story development
  2. Read silently or quietly at a more rapid pace, taking note of punctuation and using it to keep track of longer sentences
  3. Solve most unfamiliar words on the run
  4. Adapt to fiction, non-fiction or poetic language with growing flexibility
  5. Take more conscious account of literary effects used by writers
  6. Begin to make more conscious use of reading to extend speaking and writing vocabulary and syntax.

 

Text characteristics

  1. Sentence structures become longer and more complex
  2. Story plot may be more involved and reflect the feelings of the writer
  3. Wider variety of text genre but still illustrated
  4. Some books with chapters for more sustained reading
  5. Characters are more distinctive and rounded than at earlier levels
  6. Widening vocabulary and range of terminology
  7. Non-fiction texts cover an increasing curriculum range and different text formats

 

Band 9 – Gold

Learning opportunities (as for Band 8)

  1. Look through a variety of texts with growing independence to predict content, layout and story development
  2. Read silently or quietly at a more rapid pace, taking note of punctuation and using it to keep track of longer sentences
  3. Solve most unfamiliar words on the run
  4. Adapt to fiction, non-fiction or poetic language with growing flexibility
  5. Take more conscious account of literary effects used by writers
  6. Begin to make more conscious use of reading to extend speaking and writing vocabulary and syntax.

 

Text characteristics

  1. Somewhat more challenging than in Band 8
  1. Sentence structures become longer and more complex
  1. Story plot may be more involved and reflect the feelings of the writer
  2. Wider variety of text genre but still illustrated
  3. Some books with chapters for more sustained reading
  4. Characters are more distinctive and rounded than at earlier levels
  5. Widening vocabulary and range of terminology
  6. Non-fiction texts cover an increasing curriculum range

 

Band 10 – White

Learning opportunities

  1. Read silently most of the time
  2. Sustain interest in longer text, returning to it easily after a break
  3. Use text more fully as a reference and as a model
  4. Search for and find information in texts more flexibly
  5. Notice the spelling of unfamiliar words and relate to known words
  6. Show increased awareness of vocabulary and precise meaning
  7. Express reasoned opinions about what is read
  8. Offer and discuss interpretations of text

 

Text characteristics

  1. Widening range of genre and writing style
  2. Story line or theme may be sustained over a longer period of time with chapters or sub-sections of text
  3. Sentences structures may be longer with more subordinate phrases or clauses
  4. Characters may be more fully developed
  5. More than one point of view expressed within the text
  6. Information or action may be implied rather than spelled out
  7. Texts may contain more metaphorical or technical language
  8. Non-fiction texts placed in a broader context and include more detailed information

 

Band 11 – Lime

Learning opportunities

  1. Use experience of reading a variety of material to recognise text types and predict layout and general content
  2. Read silently most of the time, adjusting speed of reading to suit material and monitoring the precise meaning
  3. Rerun to make different interpretations of dialogue, more complex sentences, unfamiliar language, etc
  4. Sustain interest in longer texts, returning easily to them after a break
  5. Make use of blurbs, chapter headings, glossaries, indexes and procedural texts to search for and locate information quickly and accurately
  6. Take notes and devise ways to remember the meaning and spelling of unfamiliar words
  7. Express reasoned opinions about what is read, and compare texts
  8. Investigate and identify the styles and voice of a range of different text types including plays, poetry, narrative, procedural and explanatory texts