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Education

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Should I just give up with reading schemes?

188 replies

20PoundsOfCrazyInA5PoundBag · 07/01/2018 23:24

Im struggling to find sets over level 10. He has a couple, B,C&K and alien adventure, and he's on around 13. All the rest seem not come in sets so super expensive, trust me I've been looking. Should I just give up on them now and just let him read his jr novels or is there anything important about the later levels?

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BackforGood · 07/01/2018 23:41

I'm confused.
Are you home schooling ?
Why would you be buying reading schemes ?

SparkleFizz · 07/01/2018 23:52

Have you tried looking in your local library?

Our local libraries stock reading scheme books, if yours does it would save you the cost of buying them.

20PoundsOfCrazyInA5PoundBag · 07/01/2018 23:58

Our library is extremely rundown and keeps threatening to close. If there are any level appropriate books it would only be a couple old ones. Not worth fighting over

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Ginmummy1 · 08/01/2018 11:42

Is your child in school? What books are the school providing?

By level 10 (assuming that’s around the white level shown here www.readingchest.co.uk/book-bands) I wouldn’t worry about supplementing school books with perfectly aligned levelled books at home, and just go for whatever your child enjoys, and try to encourage a range of styles. If your local library is not great, can you get to a bigger library a bit further away? In a public library there may be different colour bands corresponding with different levels in a range of schemes, but you can just glance in the books to check that they’re about right.

joosiewoosie · 08/01/2018 11:51

How about the Project x series? You can sometimes get on book people for about £30.

Ginmummy1 · 08/01/2018 12:08

I think the alien adventure series the OP mentioned is a Project X series.

bearstrikesback · 08/01/2018 13:45

Time Chronicles and the Myths and Legends sets - both ORT.

bearstrikesback · 08/01/2018 13:46

Both available from the Book People too. Chucklers from ORT are great too - also from the Book people.

20PoundsOfCrazyInA5PoundBag · 08/01/2018 18:44

@Ginmummy1 Not yet and his level 10s are brown and he also reads some grey. Those colours aren't on that chart so I'm not sure if there are just different colours/levels for Oxford reading tree?

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tshirtsuntan · 08/01/2018 18:52

Grey/silver level applies to books like the diary of a wimpy kid series, also captain underpants series. Can be bought in sets quite cheaply from asda/book people. Maybe try him on those if you think he'd enjoy them?

20PoundsOfCrazyInA5PoundBag · 08/01/2018 20:17

But they aren't actually part of it are they?

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BSJohnson · 08/01/2018 20:22

Use the reading chest that a pp linked to above. You can choose the sets you want. It's brilliant.

FabulouslyGlamorousFerret · 08/01/2018 20:25

How old is he?

20PoundsOfCrazyInA5PoundBag · 08/01/2018 21:40

@BSJohnson it doesn't go up high enough

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BackforGood · 08/01/2018 22:22

Is there a reason you won't answer peoples questions, so they can offer their advice ?

Kokeshi123 · 08/01/2018 23:41

I would have thought that he would be more or less at the free-reader stage by now? I would just move on to real books. You can help out with the odd difficult word as and when needed.

How about looking in charity shops if your library choices are not great?

BertrandRussell · 08/01/2018 23:42

Are you home schooling?

RunRivers · 08/01/2018 23:43

Look up oxford owl. If you sig up (free) you can read lots of their books online for free. Can't remember how high it goes.

20PoundsOfCrazyInA5PoundBag · 09/01/2018 00:08

@Kokeshi123 thats what I was thinking. I just feel a bit guilty in case him not reading all of the levels means he misses something?

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BertrandRussell · 09/01/2018 00:09

Nobody can answer this if you don’t say the educational contex we’re talking about.

20PoundsOfCrazyInA5PoundBag · 09/01/2018 00:32

@RunRivers oh I didn't know that. I'll check it out, thanks!

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20PoundsOfCrazyInA5PoundBag · 09/01/2018 00:32

@BertrandRussell what do you mean?

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SimultaneousEquation · 09/01/2018 13:15

Horrid Henry are grey at my dc’s school. You can get a pack of 30 from book people for about a tenner. Book people is very good for packs of intermediate books - harder than reading scheme books and easier than generic free-readers.

Ginmummy1 · 09/01/2018 13:46

I think BertrandRussell (and others, including me!) wants to understand why a parent whose child is at level 13 is so keen to buy scheme books.

Is he in school or is he home schooled?

How old is he?

If he is at school, is he being provided with some books that are appropriate for his reading stage? Are they scheme books or ‘normal’ books that the school have chosen? Or does he choose his own books in school? What does the school say about his reading?

Scheme books are expensive. Not all schools even bother with official scheme books after Lime, or have a limited range. By that stage most children would be happy choosing their own books that aren’t part of any scheme, and many schools would encourage this.

20PoundsOfCrazyInA5PoundBag · 09/01/2018 15:37

@Ginmummy1 I already said not yet...

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