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Original poster

Phonics versus Biff, Chip and Kipper

405 replies

Lukethe3 · 31/01/2013 14:09

I find it slightly irritating that at DS school he is taught phonics but then sent home to read the old ORT stuff which has tricky words at even the easiest level. Is this purely because the school has no money to buy new books or is there actually an advantage to be taught like this?
I have bought some Songbirds books for DS and these seem to make far more sense to me as they include the sounds that DS is learning.

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learnandsay · 04/02/2013 16:49

I'd be surprised if the band you're talking about applies to books published in 1970.

mrz · 04/02/2013 17:01

Then be surprised learnandsay because the "inventors" of the book banding system looked at books right back to the early reading schemes and graded them according to level of difficulty and each level was given a coloured banding.
Teachers can buy a handbook that allows them to band most childrens books not just reading schemes including Dr Seuss and Mick Inkpen etc

simpson · 04/02/2013 17:14

DD's book is Australian and has no coloured band on it so the teachers have levelled it themselves.

There are other books that have been levelled according to the publisher which the school have changed. I remember DD having one book called " The Lion and the Mouse" which was a pink book according to the publisher as the adult was supposed to read the main body of the text and the child just to read the speech bubble (which said something like "I can, I can!" iirc) but the school re-levelled it to blue because they wanted the child to read the whole book.

mrz · 04/02/2013 17:14

A quick scan suggests the oldest books in the BB system are from the 1950s

mrz · 04/02/2013 17:15

simpson the will probably have used www.ioe.ac.uk/about/5826.html

learnandsay · 04/02/2013 17:58

Sure, if you own enough coloured labels you can stick them on anything you want including the furniture. I was following a discussion on TES about sticking colour bands on retro books and they couldn't understand how to do it.

mrz · 04/02/2013 18:07

They buy the Institute of Educations Book Banding For Guided Reading handbook (4th ed) and it lists all the books by reading scheme and by title for each book band it's a boring but simple job.

mrz · 04/02/2013 18:08

It also includes lots of titles by well known children's authors organised by book band.

mrz · 04/02/2013 18:10

the KS2 version is called Bridging Bands for KS2

bruffin · 04/02/2013 18:14

Its hardly new either. Ds is 17 and they used the colour book bands when he was in reception. They even had the Roger Red Hat books that I read in the 60s colour coded.

bruffin · 04/02/2013 18:59

I meant dcs school still had the Roger Red Hat books colour coded with stickers

mrz · 04/02/2013 19:09

Yes 1,2,3 and Away and Gayway readers are in the handbook

morethanpotatoprints · 04/02/2013 19:13

Bruffin.

Ah, Roger Red Hat were the first books my ds1 (now aged 21) brought home from school. I had forgotten then found this, thanks for the blast from the past.

As you were!

bruffin · 04/02/2013 19:17

Morethan
I'm 50 and read them at school so was a bit shocked to find my Ds bringing home what looked like original copies.

simpson · 04/02/2013 19:19

DD got a book on Friday which was an American/Canadian book from 1963 (not a school type book but a little chapter book) and they had levelled that one. Although I cannot imagine that it would be listed I guess that there is certain criteria used.

yellowsubmarine53 · 04/02/2013 19:19

A quick question, retro school bookers...

My dd has just come home with a Cassell Red Lion Book called 'The Dogs of the Marsh' published in 1981. She chose it herself and it looks to be on par with the Secret Seven or so.

Is anyone familiar with these books?

mrz · 04/02/2013 19:52

I'm intrigued simpson ...any hints to the name of the book?

Cassell were independent publishers, situated in Red Lion Square for over 100 years. They were taken over by Orion in 1998.

simpson · 04/02/2013 20:02

Mrz - Amelia Bodelia. DD really loved it but it's very old fashioned with lovely little drawings in.

simpson · 04/02/2013 20:04

Oops, it's Bedelia.

I have just found it on amazon.

It is the one with the red cover.

simpson · 04/02/2013 20:19

It's not that one, if you put Amelia Bedelia in amazon it's the 5th one down (red cover).

Sorry, I can't do links Blush

simpson · 04/02/2013 20:20

And DD has been given the old style cover, not the newer updated one.

mrz · 04/02/2013 20:27

The new one has a different author and was published 2010? just thought it was interesting they are still being published
www.amazon.co.uk/Amelia-Bedelia-Peggy-Parish/dp/0590090690/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1360009584&sr=1-5 (1963 version)

simpson · 04/02/2013 20:50

That's the one Grin

I did have a look at the newer ones and they look easier than the one she read.

She absolutely loved it though. It was the HT's copy so will not get trashed by loads of kids reading it.

learnandsay · 05/02/2013 06:59

Yellow, according to your theory that the teacher is always right, it would seem that mums who complain that their children learn phonics but get non decodable books send home are wrong to complain, right?

Because the teacher has done an accurate assessment of all her children's literacy skills on the first morning and the non decodable books are right for them. It's the mums who are wrong.