Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

Book bands/levels- anyone know how they work?

37 replies

3catstoo · 18/09/2006 17:37

DS is in yr 2. From Reception he was on colour coded books. They go from pink upto white. In yr1 he was on gold/white for ages because they didn't want him to move too quickly to the next stage. Nobody told me what the next stage was.
Now he has moved to a book with a yellow sticker with B written on it.

Can anyone tell me how this next lot of coding works?

Why do we as parents not get any info on this from the teachers?
DS reads quite alot at home (in bed as he wakes earlier than his 2 sisters so he has to do quiet things in the mornings). I would like to know what books to buy for him. We have lots of books already but it's knowing if they are the right level.

I tried looking up our local authorities learning grid but that only gives details of the first lot of colour coding.

His current book is ORT stg 11 Jackdaws.

Any help to make this a bit clearer would be much appreciated.

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

pollyesther · 18/09/2006 17:53

I'm afraid i don't know how they work but i do follow enough reading threads to understand their 'level' isn't always a reflection of how well they can read-meaning he may be able to stratch himself a little further.

I take my ds(yr2) to the library & we choose from a range called sprinters. Most are easy and some throw a few challenging words, the most important thing for me is that he enjoys reading so i must admit i look for books he can confidantly read by himself.

For reference this may help

Original poster

3catstoo · 18/09/2006 18:22

Thankyou.

Yes I too like to choose books that DS can read and enjoy.
The trouble is the school often gives books that are not interesting or exciting enough. I always get cross because some of the books would not encourage children to want to read.

Sprinters are on offer with the Book People at the moment. They are on my list of things to get.
The other sets we like are Usborne Young Readers. They have stories about robots and pirates, which are perfect for DS.

I guess I'm just too much of a control freak and want to know how the book system works at school.

It didn't help when DS was given a book he had read 6 months ago. Then was given the same book twice within 5 days.
I know teachers are not perfect and have a whole class to cope with, not just DS. Still in the first week of term I expect them to be able to look up the page of a reading record to see that a book has already been read that week.

ORT have changed their system and have new stories so I might get some of those as the school only have the old stories.

Thanks again.

OP posts:

Enid · 18/09/2006 18:29

bloody hell if he is on stage 11 ORT then I dont think you need worry. Cant you just buy books that he likes the look of - he must be a very fluent reader.

dd2 is in year 2 and just coping with stage 5

Pinotmum · 18/09/2006 18:36

Dd is yr 1 and is reading ORT. The school seem to have banded them and she sometimes gets a book from stage 6 or other times maybe a stage 7. Since going into yr 1 She only reads once a week (so far) so I am getting library books to keep her interest up as there is only so many times you can read "In the Garden" I'm afraid without burying it in the garden

pollyesther · 18/09/2006 18:38

Yes i agree, the books are so boring & i find the jackdaws really tedious.

Forgot, ds loves Horrid Henry too.

Original poster

3catstoo · 18/09/2006 20:19

He is pretty fluent. That's why the boring school books do more harm than good. If it's not interesting or challenging he loses interest and then just drones on. It's exactly how I would be if given such tedious books to read.

Horrid Henry books are good but only if they have colourful pictures. Although DS is a good reader he still likes the pictures. I'm afraid to give him too much with few or black and white pictures.
The I Wonder Why? books are good too. DS loves them but gets through them too quickly.

It must be hard for teachers to keep up with the varying abilities in one class.

OP posts:

peegeeweegeewoo · 18/09/2006 21:29

3catstoo - those levels - pink to white - are what ds's Lower school used. He started on pink in reception and was on gold by the end of Y2. Some in his class moved onto Banana Books once finished with the white level. So a yellow label and the letter B may well indicate Banana Books...
DS never got to the Banana Books, and in Y3 at the local Junior School they have a different system, so I have no idea what level he is now on...

singersgirl · 18/09/2006 22:52

Think there is a lime band after the white band and as far as I know that is the end of the coloured Book Bands (that scheme is based on something called Reading Recovery). Lime Band roughly equates to a Level 3 SATS thingy for reading, I believe.

Don't know about the other system your son's school is using - it could just be a school thing.

At DS1's first school they used a system called Cliff Moon and that had different colours from the Book Bands, and more levels. But yellow was quite low down on it, definitely not ORT 11.

notasheep · 18/09/2006 22:56

let him read some decent books that he can choose from the library,youll soon see where he is at

CristinaTheAstonishing · 18/09/2006 23:04

How about getting him some comics? The Beano is pretty good, or Dr Who Adventures.

Enid · 19/09/2006 10:15

agree with notasheep

I still don' understand why they have to be at the 'right level'

dd1 and dd2 just choose the books they like the look of/sound of

if they are too hard for dd1 I read them to her

can't see a problem here to be honest, although I am surprised you didn't get any info about his reading ability in his end of Year One report.

Clary · 19/09/2006 10:24

Oh crikey does it matter what stage he is on? I never know! I agree with Enid it sounds as if he is a very fluent reader - just get him reading somethign challenging at home (I am sure you do)

All I know is that DD is flying and loves to read just about anything - so I give her the hardest book I think she?ll manage; and DS1 seems burst into tears, so I just try anything I think he will take an interest in.
Christina, Dr Who adventures sounds good. Must seek out for ds.

Original poster

3catstoo · 19/09/2006 13:10

I hadn't thought of comics. We get the usual mags but not really comic style. I will try that, thanks.

His yr 1 report was a bit floury. General statements but nothing specific.

I don't care where he is in relation to other children, I would just like some feedback from the teachers and some info on how the system works. He comes home with a new book every day but there is never anything written in his record, other than the title of the book. There is no mention of anyone hearing him read.
I don't know if they are just expecting me to prompt them with any queries.

I still can't let go. He's only 6 (7 on friday) and he's still mine. It's such a huge chunk of the day that he's away from me that I like to know what's going on. Am I mad?

With DD1 I'm quite happy to plod as she is 5 and in Yr 1. I know how she is doing as her teacher writes comments in the book and chats to me after school. She volunteers info about DD and actively supports parents coming into class to see what they have been doing. Yr2 seems to be a step away from that approach and I can't get my head around it.

Please don't think I'm a pushy parent. I'm just a curious Mummy who doesn't like the lack of communication and information.

OP posts:

LIZS · 19/09/2006 13:16

ds got bored of the ORT at around level 11 - stories were folk tales iirc - so moved on to chapter books.

frogs · 19/09/2006 13:27

Levelling reading books is a bit of an inexact science IME. Also the ORT system is a bit odd as they have sub-series within each level (Jackdaws? Magpies? -- can't remember which is which), which are often harder than some of the basic stories of the next level up.

Our school have their own colour-coded levelling scheme which enables them to mix and match books from different series, but it's still not always possible to predict exactly how hard each child will find a particular book. And they progress in such odd leaps that I think you have to accept that there will be times that a book chosen by the teacher or assistant (who is changing 30+ books at a go, remember) will not be quite right.

But once your child's at ORT level 11 it doesn't really matter what they read as long as they get plenty of it and it isn't off-puttingly difficult. Check your local libraries or branches of Borders etc there is a huge volume of material aimed at exactly that level newly-fluent readers who aren't quite ready for solid prose yet. Pleasingly, a lot of it is quite boy-friendly, too.

Original poster

3catstoo · 19/09/2006 13:29

Yes Ds's book last night was about ghost stories. An exciting topic but not done in a very good way. Not that I could write children's books !

Just found a banana book on my shelf. DS read it last year but I had forgotten about it. It is yellow. I guess it's the same sort of level of text as his school books.
I jadn't made the connection there. Thanks peegeeweegeewoo.

I also found some Treetops (ORT) books that are stage 10 and 11. I'm always buying books from the book people and forget what series they are. I should pay more attention to what we already have.

I like the idea of chapter books because they are easier to put down and read another night. The Usborne Young readers are good for that.

I'm rubbish at going to the library. I always worry that the little ones will ruin the books. With 3 children there will always be someone else to read the book again. I guess the school benefits from me buying so many books as they get the points to spend.

OP posts:

sorrell · 19/09/2006 13:34

Just take him to the library and let him choose books he likes. 'Levels' are for school not home IMO. Don't worry about the babies 'ruining' the books. I've never ever seen that happen at the library, and if an accident did happen, they just sellotape them up again. No big deal. The library is great because you can take books of all levels and types and it doesn't matter. I also recommend joke books and books about their interests (dinosaurs/space/animals). Reading is for fun!

Original poster

3catstoo · 19/09/2006 13:38

What is Borders, frogs?

I couldn't do the teachers job and I do admire them. I think it's more to do with school policy and keeping the doors closed to inquisitive parents.

I have a friend who goes into school to help with reading. I once tried to ask her how the banding of books worked at the school and how books were issued. Considering she was a friend she gave me no insight whatsoever and practically told me that she isn't allowed to discuss it.
I wasn't asking about specific children and abilities just the general system.

Another friend has a DD in a different primary school where the children are told which colour they are on and to go and choose a book from that box. They can have the same book more than once if they like but they actually get to choose. That sounds quite good because you would hope the vhild would pick a book that they thought would be interesting.

DS has no choice until he gets to free reading.

OP posts:

Original poster

3catstoo · 19/09/2006 13:39

We dis get some joke books for christmas for DS. He loves them. We got M & S ones that were not that great though.
Can you recommend a particular joke book?

OP posts:

frogs · 19/09/2006 13:40

Borders, Waterstones, Smiths -- I meant any big bookshop that has a decent-sized kids' section.

Enid · 19/09/2006 13:41

go to the library! there are loads of books for him to choose from, its what it is there for. And it is free!

Enid · 19/09/2006 13:42

I have to say the teachers probably assume you let him go to the library or bookshop and let him choose the books he likes.

sorrell · 19/09/2006 13:42

If he has no choice at school then definitely give him free choice at home. The bands are irrelevant to readign for fun. Funniest Joke Book in the World, Ever and books of Knock Knock jokes are great for small boys. Look in bookshop for joke books (or charity chops) as they are fun to have around, then go to the library!

cod · 19/09/2006 13:43

Message withdrawn

Original poster

3catstoo · 19/09/2006 13:43

Ah, I'd not heard of that bookshop. The others I have. I tend to do book clubs really. I'll have a look in Waterstones next time I'm out and about.
I didn't realise they had a section for new readers. I've usually just got 'general' story books (Gruffalo etc) from there.

OP posts:

Flip

1 2