Difference's in reading levels

[JennyPen]

Ok, I am now quite happy i think with dd's level of reading, easy to compare but such a wide range obviously. One question though, what is the next step, so they've learnt all the sounds and blends and starting to put into practice but what is the difference say in a level3 ORT text to ORTlevel 10? I know some children in just a years difference are whizzing through from 3 to 10/11 even and just curiousity struck. So a level 3 page would say the cat ran up the tree etc...does anyone have a sentence from a higher level?

Its always hard to think what they'll be like in a year, when your plodding along doing one level of teaching and homework hard to see into the future!!

If it helps, here's the last page of my DDs stage 8 OTR book:

The next day, Dad gave Biff, Chip and Kipper some extra pocket money.
'May we do what we like with it? asked Chip.
'Of course you can,' said Dad.
'Then we'll give it to Biff,' said Kipper.
So Biff bought the fossil she wanted so badly.

Basically a proper story, punctuation etc.

Oh, and book is 32 pages long with 4 or 5 sentences per page.

Dd1's school uses a mixture of books and she hasn't had a ORT book for a long time, i have no idea what level she is on but she's on Gold level (what ever that is) and they are similar to what piprabbits dd is reading so longer sentences and more punctuation.

In the earlier stages there is a lot of repetition of vocabulary, and even sentences, to a much larger degree than in the later stages.

Thats very helpful, thank you

That looks a bit more interesting to read compared to what we have on the go just now!

Oh yes - they definitely get more interesting! Not gripping, but a bit less deadly.

DD2 (yr1) has just read a biography of Judy Garland (stage 12) and thoroughly enjoyed it, and I must admit so did I!

The level 3 books we have only have a sentence per page and maybe 16 pages but they are noticeably harder than "the cat ran up the tree".

What sort of ORT books do you have e.g. first phonics, read at home? Just curious as it sounds quite different despite being the same level of the same scheme!

Example of text

Open the link above and click on "View Spread" for which ever level you wish to see a sample page for.

That was the last book we read, the cat and the tree or something - can't quite remember! Its one of the trunk stories from school but does contain a couple of tricky words - couldn't and climbed which were tricky for her to sound out. The others books she had home last week was the dolphin pool and nobody wanted to play i think.

DD has moved from ORT 3 in November to ORT 8 now!!!!
Words that she found hard this week have been: fierce country autograph

words like climbed and couldn't obviously reappear...

There are certainly some odd words in them at level 3 - it's annoying really as ds has a good number of tricky words and is great at sounding out but then ORT throw these irregular words in there that are more obscure.

Can't remember if it's stage 3 or 4 - but you'll be tackling 'salamander'.

FFS what is the point of them putting a word like that in there at stage 3 or 4?
My ds has probably never even heard the word so even if he sounds out the first bit and then tries to guess, it isn't going to help.

And if it's to help them learn to break up words, well aren't there slightly shorter ones for that sort of stage?

Some random examples of openings:

GREEN (160 words): Mr and Mrs Brown read the paper upside down.
Mr and Mrs Brown have a teapot with two spouts and coffee come out of their taps.
Mr and Mrs Brown have a funny round house.
It spins round and round like a roundabout.
Mr Brown put on his trousers to have a shower.
He blows his nose on a towel.

ORANGE (345 words): Harry wanted a pet.
?I wish I had an elephant,? he said to his mum.
?You can?t have an elephant as a pet,? said Mum. ?Now go to sleep.?
Harry went to sleep.
In his sleep he saw an elephant.
?You will make a good pet,? said Harry.

PURPLE (480 words):Moose and Mouse were friends.
Moose was big and strong.
But Mouse was the one with brains.
Moose liked the outdoor life.
Mouse preferred life indoors. He made up poems on his old typewriter.
One sunny day, Moose called on his friend mouse. There was a spring in his step as he walked up Mouses? path.

GOLD (1150 words): One day, Harriet Bear was riding her bicycle. She saw Joe Bear. Joe was bouncing up and down, up and down, flapping his arms. ?I?m trying to fly,? explained Joe. ?Bears can?t fly,? Harriet said.
?Why can?t bears fly?? asked Joe. ?They haven?t got wings,? said Harriet. ?But I want to fly in the sky,? said Joe. He sounded quite sad. ?I?ve got a Bear Plan,? Harriet said. ?I?ll make us a Bear pedal Plane!?

WHITE (1100 words): Large, pale green clouds floated over the city. Nobody had ever seen anything like them.
?These clouds have come from Mars,? said the Royal Astronomer.
?Those clouds have been made by our enemies and sent to invade us,? said the General-in-charge-
of-the Army.
?Those clouds are full of green paint and when it pours it will turn all my nice, white washing green,?
said the Royal Wash-Man.

LIME (11)(1250 words): Down at Puddletown Pond, Dunkan Dabble and his friends were watching batbird on the World Wide Waterscreen TV.
?Teatime!? Mum called.
KERSWISH! Dunkan swirled his Batbird cape around him.
?KERQUACK!? he yelled.
KERZOOM! He dashed back home to the nest under the willow tree.
?Batbird?s here to save the universe!? he announced.

COPPER (12) (1400 words): The day Fred Hopkin met an alien began really badly. Fred's mother wanted some new shoes.
"Come on," she said to Fred. "We're going shopping!"
"I hate shopping", Fred Said.
He just coloured his face with face paint. It made his baby sister, Sophie, laugh, but Mrs Hopkin didn't think it was funny. There was no time to wash Fred's face and they had to run to catch the bus.

Random parts now (no idea of word count), but it is the plot that is more complex rather than words. My son could read all of these (with odd bits of help - he is on white band at school) but fully understand them - no chance!:

TOPAZ (13) : She wasn't an acrobat like her mother, Sequin Cynthia, who was famous for taking walks along other people's rooftops.

RUBY (14): Suddenly, a shiny gold Ferrari with a silver onion on the bonnet roared past her.

EMERALD (15): "I'm afraid it's not so easy," answered Plonga. "The ships security system is switched on. It won't let me come on board unless Vingor tells it to."

SAPPHIRE (16): She was about he same age as my mum, onlyshe was taller and thinner, and her face was hard as if she never smiled. She was, I supposed, Marks' aunt. She looked down at me without speaking.

DIAMOND (17): This is the strange story of Barrel Tom and the shadows. It happened on night when the full moon shone down on the yard of an inn called the Saracen's Head, although some say it never happened at all.

Wow, i can't imagine her reading text like that in a year or 2 yet some progress so quickly in a year. the big thing is comprehension though - helps if they know what their reading about!