Suzanne Baker & Shirley Bickler 
Bridging Bands for Guided Reading [PDF ebook] 
Resourcing for diversity into Key Stage 2

The ‘dip in literacy achievement’ experienced by some children at age 7-8 may in part be due to a steep rise in text reading challenge that children encounter at this age. To help teachers set up comprehensive Guided Reading resources that support children’s development as they move into Key Stage 2, the authors of Book Bands for Guided Reading have listed nearly 2, 000 titles in a gradient of six colour bands. These progress from Orange to Lime and represent Working Towards NC Level 2 to Level 3. Each band is accompanied by two Guided Reading lessons plans and annotated scanned texts to indicate typical challenges that children face at each band. There is an introduction to reading development at this age, Guided Reading procedures and prompts, and advice on assessment. The term ‘diversity’ in the title applies not only to the variety of texts children need to work with, but also to the range of reading ability found in the average primary classroom. A special section in this book is devoted to a description and review of all the material marketed by the major UK educational publishers for those children working below age-related expectations.