Gold
About Gold Band
Gold Band books include more sophisticated and challenging vocabulary, including word play and the introduction of figurative language. Some Gold books have longer chapters for more sustained reading. Children reading at this level are confident independent readers who can tackle increasingly complex language, story structures and text layout.
How to support your child reading Gold level books
Your child is now reading longer books with fewer illustrations, so they continue to need your help to ensure they are getting the full meaning and enjoyment from the text. They may prefer to read one chapter or section at a time, rather than reading the whole book in one session. You can support them by:
- Asking them to read some pages of the book aloud to you so that you can enjoy hearing them reading with expression and pace.
- Asking them to find parts of the text which describe a character or place and talking about the words used in the description.
- Asking for regular updates as to what is happening in the book, so that you know how the different chapters or sections link.
- Talking about how much they enjoy a book, or a type of book. Encourage them to look for more books of the type they enjoy.
My Gold Band Reading Targets
- I can read all of the Key Stage 1 High Frequency Words
- I can look through a variety of texts with growing independence to predict content, layout and story development
- I can read silently or quietly at a more rapid pace, taking note of punctuation and using it to keep track of longer sentences
- I can solve most unfamiliar words on the run using my Phase 5 phonic knowledge
- I can adapt to fiction, non-fiction or poetic language with growing flexibility
- I can choose books to read based on the author or subject
- I can choose or reject information in books by deciding how useful it is
- I can take more conscious account of literacy effects used by writers
- I can begin to make more conscious use of reading to extend speaking and writing vocabulary and syntax
- I can re-read my books to build up my fluency and confidence in word reading