What's the Difference?

Reading Mates differ from conventional reading series in some ways. They also differ from synthetic phonic books in a couple of significant ways too. How do you judge which is best for your young readers? Firstly, these books can be used with all children who are learning to read but they are especially appropriate for those children who need more time and assistance in learning to read. Below are the key features of Reading Mates.

The books build mastery through the decoding of multiple stories at the same level. Very few conventional readers do this. This means children can get more practice at a level until they are ready to move to the next level. When completed, the series aims to have at least 4-5 books per level.

Reading Mates build a child’s confidence through using a controlled range of sounds and the letters to represent them. These are listed within the front cover of each book within the CVC to CCVCC range.

The books are sequenced in keeping with the phonic code recommended in most synthetic phonic reading programs. However, they do move from the basic CVC pattern to the split vowel before reverting to vowel teams. This is different and innovative and aligns with the READ3 program.

The stories are written in rhyme, which supports phonological awareness skills and the decoding of unfamiliar words. For ease of teaching, rhyming word families appropriate to each book are listed inside the front cover.

The stories also have a limited number of sight words. The sight words can be taught and practised using illustrated Sight Word Support Cards supplied in each book.

Reading Mates are enjoyable to read because they tap into children’s experiences and sense of fun

The illustrations are bright, appealing and are fun for young readers.

All books are A5 size with large print on one page and a full page illustration on the other.