To band or not to band- that is the question! - Gill Wilcox (Literacy Specialist)
The June weather might have been underwhelming but I have got one seriously hot topic for July: To band or not to band- that is the question!
Reading progression has been built on a foundation of colour banding for decades. Children, parents and teachers can measure success through a rainbow journey of fairly standard texts. How can we possibly deviate from the embedded procedure that has become cemented in reading provisions in every corner of the country? It is a system in which we feel secure, familiar and reliant. It is safe. It is dependable.
As I suppress my inner Volvo sales assistant, I ask you to consider the possibility of life after book bands.
Volitional reading is our goal. We know children who choose to read have a far greater chance of success over those who do not choose to read. Reading is an even greater indicator of achievement than parent’s socio economic background. So if we want children to enjoy this pastime, we must endeavor to entice pupils with the most appealing choices. Imagine entering a bookstore, two stories high, shelves upon shelves of freshly inked paper and the quiet calm of contemplation as you study a ray of spines and covers. Now imagine that we were restricted to only one shelf. This feels deflating. Now imagine that your colleagues can select from anywhere. You get the picture.
With this in mind, we recently removed book bands and replaced them with year group libraries. These have been filled with age appropriate texts which are varied in genre and complexity. Children are trained to select books that they are keen to read and which they can easily decode automatically. The training takes some time but it has been so worthwhile. Now, instead of cheering because they have got a ‘lime book’, they are talking with peers about the authors they want to pick, the titles that they recommend and the collections they are working their way through. Book talk has increased, parents have noted the raised commitments at home and independence is the driver. Children no longer reflect on their ranking in a colour chart. Instead they delight in reading for the sheer pleasure.
We are still on the journey and no doubt will learn more on the way, but I dare you to join us.