I can use letter sounds to read simple words and short sentences.

This stage of reading is linked to phonetic development. Emergent readers:

• Have an understanding of the alphabet and phonological awareness of the more popular consonant sounds and short vowel sounds.
• Are beginning to understand double consonant endings (-ss; -tt; -ff; -ll; -ck)
• Are learning the first phase of high-frequency words which will help with reading fluency.
• Will begin to track the print (pointing to words as they are read).
• Use illustrations and/or photographs to support their understanding.

As children begin to learn their letter sounds and how to blend them, they will be able to read short, simple sentences with encouragement. These books are focused on using basic language, word repetition, and colourful illustrations.

The focus will be on decoding simple phonic words using the CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) or the CVCC pattern. This will give children a confidence in their ability to read with minimal support. Within sentences, Phase 1 high-frequency words are present to encourage reading fluency.

Not sure where to start? Take our quiz to determine your child’s reading level.

I am starting to read more words and longer sentences with less help.

This stage of reading is linked to phonetic development. Beginning readers:

• Can associate all letters of the alphabet with their phonetic sounds.
• Are beginning to read without pointing to the words.
• Are beginning to understand the phonetics of diagraphs (ch, sh, th, wh, ng, nk)
• Have an understanding of the phonetics of vowel diagraphs (ai, ay, ee, ea oa etc.)
• Are secure in their knowledge of Phase 1 high-frequency words and moving on to learning Phase 2.

Beginning readers are working on building their fluency. As they become more confident in their phonetic abilities to decode and their knowledge of high frequency words, they are able to read more independently. In this level, readers are working the skill of matching a letter to a sound and decoding, more smoothly, accurately and with more automation.

At this stage, most words must be decoded, and that takes time and energy. This means that other reading skills such reading with expression and comprehension have less of a focus. Stopping between pages and giving the child a break and an opportunity to discuss the plot will help bring the focus back on comprehension.

Not sure where to start? Take our quiz to determine your child’s reading level.

I sometimes read by myself, and I can read lots of everyday words.

This stage of reading is based on a child’s ability to read with more automatic, allowing more energy to be devoted to comprehension than decoding. Readers are becoming more independent in comprehending text. These readers can:

• Are confident with Phase 1 & 2 high frequency words and have moved onto Phases 4 & 5 words.
• Use a variety of strategies to read including inferences and using word parts to decode).
• Are able to understand more complex story lines.
• Begin to notice punctuation for dialogue and may reflect this in their tone of voice.
• Can decode many regular two-syllable words which use inflectional suffixes (-ing).

These readers are beginning to reread to self-correct errors as well ask and answer questions about important details in the story. They can discuss what is directly stated in the text as well as what is implied. They rely less on illustrations to understand meaning.

Not sure where to start? Take our quiz to determine your child’s reading level.

I can read and enjoy a whole story by myself.

At this stage, readers are beginning to move from the “learning to read” to “reading to learn”. They read with increased automation and as there is less emphasis on decoding, they are able to read with expression and proper pauses. These readers can:

• Recognize a large number of high‐frequency words.
• Use context clues from the text to help read unfamiliar words and phrases.
• Read non-fiction texts with some content‐specific words.
• Beginning to demonstrate a rhythm to their reading with intonation and word stress

These readers are able to access a greater variety of text types and can recognize different styles and genres. They notice and interpret the graphic features of informational text such as Content pages and Index pages. With more experience of varying text types, they can understand how informational texts are organized either by chapters or by subjects.

Not sure where to start? Take our quiz to determine your child’s reading level.

I can read and understand longer chapter books by myself.

At this stage of reading development, readers are able to read most sentences with fluency. Their energy is can be focused on comprehending the text. These readers can:

• Read a wide range of text types independently with only minimal help with more complex vocabulary or concepts.
• Ask and answer questions while reading to check comprehension.
• Show literal, inferential, and critical comprehension of text.
• Clarify the meaning of unknown words through context clues or a dictionary.
• Understand multiple meanings of the same word.

For readers at this level, reading becomes an independent activity where they can discuss morals and lessons learned from the text. They should be able to understand and analyse themes, settings and plots. Most crucially, these readers are independent enough to self-monitor by asking and answering questions while reading.

Not sure where to start? Take our quiz to determine your child’s reading level.