Reading Level Alignment

How FunBookies levels compare to reading level systems, and why our Science of Reading approach differs from traditional leveled readers.

Decodable vs. Leveled: A Critical Difference

Systematic Phonics Decodable Books

Text is controlled by phonics patterns taught. A B3 book only uses blends and patterns from levels A0-B3. In UK terms, a Phase 4 book uses only Phase 2–4 graphemes. Students decode every word using skills they've learned.

Traditional Leveled Readers

Text is leveled by complexity factors (sentence length, vocabulary, picture support). May include words students can't decode yet, encouraging guessing from pictures or context—which UK and US research shows is less effective.

FunBookies Reading Bands

A Pre-Reader

Visual discrimination, print awareness, letter mastery

Levels: A0–A4
UK: Nursery–Reception (Phase 1–2)
US: Pre-K to early K

B Phonics

Systematic phonics—full alphabetic decoding

Levels: B1–B9
UK: Reception–Year 2 (Phase 2–5)
US: K–Grade 1

C Word Study

Morphology, syllabication, word analysis

Levels: C1–C8
UK: Year 2–Year 4 (Phase 5–6)
US: Grades 1–3

D Fluent

Fluency, comprehension, reading to learn

Levels: D1–D6
UK: Year 4–Year 7 (beyond Phase 6)
US: Grades 3–6

UK Letters and Sounds Pathway

For teachers following the Letters and Sounds framework, here is the recommended order for using FunBookies levels:

Phase 2

First graphemes, CVC blending

A2 A3 A4 B1 B2

Phase 3

Consonant digraphs + vowel digraphs

B5 + vowel digraphs (ai, ee, igh, oa, oo, ar, or, ur, ow, oi)

Tip: Supplement B5 with early B7 content for full Phase 3 vowel coverage, or use dedicated vowel digraph practice materials.

Phase 4

Consonant blends (CCVC/CVCC)

B3 B4

Phase 5

Split digraphs, alternative spellings

B6 B7 B8 B9

Phase 6

Fluency, suffixes, spelling patterns

C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6

Key difference: FunBookies teaches blends (B3–B4) before digraphs (B5) in its standard sequence. UK teachers should use B5 before B3–B4 to align with Letters and Sounds phases.

Science of Reading Framework

FunBookies is built on research-based reading instruction principles. Here's how our levels connect to key concepts from the Science of Reading.

Ehri's Phases of Word Reading

Dr. Linnea Ehri's research shows how children progress from non-readers to fluent sight-word readers. FunBookies levels are designed to support each phase:

Phase	What Readers Do	FunBookies Levels
Pre-Alphabetic	Recognise words by visual cues (logos, shape)	A0 A1
Partial Alphabetic	Use some letter-sound connections (first/last letters)	A2 A3 A4
Full Alphabetic	Decode using all grapheme-phoneme correspondences	B1 B2 B3 B4 B5
Consolidated	Recognise larger spelling patterns and chunks	B6 B7 B8 B9 C1–C8
Automatic	Read fluently with instant word recognition	D1–D6

Heart Words (Tricky Words)

Some high-frequency words have irregular spellings that can't be fully decoded. The Science of Reading approach teaches these as "heart words" — we learn the regular parts and mark the "heart" (tricky part) that must be learned by heart:

said was of they one could

Each FunBookies level includes a curated list of sight words appropriate for that stage. Rather than rote memorisation, we encourage pointing out which parts ARE decodable — this builds phonics connections even for irregular words.

Orthographic Mapping

Research by David Share and David Kilpatrick shows that words become "sight words" through orthographic mapping — the process of bonding spellings to pronunciations and meanings in memory. This happens through:

Sound it out
Decode the word phoneme by phoneme

Connect meaning
Link the sounds to a known word

Store the spelling
Bond letter patterns to memory

Instant recognition
After 1–4 correct readings, it's a sight word

Why decodable books matter: Each successful decoding attempt strengthens orthographic mapping. That's why FunBookies books are carefully controlled — children encounter words they can decode, building real sight word vocabulary through phonics rather than guessing.

Level Alignment Chart

These are approximate correlations. Because FunBookies uses decodable progression (phonics-based) rather than text complexity leveling, direct 1:1 mappings don't exist. Use as a general guide only.

Note: The L&S Phase column shows phonics content, not teaching order. See the UK Letters and Sounds Pathway above for the recommended reading order.

FunBookies	Year	L&S Phase	Book Band	Grade	F&P	Lexile
A0 Concept of Print	Nursery	Phase 1	Lilac	Pre-K	A	BR
A1 Letter Recognition	Nursery	Phase 1–2	Lilac	Pre-K	A	BR
A2 CV/VC Words	Reception	Phase 2	Pink	K	A–B	BR
A3 Mixed Case	Reception	Phase 2	Pink–Red	K	B–C	BR
A4 Emergent Bridge	Reception	Phase 2–3	Red	K	C–D	BR–50L
B1 CVC Short a, i	Reception	Phase 2	Pink–Red	K–1	D–E	50–100L
B2 CVC All Vowels	Reception–Y1	Phase 2–3	Red–Yellow	K–1	E–F	100–150L
B3 Final Blends	Reception–Y1	Phase 4	Yellow	1	F–G	150–200L
B4 Initial Blends	Year 1	Phase 4	Yellow–Blue	1	G–H	200–250L
B5 Digraphs	Year 1	Phase 3	Blue	1	H–I	250–300L
B6 Silent E	Year 1	Phase 5	Blue–Green	1	I–J	300–350L
B7 Vowel Teams	Year 1–2	Phase 5	Green	1–2	J–K	350–400L
B8 Diphthongs	Year 1–2	Phase 5	Green–Orange	1–2	K–L	400–450L
B9 R-Controlled	Year 2	Phase 5	Orange	1–2	L–M	450–500L
C1 Silent Letters	Year 2	Phase 5–6	Turquoise	2	M–N	500–550L
C2 Soft C and G	Year 2	Phase 5	Turquoise–Purple	2	N–O	550–600L
C3 Two-Syllable Closed	Year 2–3	Phase 6	Purple	2–3	O–P	600–650L
C4 Open + Consonant-le	Year 3	Phase 6	Gold	2–3	P–Q	650–700L
C5 Contractions	Year 3	Phase 6	Gold–White	3	Q–R	700–750L
C6 Inflectional Endings	Year 3	Phase 6	White	3	R–S	750–800L
C7 Derivational Suffixes	Year 3–4	Beyond	Lime	3–4	S–T	800–850L
C8 Prefixes	Year 4	Beyond	Lime–Brown	3–4	T–U	850–900L
D1 Sentence Variety	Year 4	Beyond	Brown	4	U–V	450–500L
D2 Inference	Year 4–5	Beyond	Grey	4–5	V–W	500–550L
D3 Latin Roots	Year 5	Beyond	Dark Blue	5	W–X	550–600L
D4 Greek Roots	Year 5–6	Beyond	Dark Blue	5–6	X–Y	600–650L
D5 Figurative Language	Year 6	Beyond	Dark Red	5–6	Y–Z	650–700L
D6 Grade-Level Prose	Year 6–7	Beyond	Dark Red+	6	Z	700–800L

UK Reading Level Systems

Letters and Sounds

UK Department for Education

Scale: Phase 1–6

The UK's systematic synthetic phonics (SSP) framework. Runs from Nursery (age 3) through Year 2 (age 7). Mandated for all state schools. Phase 1 = listening skills, Phases 2-3 = letter-sounds, Phase 4 = blends, Phase 5 = alternative spellings, Phase 6 = fluency.

Book Bands

Institute of Education / BookLife

Scale: Lilac→Dark Red (17 colours)

Colour-coded reading levels used across UK publishers. Lilac = pre-reader, Pink/Red = Reception, Yellow/Blue = Year 1, Green/Orange = Year 1-2, and so on. Widely used in UK schools for guided reading.

Oxford Reading Tree (ORT)

Oxford University Press

Scale: Levels 1–20+

Britain's best-known reading scheme. Features Biff, Chip, and Kipper. Levels align with Book Bands. Includes Floppy's Phonics for decodable options. Used in 80%+ of UK primary schools.

Collins Big Cat

HarperCollins

Scale: Book Band colours

Phonics-aligned reading scheme with fully decodable books. Follows Letters and Sounds progression. Popular choice for systematic phonics teaching in UK schools.

US Reading Level Systems

Fountas & Pinnell (F&P)

Heinemann

Scale: A–Z

The most widely used system in US schools. Based on text complexity factors including sentence length, vocabulary, and illustration support. Criticized by Science of Reading advocates for encouraging guessing.

Lexile

MetaMetrics

Scale: BR to 2000L+

Measures both reader ability and text complexity. Uses sentence length and word frequency. BR = Beginning Reader. Widely used in libraries and for standardized testing.

DRA (Developmental Reading Assessment)

Savvas (formerly Pearson)

Scale: A, 1–80

Individual performance-based assessment. Teachers observe students reading aloud and answering comprehension questions. Common in elementary schools.

Reading Recovery

Ohio State University

Scale: 1–20+

Intervention program for struggling first graders. Uses leveled texts with increasing complexity. Levels correspond roughly to months of first grade.

ATOS / Accelerated Reader

Renaissance Learning

Scale: Grade decimals (e.g., 3.5)

Grade-level equivalent format. 3.5 = fifth month of third grade. Used with AR quizzes. Interest levels (LG, MG, UG) indicate age-appropriateness.

IRLA

American Reading Company

Scale: Colors (Yellow→Black)

Color-coded system with "Power Goals" for each level. Used in ARC's 100 Book Challenge. Includes both reading level and specific skill targets.

International Systems

PM Benchmark

Cengage / Rigby

Scale: 1–30

Popular internationally, especially in Australia, UK, and New Zealand. PM Readers are fiction and nonfiction leveled texts commonly used in guided reading.

Reading A-Z

Learning A-Z

Scale: aa, A–Z, Z1, Z2

Online leveled reading program. Provides printable books, quizzes, and running records. Levels correlate with F&P and other systems.

UK Letters and Sounds Phases Explained

Phase 1 (Nursery, age 3–4) — Listening skills, rhythm, rhyme, oral blending. No letter-sound teaching yet.
Phase 2 (Reception, age 4–5) — First 20 graphemes: s, a, t, p, i, n, m, d, g, o, c, k, ck, e, u, r, h, b, f, l. CVC word blending.
Phase 3 (Reception) — 25 more graphemes including digraphs (ch, sh, th, ng) and vowel patterns (ai, ee, igh, oa, oo, ar, or, ur, ow, oi).
Phase 4 (Year 1) — No new sounds. Focus on consonant blends (bl, cr, st, mp, nd) and CCVC/CVCC words.
Phase 5 (Year 1) — Alternative spellings (ay, a-e, ea, ey for /ay/) and alternative pronunciations (c as /s/ or /k/).
Phase 6 (Year 2) — Fluency, spelling rules, suffixes (-ing, -ed, -er), prefixes. Children read most words automatically.

Our Research Foundation

Dehaene (Reading in the Brain) — Neurological basis for systematic phonics
Ehri (Phases of Word Reading) — Pre-alphabetic to consolidated alphabetic stages
Kilpatrick (Orthographic Mapping) — How words become automatic sight words
Share (Self-Teaching Hypothesis) — Successful decoding leads to orthographic learning
Beck (Vocabulary Tiers) — Tiered approach to vocabulary instruction
Rose (UK Rose Report, 2006) — Independent review that led to mandatory systematic phonics in England
Stuart & Stainthorp (UK Reading Research) — Evidence base for synthetic phonics approach