What’s inside:
• Series overview
• Detail on the series phonic and comprehension frameworks
• Sample pages from the fully decodable texts, Phonics and Comprehension Coaching and Teacher Handbook
Oxford Reading for Comprehension Discover (ORFC Discover) is a fully decodable Australian reading program for Years F–2. Aligned to Letters and Sounds, the program follows a finely sequenced phonics framework and incorporates a research-based Comprehension Skills Framework – supporting the development of both strong phonic and comprehension skills in students.
ORFC Discover is underpinned by a unique phonics and comprehension approach that supports every student to become a successful reader.
y The series supports strong phonic knowledge in every student by introducing GPCs (grapheme phoneme correspondences) and highfrequency words via a proven phonic framework, Letters and Sounds.
y The series supports strong comprehension development in every student based on the research-based Comprehension Skills Framework.
y The introduction of new GPCs and high-frequency words is supported by themed pairs of one fiction title and one non-fiction title, supporting strong early vocabulary acquisition.
y ORFC Discover is organized in curriculum-aligned themes, including Science and Social Emotional Learning.
y Recurring characters feature across the fiction titles.
y ORFC Discover incorporates the latest Oxford Wordlist with guidance on its use aligned to the phonic progression of the series.
52 fully decodable texts:
y support strong phonic knowledge in every student by practising new GPCs and high-frequency words introduced via a proven phonic framework, Letters and Sounds (see p4 of this brochure for the full phonic structure of the series)
y are structured so that the introduction of new sounds is supported by one fiction title and one non-fiction title
y are meticulously levelled to both phonic and wider Oxford Reading Level criteria, ensuring skill progression across word reading and comprehension.
Phonics and Comprehension Coaching for every text:
y support embedding phonic knowledge, with guidance for the practice of newly introduced sounds and high-frequency words
y include guidance for explicitly teaching and modelling comprehension strategies
y provide comprehension questions to monitor students’ use of comprehension skills during reading
y include supportive before, during and after reading materials.
Teacher Handbook:
y gives an overview of the phonics framework and introduction of high-frequency words
y supports teaching, modelling and developing comprehension strategies and skills in the classroom –including the use of the metacognitive strategy ‘thinking aloud’
y provides an overview and explanation of the Comprehension Skills Framework and its application across the series
y guidance for monitoring and assessment of phonic knowledge and comprehension skills using the series.
Digital Resources on Oxford Owl:
y Phonics and Comprehension Coaching notes for every title
y Phonics and Comprehension Activity Sheet for every title
y guidance for using the Oxford Wordlist with the series, with access to the 500 words aligned to the Letters and Sounds phonic sequence
y ‘Think Aloud’ and Strategy Tip Flashcards
y Graphic Organiser templates
y Student Assessment templates.
Whole-school access to eBooks of all 52 titles when you adopt the full ORFC Discover print series.
ORFC Discover is underpinned by a proven phonic framework, Letters and Sounds. The gradual introduction of new GPCs and high-frequency words supports the practice and consolidation of phonic knowledge in reading sessions.
4 Phase 4 adjacent consonant words (CVCC) The End of the Road Apps Can Help adjacent consonant words (CCV, CCVC)
Sam’s Bright Yard We Like to Help adjacent consonant words (CCVCC, CCCVC, CCCVCC)
5 Phase 5 ay /ai/; ou /ow/; ie /igh/; ea /ee/; oy /oi/; ir /ur/;
ue /oo/, /(y)oo/;
aw /or/
wh /w/; ph /f/; ew /oo/, /(y)oo/; oe /oa/; au /or/; ey /ee/; a-e /ai/; e-e /ee/;
/igh/; o-e /oa/; u-e /oo/, (y)oo/
Alternative pronunciations: a /ai/, /ar/, /o/; e /ee/; i /igh/; o /oa/;
u /oo/, /oo/, /(y)oo/; c /s/; ow /oa/; ie /ee/; ea /e/; er /ur/;
The Best Buns Ever Pot Plants
Counting the Beat The Joy of Songs
Up In the Air Fun Outside
Ren’s Shining Star Ask About It
6 Phase 5 Alternative pronunciations Alternative spellings
Alternative Pronunciations
y /igh/, /i/, /ee/; ch /c/, /sh/; g /j/; ey /ai/;
Alternative Spellings /c/ c, k, ck, ch; /f/ ph; /v/ ve; /w/ wh; /e/ ea, ie; /ow/ ou;
Alternative Spellings /ch/ tch, t; /j/ g, dg, dge, ge; /m/ mb; /n/ gn, kn; /r/ wr; /s/ st, se, ce, c; /z/ se; /u/ o; /i/ y; /ear/ eer, ere; /o/ a
Alternative Spellings /ar/ a, al; /air/ are, ere, ear; /or/ a, our, augh, aw; /ur/ or, ear, ir; /oo/ u, oul; /ai/ ay, a-e, eigh, ey; /ee/ ea, e-e, y, ie, e, ey; /igh/ y, ie, i-e; /oa/ ow, o-e, oe, o; /(y)oo/ ew, u-e, ue; /oo/ ew, u-e, ue, ou; /sh/ ch, ti, ci, s, ss; /zh/ si, s
Just Like Mum In the Spring
7
Rare GPCs (for a full phonic overview for each book in ORL 7 and 8 see the ORFC Discover Teacher Handbook)
The Perfect Play How to Keep Safe
Online
The Ice-Cream Nightmare
The Artic Tern
The Missing Map Mystery How to Make a Video Game
The Sunny Shore Cup Paralympic Power
Ren and the Special Bowl Perseverance
8 Finn and the Ancient Inventions Trailblazers
An Ocean of Sound Being Our Best
ORFC Discover is underpinned by Oxford's Comprehension Skills Framework. Developed by leading experts, the Framework supports the development and practice of key interactive comprehension strategies and the ongoing independent application of comprehension skills. The comprehension strategies outlined in the Framework are the actions readers do in the moment of reading to help build meaning; comprehension skills are practised after reading.
Finding information
Retrieving literal information from the text or pictures about characters, settings and overtly expressed feelings.
Making connections and inferences
Reading between the lines of the text, finding clues and building meaning from information that isn’t explicitly stated in the text.
Understanding vocabulary
Identifying the meaning of words and phrases.
Using structure and organisation
Making sense of a text by understanding the message, ordering events and identifying main ideas, drawing on knowledge of text conventions, forms and features.
Understanding how the author uses language and punctuation to create effect, being aware of the author’s intent and expressing evaluative opinions on a text.
• Determine importance
• Monitor comprehension
• Activate prior knowledge
• Ask questions
• Visualise
• Infer
• Predict
• Monitor comprehension
• Visualise
• Ask questions
• Activate prior knowledge
• Determine importance
• Monitor comprehension
• Infer
• Visualise
• Ask questions
• Monitor comprehension
• Determine importance
• Infer
• Activate prior knowledge
• Infer
• Activate prior knowledge
• Ask questions
• Visualise
ORFC Discover titles introduce new GPCs and high-frequency words via a fiction and non-fiction title, supporting phonic practice and comprehension skill development.
Oxford Reading Level 1
Letters and Sounds Phase 2, Set 2
Phonic focus: i, n, m, d
HFWs: in, is, it, and, dad
Oxford Reading Level 3
Letters and Sounds Phase 3
Phonic focus: oo, oo, ar, or, ur
HFWs: look, for, too, my, you
Oxford Reading Level 6
Letters and Sounds Phase 5
Alternative pronunciations: y, ch, g, ey
Alternative spellings: /c/, /v/, /w/, /e/, /ow/
HFWs: by, very, water
Phonics and Comprehension Coaching notes for each book provide before-, during- and afterreading guidance, across phonics and comprehension. Teachers are supported to:
y embed phonic knowledge with students via practice of newly introduced GPCs and highfrequency words,
y explicitly teach and model comprehension strategies, incorporating the use of metacognitive ‘think aloud’ prompts
y monitor students’ use of comprehension skills during reading using provided comprehension questions
y continue students’ phonic and comprehension skill development using the included afterreading activities.
OXFORD READING FOR COMPREHENSION
Focus GPCs: j, v, w, x High-frequency words (decodable): will
Comprehension strategy: Infer
Think aloud
What clues in the text help me explain what I am reading?
Activate prior knowledge
Read the title. Ask students:
• Where do you think Finn might be
Use the questions below during your small group reading session to develop students’ strategies for comprehension, based on the Oxford Comprehension Skills Progression Framework.
Page 3
What does Finn do after he says goodbye to his dad?
Pages 4–5
What do you think the teacher means by ‘in the back’?
Pages 6–7
Why do you think the author has chosen to include music notes near the bell speaker?
Pages 8–9
What is another word you could use instead of ‘jog ? Who are Jack and Jill?
Practical activity
Pages 10–11
What is Kev s job?
Pages 12–13
List three types of punctuation shown on these two pages.
Page 15
How do you think Finn is feeling? How can you tell?
End-of-book
Retell the beginning, middle and end of the story in your own words.
This suggested productive task synthesises what students have experienced and understood from reading this text.
• Ask students to draw a story map to retell the story in the correct order. Suggest that they can write some words explaining their drawings. Encourage students to share their story maps and discuss them.
Ask students to complete the Activity Sheet that accompanies this text to monitor their development of phonic and comprehension skills. The Activity Sheet for this text can be found on Oxford Owl. www.oxfordowl.com.au
Oxford Reading for Comprehension Discover (ORFC Discover) is a series of 52 fully decodable texts, created to support the development of phonics and comprehension skills in early readers. Aligned to Letters and Sounds and underpinned by a Comprehension Skills Framework, the series provides the small steps in phonic progression that students require as they learn to read – while gradually building core comprehension skills.
Phonic progression within the series is aligned to Letters and Sounds and supports students as they practise and embed phonic knowledge. Common words (high-frequency words decodable) are included from Book 3 and common exception words (high-frequency words tricky) from Book 7. This allows students to begin reading sentences, a variety of phrases and meaningful content from their earliest reading experiences. The phonic focus and high-frequency words introduced in each book are clearly indicated on the back cover of each book, allowing teachers to select texts quickly and easily at the appropriate level for their students.
ORFC Discover is underpinned by a Comprehension Skills Framework. The Framework has been developed based on the findings of multiple international studies into how students develop reading comprehension. Professors Jane Oakhill and Kate Cain have contributed significantly to research in this area and have advised on the Framework and the associated metacognitive strategies associated with it. The Phonics and Comprehension Coaching provided for each book incorporate a systematic approach supporting the development of comprehension strategies and skills.
Each title in the series has been developed and finely levelled to Oxford Reading Levels. The Oxford Reading Levels system has been created over decades by experts, our authors and reviewers. We have looked at all the features of books, including word levels and sentence characteristics, and the ‘art’ of books, including subject matter and visual elements. We have analysed over 2 000 books, 400 000 sentences and over 4 000 000 words to inform the careful levelling of our reading books. We develop our books with Oxford Reading Levels at their heart, making them truly effective in supporting students’ progress.
Engagement and motivation to read is essential for young readers. ORFC Discover features fiction and non-fiction texts aligned to curriculum subject areas. The broad variety of content can be built into classroom programs and offers high interest for all students. Recurring characters across the fiction titles offer the opportunity to discuss characters and their development.
In bringing together the development of phonics and comprehension skills, ORFC Discover offers a structured approach to reading practice for all students. ORFC Discover features:
• 52 fully decodable fiction and non-fiction texts
• alignment to the Letters and Sounds phonic framework
• fine phonic progression to support students in practising and embedding their phonic knowledge
• a research-based Comprehension Skills Framework underpinning the series
• support for incorporating research-based metacognitive strategies for comprehension development
• fiction and non-fiction texts organised into curriculum-aligned strands
• incorporation of the latest Oxford Wordlist with guidance on its use aligned to the series’ phonic progression
• a clear teaching and learning pathway, with extensive teacher support materials detailing the phonic progression and comprehension development within each title and how this builds over the series.
Oxford Reading Levels is a system used to determine the level of many popular primary reading books from Oxford University Press (OUP). At each Oxford Reading Level, incremental changes to text difficulty based on a range of factors help to support students’ progress in reading.
The Oxford Reading Levels system has been devised over decades with the help of many leading authors, editors, educational experts, and teachers.
Oxford Reading Levels help every student to progress in their reading journey, supporting both their phonic and comprehension skill development.
Oxford Reading Levels are:
• expertly researched and well-established as a system of text levelling
• clearly aligned to Letters and Sounds
• a guide to help match students to books that will be at or slightly above their reading level in order to help them build on their skills at every stage of their reading development.
Oxford Reading Levels range from Level 1 to Level 20, supporting readers from Foundation/ Kindergarten to Year 6. The following chart shows how the levels map to students’ typical progress through primary school, although different students will of course progress at different rates and reach different points at the end of each year.
In 2007 Oxford University Press conducted an extensive study to find the words most frequently written by Australian early years students in their self-initiated writing. Since 2007, free access to the Oxford Wordlist has enabled educators to use it in a variety of ways to support literacy development. In 2017 Oxford University Press conducted the same research and produced a revised list. Exploring these high-frequency words offers educators a valuable tool for the classroom when teaching word reading and comprehension. For further Oxford Wordlist resources and to make a customised list, visit the Oxford Wordlist website (www.oxfordwordlist.com).
Words from the Oxford Wordlist appear across all the ORFC Discover books. OUP recommends students become familiar with the words in the list to aid their reading fluency and comprehension. For teacher support and guidance on the introduction of the Oxford Wordlist words in alignment with ORFC Discover, visit the ORFC Discover section on Oxford Owl (www.oxfordowl.com.au).
The 52 fully decodable fiction and non-fiction texts are categorised into curriculum-aligned subject areas, for flexible use within the classroom program. Find the curriculum subject area on the back of every book:
y Humanities and Social Sciences
y Social Emotional Learning
y Biological Sciences & Chemical Sciences
y Art, Design, Technology
y Health & Physical Education
y Physical Sciences & Earth and Space Sciences
Oxford Reading Level
Letters and Sounds alignment
The new GPCs introduced in this book
The new high-frequency words introduced in this book
The inside front cover notes support phonic and word reading, focusing on new GPCs, high-frequency words and developing vocabulary. The inside back cover notes provide support for comprehension skill development before-, during- and after reading.
Say these sounds ch sh th ng nk
High-frequency words
These are some common high-frequency words that you will encounter in this book: that this then them with we me be push
Developing vocabulary
This book contains new vocabulary that students may not have encountered previously. If students stumble on a word, encourage students to say and blend the letter sounds – helping them if necessary. Practise these words before reading: shall dishes pushes
Words from the Oxford Wordlist appear in Oxford Reading for Comprehension Discover For teacher support and guidance on using the Oxford Wordlist with this series, visit the series section on Oxford Owl. www.oxfordowl.com.au
Say these sounds: practise the new GPCs before reading
High-frequency words: practise the new highfrequency words before reading
Developing vocabulary: a reminder to say and blend letter sounds in unfamiliar words (students will use their phonic knowledge as all words are fully decodable)
ORFC Discover includes words from the Oxford Wordlist. The latest Oxford Wordlist aligned to Letters and Sounds is available on Oxford Owl.
Acknowledgement of Country Oxford University Press acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the many lands on which we create and share our learning resources.
We acknowledge the Traditional Owners as the original storytellers, teachers and students of this land we call Australia. We pay our respects to Elders, past and present, for the ways in which they have enabled the teachings of their rich cultures and knowledge systems to be shared for millennia.
Before reading
• Use the Phonics information on the inside front inside cover of the book to make sure students are comfortable with some of the sounds and high-frequency words that will appear in this book.
• Look at the front and back cover of the book. Ask students what they think the book might be about. What type of foods do you think the children could be cooking in the kitchen? Have you eaten dim sum before?
During reading
Ask the following comprehension questions as you read through the book with the student:
• Page 2: What do you think the child is talking about when they ask, ‘Shall we fill them?’
• Page 5: What is another word for ‘thin’?
Page 9: Who did well at putting egg on the top?
Page 12: How has the author let us know what the adult is thinking on this page?
• Page 15: What could be another good title for this story?
Ask the student to look at the images on the final page of the book and use these to retell the story/talk about the main ideas in the book.
Before reading: questions provided to support students to predict before reading (different questions to those found in the Phonics and Comprehension Coaching)
During reading: comprehension questions aligned to our Comprehension Skills Framework provided for use during reading (different questions to those found in the Phonics and Comprehension Coaching)
After reading: points schools to teaching notes and Phonics & Comprehension Activity Sheet available for
Phonics and Comprehension Coaching Notes provide before-, during- and after-reading guidance, assisting teachers to practise and consolidate the focus GPCs and high-frequency words. Also included are suggested points to model and teach comprehension strategies and for the use of metacognitive ‘think aloud’ prompts.
OXFORD READING FOR COMPREHENSION
Phonics and Comprehension Coaching
Phonics focus
Focus GPCs: ch, sh, th, ng, nk High-frequency words (decodable): that, this, then, them, with High-frequency words (tricky): we, me, be, push
Comprehension focus
Comprehension strategy: Predict
Think aloud
What do I think will happen next in the book? What information helps me to predict what will happen next?
Activate prior knowledge
Read the title. Ask students:
• What do you think the characters might be doing in this book?
• What is your favourite food to cook or eat?
Predict Look at the front cover of Dim Sum Dishes with students. Draw attention to the title of the book and the image. Ask students to predict what they think the book might be about. Note the vocabulary they use in their responses.
Words from the Oxford Wordlist appear in Oxford Reading for Comprehension Discover. For teacher support and guidance on using the Oxford Wordlist with this series, visit Oxford Owl. www.oxfordowl.com.au
Biological Sciences and Chemical Sciences
Review the focus GPCs and high-frequency words introduced in the text
Identify the comprehension strategy focus Model the use of the strategy ‘think aloud’
Activate prior knowledge and encourage prediction
OXFORD READING FOR COMPREHENSION
Page 11
What might happen if Kim tapped the buns? How do you know?
Pages 12–13
What caused the mess in the kitchen?
What is another word for dish ?
Pages 14–15
What was the problem at the end of the story?
How was it solved?
End-of-book
Do you think Kim will join Min and help with cooking again in future? Why or why not?
Comprehension questions tagged to the Comprehension Skills Framework help develop students’ comprehension
the Activity Sheet that accompanies this text to monitor their development of phonic and comprehension skills. The Activity Sheet for this text can be found on Oxford Owl. www.oxfordowl.com.au
Teachers are guided to a practical comprehension activity, along with the Phonics & Comprehension Activity Sheet to monitor students' phonic and comprehension skills after reading
y provides guidance on the phonic progression in Oxford Reading for Comprehension Discover, including an overview of the series’ systematic synthetic phonics framework aligned to Letters and Sounds
y includes phonic and vocabulary overviews for every book in the series
y explains the Comprehension Skills Framework and its application across the program
y explains and defines the comprehension strategies and skills employed when reading
y gives guidance on modelling the comprehension strategies and using the metacognitive strategy of ‘thinking aloud’, which is proven to support comprehension development
y contains high-quality, practical support in teaching, modelling and developing comprehension skills based on the latest research y gives practical guidance on monitoring and assessing students’ phonic knowledge and comprehension skills, along with next steps for teaching.
y Guidance for using the Oxford Wordlist with the series, with access to the 500 words aligned to the Letters and Sounds phonic sequence
y 'Think Aloud' and Strategy Tip Flashcards
y Graphic Organiser templates
y Student Assessment templates
y Additional phonics resources
y Access to downloadable Phonics and Comprehension Coaching notes and Activity Sheet for every title
Schools that adopt the full ORFC Discover print series will have whole-school access to eBooks of all 52 titles for 12 months.
