Welcome to Oxford Reading for Comprehension Discover

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.