Reading up: Hatcher Graded Books Level 0-4

The Reading Component of the RLI Programme (Down Syndrome Education) is specifically designed to improve reading outcomes for children with Down syndrome. Through carefully graded books (using the Hatcher Grading Scheme) and phonic and sight word activities, your child will develop their ability to recognise words and enjoy the process of reading. Over the past decade, I have delivered this program to numerous children and provided training to parents, educators, and support staff. Without fail, the number one obstacle I’ve encountered is the lack of access to appropriately graded reading materials. A set of reading books is not provided by DSE. The idea is that books from a wide variety of resources, reading schemes, and even your home or local library can be used as source material. I strongly advise that you follow through on the RLI training course and use the tools they supply to learn how to grade books. This will give your child access to as much variety in their reading as possible. That being said, I know how hard it is to get started. To make the process easier, I have carefully curated this series of books for you. They draw from early sight word lists and incorporate simple phonics (s, a, t, n, i, p), providing a variety of types, styles, and images. The text is presented in a consistent, bold, and easy-to-read typeface on a white background. At the end of each book, you’ll find a list of the sight words used, along with additional vocabulary from the story. They have been graded according the Hatcher Grading Scheme used by the RLI programme. The title of each book is not included in the grading score, nor are the sight words at the end of each story. The word count is also included so that it is easier for you to calculate percentage accuracy when keeping a running record during the instructional reading book. My young readers love seeing themselves in stories, please add their photo in where prompted (or use a post it and draw them). Depending on your child’s understanding of phonics and blending the 2 phonic books may be harder to read than the other stories in that level. If this is the case don’t be discouraged, show them how blending phonemes makes words. If they struggle and accuracy falls use other books at that level and continue working on these skills in the phonic element of the programme. Please note that while these books are designed to complement the RLI Programme, they are not a complete representation of the program nor affiliated with DSE or the official RLI programme. Carrying out training, or working with a qualified RLI tutor, and following the daily book reading, sight words and phonic components of the programme is what will maximise your child’s reading potential. It is my hope that these books serve as a valuable resource on your child’s reading journey and are enjoyable for you to read together. Susanna Stokes Clinical Speech and Language Specialist