Parents often ask what should the children be reading when they have had a correction program and they are practising the Sweep Sweep Spell exercise.

Sue recommends books that are a series, such as Little Bear and Robert Munsch because they are really good at introducing new words, repeating them in the same story and also in later stories. 

Re-reading is not encouraged for Davis exercises, always read new material.  

Our exercises are based on an accurate visual recognition of a word;  ‘c’ followed by ‘a’ followed by ‘t’ will always be cat.  We avoid phonic instruction as we are primarily visual kinesthetic learners.

We therefore do not advocate

  • books based on phonics – Bob books have a great font, and simple images, but are designed for phonic tuition.

  • graphic novels, or cartoon design books; books that rely on the pictures simply encourage the children to guess at a word that describes the picture, not read the word.  Comprehension is more likely derived from the pictures than the words.

For brand new learners - it is recommended to make up silly sentences with the words your student has mastered as this will encourage confidence. After that:

  • Ekwall Shanker graded reading pages gives the student an idea of the level they are attaining

  • Grade 1/2 -  Little Bear series

  • Grade 3 – Robert Munsch series then Dr Seuss, Amelia Bedelia

  • Grade 4 – Magic Tree House non-fiction series/ Ivy and Bean

  • Grade 5 – Diary of a Wimpy Kid

  • Grade 6 – How to Train a Dragon series, Percy Jackson

  • Grade 7 - Gary Paulsen series: The Hatchet, Brian’s Return, The River (for the outdoor student)