ABSTRACT
A reading scheme, once chosen, represents a considerable investment for a school. One of the problems facing anyone who wants to devise a Reading Scheme is that of interest, and it is that most teachers feel that existing schemes fall short. Many educationists are particularly worried about the life-style presented in children's reading books, especially as, to begin with, the choice will be made by the school. The Downing Readers are printed in the Initial Teaching Alphabet, a comparatively new approach to the teaching of literacy, which has aroused emotions ranging from anger and disgust to wildly exaggerated enthusiasm. Some Reading Schemes lead on 'naturally' to their own series of advanced 'real' books, and since the child can use his recently acquired skill to find out for himself about the 'real' world, it is not surprising that many of them are factual in content.
