Leveled Reading Lists
Written by Ena Fowles
In anticipation of questions that parents might have regarding the leveled reading program at PS9, the SLT team thought it would be helpful to compile some information to share. Below are the questions created. Ms. Jones, a third-grade teacher and SLT member offered to share her answers…
Q: Can you please share your background?
A: I earned my Masters in Literacy Education (birth to grade 6) from New York University. We studied both the theories of development and best practices for teaching literacy (which encompasses reading, writing, and word study). That included the building blocks of reading and writing – how language develops from birth, the different phases of children go through in their spelling – as well as the skills and strategies involved in both reading and writing.
Q: Can you explain WHY we do leveled reading?
A: We use leveled reading as a way to guide our students to help them pick books that they will not only be able to read, but will also help them get better at reading. Research has shown that when a text is too hard, children can’t use the skills they have mastered. In this case the reading process may break down, and they can’t use all the sources of information they normally would (the words, the meaning, the pictures, etc).
The A-Z levels give your child an idea of what book will be “Just Right” for him/her, rather than facing the entire library with no idea every time. Just like we, as adults, go into a bookstore and know that a nuclear physics book is not going to be a successful read (for me, at least), when your child knows that he is currently reading at a level L, it helps him eliminate the higher level books as options for right now, as well as books which are so ‘easy’ they don’t encourage expanding new reading skills. That being said, the levels are not set in stone – there is a range within each level (not all M books are created equal). Interest and background knowledge definitely play a role in both the ability to read words and understand them. A child who already knows a lot about stars is obviously going to be better at reading a higher-level book about stars than a child who is completely unfamiliar with stars.
Using the levels and having the students practice reading from books that are “Just Right” for them enables them to practice the skills and strategies we are working on and improve in small jumps, rather than attempting to master comprehension when they are struggling to read the words on the page. When reading, there is a limited amount of attention to devote, and there are a lot of pieces that go into reading and understanding. If a child is reading a book that is too difficult, too much of their attention is being funneled into just figuring out what the words say, so they don’t have enough attention left to put towards understanding what’s happening. By using “Just Right” books, they’re able to balance everything out and direct most of their focus and attention towards understanding what they’re reading, making them most successful.
Q: Explain the policy at the school (i.e. the children need to be reading from their leveled reading for the first 20 minutes, but of course can read whatever they want otherwise...)
A: I can only speak specifically for my classroom, but I assume that something similar exists throughout PS9. If you're not sure or have questions, please ask your child's teacher. In my class, students must read from their “Just Right” books during Reading Workshop. That is our time to be practicing the skill or strategy that we are working on and getting better at reading. The “Just Right” book is at the level that my assistant and I are conferencing with the students on and updating, as it needs to be, and that we feel is the optimal level for them to be practicing the skills and strategies that we are learning. However, when my students check out books in the library, they are allowed to take out books that are not “Just Right” but they’re interested in. These are then one of their options when they finish an activity.
Q: Along those lines, what happens when a child really wants to read a book that isn't leveled/brings in a book from home?
A: If a child has a book from home, there are options. First, there are several ways to check first to see if it is, in fact, leveled. We have some books that are lists of leveled books, but I’ve found one of the fastest ways is the Scholastic Book Wizard (www.scholastic.com/bookwizard/). This is a useful tool for parents, as well as teachers, just make sure that you select “Guided Reading” as the Reading Level System. You can type in the title of a book to find out its level, or get a list of books at a particular level.
If a book has not been leveled, and there are some, that does not mean that the child is not allowed to read it. Even with the levels, as I said, there is a range within the levels. So we use the “Five Finger Rule.” We teach students to use this rule at the beginning of each year, whenever they pick a book. After opening up to any page in the book, the child reads the whole page and puts one finger up any time they don’t know a word. If they get to the end of the page with fewer than all five fingers up, it is most likely a “Just Right” book for them.
Q: Can you explain how the classroom libraries work? Sometimes they don’t seem equitable from class to class…
A: Classroom libraries consist of many, many different books, which may not all be seen by the students at all times! Teachers at PS9 have many resources for books. We have an amazing Book Room, which is filled with leveled books that we can check out to use with students. We also have the School Library, where I know the third grade team has found the Learning Leaders extremely helpful in getting us great texts for our use. In addition, we share our libraries with each other. I can’t count the number of times that I’ve borrowed one book or several from another teacher, either because it’s about a subject that they cover, or I need a higher-level book, etc. Finally, within our classroom, I know I personally rotate through my library. At the beginning of the year, I have lower level texts out on the shelves that aren’t used by the end of the year, and higher-level texts that I’ll put out as the year progresses. I also rotate depending on what we’re studying, and also to keep things interesting!
Q: Anything else you want to share with parents?
A: The main thing that I’d like to share with parents on this topic is that it’s most beneficial for your child to be reading those “Just Right” books. I know it’s tempting for them to want to read Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Harry Potter, or whatever the latest, greatest book is. While it’s fantastic that they want to read, reading a book that is too hard for them is not the best way to help them get better at reading. Reading those “Just Right” books is. They’ll feel and be successful, and before you know it, they’ll be well on their way to reading those more challenging books.
Thank you to Ms. Jones who offered her time and energy to explain the intent and philosophy behind the reading program that is used at PS9.