While I wish I could tell you that I took a break from blogging to focus on family or some fun and new hobby… that’s just not the case! It’s called LIFE. Busy at work. Busy as a mom, wife, and person in general. Busy presenting at conferences. Busy taking care of 21 kindergarteners and 2 of my own children. Just Busy. BUT…. I’m here now… with a little freebie for you!
SO…… we are at that point in the school year where my little kinders are taking off in their reading! They are thirsty for new books all of the time and absolutely LOVE having a variety of text to choose from throughout the day. The BIG game changer….. I (the teacher!) know what level of books that my students need. I read with them daily in small groups, I know their levels, and I have easy access to a large selection of books ON their level.
The BIG problem…. students don’t just want to read at school. Once they get thirsty for reading… they want to read everywhere! The car, their house, a friends house, a family gathering, etc… But I can’t be at all of those places picking out the appropriate leveled books for them. AND…. parents who aren’t in education probably are unsure of what a leveled book is, where to find one, how to find one, etc…
There are so many great books and text selections everywhere (WalMart, Target, grocery stores, EVERYWHERE) and many of these books even have a level attached to the cover (Level 1, Level 2, etc…) But here is a little secret (that isn’t so secret!) ….. those levels are not always accurate! (insert big gasps everywhere!) Most of them are actually TOO difficult…. and students are not able to read independently.
SOOOOOO…. the question that many parents have is “How on EARTH do I find books on a level for my new readers…. or any reader?”
Parents can’t go into a store and find a book that is a level B or a DRA 3…. they just aren’t found in public. Sure…. our 3rd graders and 5th graders and pick out a chapter book and read away… but for our young readers, this is TRICKY my friends!
I whipped up this simple and quick little cheat sheet for parents. It’s not much, but it’s a game changer when trying to find appropriate books for your new readers. It takes less than 5 minutes AND you can begin to have a collection of books that are on your child’s level….that’s a WIN my friends!
It’s 3 quick tips for parents…. or teachers 😉
You can grab your own copy by clicking HERE.
Feel free to print for your parents and share away….. we WANT our students with books in their hands that they are CONFIDENTLY reading!!!
