Coaches and teachers provide instruction on the skills needed for success, but the individual must practice those skills in order to improve. If practice is fun, a person practices more and gets better faster. For reading, the same can be applied by finding high interest material written in our comfort zone. Those are called “just right” books.
Reading materials can be divided into 3 levels:
Independent Level: Relatively easy to read (95% word accuracy).
Instructional Level: Challenging but manageable for the reader (90% word accuracy)
Frustration Level: Difficult text to read (less than 90% accuracy)
Your child’s teacher can help identify his or her independent reading level. The Chattahoochee Valley Libraries can help you find great books to match those levels.
Stop by any CVL branch and let our staff show you how to find “just the right” books, or log onto our catalog at cvlga.org. In the search box type in Lexile followed by level number, or for Accelerated Reader type in AR followed by level number. An assortment of titles will come up for you to browse, or use the menu choices on the left to fine-tune your choices.
Remember, children’s reading choices and assignments may be written at their Instructional or frustration level and that means they need support while reading. They can understand the material if you read and discuss it with them! You can also find thousands of free read-a-longs and audiobooks to support your young reader on our website: Tumblebooks for our youngest readers, Tumblebook Cloud Junior for grades 3 to 8 and RBdigital for audiobooks for all ages.
Chattahoochee Valley Libraries is here to support your child’s success in reading and learning. Come discover our many resources.
Sources:
www.readingrockets.org/article/fluency-introduction
www.Cvlga.org
By: Greta Browder, Children’s Outreach Coordinator, Chattahoochee Valley Libraries
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