Post 210
Last week I talked a lot about reading and where your child should be at this time in the school year. As I’ve mentioned before, reading is where the emphasis is placed in the primary grades.
As a parent (caregiver, grandparent, etc.) you naturally want to help your little student any way you can to become a competent reader. I’m sure you’ve made visits to the library and bookstore (online or physical) to get them books to read. And I’m also sure you’ve tried to guide them to find reading material that interests them so they keep on reading. (*One side note here…pictures are GOOD. Illustrations are there to help explain the text. Pictures give insight beyond the words that help early readers understand them. And, in my opinion, graphic novels are another excellent way to keep readers engaged and reading.)
But it’s very easy to confuse what are designated as easy readers and leveled readers. Books that are small in size aren’t necessarily easy to read. Frequently the vocabulary used is way beyond a beginning reader’s ability to decode or figure out the words. The same goes for books that are marked easy or beginning readers. They are wonderful and have their place but your new reader won’t necessarily be able to read them independently. You could approach them by helping to read a page or letting your child read the words they know while you read the other ones. (*And always look at the pictures first.😀)
Leveled books contain certain words (high frequency ones) with specific phonetic patterns, and type of sentence that are at the level the student is reading at. For example, an A level reader might have text like…A dog., A cat, A tree, A car while a B level would read…I see a cat, I see a dog, I see a car, etc. Leveled books also review known phonic elements (such as a letter sound) and high frequency words already taught while adding new ones.
All of that means don’t be fooled into getting your child a book that you think is at their level but is harder than they can handle. Libraries have areas designated for leveled readers so if you know your child’s level, you can always go there for independent reading. Your child’s teacher can also recommend and even lend you some readers at their level. And never be afraid to help your little one over rough parts when they are reading.
In the end, the main thing to remember is to keep reading with your child. Your interest and encouragement will go a lot further than any book or reader to help them succeed. 😀 Happy reading!
Take Care. 🙂
kindergarten23 