Reading
Levels E-J
Children typically read books at levels E through J during first grade. Children reading at level E understand simple stories and easier non-fiction books. Children proficiently reading books at this level can use information gained from illustrations, what is happening in the story, what they know about the characters, and other features to understand the text.
When reading level F books proficiently, children are able to automatically recognize a large number high-frequency words. They can recognize variations in words (words with inflectional endings, plurals, contractions, and possessives). They continue to see familiar topics, however, they will learn some new content.
When children begin reading books at level G, they are reading a wider range of texts which now have 3-8 lines of words per page. They are able use a variety of word-solving strategies.
When reading level H books, children will read longer texts with language and vocabulary that is more complex. They will notice more about the characters and make inferences about characters’ feelings and motives.
Level I books are mostly short texts (16 pages). They may also see a few easy illustrated chapter books (40-60 pages). Children reading books at this level can see longer sentences with prepositional phrases, adjectives, adverbs, and clauses. When talking about texts at this level, children should use academic language.
Readers proficiently reading texts at level J, automatically recognize a large number of words and can use a variety of ways to quickly figure out multi-syllabic words. They are beginning to recognize characteristics of different genres and can use academic language to share their thoughts about texts.
This reading level information is based on the Literacy Continuum (2016).
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About Level E Books
* Simple narratives with a beginning, series of episodes, and and ending
* Sentences that are longer than one line
*Illustrations that support new concepts
* Some content that your child may not be familiar with
* Humor that is easy to understand
Some of our favorite E level books:
*Pete the Cat: Too Cool for School by James Dean
* Edna Bakes Cookies – Edna Elephant Brand New Readers Set
* The Classroom Pet by Betsy Lewin and Grace Maccarone
* The Little Red Hen by Violet Findley
* I Like Bugs by Margaret Wise Brown
* Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed by Eileen Chistelow
Scroll down to learn specific steps to help your child if they are reading these types of books.
About Level F Books
* Themes that are close to children’s experiences (friendship, growing, feelings)
* Dialogue between several characters
*Words for sounds (onomatopoeia = Buzz, Bam)
* A variety of punctuation, including ellipses (…)
Some of our favorite F level books:
* Slither, Snake – National Geographic
*Flutter, Butterfly – National Geographic
* I Love My New Toy by Mo Willems
* Biscuit Goes Camping by Alyssa Satin Capucili
* Soccer Game by Grace Maccarone
* Fly High, Fly Guy! by Tedd Arnold
Scroll down to learn specific steps to help your child if they are reading these types of books.
About Level G Books
* Content that is interesting and relevant
* May contain long stretches of dialogue
*Could speak directly to the reader
* Some content-specific words are introduced and then explained or illustrated in the text
* Themes that are easy to recognize
Some of our favorite G level books:
* My Friend is Sad by Mo Willems
* There is a Bird on Your Head by Mo Willems
* Pete the Cat: A Pet for Pete by James Dean
* Swim, Fish! Explore the Coral Reef by Susan B. Neuman
* I Just Forgot by Mercer Meyer
* Ruby in Her Own Time by Jonathan Emmett
* Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems
* I’m a Seed by Jean Marzollo
Scroll down to learn specific steps to help your child if they are reading these types of books.
About Level H Books
* Plots that include multiple episodes
* May contain some descriptive language
*Could contain compound words
* Words like and, but, so, before, after to show relationships between characters or things in the text
* A variety of simple illustrations (photos and/or drawings with labels and/or captions)
Some of our favorite H level books:
* Can I Play Too? by Mo Willems
* Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
* Waiting for Wings by Lois Ehlert
* Super Fly Guy by Tedd Arnold
* Dixie Wins the Race by Grace Gilman
* Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown
* The Watermelon Seed by Greg Pizzoli
Scroll down to learn specific steps to help your child if they are reading these types of books.
About Level I Books
* very short chapters
* Illustrations that support your child’s interpretation, enhance their enjoyment, or set the mood
*Informative captions under pictures
* A variety of text layouts
Some of our favorite I level books:
* Pete the Cat and the Tip-top Tree House by James Dean
* Penny and her Song by Kevin Henkes
* Fly Guy versus the Flyswatter by Tedd Arnold
* Alphabet Adventure by Bruce and Audrey Wood
* We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury
* Quick as a Cricket by Don and Audrey Wood
* Penguins, Penguins, Everywhere! by Bob Barner
* Kitten’s First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes
Scroll down to learn specific steps to help your child if they are reading these types of books.
About Level J Books
* Very short chapters connected to a single plot
* Sections in non-fiction books
* Some settings that are distant in time and geography
* Vocabulary that children know through conversations, listening to stories, or reading
Some of our favorite J level books:
* In the Forest – National Geographic
* Farm Animals – National Geographic
* Pete the Cat: Pete’s Big Lunch by James Dean
* Pete the Cat: Play Ball! by James Dean
* Splat the Cat: Good Night, Sleep Tight – Rob Scotton
* Pinkalicious: Story Time by Victoria Kann
* Berenstain Bears: Down on the Farm by Stan and Jan Bernstain
* Mac and Cheese by Sara Weeks
* Fancy Nancy and the Dazzling Book Report by Jane O’Connor
Scroll down to learn specific steps to help your child if they are reading these types of books.
Remember: the levels are a tool for describing texts.
Providing access to books from a variety of levels, a variety of topics, and a variety of genres will be beneficial as your child learns to become a more proficient reader.
How to Help Your Child When They are Reading at These Levels
If you notice your child needs help rereading to find information or make sure they are reading the text correctly:
* Encourage them by saying something like, “Try that again and think about what would make sense”
*Show your child how you reread to check to make sure you are reading a sentence correctly. Share as much of your thinking as possible.
* Encourage your child to reread to check if they are right.
* After rereading, encourage your child to ask themselves, “Does that make more sense?”
* Ask your child how they figured out a word or phrase they misread the first time they read it. You can remind them that the strategy they used to problem solve this time can be used when they encounter tricky parts or parts that don’t make sense in other books.
If you notice your child needs help solving words independently:
* Cover up a challenging word with your finger then encourage your child to think what would make sense. Ask them to say the word they are thinking and ask, “What letters would you expect to see in [the word they are thinking]”
* Prompt your child to go back to the beginning of a sentence, think about what is going on in the story, then predict what the word might be.
*Encourage your child to figure it out by asking questions like:
Is there something that can help you figure that out?
Do you know a word like that?
What can you try to figure that out?
How can you help yourself?
If you notice your child needs help with thinking about sentence structure:
* Tell your child that when we read, it has to make sense and sound right.
* Ask your child, “Can we say it that way?” or “Is that the way we usually say that?” or “Does that sound right to you?”
* If your child doesn’t recognize that it should be read a different way, you can present them with two options: 1st read it the way your child read it and then read it the way it is intended to be read. Let your child choose which one is the most accurate way to read the phrase or sentence.
If you notice your child needs help with using the letters and the sounds they know to read a word:
*Show your child how you notice a part of a new word. You can use your pointer finger to cover part of the word and only show the part that is known or familiar. Show your child how you look at that smaller part you already knew and then thought about what the whole word can be.
* You can encourage your child to look for a part of the know to figure out a new word. You can encourage your child to use their fingers to cover up parts of the word to find a smaller known word, if that helps them.
* You can also ask your child to think about what they know that could help them.
* Ask your child if they know a word that starts and ends with the same letters as the word they are trying to figure out.
If your child needs help with understanding a book:
* Prompt your child to tell what the whole book is about. (Show them how to think about this by talking through how you would think about each part and/or significant event to tell about the whole book, if needed)
* From time to time, stop and ask questions such as, “what are you thinking?”, “what happened?” and “what do you think will happen next?”
* Ask your child, “How does the story go?” and “What was the problem in this story and how was it solved?”
* Demonstrate how you find information in the story (or pictures) to support your ideas about the story.
* Encourage your child to show you evidence in the book that show why they have an idea. You can prompt them by asking, “What makes you say that?”
* Ask your child “what picture did you have in your mind that helped you to think about what happened in this part of the story?”
* Encourage your child to think about something they know that would help them talk about what is happening in the story. Prompt them to use that to understand (the character, the situation, the mood of the story, the message, etc.)
* Connect the text to similar texts your child has read by talking about how they are similar and how they are different.
* Describe the structure of the book (how the book is organized: problem and solution, how-to, etc.) to help your child understand the book.
* Encourage your child to share big ideas about the book rather than small details.
If you want to help your child check their reading:
*Remind your child that when they read, it needs to make sense, sound right, and the word should match what they are saying.
* You could say, “It could be _____ but look at ____” or “That sounds right but does it look like what you would expect to see?”
* Encourage your child to use more information by saying things like:
-That makes sense, but does it sound right?
– That makes sense, but does that look like the word you just said?
* Prompt your child to use what is happening in the story (and/or pictures) to help.
* Encourage your child to think more about the story/picture/character to help them read a tricky part/word.
If your child needs help making corrections closer to where they read something incorrectly:
* You can show your child how as soon as you recognize that something doesn’t make sense or sound right, you fix it up. Share as much of your thinking as possible. Allow your child to ask questions about your thinking or the process.
* Encourage your child to talk about how they figured out the word by asking things like, “You fixed that word immediately. What helped you?”
If your child needs help with reading fluently:
*Tell your child that they need to listen to their reading and make it sound smooth.
* Encourage your child to put words together so it sounds like talking.
* Remind your child that they don’t need their finger – use their eyes.
* When you come to dialogue, prompt your child to say it like a character would say it.
* Say things like’ “this is a funny (scary, silly, etc.) part of the story, reread this and make your voice show that it is funny (scary, silly, etc.) at this part in the story”
If your child needs help sharing their ideas about a book:
* Ask your child what they thought about the story/text?
* Ask your child to find a part they thought was (funny, interesting, etc.) and encourage your child to describe why they feel that way. (character’s actions, theme, perspective, personal opinion)
* Ask your child what the author wants is to think/feel/believe about the story/character/information.
Want to know more about supporting your child’s strategy use?
Check out the Strategic Action Series.
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