Reading
Levels K-M
Typically children reading books that are labeled level K are reading many illustrated chapter books. Texts, at this level, contain characters that change very little even though the texts are more complex. Children are able to read silently when independently reading.
When children begin reading books at level L, they will read about more sophisticated characters. At this level, children begin to recognize themes (growing up, courage, and community) across books. In order to learn about characters at this level, readers will need to pay attention to what characters say, think and do, as well as, how other characters respond.
Readers at level M, are typically becoming more interested in longer series books, graphic texts, and hybrid texts which is organized in more than one way. At this level, fiction narratives have more elaborate plots and multiple characters that show change over time.
This reading level information is based on the Literacy Continuum (2016).
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About Level K Books
* Some content that requires your child to search for information in graphics (maps, charts, labeled photographs)
* Settings that are important to the story
* Main characters and supporting characters that are introduced or revealed over a series of events and/or chapters
*Some figurative language
* some short chapter books with an illustration every 3 or 4 pages
Some of our favorite K level books:
* Flat Stanley and the Firehouse (I Can Read!)
* Me First by Helen Lester
* Splat and the Cool School Trip by Rob Scotton
*Corduroy by Don Freeman
*The Berenstain Bear’s New Pup by Stan and Jan Berenstain
* Amelia Bedelia Gets a Break by Herman Parrish
Scroll down to learn specific steps to help your child if they are reading these types of books.
About Level L Books
* Straightforward structures (beginning, series of episodes, and ending)
* Memoirs of well-known people
*More than one sentence pattern repeated in the same book
* Some embedded structures (letters, directions, etc.)
Some of our favorite L level books:
* Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr and John Archambault
* Mother Bruce by Ryan Higgins
*Scaredy Squirrel Makes a Friend by Melanie Watt
* Frogs by Elizabeth Carney
* Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes
* 100th Day Worries by Margery Cuyler
* Actual Size by Steve Jenkins
* Amber the Orange Fairy by Daisy Meadows
Scroll down to learn specific steps to help your child if they are reading these types of books.
About Level M Books
* Multiple ideas about a topic or situation (sometimes)
* Poetic language
* Language that speaks directly to the reader
* New words that may require your child to consider information in the text to understand the word.
Some of our favorite M level books:
* Deadly Predators – National Geographic
* Junie B. Jones and a Little Monkey Business by Barbara Park
* A Chair for my Mother by Vera B. Williams
* Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst
* Ada Twist Scientist by Andrea Beaty and David Roberts
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 paying attention to all the information in the text to check their reading:
*Remind your child that their reading needs to match the print on the page, make sense, and sound right.
* You can prompt your child by saying things like, “That sounds right, but did it make sense?” or “Does the word you said match the letters printed on the page?”
* Encourage your child to think about how this kind of text goes and how that helps them understand.
* Prompt your child to read ahead a bit to see if it makes sense or to help them figure out what a word means.
If you notice your child needs help monitoring their reading consistently and making corrections:
*You can ask your child questions such as:
Was that right?
What did you notice?
You made a mistake on that page. Can you find it?
* Ask your child what information the author gives that helps them know about the word.
If you notice your child needs help with using words they already know and word parts to read new words:
*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. Show them how you look at that part and think about what the whole word can be.
* Encourage your child to look for a part of the word they know to figure out a new word.
* You can also ask your child to think about what they know that could help them.
If you notice your child needs help with breaking apart new words:
*You can show your child how you would use your pointer finger or a piece of paper to cover parts of a word so that only a portion was visible. Talk to them about how looking at parts of a word can help you figure out a whole word.
* Ask your child to use their pointer finger or a piece of paper to look at parts of a word.
If your child needs help with reading fluently in phrases:
* Remind your child to listen to how their reading sounds. Encourage them to make their reading sound interesting and smooth.
* Encourage your child to use the punctuation to help read the story like they were telling a story.
* Coach your child to read in longer phrases.
* 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 tell what is happening in the story.)
If your child needs help using different types of punctuation to read for meaning:
* Prompt your child to read ahead a bit to see if it makes sense or to help them figure out what a word means.
* Ask your child how they can help themselves understand a word.
* Tell your child that when they read, it needs to make sense and look/sound right.
* Encourage your child to use more information by saying things like:
-That makes sense, but does it sound right?
– That makes sense, but does it look right?
If you want to help your child with understanding their book:
*Prompt your child to tell what the whole book is about. (Show them how to think about this, if needed)
* Periodically stop and ask questions such as, “what are you thinking?”, “what happened?” and “what do you think will happen next?”
* Encourage your child to show you evidence in the book that show why they have an idea.
* 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.
*Describe the structure of the book (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 your child needs help sharing their ideas about a book:
* Ask your child what they thought about the story/text?
* Ask your child what the author wants is to think/feel/believe about the story/character/information.
* Ask your child if they changed their opinion about some aspect of the text as they read to the end? And why?
* Prompt your child to think about something they know that would help them talk about what is happening in the story in certain parts (character’s actions or motives, story theme, perspectives, etc.).
Want to know more about supporting your child’s strategy use?
Check out the Strategic Action Series.
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