Should We Level Reading books?

Leveled reading gives children the opportunity to develop essential reading skills at their own pace. In leveled reading children are separated into groups of children who all read at almost the same pace. Instead of having all the students read the same book, teachers use a more personalized and precise approach to monitor a child’s progress and help them learn to read (Deborah Scholastic, What is Leveled Reading?). Leveled reading uses various assessment tools (such as Guided Reading Level and Developmental Reading Assessment) to determine how well a student reads and then matches them to their books that are challenging enough for them to make progress, but not so hard that they will become frustrated (Deborah Scholastic). Books are categorized into level of difficulty, which is how a perfect match based on ability can be made (Deborah Scholastic, What is Leveled Reading?). I would call these books “just right books.

            Now to answer the question on whether or not we should level books, I would say yes we should. Not every student is on the same reading level and they should not be forced to read books that they cannot comprehend. If a proper book is selected for every student, they will be able to read with more accuracy. They will be able to enjoy the book because they understand it and are not having tons of trouble with things that “interfering” with their reading. Some of these interferences can be that they do not understand what certain words mean or don’t even know how to pronounce some words or they just have no clue what is going on in the book.

Deborah Scholastics explains that by providing small groups of students the opportunity to learn various reading strategies with guidance from the teacher, they will possess the skills and knowledge required to read increasingly more difficult texts on their own. Independent reading with comprehension is the GOAL - guided reading provides the framework to ensure that students are able to apply strategies to make meaning from print.

I want to make sure that my students are good readers. Good readers to me are students who comprehend what they are reading, pay attention to what they are reading, and remember what they are reading. A student who is reading a book that is not on their level will not possess any of these qualities. I want to make sure that they posses these qualities so when I become a teacher I will want to level books. I will organize my books in different sections of my bookshelf to make it easier for my students to select a book. I will continue to add books to my collection so that they have a variety of books to choose from. By having more books for them, I will be providing them with opportunities to increase their reading skills through different books.

 http://ctkkcmo.org/pdf/What_Is_Leveled_Reading.pdf