Books for Struggling Readers Grades 5-12

IRC Conference 2012 Studies and Research Committee Thursday, March 15, 1:45-2:45, Center B 4W Chair: Elizabeth Goldsmith-Conley Boomer Crotty Pamela Godt Katie Ludes Karen Walker

Agenda

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Introductions Handouts Picking Appropriate Books Book Rating Form Wiki Directions Audience Book Suggestions 2 Book Lists Conversion Table Evaluation Form Defining struggling versus reluctant readers Strategies for picking appropriate books Wiki - sample page Book presentations Filling out Audience Suggestion Form/ Audience suggestions Evaluation/ Book Rating Form

Finding Appropriate Books for the Struggling Reader Choosing the right level 1. Independent Level Books students can read on their own with no adult help 2. Instructional Level Books students can read with a little adult help 3. Frustration Level Books that are too hard

Independent Level The text is relatively easy for the reader.

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Student can read 99% of the words successfully.

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No more than approximately 1 in 100 words are difficult for the

reader .

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Students can comprehend 80% of the content.

Instructional Level The text is challenging but manageable for the reader.

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No more than approximately 1 in 20 words are difficult for the reader.

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Students can read 95% of the words successfully.

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Students can comprehend 75% of the content.

Frustration Level The text is too difficult for the reader.

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At least 1 in 10 words are difficult for the reader.

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Students can read less than 90% of the words successfully.

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Students can comprehend less than 60% of the content.

Richard Allington

At a 99% accuracy rate, students will still make errors on about 4 or more words per page. If there are 300 pages in the book, this means they will make 1200 errors during their reading of the book—this will cause a loss of comprehension and confusion/dis traction/poor understanding.

Conversion Table for Reading Levels Developmental Category Grade Level Text Measure Lexile ATOS Scale Emergent Emergent/Early Early Early/Fluent Fluent Advanced Fluent K K/1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 8+ 200-400 300-600 500-800 600-900 700-1000 700-1000 800-1050 850-1100 900-1150 1000-1200 DRA 1.5-1.9 13-16 2.-3.4

17-28 3.5 -4.5 29-38 4.8-5.2 40-44 5.2-5.9 44-50 5.9 7.1+ 50-60 60-70 70-80 Z Fontas C-I J-M N-P Q-T U-W X-Y & Pinnell

Lexile Level

How is a text's Lexile measure determined?

Sources: http://www.lexile.com/

Lexile measures are based on two well established predictors of how difficult a text is to comprehend: semantic difficulty (word frequency) syntactic complexity (sentence length).

Examples: Second Grade Shorter Sentences and Frequently Repeated Words Lexile = 370L Lexile = 380L Lexile= 370L

Examples: Upper Grades Longer Sentences, More Complex Words 880L-950L 1300 1410

Lexiles do not give any information about age appropriateness 680L 680L

Many other factors affect the relationship between a reader and a book, including its content, the age and interests of the reader, and the design of the actual book.

The Lexile text measure is a good starting point in the book-selection process, with

these other factors then being considered.

ATOS Levels

ATOS Factors = Average Sentence Length + Average Word Length + Vocabulary Grade Level + The Number of Words in a Book Source: Renaissance Learning

Suggested Lexile Matches (If you don’t know your student’s exact level) 190 -700 for 6 th 240-780 for 7 th grade struggling readers grade struggling readers 295-830 for 8 th 400-880 for 9 th 435-930 for 10 th grade struggling readers grade struggling readers grade struggling readers 465-945 for 11 th 465-945 for 12 th grade struggling readers grade struggling readers http://www.lexile.com/using-lexile/lexile measures-and-the-ccssi/

If you do know your student’s lexile The suggested range of texts you give them should be between 50L above their lexile measure and and 100L lower http://www.lexile.com/using-lexile/lexile measures-and-the-ccssi/

The Five Finger Rule Choose a book Open it anywhere Make a fist Start to read a page Put a finger up for each hard word 1 finger = too easy, try another book 2-3 fingers = just right, try another page to be sure 4-5 fingers = too hard

Professional Books That Can Help You Make a Difference

100 Cupboards by N.D, Wilson

Interest Level: Grades 6 –8 Reading Level: Grade 3.7 Lexile 650 L

Blood on the River: James Town 1607

by Elisa Carbone

Interest Level: Gr 6 – 8 Reading Level: Gr 4.8 Lexile 820L Genre: Adventure, Science Fiction and Fantasy

Breathing Underwater by Alex Finn

Interest Level: Grs 9 - 12 Reading Level: Gr 7.1, Lexile 510, Guided Reading NR

Chicken Boy

by Frances O’Roark Dowell Interest Level: Grade 6 – 8 Reading Level: Grade 5.1

Lexile 860L

Crank by Ellen Hopkins

Interest Level: Gr 9 - 12 Reading Level: 6.8

Genre: Realistic fiction, drugs, teenage pregnancy,

Crossing the Wire by Gary Hobbs

Interest Level: Gr 6 - 8 Reading Level: Grade 4.4 Lexile: 670L

Deadly Stranger by Peg Kehret

Interest Level: Gr 3 – 7 Reading Level: Gr 3-4 Lexile 730L

The Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler Interest Level: Gr 9 -12 Reading Level: Gr 4.5

Lexile 790L

Fever of 1673 by Laurie Halse

Anderson

Interest Level Grades 7-9 Reading Level Grade 7.6

Lexile 580L

Gym Candy and Night Hoops by Carl Deuker Grade 3.7

710L Interest Level Grades 9-12 Grade 6.2 630 L

Guys Read: Thriller edited by Jon Scieszka Interest Level: Gr 4-7 Reading Level: Gr 3+

Haunting of Hawthorn by Anne Schraff

Interest Level: Gr 9-12 Reading Level: Gr 3.5, Lexile 510, GR NR

Inside Out by Terry Trueman

Interest Level: Gr 9-12 Reading Level: Gr 5.6

Lexile 710L Guided Reading NR

Invisible by Pete Hautman

Interest Level Grades 9-12 Reading Level Lexile 730L Grade 4.1 DRA

Mockingbird by Katherine Erskine

Interest Level: Gr 6 - 8 Reading Level: 3.5, Lexile 630L

Hank Zipzer #1 Niagara Falls, or Does It?

by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver Interest Level: Grades: 3-5 Reading Level: Lexile 610L Guided Reading Level R Grade 4.1

Notes From a Midnight Driver

Interest Level: Grade 7 - Grade 12 Reading Level: 5.5-6.0, Lexile 930L

On the Run: Chasing the Falconers

Interest Level:

Grade 4-8 (might be 6-8 depend ing on parental views )

Reading Level:

Grade 3.7

Lexile 680L Guided Reading R

White Fox Chronicles

Interest Level: Grades 4-7 Reading Level: Lexile 600L Grade 4.8

Repeat Recommendations G 9-12 590L G 6-8 670L G 6-8 810L G 8-12 850L G 3-5 950L

Repeat Recommendations Bluford High Series of 18 Books Interest Level Grades 9-12 Reading Level Grade 5 Lexile Range 700 - 750

Repeat Recommendations - Movies 810L 820L

Supplemental Bibliography

Book Lists and Sites Found in Course of Doing Research for this Workshop Principle of Selection Upper Grades Interest Level Low Lexile Rating

To see summaries

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Go to Google and type in “struggling readers wiki” or go to ircstrugglingreaders.wikispaces.com

To be able to add your own suggestions and/or comments If you do not already have a wiki account, you will need to create an account with a user name and password that remains private and is never used for spam. You will then be able to join our wiki and add to our pages.

Book Suggestions Forms

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What books have you used that work with struggling readers?

We will add it to our inventory and place results on the Wiki.

Thanks for your help!

Sharing Your Suggestions

• What books have you used?

• • We will add it to our inventory and place results on the Wiki.

Thanks for your help!

Audience Suggestions

Workshop Evaluation

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What was the most useful part of today’s session?

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What would have made it more useful?

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What is one idea or book you think you will definitely be using in the future?