Choosing “Just Right” Books for Independent Reading

1. Choosing “Just Right” Books for Independent Reading By Andrea Frasier

2. Independent Reading • Independent reading enables students to clock up mileage as readers, expand their reading powers, and fulfill the essential goal of daily reading. -Fountas & Pinnell

3. Classroom Library • Students should have access to a range of quality books. • Book baskets should be filled with fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and various levels of reading difficulty • The library should keep growing and changing to reflectstudent interests, reading levels, and topics of study

4. Why Is this Important? • Children can read for extended periods of time when they are matched with a “Just Right” book • They are more successful with books that interest them • Children are capable of using a variety of strategies if their book offers the right amount of support and challenges • Semantic and syntactic cues can not be accessed when when books are too difficult and children are forced to rely on graphophonic cues.

5. Easy Books • Students can read the words fluently (smooth and with an interesting voice) • There often are not a lot of words on a page • Students know how to say all the words • There are not a lot of pages in the book • Students have a lot of schema for the subject • Sometimes the book has a larger font • Students totally understand the story • Students reading rate may be quicker • Students’ thinking comes easy as they read the words

6. Challenging • Many of the words are too hard to decode (failed a five finger test) • Students don't know what the tricky words MEAN • Students reading becomes choppy more than it is fluent • Students don't have any schema for the subject • There are often a lot of words on the page • Often the font is small • Students may lose focus while reading • Students are not enjoying the book because they have to do too much word work • Their thinking is confused • Their reading rate slows way down

7. “Just Right” • Students can read most of the words • Students can understand what you are reading • Students enjoy reading the book • Students may have some schema for the subject • They can read the book with smooth fluency but there are some choppy places • Their reading rate is just right- not too slow and not too fast • Students can figure out the tricky words and still get the meaning of the story

8. Know Your Students! • Conference during independent reading (see sample conference questions) • Listen to students read • Consider how the books in your classroom support and challenge all readers

9. Books • Check books out of the school and/or public library • Share with other teachers • Book Room • Book Club Award Points • Spend $ on 1-6 copies of a single text (NOT on text sets!)

10. Supporting All Readers • For optimal learning to occur, students must be matched to “just Right” books • If this is not in place, many students continue getting taught with the main reading textbook that is at their frustration level • Students continue getting taught (but not necessarily learning) for the whole school year using an inappropriate book