I am just wondering if books should not be thought of as any grade level. If you do a running record (the quick 100 word one as a try for on the spot assessment... ), and kids are working at 94% accuracy or better and comprehending ..then why not use a book at first or second or third grade? There are so many factors that affect a kid's ability to read a book.... schema, interest, scaffolding, practice, vocabulary, and the list goes on. That much said, I do not ask kids to put away easy books either for their is lot more sophisticated story structure and thinking you can do with it..... especially when the decoding is not a problem. Granted I try to use just right books for my guided reading lessons but I will once a month ask the group to choose a book that they would like to review together. Only stipulation.... they must have valid reasons for their choice. In the end, I do not believe that guided reading alone will make a reader..... I think you need a balanced framework (are my 4 block friends nodding in agreement?) I do not think the point is to match books to grade level but rather match readers and books. I still find that guided levels vary drastically from publisher to publisher even with a correlating chart! One of the Scholastic resources has a great poem in where a little girl is trying to find a just right book in her library.... I'm paraphrasing here but the teacher says the third shelf is too hard and the first shelf is too low so in the end of the poem, the kids just gives up... Pam <BR><BR><BR>**************************************<BR> AOL now offers free email to everyone. Find out more about what's free from AOL at http://www.aol.com. _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org.
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