Independent (“Just Right”) Reading Descriptions
Level A
Characteristics of Level A Books
Simple books with one line of one to six words per page, easy-­‐to-­‐see print, and ample space between words. Children can focus on print and gradually increase their control over words. Most of the books in Level A focus on topics familiar to children.
Characteristics of Readers at Level A
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Recognize and apply repeating language patterns
Awareness of left-to-right directionality
Awareness of 1-1 matching
Able to distinguish and identify many letters according to their distinct
features
Developing an understanding of the connection between sounds and letters,
especially first and last sounds
Can recognize a few easy, high-frequency words (eg: the, to, my, is, are,
like), and can locate them in text
Sample Texts
Level A
All-Star Examples:
Big and Little Berger & Chanko Games Berger & Moreton I Can, We Can Curry In the Woods Gibson Kittens Curry Let's Go! Mann My Color Mann School Pinnell We Can! Pinnell What Bears Like Cherrington