Independent (“Just Right”) Reading Descriptions
Level P
Characteristics of Level P Books
Main Idea:
• The entire book is angled toward one complex main idea.
• The book is usually divided into sections or chapters, which may have titles
or section headings. A main idea of each chapter or section is less explicit
than at past levels.
• A final page or section, or an introductory one, may summarize a main idea
of the whole book. There may be concluding sentences within each chapter
to sum up a main idea of that section.
Key Details:
• There are around 10-15 sentences or details per page. A main idea is often
carried across more than one page.
• Within- and across-sentence complexity, including linking words and
phrases such as unlike, also, instead, and then, and pronouns with
antecedents such as they and these; and temporal words or phrases such
as later, about 10,000 years ago, and today challenge readers to
understand the relationship between key details.
• Photographs and/or illustrations show isolated facts on the page. Many
important details are explained in the text alone.
• Additional key details may be found in other text features—for example:
captions, labels, sidebars, and maps.
Vocabulary
• The author assumes a good deal of prior knowledge on the part of the
reader.
• The reader can expect to encounter many content-specific vocabulary
words on each page. The reader often needs to work to learn these new
words—by consulting a glossary in the back of the book, looking outside
the book, or pausing to study an illustration.
Text Features:
• Photographs or illustrations support some facts within the main text. Some
of these features offer information beyond that in the main text.
• Additional features within the main text such as tables, maps, sidebars,
procedure pages, timelines, and lists of statistics are common. Tables of
contents, glossaries, and indexes are common.
Characteristics of Readers at Level P
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Can understand and process narratives with more elaborate plots and multiple
characters that develop/change over time, though many themes are unfamiliar
Reader will slow down to problem solve or search for information, then resume
normal reading pace; will form implicit questions and search for answers
Can read and understand the connotative meaning of words, and when words are
used figuratively; can add new and interesting words to his/her vocabulary
Can identify and use words with multiple meanings, or difficult proper nouns
Can infer characters’ feelings/motivations, using cause/effect, dialogue, or what
other characters say about them; can manage multidimensional characters
Can take unfamiliar perspectives when interpreting about characters
Can summarize longer narrative texts with multiple episodes, or categorize sets
of related ideas in informational texts
Can identify important ideas in a text and report them in an organized way
Sample Texts - Level P
All-Star Examples:
Moon Power by Lynette Evans A Dinosaur Named Sue by Fay Robinson Safari by Robert Bateman Arctic Babies by Kathy Darling Rain Forest Secrets by Arthur Dorros The Moon Book by Gail Gibbons The Chicago Fire by Howard Gutner Great Black Heroes: Five Brilliant Scientists by Lynda Jones How Is a Crayon Made? By Charles Oz Wolves by Seymour Simon Animals in the Dark by Seymour Simon Glow in the Dark (Investigators series) by Janine Scott Rays of Light (Investigators series) by Janine Scott Platypus by Joan Short, Jack Green, and Bettina Bird Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart by Mike Venezia