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
• Introductions
• Handouts
Picking Appropriate Books
2 Book Lists
Book Rating Form
Conversion Table
Wiki Directions
Evaluation Form
Audience Book Suggestions
• 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.
•Student can read 99% of the words
successfully.
•No more than approximately 1 in
100 words are difficult for the
reader .
•Students can comprehend 80% of
the content.
Instructional Level
The text is challenging but manageable
for the reader.
•No more than approximately 1 in 20
words are difficult for the reader.
•Students can read 95% of the words
successfully.
•Students can comprehend 75% of the
content.
Frustration Level
The text is too difficult for the reader.
• At least 1 in 10 words are difficult
for the reader.
• Students can read less than 90%
of the words successfully.
• 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/distraction/poor understanding.
Conversion Table for Reading Levels
Developmental
Category
Emergent
Emergent/Early
Early
Early/Fluent
Fluent
Advanced Fluent
Grade
Level
K
K/1
1
2
Text
Measure
Lexile
ATOS
Scale
DRA
Fontas
&
Pinnell
200-400
300-600
1.5-1.9 13-16
2.-3.4 17-28
C-I
J-M
3
500-800
3.5 -4.5 29-38
N-P
4
600-900
4.8-5.2 40-44
Q-T
5
700-1000
5.2-5.9 44-50
U-W
6
5.97.1+
50-60
X-Y
7
8
700-1000
800-1050
850-1100
900-1150
60-70
70-80
Z
8+
1000-1200
Lexile Level
How is a text's Lexile measure
determined?
Sources: http://www.lexile.com/
Lexile measures are based on two wellestablished 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 6th grade struggling readers
240-780 for 7th grade struggling readers
295-830 for 8th grade struggling readers
400-880 for 9th grade struggling readers
435-930 for 10th grade struggling readers
465-945 for 11th grade struggling readers
465-945 for 12th grade struggling readers
http://www.lexile.com/using-lexile/lexilemeasures-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/lexilemeasures-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
Interest
Level
Grades
9-12
Grade 3.7
710L
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 depending 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
• 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
• 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
• What was the most useful part of today’s
session?
• What would have made it more useful?
• What is one idea or book you think you will
definitely be using in the future?