1. The Five Finger Reading Test
I frequently have students who are interested in reading books that are simply too advanced for them. Sometimes, I have students who think that they are poor readers and that they simply cannot read a book that I think is just perfect for them. How do I match these readers up? I do the five finger reading test. I open the book to a random page, have the student read the page to me (without making any corrections), and I count on each finger every time they make an error. If they reach five errors before the end of the page, the book is too difficult. If not - they can give it a try!
2. AR Colour
In our school library, we use the Accelerated Reader program. Students complete STAR Tests at the beginning of the year, which provide diagnostic results of students' reading and comprehension abilities. You can talk to your child's teacher to find this information on your student. One of the best features of the STAR test is the ZPD (zone of proximal development), which tells you the grade level range of books that the individual student should be reading. Students know these as their 'AR colours'. Many times, students choose books in their lowest colour - but this will not help them develop their reading skills. I encourage students to take one book in their highest colour to expose them to new words. By the next STAR test, they should have moved up a colour!
3. Let your reader guide you
Students will gravitate to books that interest them, and, while this is not always the case, most books that your child will be interested in reading will be designed for a child of that age. Unfortunately, many students are interested in reading the new hot book that has just become a movie - and often these are not age appropriate, either in content or vocabulary. However, if you are with your reader at a book store and he or she is interested in reading something, that's usually a good indicator that they will be able to read it. Just like we didn't want to do our forced readings in high school and university, they don't want to read whatever Mom or Dad says they have to read.
4. Talk to a teacher or librarian
If you are concerned about whether your student is at reading level, or are having trouble getting your student interested in reading that are at the right reading level, speak with a teacher or a librarian. For example, our school library has several series of books that are of a higher level interest (middle school) but are written at a lower level of reading comprehension (grade 2-5). Similarly, there are often readers who are ahead of their classmates - they need to be directed towards age-appropriate content that still provide a reading challenge. Teachers and librarians often know some of these series that might be of interest to your reader.
5 Check the back cover
Many children's books now come printed with either a guided reading letter, lexile measure or a grade level on the back. Check near the barcode. You can match your students' reading level to the book - and if you will be reading with your child, you can even go a little higher. If you have questions about lexile measures, guided reading levels or any other reading scores, check in with the classroom teacher or a librarian. Many conversion charts are available with a simple google search too!
Those are my five tips for matching your reader to the perfect book. Questions? Leave a comment below, send me an email, or stop in the library for a chat! Matching books to readers is one of my favourite things to do!