Finding a Just-Right Book
Just-Right Books
It is important for students to be able to find “just right” books for independent reading. Students make the most progress in their reading skills when they read “just-right” books in which they are highly successful. A “just-right” book is not too easy and not too hard. A “just-right” book is a book that students can read with a high degree of success. At the fourth grade level, in order for students to be highly successful in a book, they will need to not only be able to orally read the text and literally retell the story, but also to be able to comprehend the text deeply using inferential thinking. They should be able to demonstrate all the comprehension work that that level of text requires, which might include: understanding how and why a character changes across a text, developing theories, and describing the big ideas or themes of the story. Students have learned how to find a book that is right for them. Please encourage your child to find books that feel “just-right”.
At the beginning of each year, Reading teachers assess students' reading levels and let them know their "Guided Reading Level," which is organized by A-Z levels. They also teach students how to determine if a book is at the right level for them. Click here to download information on how to find a Just Right Book.
To determine the reading level of a book, a great resource is the Scholastic Book Wizard, which allows readers to search by Guided Reading Level. We also have many leveled books in our class library. Click the button below to access a leveled reading list for fourth grade.
It is important for students to be able to find “just right” books for independent reading. Students make the most progress in their reading skills when they read “just-right” books in which they are highly successful. A “just-right” book is not too easy and not too hard. A “just-right” book is a book that students can read with a high degree of success. At the fourth grade level, in order for students to be highly successful in a book, they will need to not only be able to orally read the text and literally retell the story, but also to be able to comprehend the text deeply using inferential thinking. They should be able to demonstrate all the comprehension work that that level of text requires, which might include: understanding how and why a character changes across a text, developing theories, and describing the big ideas or themes of the story. Students have learned how to find a book that is right for them. Please encourage your child to find books that feel “just-right”.
At the beginning of each year, Reading teachers assess students' reading levels and let them know their "Guided Reading Level," which is organized by A-Z levels. They also teach students how to determine if a book is at the right level for them. Click here to download information on how to find a Just Right Book.
To determine the reading level of a book, a great resource is the Scholastic Book Wizard, which allows readers to search by Guided Reading Level. We also have many leveled books in our class library. Click the button below to access a leveled reading list for fourth grade.