3Rd grade dra level

📚 Making Sense of Reading Levels plus booklists for every Grade

Books to Read • Mom Stuff

August 30, 2021

by Beth Gorden

Anyone else completely confused by reading levels? There are guided reading levels, Lexile numbers, and Book Levels like the library uses. I found this especially confusing when my kindergarten and grade 1 students were beginning to read. I assumed you just get a beginner reader, but guess what – it’s NOT that easy! Many beginner readers are actually for 3rd graders! YIKES! Don’t worry, I can explain reading levels, give you book recommendations by grade, and take all the work out of finding your child the best books to read by reading level!

Making Sense of Reading Levels

What Level Books should my Child be reading by Grade!

I think one needs a masters degree in nonsense to make sense of reading levels! Seriously there are 3 different systems used: Lexile, Book Level (like most libraries) and Guided Reading (Scholastic) that parents must try to understand. And if you google it, there isn’t much useful information out there either.

I even talked with my local librarian who gave me a lot of misinformation, ugh! So I did deeper research so I could pick out readers for my kids.

Reading levels by grade

I don’t claim to be an expert on reading levels by any means, but for all you confused parents here is some help from a mom that was just as confused as you are!

Note: All kids read at their own pace and this is just an average generalization. Please work on reading books at your child’s reading level. For kids who are great readers, they may be reading at books above their reading level.

Don’t miss our hugely popular family Monthly Stories for Kids

Kindergarten Reading Level

Kindergartners are just beginning to read using some basic sight words and decoding simple words. In the library look for books labeled 0.1 – 1.3. For those using the Scholastic Guided Reading level, look for A, B, or C. (That is 25-75 in Lexile). Remember they need 30 minutes of daily reading; practice makes perfect!

50 Books for Kindergartners to Read by Themselves
45 Must Read Books for Kindergartners (Read Aloud)

First Grade Reading Level

1st Grade students are decoding more words, learning rule breaker rules, and adding more and more sight words. Through the course of the year they can be anywhere from a 1.0 – 1.9 for readers at the library. For those using Scholastic Guided Reading that is B-I or Lexile 50-275. Remember they need 30 minutes of daily reading; practice makes perfect!

100 Books for 1st Graders to Read Themselves
Favorite 1st Grade Read Aloud Picture Books
17+ 1st Grade Read Aloud Chapter Books you won’t want to miss!
Top 25 Chapter Book Series for 1st-3rd Grade

2nd Grade Reading Level

2nd Graders are reading well independently. Although they may start their year in advanced readers, most are ready for simple chapter books by the end of the year. Just like Kindergarten and 1st graders, they need lots of practice to continue advancing. Even though 2nd graders are reading well on their own, they still need time reading aloud to an adult who can help them correct pronunciation, flow, and check reading comprehension to ensure no issues creep up. At the library look for books labeled 1.6-2.9. Using a Guided Reading system look for H-M or 225-450 in Lexile.

Best 2nd Grade Reading List
2nd Grade Read Aloud Chapter Books
Top 25 Chapter Book Series for 1st-3rd Grade

3rd Grade Reading Level

3rd Graders are comfortable reading simple chapter books on their own. They continue to need lots of practice and time reading aloud as well. At the library look for books 2.2 – 3.9, Guided Reading level L-P, and Lexile 400-650.

3rd Grade Reading List
Top 25 Chapter Book Series for 1st-3rd Grade

4th-8th Grade Reading Level

Although at this point most kids are reading chapter books that are no longer labeled with a reading level, I wanted to give you some tools in case you feel the need to further assess what your child is reading.

4th Grade Book List – 3.3-5.5 Book Level, O-T Guided Reading, 600-850 Lexile
5th Grade Reading List – 5.0-7.4 Book Level, S-W Guided Reading, 800-1000 Lexile
6th Grade 6.7-8.6 Book Level, V-Y Guided Reading, 950-1050 Lexile
7th &8th Grade 8.0-9.0 Book Level, X-Z Guided Reading, 1035-1100 Lexile

Find out any Books Reading Level

You can find out any books reading level (Lexile, library Book Level, and Scholastic Guided Reading) by checking AR Book Finder.

Free Printable Reading Logs

Monthly Reading Log – this free printable has ‘traditional’ monthly themes
Bookshelf Free Printable Reading Logs – super cute and fun for kids of all ages!
Pencil Free Printable Reading Logs -print reading worksheet and color a pencil for each book you read
Frozen Free Printable Reading Logs – kids will have fun tracking their reading and the books they’ve read with this motivating free printable for kids of all ages
Princess Free Printable Reading Logs – students will have fun tracking their reading with these free printable reading logs

Super Hero Free Printable Reading Logs – using a favorite theme of kids will encourage kids to read
Cars Free Printable Book Logs – children will have fun tracking the books they’ve read with these clever free reading log
Summer Free Printable Reading Logs – students will be motivated to read this summer with these ideas
Reading Comprehension Bookmarks – this is a great tool for making sure kids are understanding what they are reading
Reading Levels by Grade – how to pick the right books for every reading level and tons of printable book lists too

Book Report Idea

Looking for other ways to help kids work on reading comprehension and summarizing a book they read? Try these free resources:

Handy Reading Comprehension Bookmarks (any book: fiction or non fiction)
Book Report Template
Book Report for Kids
Pizza Book Report Idea
Sandwich Book Report Idea
26 more clever Book Report Ideas
Library Scavenger Hunt – help kids learn to navigate a library, the Dewey decimal system, book genres, and so much more with this pack of free printable scavenger hunts for kids!
Bookshelf Reading Log – to help encourage kids to read!

Plus, here are some great ideas for Creating a Reading Nook where kids will want to curl up and read a book!

About the author

Beth Gorden

Beth Gorden is the creative multi-tasking creator of 123 Homeschool 4 Me. As a busy homeschooling mother of six, she strives to create hands-on learning activities and worksheets that kids will love to make learning FUN! She has created over 1 million pages of printables to help teach kids ABCs, science, English grammar, history, math, and so much more! Beth is also the creator of 2 additional sites with even more educational activities and FREE printables - www.kindergartenworksheetsandgames.com and www.preschoolplayandlearn.com

What Reading Level Should a Third Grader Be At? – Making English Fun

Reading Levels are most commonly used to find the instructional and independent reading levels of students. For 3rd grade reading levels this will enable teachers, parents and students to choose appropriate reading literature.

If the reading level of the book is in this ”goldilocks” zone then it will help students practice and develop reading skills that are just challenging enough. Too easy it becomes boring, and too difficult it becomes frustrating.

For third grade students this is a huge step forward. To do this, it is important to gauge at what reading level the student is performing and to do that you have to assess what their 3rd grade reading levels are.

Third grade reading levels commonly range from 12 to 25 on R.R. and PM Benchmarks. Higher levels in this range means that they are nearing the top of the class, but lower levels should not cause any issues at this stage. Guided reading and levelled books will help 3rd graders improve their reading skills.

Reading at appropriate levels is especially important in grade three English lessons. Students at this age and development stage are starting to read for fun and enjoyment, they are starting to choose their own interests.

Although there is still plenty to learn in English, they will be starting to master phonics and pronunciation rules at this stage and focus will be on reading comprehension and reading to learn. ( if a high enough level has been achieved)

This what reading level should a third grader be at article will also cover the following information:

Targeted information on reading levels and how you as parents and teachers can help your students by having knowledge of them
Tips and advice to help your 3rd grade students develop to the best of their abilities.
Some of the grammar, Phonics and other English Topics that a 3rd grader will learn in reading lessons.
Links to our Reading resources, for 3rd grade and others.
Advice for both teacher and parents on 3rd grade reading levels

We have a selection of reading resources in the link below if you want to get stuck in. These range from grade 2 up to grade 4 and loads of phonics resources as well – and are printable with comprehension questions included

There are free versions of these on the site as well however the bundle is a better option!

Why Are Reading Levels Important

Reading levels in English are an excellent way for teachers, parents to provide differentiated instruction and resources that target a students strengths and areas for improvement. They provide a individual leveled starting point to challenge but not frustrate students English progress.

Reading levels allow teachers and parents to implement the following:

Develop Reading schemes such as guided reading, reading groups, buddy reading etc
Target individual students needs (differentiated learning)
Target areas for further practice, and reading skills that need reinforcing
Provide self learning and reading opportunities by having leveled reading resources in the home and classrooms.
Develop a reading awareness for students. allowing them to choose their own materials, at their own reading levels.
Increase confidence in students as they see their needs being met and being taught at instructional rather than frustration levels of English.

In third grade reading levels start to play an increasing level of importance. Students at this age will be starting to progress at different speeds, even more pronounced that in grade 2. This has the potential to create large differences in abilities and reading levels in classrooms.

Being able to address those differences in an effective, time saving and thought out manner is going to have a knock on effect on more than just grades. Classroom management should become easier as students are given reading materials and tasks appropriate to them and their needs and requirements.

Although the holistic benefits of both knowing and incorporating reading levels in to lessons are many. In todays educational environments grades and results are of course still vitally important.

Just to show some examples of this, rather than just tell you about it. I have a REAL leveling information sheet for a 3rd grade class below. This shows their reading level at the beginning of the year and their reading level at the end of the year.

You can click on the image to make it larger…. I have changed their names for privacy. (I did have some strange names in my classes but I never had anyone named strawberry 😉 … I did however have a shark boy!

You can see, even with just a cursory glance, the huge improvements this 3rd grade class made throughout the school year. Even if they were among lower level readers at the beginning they improved dramatically buy the end of the year.

The higher levels may have less dramatic ( but still impressive) improvement mainly as their general English lessons are not challenging enough, but also the higher the level of English the slower, relatively speaking, the progress.

What are the Different Leveled Reading Programmes

There are numerous different leveled reading programs that although using different grading systems, all follow a simple enough premise. Books, and reading material, in all systems are written with increasing difficulty, word count and phonics as each level progresses.

We have included an image below ( from REAL) of some of the levelled reading systems and how they compare to each other ( to help with book purchases if needed).

Many Guided reading publishers have developed their own systems as well.

Scholastic Guided Level Reading Program
CCSS Lexile Recommendations
DRA Level
PM Benchmark

What 3rd Graders Learn Throughout the Year.

As we mentioned above a third grader can be reading from about reading level 12 to level 25. However please don’t worry if your students or children are below this, or be to confident if they are above this.

Children will develop in their own time, and though we can help and guide them we should not push them to the point where learning , reading or any other activity becomes a chore. Keep reading fun, directed and instructional and your children and students will progress just fine.

We have a table below highlighting what the reading aims are for Grade 3. However, the TLDR version is simple: Keep them interested, develop a culture of reading, and concentrate on discovering any gaps in knowledge with levelled reading so you can target these issues.

The next section covers what skills they will learn to help them improve their reading levels through out the third grade.

Note: All children develop at very different speeds, and different learning environments will have an impact. If English is a second language, or if there is little exposure to English, or if English is seldom used outside the classroom, all will play a part.

Be assured that if you can get your hands on a levelling set or download one and get an idea of the approximate levels of your children or students, you will be able to cater for the needs in a way that is accessible and instructional to their correct levels!

Targeting in this way will help that development progress much quicker, especially in third grade when they are learning and exploring their own interests. Provide them will leveled materials and this becomes much more effective.

What Reading Skills They Will Learn in Third Grade

We mentioned in our What level should a second grader be at article, that as students get older then emphasis shifts from learning to read to reading to learn and comprehension, and higher order / critical skills start to come in to play.

In third grade, for the more advanced students especially, but for all students if in a native classroom, these higher order and critical thinking skills can be incorporated and introduced into lessons and levelled reading sessions where appropriate.

These critical thinking and reading skills are cross curricular and are so important to their future learning, yet almost criminally overlooked in the day to day bustle of classrooms. We have a workbook designed solely to help develop these skills which you can check out on the link below.

Another skill that is taught in third grade, or even earlier if feasible is the ability to judge which books are suitable for them and their reading level. This becomes more important in third grade as they learn where their interests are start to seek out reading material for themselves. It helps them judge which books are too easy and which are too difficult.

Skills Learned	Resources to Help
Read for fun and improve fluency	Reading Grade Three Leveled Texts Set 2 and set 3
Development of their own reading skills, and become more aware how to use them with less prompting.	Using Syllables and Y as a Vowel Worksheets
Stronger command of phonics, and phonetic patterns	Vowel Digraph Worksheets
Recognition of syllables, and multiple syllable words	Using Syllables
Be familiar with different text types, fiction, non fiction, poetry etc.	Simple Poetry Reading
Start to develop critical thinking skills that can be applied to reading and in wider contexts	Reading Skills Workbook

In third grade Vowels taking the form of digraph and diphthongs will be formally taught and words in 3rd grade reading material will increasingly contain them.

Longer and more complex words will be introduced with multiple syllables are in 3rd grade reading level material.

Tenses and the grammar surrounding tenses will have been introduced in the later stages of grade 2. In grade three there will be an introduction to the other tenses. We have worksheets for Future, Present and Past here for free download.

Sentences and constructing more complex sentences will become more important in 3rd grade reading levels. Reading materials will include more complex versions and teachers and parents can use reading levels to gain appropriate levels of text for their students and children.

We have some on the site for free, and in addition we also have sentence making and sentence scramble worksheets as well (link)

However some of the best ways to engage 3nd grade readers is through online games. By this time they will have become aware of tablets and phones being help in parents and siblings hands. Leveled books are one way to improve 3rd grade reading levels but its not the only tool in the box.

We have articles on some of the best online games, and have a page that has all the ones we make as well. These are free to play and very popular and certainly add motivation to your lessons! They are suitable across a wide ranger of reading levels.

What Can Teachers Do To Improve 3rd Grade Reading Levels

Teachers can improve 3rd grade reading levels by creating a love of reading in classrooms and place great emphasis in reading both in formal lessons but also in free time.

Have a selection of levelled reading material suitable for 3rd graders covering fiction and NON fiction texts.
Make sure there is a mix of text types and text subjects. So that many interests are covered
Try to have a corner in the classroom for quiet reading, to be used at recess and during lessons / station activities.
Mix up ways of presenting resources, online games, worksheets readers etc.
Ask 3rd grade students to explore the deeper meanings of stories, the feelings and empathy they may have. Ask them what they would do, or why they think characters act the way they do.
Display reading strategies and phonics strategies on walls for students to reference. ( also put in their day books or on desks)
Introduce or develop 3rd grader knowledge of higher reading comprehension skills ( we have resources for this here)
Run Guided reading lessons. (you can get information on this here)

What Language Will 3rd Grade Reading Level Books Contain?

Third grade reading level book, especially at the higher end of the lvels, will start to catian much more complext lanague.

Language contained in reading resources will move from two syllables maximum to 3 and 4 syllable words in reading books of this level. Topics will become more complex, and use of adjectives will be more detailed.
Synonyms will be commonly used and prefixes / suffixes and reported speech will also be more regularly sighted.
There will be a mix of fiction and non fiction, and the comprehension questions will become more detailed.
There will be the eliciting of opinion with answers. there will be less ”what color is the ball and more how do you think they feel type questions in 3rd grade.
The important thing, and often forgot, is that the levels of the books remain the same. It may be that a first, second or third grader is reading them. There are not set books for different grades, there are books for different reading levels.

Our reading materials include 3 to 5 questions to help with this. These can be asked verbally or they can complete them as a worksheet post reading.

Quick Tips to help Reading in 3rd grade

This is taken from our Reading for first grade article but applies across all grades.

Break down every word into individual letters. If there’s a combination (sh, th, ough), separate it into its own chunk. This starts to introduce syllables to students.
Focus on words that they already know how to say. If they’re familiar with the word, they’ll be able to use contextual clues to figure out how to read it.
Don’t study for too long. Short 15-minute study sessions hold their interest long enough to prevent reading from becoming a boring chore. Little and often is better.
Use the resources from school and online to supplement these skills. you can access using the following links the 1000s of reading resources on our site for free and premium downloads.

How Can Parents Help Their Second Grader Develop a Love for Reading?

Parents, especially at first and second grade, play a vital role in helping your child become interested in reading. Story telling, appropriate reading resources and books in the house will all help.

In third grade your little reader will be becoming more independent, they grow up so quickly, so allowing them time to read independently and for enjoyment is one of the best things you can do.
Not every book needs teaching, not everything is a teachable moment, sometimes we all just need a little time to enjoy a good book

Here’s a list of ways that you can help your third grader develop a love for reading: It is similar to the second and first grade advice:

The books may change but the mechanics of reading levelled books do not.

Find reading material that they’re interested in. For example, if they love dinosaurs or space , choose those books over anything else. Also allow them to choose as well. It’s not the concept that matters; It’s the words found throughout the reading that makes a big difference. We have some leveled reading material aimed at young learners here. However sites like Starfall offer online stories that may help as well.
Offer incentives for their reading. Although the aim is to have them choose to read for fun all things start slowly and build momentum. If you can associate reading with enjoyment and reward (extrinsic in the first place) then they will start to enjoy reading and learning for its own merits. Stickers, days out, pencils all work well here.
Picture books can keep your child’s interest . If you stop reading after 15 to 20 minutes, they’ll be begging to jump back into the material. Its great bonding time as well. Having book quizzes you have read together is a great motivator for third grader as well.
Use alternative texts, screen magazines etc. Children can be introduced to different text types to show there are reading opportunities everywhere. Even subtitles on their favorite movies with each of you doing a voice is a great reading activity.
Ask what your children are covering in school. If you ask their teachers they will be happy to share and offer advice on how to help your third grader progress as well as they can.
Take a look at using online games to diversify how you introduce learning and reading.
Lead by example, find some time each day to sit down with a book and just read, your child will learn by watching.

Children are always seeking out new opportunities to learn. Parents can simply guide them to make sure there is a little structure to their learning.

Let them choose their books but discuss with the school which level your children are to make sure it is useful for motivation for sure, but also that it is of a level where they ca understand most of it.

Using their interests to guide their reading means they are learning about topics they like and improving their reading. As they progress so with their reading levels, providing you have started them at a reasonable 3rd grade reading level book.

Finally

We have covered the average 3rd grade reading levels in native classrooms, of course there will be some difference in ESL or other classrooms. They key takeaway from all of this is that children will progress at their own speed. you can help them on their reading journey but you shouldn’t force them.

Make sure they have access to reading materials at their level, encourage them to put into use their phonics skills and comprehension skills they have learn in previous years and aim at their interests.

If you manage to achieve these things above then their ability and interest levels will only go up as they read more and more.

Reading should be a joy not a chore.

Here’s a quick recap of the post:

3rd grade reading levels typically fall between a 12 to 25 reading level.
Focus on reading for fun, comprehension skills and appropriate levelled reading material.
Follow their interests and start to let them recognize text difficultly. Taking ownership allows them to develop their own good reading habits.
Use additional resources and activities to engage and inspire them

Sources

Scholastic – Learn About Leveled Reading
Reading A to Z – Levelled Books
Amazon Second Grade Reading.

Hi I’m Marc. A teacher of over 15 years, English, General Studies and Outdoor Education. Thought it was about time to sharing both what I have learnt during that time and the resources I have put together. On this site we aim to teach the theory and share our thoughts, but also go that one step further and give you access to the hard resources you need for your class or for you children

Making English Fun!

I have been a teacher of English for over 15 years, in that time i made hundreds and thousands of resources and learnt so much i think its worth sharing. Hopefully to help teachers and parents around the world.

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Theatre.
• Has the Russian new drama become a style in theatrical art?
The new drama was repeatedly looked at from the outside. We decided to offer a look at it "from the inside". To the question of the magazine "Teatr." Those who are themselves part of the "Novodram" movement answer - the authors of plays, directors, theater directors and curators of festivals.

Mikhail Ugarov

playwright, director, artistic director of Theatre.doc and member of the artistic council of the Drama and Directing Center
Yes and no. Style - no. Movement, direction - yes. For example, today I lack a provocative proposal for the theater - in terms of design, in terms of language. They take new topics, and try to open them with the keys of an old Soviet play. And this, in my opinion, is terrible. There is a surrender of positions - not according to the semantic principle, but according to the style. And from a new drama, a new language is needed - then it is easier for the director to determine the new language, and it is easier for the actors to determine the new way of being.

The new drama was strongly influenced by documentaries - if anything is expressed in style in it, it is an approximation to a real person and environment. But we did not put forward such a proposal as the absurdists made when they announced a new system of coordinates in general.

Pavel Pryazhko

playwright
New drama as a style is definitely there. Its features: low level of generalization; lack of interest in understanding the cultural values of society; concentration on everyday individual experience. And as for the language and structure of the text, they can be anything. It's not about them...

Mikhail Durnenkov

playwright
I would like to believe not. Within the new drama are all the spectrums of contemporary theatre. Maxim Kurochkin, Pavel Pryazhko, Vanya Vyrypaev and I write in completely different ways. And if we have a different form, then the questions that torment us are different. The only thing that unites us is our attitude to modernity. It is believed that there are eternal values that are not transformed in any way, but only the form in which they are enclosed is transformed. But eternal values have long become streamlined, like a hemorrhoidal candle, and no longer heal. The new drama is an attempt to comprehend the meaning of life through self-identification in modernity.

Viktor Ryzhakov

director
If by the concept of style we mean “a way of selecting certain means from among several possible ones and the principle of their connection with each other”, then, of course, it has become. The new drama is above all the so-called "search for new sincerity". It is he who is an integral part of the new style. Today, it is important not to surprise with already proven technologies, but to really get excited in the process of movement. Sincerity is in the very insecurity of the search. The new drama is not afraid to take risks, this is its unique style.

Elena Gremina

playwright, theater director. doc
New Russian drama has no style. It is diverse, like our life - and it changes in the same diverse way. Vyrypaev's manifestos are not like the social dramas of Vyacheslav Durnenkov, Kurochkin's cosmic ironic fantasies are not like the eschatological naturalism of the Ural school. The delicate lace of Olya Mukhina does not fit into one puzzle with the black humor and earthly realism of Natalya Vorozhbit.

Perhaps I don't see the style, because I'm "inside" this amazingly interesting process - the turbulent life of the modern Russian play. But for me, this is not a style, but something else - a new way of communication, an unexplored social phenomenon, a barometer of linguistic searches, a register of the latest Russian realities. A photo album with cards of our contemporaries - we did not know them, we saw them somewhere on the streets, and in the plays and performances of our new drama we can see and remember their faces. "New Drama Style" is one of those snarky slogans that simplifies reality in an attempt to explain it in three words. But it is interesting that this style, which I do not understand, is recognized by "others" - for example, film professionals talking about the expansion of the new drama in cinema and on TV. But it is especially recognized by the detractors of the new drama, who, as a rule, have not seen the performances, have not read the plays, but they can easily formulate what “the style of the new drama” means. This is what they are afraid of. In short, then, perhaps, like this: the new drama is a ghost that has been scaring or inspiring for ten years and that everyone endows with their fears or hopes.

Elena Kovalskaya

critic, art director of the Lyubimovka Young Drama Festival
If style is a historically conditioned aesthetic unity of form and content, then new drama is style. I'm not talking about the new drama as a social phenomenon that brought together professionals and Red Guards, not about the plays of the new drama. I'm talking about theatrical reality. Despite all the differences, the performances of the new drama form an aesthetic whole. I don’t remember a performance based on a new drama that would blindly imitate reality, and at the same time become an event. Performances by Serebrennikov, Ugarov and Gatsalov, Ageev, Grigoryan, Vyrypaev, Ryzhakov became events. None of them created the illusion of believability, and all in general - albeit in different ways - pursued the same goal: using a minimum of means, to create a distance in relation to the text. The text could innocently reproduce reality by means of reality itself - the theater, on the contrary, established a distance in relation to reality, as a result of which it appeared in a new perspective. Let us recall the most heartbreaking drama from which the new drama is counting - Sigarevsky's Claudel Models: in Serebrennikov's performance, Sigarevsky's darkness was dissolved in the celebration of the total theater. Pryazhko’s recent “Life is Successful” is written in an unadulterated obscenity, tells about people whose reflection is at zero, and emotional reactions are primitive - but the performance of Ugarov and Gatsalov (the play is read by roles, as if they are seeing it for the first time) gives almost the same pleasure as the performances of Zhenovach.

Pavel Rudnev

theater critic, art director of TsIM
No, I didn't. The new drama is certainly a very serious point in the history of drama. Perhaps a point in the history of theatrical thought, but not yet in the history of the theatre. The concept of style involves updating the conceptual apparatus and expressive means. And the new drama updated only the language, but not the means of directing and acting technique. Although the ideologists of the new drama dreamed of such an update.

But this fact should not be written down as her new drama's defeat. After all, you can talk about what the new drama has become. Absolutely (and this is an amazing cultural feat!) the new drama has become an infrastructure, a system for putting forward new names. Now there is a very clear understanding and tools: how to bring a young author from the outback to the theatrical establishment. From now on, not a single talented name will perish in the expanses of the Russian-speaking world, as, say, in 1990s. New drama, having updated the language of dramaturgy, created new theaters, new generations of actors and directors (in many respects working in the old way) and, above all, a new audience. The new drama forced the theater to talk about today and now and to speak from itself, from its own uncovered masks - it "opened up" the theater, untied it. Made the actor more natural, opened up new horizons of acting realism. The new drama returned sociality and documentary to the Russian theater.

Natalia Vorozhbit

playwright
The new drama is not a style, not a movement. It seems to me that this is just the heyday of the dramaturgy genre. To be honest, I don’t even see any general concept and ideology in the new drama. Two poles - Pryazhko and Kurochkin. What common? Everything is born intuitively.

Ivan Vyrypaev

playwright, director
New drama, in my opinion, these are just plays that have been written recently. I don't think it has become a trend in art. And this is not a style. On the other hand, when today we say, for example, that this is a “Novodramovsky director” or this performance of a new drama, then, of course, we mean that the artist or work belongs to a certain community. So the new drama is community. Not like-minded people, more often even opponents. But still a community.

Sasha Denisova

playwright
Thinking about whether the new drama is a style, I took out a book that was a first-year bible for philology students - Losev's "The Problem of Artistic Style". The history of the issue is as follows: in the Dictionary of the Russian Academy there is the following definition of calm: "Calm is a syllable." According to Lomonosov, as we remember, there were high, low and medium calms. And in this sense, the new drama also has several calms, stratified according to the height of the discourse. There is the high style of Pavel Pryazhko, where each replica is multi-ton. There is the high style of Maxim Kurochkin, in whose plays there are starships, space stations, the distant future, and the action that could unfold in the scenery of the wretched Altufiev or Strogin takes place somewhere in the heights of the Andromeda nebula or in the constellation Sagittarius. This is the high style of the new drama. There is also a middle style. These are, for example, the latest plays by Vyacheslav Durnenkov; earlier he wrote rather fantastic things, but now it is a strong, deep realism. There is also a low style of new drama. This is what is most often criticized, which does not refer to a specific work, but stigmatizes the new drama in advance as some kind of marginal literature for "low" plots and relevant characters. A similar image was characteristic of the beginning of a new drama, when Kurochkin and Rodionov went to the Kazansky railway station and recorded the speech of the homeless. This was necessary because of the colossal lack of reality in the theatrical space. Now that reality has been returned to the theater, it is being comprehended in full — not at the level of specific characters, social castes, but at the level of an ordinary person who can be a representative of any class, any profession. The new drama is a style in the sense that all the works belonging to it are united by the presence of a modern hero, modern real circumstances and real speech, which is often a hero in itself, as, for example, in Pryazhko's plays. It seems to me that the new drama can be considered as a style even from a scientific point of view.

Eduard Boyakov

Director of the Texture Festival (Perm), artistic director of the Praktika Theater (Moscow) and Stage Hammer (Perm)
No, the new drama is not a style. Inside the new drama, there can be statements of very different styles, ranging from the style that is characteristic of documentary theater and ending with the phantasmagoric productions of Pavel Pryazhko's plays, which are made by Philip Grigoryan. That is, the new drama is an extremely wide context, and there is no way to talk about stylistic uniformity. But the new drama is united by an interest in today and in today's language, which is more diverse than ever before. This is due to the fact that before there were no such opportunities to combine not only genres, but also different languages of art. Now everything is possible. Another question is how to take advantage of these opportunities.

Yuri Klavdiev

playwright
The new drama, I think, has become an artistic direction. And that's why. Those plays that I read and learned to write from suggested the fantastic "worlds of the Strugatsky brothers" or "Efremov's worlds". Today, the writer has ceased to exist as a Creator, multiplying essences and constantly violating the principle of Occam's razor. Novodram's writers brilliantly demonstrated the Zen approach: they take an elementary thing and just show it to people - friends, it has a lot of meaning, not because we bring it there, but because it is already there. It is this, and not brutality, that is the fundamental stylistic feature of the new drama. And brutality ... It's like a sword, which consists of a blade, a handle and a shark skin wrapped around the handle so that the hand does not slip off. For me, brutality is skin.

Maxim Kurochkin

playwright
The new drama must be analyzed as an important and striking phenomenon. But it annoys me when they try to protect this complex set of authors and texts with thematic, linguistic or social marker pillars. The main diagnosis of hasty markers is cowardice. I am ready to admit that the new drama has not yet produced a supertext capable of knocking out old Eternity. But it is undeniable that the new drama has given us back the fight - the spectacle and the goal, has driven amazing fighters from the oven. This is a fantastic amount! And this is just the beginning! I would venture to suggest that there is a lofty principle that allows absolutely dissimilar authors to peer into each other with respect, to define themselves with the help of the imperfect term new drama. In my opinion, its best authors strive for the accuracy of expressing the consciousness of modern man. As a result, there is a need for freedom from any imposed aesthetic hierarchies, a desire to reflect the entire contradictory fullness of mental and social phenomena. The new drama of my dreams is a community of untamed authors. The word "indomitable" is not suitable, it contains immobility, lack of movement, eternal victory. Untamed" - more precisely. It is just a manifestation of a moment of adequacy. In the word "untamed" - instability, danger, tragedy. Again and again, not everyone succeeds in gaining a proud moment of indomitability. This is exactly what the new drama is good for - it is very easy and comfortable to stop being its author.

Kristina Matvienko

theater critic, art director of the New Play festival
The question of what the new drama describes is directly related to how it does it and, further, how the theater embodies this very life described in the new drama.

Let's go beyond the Russian situation. There are foreign theater groups that work very successfully with modernity and do without a play at all. And this is absolutely "Novodramovsky" theater - in terms of intention, in terms of the way it relates to reality. They actually have a play, but it is written by the playwright and director with the actors together. Why are they doing that? I really like the idea of "in the morning in the paper, in the evening in the verse. " Even better - in the morning in a couplet, in the evening in a newspaper. Estonian Theater NO99 made a play-performance "United Estonia" about how the scheme of political elections works and why they have such an obedient electorate. It is important that the performance was released now, and not tomorrow and the day after tomorrow.

When they criticize the new drama, they say, in particular, that: 1. Political theater is boring, 2. We don't need it. 3. So quickly it is impossible to analyze the situation and bring it to the level of generalization. I would like to say in response: you repeat the rhetoric of the past, you do not understand that there will be no new Chekhov, but there will be others and these others speak, see, feel differently. Don't teach them to "write plays properly." They act here and now, so they know better.

On the other hand, what difference does it make who swears and how, if the new drama exists in its best form in the informal space of culture. As soon as the “big Russian theater” takes it up, a compromise begins - and after all, for example, Christian Smeds at the National Theater of Finland allows himself to say whatever and whatever.

That's all for the question of modernity. The category "style" in this case can be considered as a tool that the theater uses to reflect modernity. And it's difficult with the tool.

For example, today's Russian theater does not recognize hyperrealism or documentaryism (characteristic of a number of Novodramov's plays) as a separate article of theatrical convention. He confuses it with the content, and cries begin: why do I need this, if I have the same thing in the entrance. Documentaryism in the Novodramovsk theater is an extremely important category, it manifests itself regardless of who we are told about - the unemployed women from Joël Pomre's Merchants or the space aliens from Kurochkin's new play. Documentalism as an optics expands Novodram's field, takes it beyond the limits of the play as a concrete proposal to the theatre. And here it becomes clear that the Russian theater has difficulty responding to such a proposal. The new drama regularly becomes the object of terminological and methodological confusion. They are afraid of a cannibal (even in the performance of the beautiful Polina Agureeva), snort at Pryazhkov's idiots (and their speech sounds like music), execute the heroine of "Volchka" for the lack of maternal instinct and do not talk about aesthetics. If you start to study it, then it turns out that yes, the new drama has changed the theater. Not with plays, but with an attitude to life and a renewed understanding of the tasks of art.

John Friedman

theater critic, director of the New American Plays for Russia program
Is there a new drama, and if so, how to determine its style? A ruthless question. For eight years, representatives of the New Drama Festival, the Theater. doc, the Center for Drama and Directing, the Praktika Theater and others - people, by the way, who are far from always in complete agreement and having common views - tried to define a new drama in their own image and likeness. All these views will enter together into a more or less unified historical image of this movement. I talked with Oleg Bogaev in Yekaterinburg around 2005, and he told me: “There is such a thing today - a new drama. The language they use there is not mine. This is a kind of naive type of art that exists outside of Russian traditions.” This was said by the playwright, who gave the new drama one of the first, most powerful impulses.

Bogaev's statement clarifies a lot. Whether you accept it or not, there is a new drama. Love not love - she has her own language. Whether you like it or not, the new drama is not the whole of modern Russian dramaturgy. A few common phrases that can be heard about the new drama from both admirers and detractors:
1. This is something like Vasily Sigarev's plays - tough, social.
2. This is a solid mat.
3. This is an attempt to tell the truth in public.
4. This is a "dirty" reality.
5. This is an attempt to bring real modern language onto the scene.
6. This is something youthful.
7. This is an attempt to defeat "literature" in the theatre.
8. This is a slogan and commercial brand.
9. This is something daring.
10. These are plays that are all alike.

By the way, Alexei Kazantsev complained to me more than once that novice playwrights kept sending him the same thing: "I want to see something new, individual, but everyone thinks that one should write like Sigarev."

All this to the question of the style of the new drama. The new drama has been a powerful engine of a new or at least different aesthetic in the theater all these years. Loved or unloved, she was a real, heterogeneous alternative to the mainstream. It is difficult, no, it is impossible to clearly define the style of the movement, which includes such different writers as Maxim Kurochkin, Vyacheslav Durnenkov, Elena Isaeva, Yuri Klavdiev, Mikhail Ugarov, Yaroslava Pulinovich, Pavel Pryazhko ... What is more "new-drama" - "Brothers Ch.
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