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Leveling Chart | Scholastic Guided Reading Program for the Classroom

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How to Determine the Reading Level of a Book

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Fountas and Pinnell, Lexile Level, Primer, Pre-primer, Beginning Reader are all terms you may have heard if you have a young reader in your house. Seriously, what does it all mean? Is there actually a way how to determine the reading level of a book? If your child can read The Cat in Hat, which is a level J in Guided Reading, can she independently tackle Diary of a Worm, which has a Lexile Level of 510L or is she ready for Keena Ford and the Second Grade Mix-Up, even though that one has a DRA of 30?

Through this post, I am going to attempt to elucidate and explain reading levels. So scroll through to find the system that your child’s teacher uses or pour yourself a large cup of coffee and sift through all of the various ways educators, librarians, and book publishers level and categorize books for young readers.

Reading Levels Are Like Starbucks Sizes

I admit, I don’t visit Starbucks unless I have a gift card. I am also that person who goes to Starbucks and still tries to order a large iced tea. The barista calmly asks if I would like a venti or a trenta and then explains that I need to choose between Passion Tango, Matcha Green, or Guava White Tea. Then comes the question of sweetened, unsweetened, or added lemonade.

For the young reader, finding a book that can be read independently can be as tricky as remembering all of the variables in a Starbucks order. Little readers who are not familiar with reading levels or taught to find a “good fit book” often go for books that are too easy and boring, too difficult and frustrating, or, like my kindergarten son, books that have too many unreadable Star Wars planet names like Kashyyyk. If a child knows her reading level, she can find books that contain sight words she knows, plot lines that are not too advanced, and vocabulary that is manageable.

Explain the Levels, Please

There are many different ways that books are leveled. Here are the three most popular methods for how to determine the reading level of a book.

Developmental

Children become readers by moving through different developmental reading stages. These stages range from the emergent pre-reader to the expert fluent reader. Typically, the emergent pre-reader is between six months and six years of age, while the expert fluent reader is 16 years and older. The developmental categories are broader categories than many of the other leveling systems.

Letter Levels

When I taught first and second grade, I found letter levels to be the most kid friendly way to organize a classroom library. If your child’s school levels books using Fountas and Pinnell, Reading A-Z, Scholastic Books, or Guided Reading Levels, then books will be leveled using a letter system. While it would be nice, these leveling systems do not always correlate. A book that is a Reading A-Z Level P, is not always a Level P using the Guided Reading Levels.

Number Levels

Books can be leveled through such systems as Lexile Numbers, The Direct Reading Assessment (DRA), and Reading Recovery. These systems measure texts by complexity and a reader’s skill level and then assign a number.

I Have My Child’s Reading Level, Now What?

Throughout the school year, your child’s teacher will probably perform  reading inventories or assessments with your child. These will determine your child’s reading level.

If you homeschool or your child’s school does not use leveled reading, then use a simple test called the “five finger test” to roughly determine your child’s reading level. Have your child choose a book and open to the second page. Ask your little one to read the text out loud. If your child struggles with independently reading five or more words on that page, the book is too difficult and is not a good fit. You should also ask some comprehension questions to make sure that your young reader understands what she is reading. When a book passes the five finger test, use one of the links below to determine that book’s reading level.

Once you have the reading level, take a look at these five helpful websites, apps, and charts that will help you and your child find or level the perfect book:

1. Book Wizard : Type in the title of a book to retrieve the Guided Reading Level and grade level.
2. Lexile Find-a-Book :Visit this site to find the Lexile Number for a specific book or to generate a list of books with a particular Lexile Number.
3. Reading A-Z Level Correlation Chart : This is the best conversion chart out there for reading levels.
4. Reading Levels Explained : Check out this very clean and user friendly site if you are still feeling overwhelmed by all of the reading level systems.
5. Literacy Leveler app : Download this app and then use it to scan a book’s ISBN to see its Lexile, DRA, and GRL.

Levels Should be Helpful, Not Stressful

Reading levels should not feel restrictive. They should be used as helpful tools and not as a draconian system that kills the love of reading. Encourage your child to read books on her level, but don’t be upset if she chooses to reread an old favorite or picks up a nonfiction book that has some advanced vocabulary. Imagine how horrible it would be if adults had to always adhere to a reading level. I am well aware of the fact that some of my beach reads are probably a fourth grade reading level, with a Guided Reading Level of Q, 820L, and DRA of 40. I may not always be challenged as a reader, but it is still fun to sip my trenta Passion Tango unsweetened iced tea and enjoy a book simply for the fun of reading.

Need some books to practice leveling? Help yourself to 50 Must-Read Books for Beginning Readers, 20 Must-Read Books for First Graders and Second Graders, The Best Chapter Books for Kids: Engaging with Words, and 70 Must-Read Books for 3rd Graders.

Reading books in English | Books in English for different levels

Photo: The Guardian

March 22, 2021

Reading in English. A selection of exciting books for every level from A2/B1 to C1.

Reading is an important skill for English learners. It:

• Develops vocabulary;
• Allows you to apply the acquired knowledge in practice;
• Teaches you to understand the internal logic of the language;
• And broadens my horizons.

But reading in English is not easy for everyone. When choosing a book, consider:

• Your interests . Are you into comics? Great. Do you love horror? Stephen King is always waiting for you.
• Your level of knowledge is . At the Pre-Intermediate stage, the “History of Civilizations” is not doing well, and Advanced will get bored with adapted books.
• Your destination. To prepare for international exams, it is better to read academic literature. If your focus is on spoken English, spend more time on modern prose. And if you are learning a language for work, refer to books in your specialty.

We offer you a selection of books for levels Pre-Intermediate and up. Why did we skip A1-A2? Because at this stage it is still difficult to read full-fledged works. Short texts and short stories are suitable for the first steps. You can find them on the Lingua, English Learning or British Council websites.

A2-B1 - Pre-Intermediate

At threshold level A2-B1, start with adapted books. These are the same literary works, but in a simplified form. Another option is parallel text. He is more difficult. These are complete, original books, but they immediately give a translation. Individual words, phrases or entire pages are written in Russian. Resources to find such books: English Online and Paragraph 77.

If you are a Pre-Intermediate and ready to read fiction, take a look at the books below.

B1 - Intermediate

B1 - strong medium. On it, you can safely take more serious books, such as children's prose. Don't underestimate her. Books for children are written in simple language. The attention of the child is more difficult to keep, so the authors create dizzying stories. The result is works that are interesting not only for small readers.

• How to Train Your Dragon by C. Cowell. Not everyone knows that the cartoon about Hiccup and his dragon friend was based on a book. And Toothless in it is not at all as big as on the screen, but just as cute. The book is more suitable for children, although adults may also like it.
• Peter Pan by J.M. Barry. A story about a boy who does not age. This is a classic of British literature for children. The book is written in an interesting and simple way. You probably already know the main plot. This will make it easier for you to understand the English text.
• Charlotte's Web by E.B. White. A touching story about Wilbur the pig and a girl named Fern. Another famous book by E. White is a story about a mouse Stuart Little .
• Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling. This book needs no introduction. The first part is suitable for the transitional level B1-B2, but the next ones are more difficult.

If you don't want to read a long work, look at the stories of R. Kipling or O. Henry. Stunning stories are written by R. Dahl. Among his works: Matilda ‎, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory , ‎ Fantastic Mr. Fox and others.

B2 - Upper-Intermediate

If you have attained Upper-Intermediate enlightenment, move on to the classical pieces. At this level, one must learn to “feel ‎ ” the language and understand its beauty.

• Breakfast at Tiffany's by T. Capote. Truman Capote is not the most popular American writer in Russia, but his works are definitely worth reading. Novella ‎ Breakfast at Tiffany's" formed the basis of the film of the same name. The author himself, by the way, did not like him, because the original plot is different from the Hollywood interpretation.
• Animal Farm by G. Orwell . Orwell, like Hemingway, is a master of the ‎ simple syllable. In addition to " ‎ 1984" he has other works, and "Animal Farm" is one of them. This is a political satire that makes you laugh and cry at the same time.
• Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk . An amateur product. The novel is written in clear language. Sometimes the phrases seem even too simple. The book contains a lot of slang and expressions that have become part of modern culture. For example, the word ‎ snowflake .
• The Godfather by M. Puzo. Another book that gave the world a masterpiece of cinema - "The Godfather". It has an intriguing plot that does not let go until the end. The second no less interesting novel by M. Puzo is The Sicilian.

Other authors worth reading Upper-Intermediate:

• S. Maugham "Theatre ‎ ";
• E. Hemingway " ‎ The Old Man and the Sea";
• F. Fitzgerald "The Great Gatsby ‎ ";
• R. Bradbury "451 degrees Fahrenheit ‎ ".

C1 - Advanced

At the C1 level, you can already choose any book. Anything you like will do, regardless of genre or year of publication. Here are some worthy pieces.

• Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. Collaboration of fantasy writers from foggy England. Good Omens ‎ has a lot of word games, puns and a special British humor, so it is not easy to understand her. If you want something simpler, look at independent works of these authors. For example, "Stardust ‎ ", " ‎ American Gods", "Coraline ‎ " by Neil Gaiman. Or the series " ‎ Flat World", " ‎ Johnny Maxwell - Savior of the Universe" by Terry Pratchett.
• The Green Mile by Stephen King. Stephen King is a recognized master of horror, but there is nothing terrible in his language. On the contrary, he writes amazingly beautifully. ‎ The Green Mile is for everyone, whether you like horror or not. This story has everything: mysticism, tragedy, humor and discourse about life that will not leave you indifferent.
• Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari. Popular science book about the development of mankind from the Israeli researcher Yu. N. Harari. Here you will find historical and modern vocabulary. There are academic terms in the narrative that are useful to know. The book is written for a wide audience.
• Cloud Atlas by D. Mitchell. Events in the book unfold in different time periods from the 19th century to the future in the post-apocalypse. The novel is rich in vocabulary from different eras.

With the Advanced level, you can also master classical literature:

• " ‎ Great Expectations" by C. Dickens,
• " ‎ Mrs. Dalloway" W. Wolf,
• " ‎ Vanity Fair" by W. Thackeray,
• " ‎ Pride and Prejudice" J. Austin.

From American authors:

• " ‎ The Grapes of Wrath" J. Steinbeck,
• "Atlas Shrugged ‎ " A. Rand,
• " ‎ Catcher in the Rye" by J. Salinger, etc.

Book	A2-B1	B1	B2	C1
Peter Pan (by J. M. Barrie)	-/+	+	+	+
Charlotte's Web (by E.B. White)	-/+	+	+	+
Harry Potter (by J.K. Rowling)	-/+	+	+	+
Stuart Little (by E.B. White)	-/+	+	+	+
How to Train Your Dragon (by C. Cowell)
Matilda (by R. Dahl) ‎‎	-/+	+	+	+
Fantastic Mr. Fox (by R. Dahl)	-/+	+	+	+
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (by R. Dahl)	-/+	+	+	+
Animal Farm (by G. Orwell)	-	-	+	+
Breakfast at Tiffany's (by T. Capote)	-	-	+	+
The Godfather (by M. Puzo)	-	-	+	+
The Sicilian (by M. Puzo)	—	—	+	+
Fight Club (by Chuck Palahniuk)
The Green Mile (by Stephen King)	-	-	-	+
Good Omens (by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman)	-	-	-	+
Cloud Atlas (by D. Mitchell)	-	-	-	+
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (by Yuval Noah Harari)

Author : Maria Vaneeva

English Reading in English useful resources self-education Learning languages ​​

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Great Dragons

The minimum requirement to start leveling reputation of the Great Dragons is level 7.
Upon reaching a certain level of pumping Great Dragons , a certain level of blessing becomes available to the character. The blessing comes randomly in any battle. If you are under the effect of favor, then the chance of a boon coming is higher.

Reputation	Mercy	Effect	Effect description
no			Increases your physical and magical damage by 10% until the end of the battle.
500			Increases your physical and magical damage by 13% until the end of the battle.
1000			Increases your physical and magical damage by 17% until the end of the battle.
2000			Increases your physical and magical damage by 17% , and reduces your physical and magical damage by 4% until the end of the battle.
3000			Increases your physical and magical damage by 17% , and reduces your physical and magical damage by 10% until the end of the battle.
Worship			Increases your physical and magical damage and 2x of your allies by 6% , also reduces the physical and magic damage dealt to you and 2 of your allies by 5% by 5% until end of combat.

As gifts Great Dragons accept various resources of the world of Faeo, as well as Edal. The richer your offering, the higher the chance that the dragon will bestow its favor on you and your reputation will increase.

If you have collected the "Great Dragons" deck, then once a week using it you can take the blessing of the deity for 2 hours, corresponding to the blessing of the red medal. In addition, if you have the red Worship Medal upgraded, then having the Great Dragons Deck you can receive the Great Dragon Banner from God once every 3 days.

Reputation	Medal	Permanent effect	Effect description
500			Increases your physical and magical damage by 10% until the end of the battle.
1000			Increases your physical and magical damage by 13% until the end of the battle.
2000			Increases your physical and magical damage by 17% until the end of the battle.
3000			Increases your physical and magical damage by 17% , and reduces your physical and magical damage by 4% until the end of the battle. Learn more Use of phonics Who is the wolf in little red riding hood Choral reading definition Read in english for kids Kids short funny stories Construction site books Fun ways to learn numbers Sesame st alphabet Sounding out letters Teaching preschoolers about feelings Why is hands on experience important to learning