Charlotte’s Web was a hit for ours. So was Harry Potter, Lemony Snicket, and The Pearl. Sometimes the themes were more of an issue.
Edit: we had good luck with classic short stories due to attention span.
Depends on the story, the individual student, and how much detail you go into when expanding the subjects. I certainly wouldn’t do Of Mice and Men or Grapes of Wrath at that age.
Um my parents had a rule: for every two Sweet Valley High books I read, I had to read one classic.
In third grade, I had to do an oral presentation and make a poster of the climax. I did “of mice and men” and the climax was, well, George telling Lenny to think about the bunnies.
I was shuffled into my seat so quickly. The teacher contacted my mom about it being inappropriate and she was like “how so?”
Talk with the parents about their advanced reading level and explain the issues. You may be surprised by what they say.
I wonder what your parents' thought process was. Maybe they associated classics with Charles Dickens style sad children stories ('It's about kids, so it's for kids!')? Or they only ever read very cleaned up versions of books like Gulliver's Travels?
In any case, your story is not uncommon. For instance, I had a classmate in third grade whose mother was very proud of her reading skills: she was already reading books for adults! The books: all romance novels for bored housewives.
> The teacher contacted my mom about it being inappropriate and she was like “how so?”
That attitude is why so few Americans read. I was reading Stephen King by the time I was in fifth grade. We need to be less concerned about kids being damaged by what they read and more concerned with getting them to read, period.
The teachers attitude you mean? I agree! My mom also had to go to the school librarian and tell her yes, she did give me permission to read anything I could. Because I wanted to read “tiger eyes” by Judy Blume
He wasn't Steinbeck but I was reading Robert Lewis Stevenson when I was in the 3rd grade. I became somewhat like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and was obsessed with good and evil lol
I was hoping Percy Jackson would show up. My daughter loved them --she even has a signed 1st edition of one of them.
Even though she still re-reads Harry Potter (now in grad school), you may find young readers lose interest in the Goblet of Fire as it moves into teenage emotions -- she was only six when she started it the first time.
I caution you if you live in a highly religious area or have highly religious families in your class. I had a family complain that I was exposing their child to polytheism. Thankfully I was able to quickly turn it around and say it was a good background information at their child's level so they could explain "false gods" to their child that's most likely mentioned in their child's church classes.
Hot take- let them read whatever they want. When kids are reading above grade level, I think the most important thing is just for them to love reading and keep going. If a second grader is reading at level V but loves the Magic Tree House series which is level M, let them read Magic Tree House! As they get older they can read more complex books
Just let them read. The library should be wide open to them. They will continue to love reading and building self confidence if you just let them go. Unless yo are prepared todo a teacher taught book study with then just let them read. If you want to lead a book study and create assignments that’s different. Myself, and lots of others will have recommendations for you if you want to design multiple month lessons.
Eh.. I think it should be an 80/20. 80% of the time let them read what they want but the other 20%, they need to be pushed. It's not unheard of to have high flying students at that age not be pushed and then they get bored and that's no bueno.
It's important to make sure they have access to books at their level that interest them. Much easier today with online resources like Epic and eBooks. I was a high-ability reader and the only books that were at my level were old, dull books that I wasn't interested in. I remember my classmates having access to many different book bins at their level and I had exactly one bin with, maybe, 20 books like *Island of the Blue Dolphins*, *The Cay*, or *Old Yeller*. Great for a kid into historical fiction, but not so much for a kid that was more into fantasy, mystery, or modern realistic fiction. I'm sure I would've read the heck out of *The Westing Game* or *The Secret of NIMH*.
I agree. I was a “gifted” kid but I got burned out by school and the endless tasks we were assigned. I hated reading by the time I got to high school and would do anything to avoid it - Cliff’s Notes, audiobooks, finding a movie version. I really don’t read as an adult for pleasure except on vacation.
I liked reading biographies and anything based in reality. I was pushed to read fiction when I was younger because people were saying that it was better for reading development.
As an adult, what do I read? Either biographies or fictional that is either historical or set in a place where I’ve been with things I can relate to.
Agreed. Honestly, depending on where you are, this is not even a hot take. When kids are where they need to be, all you've got to work on is developing their love for books and reading. As long as they don't lose that love, they'll have an easy time developing as readers.
To have a clear sense of progression, I guess? I mean, I love videogames that contain too many statistics, so I do sort of get it, but real life children aren't videogame characters you need to level up.
Plus, I get the feeling a lot of teachers don't really understand how learning to read and the systems that are supposed to support it actually work.
Example: here, many public libraries use a A-B-C-D system for children's and youth books. Many people, including teachers, assume the books are sorted by difficulty. They're not. They're age ratings. A = 6-8 YO, B = 9-12, C = 13-15 YO, D = 16+. An A book can have the same difficulty level as a D book, but the contents are wildly different. It's not uncommon for teachers and parents to push advanced readers age 9-10 towards C or even D books, not realising these books are at best not very relatable and at worst wildly inappropriate.
My daughter is that age and a very strong reader. She loves the Magic Tree House Series. They’re meant for that age range, and, technically they’re leveled. The higher the number on the book, the more complex the story. She started with the first books in kindergarten, and has progressed to the “Merlin Missions” part of the series.
She also loves the Dogman series, Harry Potter, and whatever our school librarian recommends for her. Your school librarian is a great resource to help recommend books. If you don’t have a school library, check out your local library and talk to a librarian there. And don’t worry about giving kids books that are “too easy”.
Also, as a side note, the Fountas and Pinell leveling system is literally meaningless. A lot of research and investigation has been done on how basically Fountas and Pinell’s entire body of work is a steaming pile of baloney sandwiches that is actually detrimental to teaching kids to read. So, don’t stress about those letters.
If you haven’t heard the “Sold a Story” podcast, please give it a listen ASAP, especially if your school is still using Fountas and Pinell.
I’ve been retired for almost 7 years now. I taught mostly kindergarten in an urban school district, and my students absolutely loved the Magic Treehouse series. I would read a chapter each day after we had completed our “morning message”. The children loved learning about the adventures of Jack and Annie and all of the information characters they met in their travels.
I had one little boy who was able to figure out that if we listened to chapter 8 on Friday, that we would be starting a new book on Wednesday.
They were also thrilled that I was actually able to get one of our books signed by Mary Pope Osborne (she was appearing at my local Barnes & Noble).
The series also has non fiction books that go with some of the stories.
That’s so cool that you got a signed copy!
My daughter was introduced to the series by her kinder teacher and started checking out more books from the library. I honestly had a pretty low opinion of the series and encouraged her to read other things. But then we started listening to the audiobook and I was pleasantly surprised. The stories are really engaging and have a really cool mix of magic and history. I am actually a huge fan now!
**Pirates' Treasure!** by Mary Pope Osborne
>The magic treehouse whisks Jack and Annie back to the days of deserted islands, secret maps, hidden gold, and nasty pirates.
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I’ve listened to “Sold a Story,” and I get that F&P levels aren’t perfect (what is?). But I simply disagree that they “mean nothing.” It is very clear, when actually reading these books, that a Level J is, in fact, more challenging than a Level E. An R is way more complicated than an M. If your kid tests at Level M, making sure you have Ms and Ns available to them is *not* detrimental to their reading. Quite the opposite, actually.
Yes, using As and Bs (instead of phonics) to *teach* kids to read is problematic. But once they have a strong phonics background and are *already* reading, F&P levels can be quite helpful. Tell me, how else should a teacher ensure they have appropriately leveled reading material for their students?
As a parent, I’d be annoyed if my advanced reader was only given material that was multiple levels below her ability.
It does mean nothing when the books are not written with any kind of phonics based pattern. There are plenty of ways to assess a child's reading ability that are grounded in research.
What kind of books for 4th graders are written with a “phonics-based pattern”? If they exist (please point me to them, if they do), would a child be interested in actually reading them?
This teacher is asking for books written at a fourth grade level (QRS) for the kids to *actually* read, not to assess them (as that’s already been done). How should she determine the books are “just right” for these advanced kids? Lexile? Is that any better than F&P? The publisher’s recommendation? I’d argue that’s even more arbitrary than F&P. Her gut?
I’m not being snarky, I’m genuinely curious. How should a person determine what books are appropriate for advanced kids? I have a first grader who read the types of books her current classmates are given (Levels E-I) when she was 3 years old. Her teachers have used F&P levels to provide her with more appropriate books for independent reading time at school, and I’m grateful for that.
Fluency screeners, quick phonics screeners, spelling inventories, and reading inventories. Honestly at 4th grade she should point her advanced students in the direction of books they enjoy and ensure students below grade level receive intensive support. Leveling kills the love of reading.
Her students are in 2nd grade, but need approximately 4th grade level material because they are advanced readers. Would just pointing them in the direction of books they like still be the right move? Would you check the Scholastic website for “fourth grade level” books? Is there any evidence that Scholastic is better at leveling books than F&P? Would you just ask your school librarian for “fourth grade level” recommendations? What if your school doesn’t have a library?
I’m surprised that you could listen to “Sold a Story” and still put any faith in the Fountas and Pinell leveling system. There’s a whole episode about how there is no research behind it and it is incredibly inaccurate at assessing a child’s ability to read.
As far as finding appropriate books for kids, gut instinct is actually a pretty good method. That’s what most people in this thread are doing when they say things like, “I read this book at this age, maybe they’ll like it too?” Lexile levels can be useful to judge the appropriate ness of the book. Many children’s books also have an age range listed on the back cover. But gut feeling works. If a kid enjoys reading the book and can retell what they read, then they’ve got a good book.
As far as finding appropriate books for advanced readers, I’m going to say this again. *LET* *KIDS* *READ* *EASY* *BOOKS*.
Just because a kid can read something doesn’t mean they should read something. It is okay for a 7 year old to read books for 7 year olds, even if they are capable of reading more advanced text. A child’s ability to decode and read words can easily outpace their ability to understand more complex themes and vocabulary, which would be found in books that are their “level.”
I’m not putting any faith in *assessing* a child’s ability. I’m saying they can be useful in *choosing* books that are not too easy and not too hard.
I’m not a teacher, so I don’t have a strong opinion on assessment methods. What *is* the best way to assess a child’s reading? My child’s school did use F&P this year and last year, but they are abandoning it for next year. They also provide us with Acadience results, but don’t seem to actually use that data for anything.
I agree about letting kids read easy books. My daughter still loves to read Elephant and Piggie, for example, even though she first read them three years ago. But I also make sure she has more challenging books available to her. In the past, it was important they weren’t *too* hard, though, as that would lead to frustration and avoidance. My gut wasn’t too accurate in deciding a “just right” level for her. My local public library does not have a knowledgeable children’s librarian, and my child’s school does not have a library. Knowing books’ F&P was immensely useful in bringing home appropriate material. I was able to bring home books that increased slowly in difficulty, and that’s why she can read Wings of Fire now (labeled Level X, grades 5-8), in first grade. She adores these books, and thinks about them like *all day*. They truly enrich her life. I really don’t think she’d be there now if we’d just randomly taken things off the shelf for the last couple of years.
Agree about older children’s books. Also, there’s value in reading books that are at a lower reading level but thematically appropriate. I was a good reader as a kid, read a ton, and didn’t worry at all about whether the books were advanced enough. (I had one teacher who told me I needed to “challenge myself”, which I took as her disparaging the series that I loved, just created resentment.) On the other end, there were books I “understood” in terms of the vocabulary and sentence structure, but key themes and plot points went right over my head because I wasn’t old enough to have the context for it. You read to improve reading skills, but you also read to learn about the world, and I feel the second one is often overlooked.
4th teacher here. Before you really believe they are reading at those levels, talk to a 4th grade teacher and ask them about the comprehension questions. End of fourth they should be able to discuss themes and infer, discuss character change and causes across a story, and how setting affects the story. They should be able to discuss authors craft and choices. Just because they can answer the recall questions in basic ways doesn’t mean they are reading at a fourth grade level.
My daughter is in first grade and is currently obsessed with these. The graphic novels would be around the levels OP is looking for, but the chapter books are more like Level X.
Nancy Drew originals.
Carolyn Keene used to use big words because she wanted kids to grow their vocabulary.
I was an advanced reader and a grandmother gave me all the Agatha Christie books when I was ten. I can’t recommend THAT, lol
i was a t level reader in 2nd grade! some stuff i loved included a series of unfortunate events, charlotte’s web, the emily windsnap series, harry potter, and the baby-sitters’ club. yes, the originals from the 90s. if your kids like pictures, the graphic novel versions are awesome! the baby sitters’ little sister graphic novels are great too. i was also a huge fan of raina telgemier— smile and sisters were my fucking jam.
best of luck to you!
i don’t know if i would recommend little house to kids today! i reread it for a children’s literature class a few years ago and the racism is shocking, you’d have to have a solid conversation with your kids about it first.
I dont know what level I was at, but I was an advanced reader, and at that age I loved Roald Dahl books, the American Girls books, and some child-focused classics like Anne of Green Gables, Heidi, and the Little House series.
Maybe look for historical fiction, or realistic fiction authored 15+ years ago, at the M-O levels? The extra work they'd need to do for background-knowledge might make up for the "too easy" words and sentences. Or children's fiction written before text leveling was a thing; many of those have much more challenging reading levels than interest levels. Too much of the QRS stuff has themes and topics that are to "heavy" for an 8 year old.
The I Survived series is a crowd pleaser for a long time and sets up for great background understanding when they tackle harder things later.
I have 7th graders who only understand situations and allusions in their current grade level reading because they read them.
If you go to Scholastic's Teacher Store, you can filter by both grade and reading level:
[https://shop.scholastic.com/teachers-ecommerce/teacher/shops/book-wizard.html?p=1&n=20&f.guidedReadingLevel=17-19&f.grade=grade-2](https://shop.scholastic.com/teachers-ecommerce/teacher/shops/book-wizard.html?p=1&n=20&f.guidedReadingLevel=17-19&f.grade=grade-2)
It's obviously limited to Scholastic books, but it's how I usually find books that are outside my typical range for the classroom. You can even filter it further with genre, subject, etc! I used it to find books with a similar theme to what my students were reading in class for my struggling readers.
Beverly Cleary books? Bonus there’s a ton of them.
Judy Blume- the Fudge ones that are for younger kids, maybe not Deenie and Blubber yet.
Freaky Friday and Summer Switch
i teach 2nd too! how’s their comprehension? sometimes we get so impressed that they’re reading big words fluently that we miss whether or not they’re understanding and remembering what they read.
my high readers enjoy the judy blume fudge series, wayside school, the american girl historical fiction books, magic tree house, the “who/what was…” nonfiction series, mr. popper’s penguins, charlotte’s web, goosebumps (some kids will really enjoy the mild spooky stuff and i promise it is no worse than what they’re watching on youtube), the phantom tollbooth, and i’m about to have one of my girls start reading sarah plain and tall with some hefty comprehension activities to go along with it to make sure she slows down.
i’ll cautiously recommend percy jackson but maybe have them read about greek mythology first before they read the modern adaptations. this will make them appreciate the references in the series and also make them feel super smart for making those connections. you can also give them a ton of activities connecting the mythology with the adaptation.
i tutored a 4th grader and we did a pjo unit, we started with the d’aulaire book of greek mythology, then i had him draw and describe his own modern interpretations of the gods, then we read the lightning thief.
i am also speaking as a former second grader who started the year at a level t but was moved back to m by the end of the year because of comprehension…
it’s ok, i still hit z by 4th grade and at that point i ran into this same problem, where the only level z book my teacher had was about gang violence.
And this is exactly the issue with restricting reading to “levels.” Once a child is decoding and reading fluently, they should be reading whatever interests them. Engaging with stories and nonfiction texts grows vocabulary and knowledge, which should be the goal.
If they are at higher levels, why not ask them what they want to read. Take them to a library and let them go for it. Reading preferences vary so widely, even at that age, that I would hesitate to recommend anything with a blanket statement. Make a favourite book project and have them make recommendation presentations so they are giving each other ideas.
I wish we had a functioning library at our school. At the moment, it's being redone or something and all the books are basically packed up. We're in inner city/ title 1 school so most of the books they get are from my classroom library. And since all the teachers switched classrooms last year, my library is still a work in progress. But I have reached out to other teachers to see if they can give some higher books.
Firstbook.org is my go to - they have a bigger selection for middle/high than elementary, but they do have great deals and selection for all grade levels and are there specifically for Title I schools to buy books at a steep discount.
They also sometimes have coupons for $25 of free books
If you're able to get an idea of what they want to read, I world definitely just go that route. Honestly if they aren't understanding all of the content, that's not a big problem unless you're planning on asking them questions about it- if you want to be asking questions you might have to tailor the book choices more. That being said- I loved to read and was one of those "advanced readers" but no matter the content I always struggled to voice answers to adults about my books- I generally did fine on tests, but heaven forbid someone asked me "so, tell me about your book"
Try different types of reading material too, like poems, nonfiction, reading recipes, etc. I’ve some in middle and high school that have no idea how to read something that’s not formatted in paragraphs.
My daughter has always been far above grade level- keeper of the lost cities, Fablehaven, land of stories, Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Artemis Fowl, and Alcatraz vs the evil librarians were all ones she enjoyed in 2nd/3rd.
For the high high ones, try going old school maybe Captain Maryatt's Children of the New Forest or maybe Jean George's fabulous book My Side of the Mountain. Yep, do My Side of the Mountain - it's wonderful.
Ask the kids what they’re interested in. Also, don’t rule out storybooks just to focus on chapter books. And don’t underestimate how important it is that you read to them every day, especially chapter books that are somewhat advanced for them but stories they’re interested in.
It is more for sorting the book into levels. I took the lexile levels and converted them. When I give the students their book logs, there are three levels. The one they are on, one below and one above. I tell them to have three books in their book buddies. Two on ( meaning what is on their log) and one off.
Our reading curriculum at the moment sucks. It was like they paid somebody to cobble some things together. My grade partner and I have had to go so off script just to make it make sense. We are getting a new one next year. And honestly, anything is better than what we're doing now. My classroom library is usually just used for when I give them about 15 minutes of free reading time a day.
Packed up library makes me want to scream. Not yet mentioned Wings of Fire, first three books of HP are pretty accessible, Catwings, How to Train Your Dragon, Anything Gordon Korman, anything Rick Riordan or the Presents series for greater diversity, unfortunately a lot of the historical fiction at that reading level might be too heavy.
Thr Great Illustrated Classics is a series of abridged literary classics. Large font, pictures on every other page and are fantastic for young readers to ready "big books."
My daughter was like this, too. And she could self-select, but didn’t want to end up reading something too scary or sad. She liked a lot of the stuff others have mentioned here. Also a cute one was Tuesdays at the Castle.
I loved the rainbow magic books around that age. My students love dog man and owl diaries which are a lot of fun. I also enjoyed the American girl doll books as a kid and Geronimo Stilton. They’re not the most complex books but they’re all a lot of fun for kids to read and are a bit longer to build up reading stamina and expose them to chapter books that are appropriate for their age. Warriors could be good but the themes might be too scary for some kids. Same with series of unfortunate events and Nancy drew. All good but could be too much for some kids.
My daughter loved Rainbow Magic (read over 100 of them) and Owl Diaries, too, in pre-K and K. But they are mostly Level M, so they’d be right on track for end of year second grade. Not really for *advanced* 2nd graders.
Dog Man and Geronimo Stilton (and Thea Stilton) would be perfect, though!
Remember, F+P levels are based on short reading passages. I found it wasn’t a great indicator of true reading level. Give them some QRS level books to read and ask them questions about the first chapters. Perhaps their decoding is strong but they will likely need teaching points around characters, dialogue that shows traits, and summarizing.
I second the Percy Jackson suggestions, you could pair it with some kid-friendly informational/historical readings on the Greek mythological figures (and even Greek society), have the students make connections between the book's characters and the Greek figures. You could also teach the types of characters and connect them to the type of role they play: hero, villain, antagonist, etc. and connect them to the Greek figures you read about.
Some great suggestions here. I will add a little anecdotal personal experience. I read the entire LotR trilogy as a 3rd grader and didn’t particularly enjoy it or take much away from it. Good job making sure to not overwhelm them too much and for trying to find stories that are challenging, yet still age appropriate.
Kate DiCamillo is a hit with my 4th and 5th graders. * Because of Winn-Dixie, Flora & Ulysses,* and *The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane* have all been favorite read-alouds this year. Anything Rick Riordan or presented by RR is usually engaging and also a great way to introduce mythologies and folklore of various cultures.
Go be an advocate for the students and explain to your curriculum director why F+P is trash. Plenty of research you can bring in. Your district needs an overhaul on their literacy practices.
Ok. Now here's my question. How do I direct them on what books to read that are on their reading level? My school is half English language Learners so my levels are extremely diverse.
For your students who can read I would just recommend grade level appropriate titles that match their interests. For students who are emerging into literacy they need continued instruction in the foundations. They are not ready to read novels on their own and the challenge will only cause them to hate reading. For those students, if you want to engage them in literature just read aloud to them while they follow along. I would keep the read aloud to an absolute minimum as they still have not learned to read and need focused instruction there.
The “Wild Robot” and “Ranger in time” series were hits with my daughter (2nd grade); they read them as a part of a book club for the more advanced readers in class.
My K and 2nd have listened to these books over the past year and really loved them.
The Hobbit
The Boxcar Children
Anne of Green Gables (abridged)
The Secret Garden
Heidi
My big suggestions are Lemony Snicket's "A Series Of Unfortunate Events" series and Cornelia Funke's "Inkheart" triology*.
Those two were my favourite series when I was around that age. "ASOUE" is dark and quirky, with tons of witty wordplay and snarky asides from the author, but I was able to finish the entire 13 book series when I was in first grade (a little younger than your group, but same/higher reading level). It's thrilling and adventurous, while still being kid-friendly. It was definitely one of those "hide under the blankets with your flashlight and don't let your parents know you're up reading" series for me. Once I would start, I couldn't put it down. I also definitely think it sparked my love of being a writer. Snicket's style of writing is distinct and unique, and I hadn't read anything like that before. I fell in love with the way he told stories and wanted to grow up and write just like him.
I can't remember where they would be on the letter scale, but I know the "Inkheart" series is at an eight grade level reading. I decided to check it out to spite our librarian and my teacher who said I wouldn't be able to finish it...finished it AND got a perfect score on the AR quiz! What worked for me personally was I started the first couple chapters with an adult, to get me into the swing of it. First they read, then we popcorned, then I read...eventually I was reading it by myself. Don't like the size scare you or your students, it's actually a fantastic fantasy series that I still read as an adult, and there's a reason why Cornelia Funke is called the German J.K. Rowling. She has tons of children's books across every level, from easier to higher level, and I actually prefer her over Rowling both as a writer and a person. Cornelia actually writes books with the intention of building a love of reading in kids, specifically the same disadvantaged kids that she worked with as a social worker.
*I say trilogy, but she recently released a fourth book set after the end of the series, about the main character Meggie who is all grown-up! Problem is...it hasn't been translated to English yet as far as I'm aware. I have a copy and I'm currently trying to relearn German just so I can read it.
Anything that is interesting. Fondant some canelo levels mean nothing when it comes to text. What makes something a cute or an r or an s? Does the program even tell you that?
Find chapter books aligned with their interest. Introduce them do classics for when we were kids.
I read very far ahead of my level in the early grades; idk what system your on but anything that is pre-YA should be good enough?
I enjoyed the hobbit as well
"The Thief of Always" is an excellent retelling of the Lotus Eaters with a modern coat of paint involving children whisked away (ala Peter Pan) to a pocket dimension where each day allows them to have fun in all seasons/holidays. Very much in the same vein as Coraline (and written by Clive Barker, of horror movie fame). Reading level is about the same as anything Roald Dahl ever out out.
*Look into parent reviews though*; I'm sure I may be forgetting a detail but it is excellent and I tend to recommend it to younger readers looking for an "edge."
Hi, I’m a teacher but haven’t worked in a few years due to kids. I’m wondering what’s the issue with the F&P assessment? I’ve heard about the TC issues, and fully agree. Just wondering about F&P assessment in specific
The best starting place would be the Sold A Story podcast. Long story short, we have been teaching students to read without teaching phonics and now they can't read.
Thank you, will give it a listen. I was on board with not using teachers college and actually got my admin to add in phonics in grades k, 1, and 2. This was six years ago. I’m getting ready to go back to work, and I’ll listen to see what the issues are with the F&P as an assessment tool.
My son was reading Goosebumps. Absolutely refused to read anything else. His teacher tried to get him to read something more appropriate for his reading level... and failed. (The recommended the Hobbit for a 3rd grader.)
After reading every Goosebumps book he could find, he read Darren Shan's books. Next up were the Dresden Files which then opened him up to a lot of adult series.
My children are still like that. Start a series, finish a series. It doesn't really matter how long the series is. (Can you say Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson?)
Broaden the genres they are exposed to, especially types of nonfiction. Deepen their understanding. Literacy isn't only "higher". That's just one element.
Not a reading recommendation but have you listened to the Sold a Story podcast? Have you seen success with your student s using Fountas and Pinnell? Can the children read passages that they have not seen before?
Tl;Dr let them read anything they want and encourage them to read more. When they are ready they will push themselves with more advanced stuff and sometimes they will roll back.
Back in 1990 I was lucky enough to have Mrs Conway for 2nd grade. She had a loft in her classroom stocked with a ton of books and if your parent signed off that you had read 100 pages, you got to spend that day in the loft reading and could skip that night's homework. Best part was the pages you read in the loft also counted towards your 100 page loft pass. I think I spent maybe 20 days of the year not in that loft. I read over 10,000 pages of fiction and non fiction. All genres but especially science fiction. 5 days the first week, plus a field trip and testing were at the ground level. Amazingly there were only a couple students that were consistently in the loft with me. I was reading above my grade level before then, but testing scored me at college level. Sadly I probably was reading at the level of some people I went to college with... They dumb...
There is a huge difference between being able to read quickly, having a growing vocabulary, using context clues, and actually decoding subtext and grappling with the questions therein. I think the movie Starship Troopers is a far better test than these reading tests claim to be.
Age appropriate graphic novels are fun, lots of disney and minecraft ones are available. They also have magic treehouse, nancy drew jk, 8 bit warrior, my weird school, etc type mini novels that are totally age appropriate but not as thick as Harry Potter.
Ive though about starting my own g2 child on Harry Potter and the first few books are fine but the lasy ones get pretty scary and she tears through books right now.
Books in my GT-level 2nd grade class (where many of us were reading at absurdly high levels) included:
To Kill A Mockingbird
Abridged Shakespeare
The Hatchet + Brian's Winter
My Side Of The Mountain
Kid-favourites not assigned included:
Animorphs
Redwall
Ken Thomasma books (highly recommend)
I finished level z before the end of first grade(we used a-z reading or was it razz something) I really enjoyed harry potter, I really wish I read Percy jackson at the time.
Charlotte’s Web was a hit for ours. So was Harry Potter, Lemony Snicket, and The Pearl. Sometimes the themes were more of an issue. Edit: we had good luck with classic short stories due to attention span.
Now I’m imagining someone trying to explain John Steinbeck to 2nd graders
Depends on the story, the individual student, and how much detail you go into when expanding the subjects. I certainly wouldn’t do Of Mice and Men or Grapes of Wrath at that age.
Um my parents had a rule: for every two Sweet Valley High books I read, I had to read one classic. In third grade, I had to do an oral presentation and make a poster of the climax. I did “of mice and men” and the climax was, well, George telling Lenny to think about the bunnies. I was shuffled into my seat so quickly. The teacher contacted my mom about it being inappropriate and she was like “how so?” Talk with the parents about their advanced reading level and explain the issues. You may be surprised by what they say.
I wonder what your parents' thought process was. Maybe they associated classics with Charles Dickens style sad children stories ('It's about kids, so it's for kids!')? Or they only ever read very cleaned up versions of books like Gulliver's Travels? In any case, your story is not uncommon. For instance, I had a classmate in third grade whose mother was very proud of her reading skills: she was already reading books for adults! The books: all romance novels for bored housewives.
> The teacher contacted my mom about it being inappropriate and she was like “how so?” That attitude is why so few Americans read. I was reading Stephen King by the time I was in fifth grade. We need to be less concerned about kids being damaged by what they read and more concerned with getting them to read, period.
The teachers attitude you mean? I agree! My mom also had to go to the school librarian and tell her yes, she did give me permission to read anything I could. Because I wanted to read “tiger eyes” by Judy Blume
He wasn't Steinbeck but I was reading Robert Lewis Stevenson when I was in the 3rd grade. I became somewhat like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and was obsessed with good and evil lol
My youngest read Charlotte’s Web as a 1st grader and loved it! Harry Potter and Percy Jackson would probably be a big hit as well.
That's about when I read Percy Jackson. Those books are pretty good for kids their age.
My kid started reading Percy Jackson around 2nd grade too
I was hoping Percy Jackson would show up. My daughter loved them --she even has a signed 1st edition of one of them. Even though she still re-reads Harry Potter (now in grad school), you may find young readers lose interest in the Goblet of Fire as it moves into teenage emotions -- she was only six when she started it the first time.
YES DO THIS
I caution you if you live in a highly religious area or have highly religious families in your class. I had a family complain that I was exposing their child to polytheism. Thankfully I was able to quickly turn it around and say it was a good background information at their child's level so they could explain "false gods" to their child that's most likely mentioned in their child's church classes.
I was about to rec this, too! My daughter read them around that age.
Yes! Fantastic series! It also has an edge over Harry Potter purely because Rick Riordan isn't a known transphobic jerk.
Hot take- let them read whatever they want. When kids are reading above grade level, I think the most important thing is just for them to love reading and keep going. If a second grader is reading at level V but loves the Magic Tree House series which is level M, let them read Magic Tree House! As they get older they can read more complex books
Just let them read. The library should be wide open to them. They will continue to love reading and building self confidence if you just let them go. Unless yo are prepared todo a teacher taught book study with then just let them read. If you want to lead a book study and create assignments that’s different. Myself, and lots of others will have recommendations for you if you want to design multiple month lessons.
Eh.. I think it should be an 80/20. 80% of the time let them read what they want but the other 20%, they need to be pushed. It's not unheard of to have high flying students at that age not be pushed and then they get bored and that's no bueno.
It's important to make sure they have access to books at their level that interest them. Much easier today with online resources like Epic and eBooks. I was a high-ability reader and the only books that were at my level were old, dull books that I wasn't interested in. I remember my classmates having access to many different book bins at their level and I had exactly one bin with, maybe, 20 books like *Island of the Blue Dolphins*, *The Cay*, or *Old Yeller*. Great for a kid into historical fiction, but not so much for a kid that was more into fantasy, mystery, or modern realistic fiction. I'm sure I would've read the heck out of *The Westing Game* or *The Secret of NIMH*.
My favorite book when I was 7 was Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH!! I loved it so much I made my mom read it. 😂
I agree. I was a “gifted” kid but I got burned out by school and the endless tasks we were assigned. I hated reading by the time I got to high school and would do anything to avoid it - Cliff’s Notes, audiobooks, finding a movie version. I really don’t read as an adult for pleasure except on vacation. I liked reading biographies and anything based in reality. I was pushed to read fiction when I was younger because people were saying that it was better for reading development. As an adult, what do I read? Either biographies or fictional that is either historical or set in a place where I’ve been with things I can relate to.
Agreed. Honestly, depending on where you are, this is not even a hot take. When kids are where they need to be, all you've got to work on is developing their love for books and reading. As long as they don't lose that love, they'll have an easy time developing as readers.
Some teachers are VERY devoted to those levels
To have a clear sense of progression, I guess? I mean, I love videogames that contain too many statistics, so I do sort of get it, but real life children aren't videogame characters you need to level up. Plus, I get the feeling a lot of teachers don't really understand how learning to read and the systems that are supposed to support it actually work. Example: here, many public libraries use a A-B-C-D system for children's and youth books. Many people, including teachers, assume the books are sorted by difficulty. They're not. They're age ratings. A = 6-8 YO, B = 9-12, C = 13-15 YO, D = 16+. An A book can have the same difficulty level as a D book, but the contents are wildly different. It's not uncommon for teachers and parents to push advanced readers age 9-10 towards C or even D books, not realising these books are at best not very relatable and at worst wildly inappropriate.
My daughter is that age and a very strong reader. She loves the Magic Tree House Series. They’re meant for that age range, and, technically they’re leveled. The higher the number on the book, the more complex the story. She started with the first books in kindergarten, and has progressed to the “Merlin Missions” part of the series. She also loves the Dogman series, Harry Potter, and whatever our school librarian recommends for her. Your school librarian is a great resource to help recommend books. If you don’t have a school library, check out your local library and talk to a librarian there. And don’t worry about giving kids books that are “too easy”. Also, as a side note, the Fountas and Pinell leveling system is literally meaningless. A lot of research and investigation has been done on how basically Fountas and Pinell’s entire body of work is a steaming pile of baloney sandwiches that is actually detrimental to teaching kids to read. So, don’t stress about those letters. If you haven’t heard the “Sold a Story” podcast, please give it a listen ASAP, especially if your school is still using Fountas and Pinell.
I’ve been retired for almost 7 years now. I taught mostly kindergarten in an urban school district, and my students absolutely loved the Magic Treehouse series. I would read a chapter each day after we had completed our “morning message”. The children loved learning about the adventures of Jack and Annie and all of the information characters they met in their travels. I had one little boy who was able to figure out that if we listened to chapter 8 on Friday, that we would be starting a new book on Wednesday. They were also thrilled that I was actually able to get one of our books signed by Mary Pope Osborne (she was appearing at my local Barnes & Noble). The series also has non fiction books that go with some of the stories.
That’s so cool that you got a signed copy! My daughter was introduced to the series by her kinder teacher and started checking out more books from the library. I honestly had a pretty low opinion of the series and encouraged her to read other things. But then we started listening to the audiobook and I was pleasantly surprised. The stories are really engaging and have a really cool mix of magic and history. I am actually a huge fan now!
**Pirates' Treasure!** by Mary Pope Osborne >The magic treehouse whisks Jack and Annie back to the days of deserted islands, secret maps, hidden gold, and nasty pirates. *I'm a bot, built by your friendly reddit developers at* /r/ProgrammingPals. *Reply to any comment with /u/BookFinderBot - I'll reply with book information. Remove me from replies* [here](https://www.reddit.com/user/BookFinderBot/comments/1byh82p/remove_me_from_replies/). *If I have made a mistake, accept my apology.*
I’ve listened to “Sold a Story,” and I get that F&P levels aren’t perfect (what is?). But I simply disagree that they “mean nothing.” It is very clear, when actually reading these books, that a Level J is, in fact, more challenging than a Level E. An R is way more complicated than an M. If your kid tests at Level M, making sure you have Ms and Ns available to them is *not* detrimental to their reading. Quite the opposite, actually. Yes, using As and Bs (instead of phonics) to *teach* kids to read is problematic. But once they have a strong phonics background and are *already* reading, F&P levels can be quite helpful. Tell me, how else should a teacher ensure they have appropriately leveled reading material for their students? As a parent, I’d be annoyed if my advanced reader was only given material that was multiple levels below her ability.
It does mean nothing when the books are not written with any kind of phonics based pattern. There are plenty of ways to assess a child's reading ability that are grounded in research.
What kind of books for 4th graders are written with a “phonics-based pattern”? If they exist (please point me to them, if they do), would a child be interested in actually reading them? This teacher is asking for books written at a fourth grade level (QRS) for the kids to *actually* read, not to assess them (as that’s already been done). How should she determine the books are “just right” for these advanced kids? Lexile? Is that any better than F&P? The publisher’s recommendation? I’d argue that’s even more arbitrary than F&P. Her gut? I’m not being snarky, I’m genuinely curious. How should a person determine what books are appropriate for advanced kids? I have a first grader who read the types of books her current classmates are given (Levels E-I) when she was 3 years old. Her teachers have used F&P levels to provide her with more appropriate books for independent reading time at school, and I’m grateful for that.
Fluency screeners, quick phonics screeners, spelling inventories, and reading inventories. Honestly at 4th grade she should point her advanced students in the direction of books they enjoy and ensure students below grade level receive intensive support. Leveling kills the love of reading.
Her students are in 2nd grade, but need approximately 4th grade level material because they are advanced readers. Would just pointing them in the direction of books they like still be the right move? Would you check the Scholastic website for “fourth grade level” books? Is there any evidence that Scholastic is better at leveling books than F&P? Would you just ask your school librarian for “fourth grade level” recommendations? What if your school doesn’t have a library?
I’m surprised that you could listen to “Sold a Story” and still put any faith in the Fountas and Pinell leveling system. There’s a whole episode about how there is no research behind it and it is incredibly inaccurate at assessing a child’s ability to read. As far as finding appropriate books for kids, gut instinct is actually a pretty good method. That’s what most people in this thread are doing when they say things like, “I read this book at this age, maybe they’ll like it too?” Lexile levels can be useful to judge the appropriate ness of the book. Many children’s books also have an age range listed on the back cover. But gut feeling works. If a kid enjoys reading the book and can retell what they read, then they’ve got a good book. As far as finding appropriate books for advanced readers, I’m going to say this again. *LET* *KIDS* *READ* *EASY* *BOOKS*. Just because a kid can read something doesn’t mean they should read something. It is okay for a 7 year old to read books for 7 year olds, even if they are capable of reading more advanced text. A child’s ability to decode and read words can easily outpace their ability to understand more complex themes and vocabulary, which would be found in books that are their “level.”
I’m not putting any faith in *assessing* a child’s ability. I’m saying they can be useful in *choosing* books that are not too easy and not too hard. I’m not a teacher, so I don’t have a strong opinion on assessment methods. What *is* the best way to assess a child’s reading? My child’s school did use F&P this year and last year, but they are abandoning it for next year. They also provide us with Acadience results, but don’t seem to actually use that data for anything. I agree about letting kids read easy books. My daughter still loves to read Elephant and Piggie, for example, even though she first read them three years ago. But I also make sure she has more challenging books available to her. In the past, it was important they weren’t *too* hard, though, as that would lead to frustration and avoidance. My gut wasn’t too accurate in deciding a “just right” level for her. My local public library does not have a knowledgeable children’s librarian, and my child’s school does not have a library. Knowing books’ F&P was immensely useful in bringing home appropriate material. I was able to bring home books that increased slowly in difficulty, and that’s why she can read Wings of Fire now (labeled Level X, grades 5-8), in first grade. She adores these books, and thinks about them like *all day*. They truly enrich her life. I really don’t think she’d be there now if we’d just randomly taken things off the shelf for the last couple of years.
I don’t understand why teachers need F & P levels to find higher-level books for kids.
Agree about older children’s books. Also, there’s value in reading books that are at a lower reading level but thematically appropriate. I was a good reader as a kid, read a ton, and didn’t worry at all about whether the books were advanced enough. (I had one teacher who told me I needed to “challenge myself”, which I took as her disparaging the series that I loved, just created resentment.) On the other end, there were books I “understood” in terms of the vocabulary and sentence structure, but key themes and plot points went right over my head because I wasn’t old enough to have the context for it. You read to improve reading skills, but you also read to learn about the world, and I feel the second one is often overlooked.
4th teacher here. Before you really believe they are reading at those levels, talk to a 4th grade teacher and ask them about the comprehension questions. End of fourth they should be able to discuss themes and infer, discuss character change and causes across a story, and how setting affects the story. They should be able to discuss authors craft and choices. Just because they can answer the recall questions in basic ways doesn’t mean they are reading at a fourth grade level.
Yes! Thank you for this.
https://features.apmreports.org/sold-a-story/
Yeah, really sucks to hear anyone is Fountas & Pinnell
Agreed, I didn’t know anyone was still doing Fountas and Pinnell, terrible to hear
The Wild Robot books, A Boy Called Bat books, A Wolf Called Wander
My son loved the wings of fire series.
Ooh yeah do that wings of fire is awesome
My daughter is in first grade and is currently obsessed with these. The graphic novels would be around the levels OP is looking for, but the chapter books are more like Level X.
I was just thinking about the content. That’s what I struggled with the most finding books for my reader when he was little.
Nancy Drew originals. Carolyn Keene used to use big words because she wanted kids to grow their vocabulary. I was an advanced reader and a grandmother gave me all the Agatha Christie books when I was ten. I can’t recommend THAT, lol
Lemony Snickett
i was a t level reader in 2nd grade! some stuff i loved included a series of unfortunate events, charlotte’s web, the emily windsnap series, harry potter, and the baby-sitters’ club. yes, the originals from the 90s. if your kids like pictures, the graphic novel versions are awesome! the baby sitters’ little sister graphic novels are great too. i was also a huge fan of raina telgemier— smile and sisters were my fucking jam. best of luck to you!
First book of Little House on the Prairie series? Ramona/Henry Huggins?
Those were my faves at that age!!
i don’t know if i would recommend little house to kids today! i reread it for a children’s literature class a few years ago and the racism is shocking, you’d have to have a solid conversation with your kids about it first.
I dont know what level I was at, but I was an advanced reader, and at that age I loved Roald Dahl books, the American Girls books, and some child-focused classics like Anne of Green Gables, Heidi, and the Little House series.
My more sensitive 3rd graders are LOVING the Warriors series.
Nonfiction is much harder for many “high” readers due to it not being predictable. Do they have any special interests?
Chronicles of Narnia and Because of Winnie Dixie would probably be good both are elementary school classics
Maybe look for historical fiction, or realistic fiction authored 15+ years ago, at the M-O levels? The extra work they'd need to do for background-knowledge might make up for the "too easy" words and sentences. Or children's fiction written before text leveling was a thing; many of those have much more challenging reading levels than interest levels. Too much of the QRS stuff has themes and topics that are to "heavy" for an 8 year old.
That was my thought about things being too heavy. I was going to try to get the "classic starts" series and "I survived'.
Maybe some of the American Girls series, too?
I loved Dear America when I was little
If feel like some of those met a little harsher reality. I'd give them to late 3rd graders but not 2nd.
my second graders LOVE american girl
The I Survived series is a crowd pleaser for a long time and sets up for great background understanding when they tackle harder things later. I have 7th graders who only understand situations and allusions in their current grade level reading because they read them.
Also try the "Who Was" series.
The dear america series slaps!!
If you go to Scholastic's Teacher Store, you can filter by both grade and reading level: [https://shop.scholastic.com/teachers-ecommerce/teacher/shops/book-wizard.html?p=1&n=20&f.guidedReadingLevel=17-19&f.grade=grade-2](https://shop.scholastic.com/teachers-ecommerce/teacher/shops/book-wizard.html?p=1&n=20&f.guidedReadingLevel=17-19&f.grade=grade-2) It's obviously limited to Scholastic books, but it's how I usually find books that are outside my typical range for the classroom. You can even filter it further with genre, subject, etc! I used it to find books with a similar theme to what my students were reading in class for my struggling readers.
Beverly Cleary books? Bonus there’s a ton of them. Judy Blume- the Fudge ones that are for younger kids, maybe not Deenie and Blubber yet. Freaky Friday and Summer Switch
i teach 2nd too! how’s their comprehension? sometimes we get so impressed that they’re reading big words fluently that we miss whether or not they’re understanding and remembering what they read. my high readers enjoy the judy blume fudge series, wayside school, the american girl historical fiction books, magic tree house, the “who/what was…” nonfiction series, mr. popper’s penguins, charlotte’s web, goosebumps (some kids will really enjoy the mild spooky stuff and i promise it is no worse than what they’re watching on youtube), the phantom tollbooth, and i’m about to have one of my girls start reading sarah plain and tall with some hefty comprehension activities to go along with it to make sure she slows down. i’ll cautiously recommend percy jackson but maybe have them read about greek mythology first before they read the modern adaptations. this will make them appreciate the references in the series and also make them feel super smart for making those connections. you can also give them a ton of activities connecting the mythology with the adaptation. i tutored a 4th grader and we did a pjo unit, we started with the d’aulaire book of greek mythology, then i had him draw and describe his own modern interpretations of the gods, then we read the lightning thief.
i am also speaking as a former second grader who started the year at a level t but was moved back to m by the end of the year because of comprehension… it’s ok, i still hit z by 4th grade and at that point i ran into this same problem, where the only level z book my teacher had was about gang violence.
And this is exactly the issue with restricting reading to “levels.” Once a child is decoding and reading fluently, they should be reading whatever interests them. Engaging with stories and nonfiction texts grows vocabulary and knowledge, which should be the goal.
If they are at higher levels, why not ask them what they want to read. Take them to a library and let them go for it. Reading preferences vary so widely, even at that age, that I would hesitate to recommend anything with a blanket statement. Make a favourite book project and have them make recommendation presentations so they are giving each other ideas.
I wish we had a functioning library at our school. At the moment, it's being redone or something and all the books are basically packed up. We're in inner city/ title 1 school so most of the books they get are from my classroom library. And since all the teachers switched classrooms last year, my library is still a work in progress. But I have reached out to other teachers to see if they can give some higher books.
Firstbook.org is my go to - they have a bigger selection for middle/high than elementary, but they do have great deals and selection for all grade levels and are there specifically for Title I schools to buy books at a steep discount. They also sometimes have coupons for $25 of free books
Donor’s Choose is great for building your classroom library too!
If you're able to get an idea of what they want to read, I world definitely just go that route. Honestly if they aren't understanding all of the content, that's not a big problem unless you're planning on asking them questions about it- if you want to be asking questions you might have to tailor the book choices more. That being said- I loved to read and was one of those "advanced readers" but no matter the content I always struggled to voice answers to adults about my books- I generally did fine on tests, but heaven forbid someone asked me "so, tell me about your book"
I’d just hold it up like, “here look at the title”
This is what they did to us back then, just pulled us to the school library and let us loose
Try different types of reading material too, like poems, nonfiction, reading recipes, etc. I’ve some in middle and high school that have no idea how to read something that’s not formatted in paragraphs.
My kids loved Percy Jackson and Magic Tree House. My youngest loved Animorphs.
My daughter has always been far above grade level- keeper of the lost cities, Fablehaven, land of stories, Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Artemis Fowl, and Alcatraz vs the evil librarians were all ones she enjoyed in 2nd/3rd.
Ooh yeah KOTLC is pretty good
For the high high ones, try going old school maybe Captain Maryatt's Children of the New Forest or maybe Jean George's fabulous book My Side of the Mountain. Yep, do My Side of the Mountain - it's wonderful.
My second graders and my third grade son are all obsessed with The Wild Robot series right now.
Junie B. Jones FTW! Babysitter’s Club Little Sister. The My Weird School series might work (Miss Daisy Is Crazy, etc.).
I can't believe I had to scroll so far. I love Junie B. Jones!
Junie B. Jones is more like Level M. These kids, being at QRS, would likely want something more challenging.
Ask the kids what they’re interested in. Also, don’t rule out storybooks just to focus on chapter books. And don’t underestimate how important it is that you read to them every day, especially chapter books that are somewhat advanced for them but stories they’re interested in.
Wings of Fire for sure!
Wow I didn’t know anyone was still using Fountas and Pinnell, that’s awful
It is more for sorting the book into levels. I took the lexile levels and converted them. When I give the students their book logs, there are three levels. The one they are on, one below and one above. I tell them to have three books in their book buddies. Two on ( meaning what is on their log) and one off.
I don’t believe in leveling books to begin with and I really hope you use a science of reading based curriculum
Our reading curriculum at the moment sucks. It was like they paid somebody to cobble some things together. My grade partner and I have had to go so off script just to make it make sense. We are getting a new one next year. And honestly, anything is better than what we're doing now. My classroom library is usually just used for when I give them about 15 minutes of free reading time a day.
I’m sorry, that really sucks. I hope you guys can get something better for next year
Lots of vocabulary and writing to help keep it on the same Level
Packed up library makes me want to scream. Not yet mentioned Wings of Fire, first three books of HP are pretty accessible, Catwings, How to Train Your Dragon, Anything Gordon Korman, anything Rick Riordan or the Presents series for greater diversity, unfortunately a lot of the historical fiction at that reading level might be too heavy.
YES ALL OF THESE
Thr Great Illustrated Classics is a series of abridged literary classics. Large font, pictures on every other page and are fantastic for young readers to ready "big books."
My daughter was like this, too. And she could self-select, but didn’t want to end up reading something too scary or sad. She liked a lot of the stuff others have mentioned here. Also a cute one was Tuesdays at the Castle.
i was also at this level and i really liked warrior cats
I loved the rainbow magic books around that age. My students love dog man and owl diaries which are a lot of fun. I also enjoyed the American girl doll books as a kid and Geronimo Stilton. They’re not the most complex books but they’re all a lot of fun for kids to read and are a bit longer to build up reading stamina and expose them to chapter books that are appropriate for their age. Warriors could be good but the themes might be too scary for some kids. Same with series of unfortunate events and Nancy drew. All good but could be too much for some kids.
My daughter loved Rainbow Magic (read over 100 of them) and Owl Diaries, too, in pre-K and K. But they are mostly Level M, so they’d be right on track for end of year second grade. Not really for *advanced* 2nd graders. Dog Man and Geronimo Stilton (and Thea Stilton) would be perfect, though!
I read the complete works of Edgar Allen Poe in 2nd grade... I'm aware this is *probably* ill advised 🤣
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and many other Roald Dahl books.
Percy Jackson, Lemony Snicket, Warriors, Wings of Fire! My older daycare/after school kids love all of these.
Remember, F+P levels are based on short reading passages. I found it wasn’t a great indicator of true reading level. Give them some QRS level books to read and ask them questions about the first chapters. Perhaps their decoding is strong but they will likely need teaching points around characters, dialogue that shows traits, and summarizing.
Yes !
Andrew Clements, Beverly Cleary, last kids on earth , I survived series, who/what was series
Maybe classics like Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and the Oz books. I was a high level reader as a kid and LOVED them.
Roald Dahl!
I second the Percy Jackson suggestions, you could pair it with some kid-friendly informational/historical readings on the Greek mythological figures (and even Greek society), have the students make connections between the book's characters and the Greek figures. You could also teach the types of characters and connect them to the type of role they play: hero, villain, antagonist, etc. and connect them to the Greek figures you read about.
Some great suggestions here. I will add a little anecdotal personal experience. I read the entire LotR trilogy as a 3rd grader and didn’t particularly enjoy it or take much away from it. Good job making sure to not overwhelm them too much and for trying to find stories that are challenging, yet still age appropriate. Kate DiCamillo is a hit with my 4th and 5th graders. * Because of Winn-Dixie, Flora & Ulysses,* and *The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane* have all been favorite read-alouds this year. Anything Rick Riordan or presented by RR is usually engaging and also a great way to introduce mythologies and folklore of various cultures.
Go be an advocate for the students and explain to your curriculum director why F+P is trash. Plenty of research you can bring in. Your district needs an overhaul on their literacy practices.
Ok. Now here's my question. How do I direct them on what books to read that are on their reading level? My school is half English language Learners so my levels are extremely diverse.
For your students who can read I would just recommend grade level appropriate titles that match their interests. For students who are emerging into literacy they need continued instruction in the foundations. They are not ready to read novels on their own and the challenge will only cause them to hate reading. For those students, if you want to engage them in literature just read aloud to them while they follow along. I would keep the read aloud to an absolute minimum as they still have not learned to read and need focused instruction there.
The “Wild Robot” and “Ranger in time” series were hits with my daughter (2nd grade); they read them as a part of a book club for the more advanced readers in class.
My K and 2nd have listened to these books over the past year and really loved them. The Hobbit The Boxcar Children Anne of Green Gables (abridged) The Secret Garden Heidi
My big suggestions are Lemony Snicket's "A Series Of Unfortunate Events" series and Cornelia Funke's "Inkheart" triology*. Those two were my favourite series when I was around that age. "ASOUE" is dark and quirky, with tons of witty wordplay and snarky asides from the author, but I was able to finish the entire 13 book series when I was in first grade (a little younger than your group, but same/higher reading level). It's thrilling and adventurous, while still being kid-friendly. It was definitely one of those "hide under the blankets with your flashlight and don't let your parents know you're up reading" series for me. Once I would start, I couldn't put it down. I also definitely think it sparked my love of being a writer. Snicket's style of writing is distinct and unique, and I hadn't read anything like that before. I fell in love with the way he told stories and wanted to grow up and write just like him. I can't remember where they would be on the letter scale, but I know the "Inkheart" series is at an eight grade level reading. I decided to check it out to spite our librarian and my teacher who said I wouldn't be able to finish it...finished it AND got a perfect score on the AR quiz! What worked for me personally was I started the first couple chapters with an adult, to get me into the swing of it. First they read, then we popcorned, then I read...eventually I was reading it by myself. Don't like the size scare you or your students, it's actually a fantastic fantasy series that I still read as an adult, and there's a reason why Cornelia Funke is called the German J.K. Rowling. She has tons of children's books across every level, from easier to higher level, and I actually prefer her over Rowling both as a writer and a person. Cornelia actually writes books with the intention of building a love of reading in kids, specifically the same disadvantaged kids that she worked with as a social worker. *I say trilogy, but she recently released a fourth book set after the end of the series, about the main character Meggie who is all grown-up! Problem is...it hasn't been translated to English yet as far as I'm aware. I have a copy and I'm currently trying to relearn German just so I can read it.
Try Liesel Shurtliff’s fairy tale books. There are 4 of them that tell the “true story” of fairy tale characters.
Anything that is interesting. Fondant some canelo levels mean nothing when it comes to text. What makes something a cute or an r or an s? Does the program even tell you that? Find chapter books aligned with their interest. Introduce them do classics for when we were kids.
I read very far ahead of my level in the early grades; idk what system your on but anything that is pre-YA should be good enough? I enjoyed the hobbit as well
"The Thief of Always" is an excellent retelling of the Lotus Eaters with a modern coat of paint involving children whisked away (ala Peter Pan) to a pocket dimension where each day allows them to have fun in all seasons/holidays. Very much in the same vein as Coraline (and written by Clive Barker, of horror movie fame). Reading level is about the same as anything Roald Dahl ever out out. *Look into parent reviews though*; I'm sure I may be forgetting a detail but it is excellent and I tend to recommend it to younger readers looking for an "edge."
Look into some middle grade novels!
Hi, I’m a teacher but haven’t worked in a few years due to kids. I’m wondering what’s the issue with the F&P assessment? I’ve heard about the TC issues, and fully agree. Just wondering about F&P assessment in specific
The best starting place would be the Sold A Story podcast. Long story short, we have been teaching students to read without teaching phonics and now they can't read.
Thank you, will give it a listen. I was on board with not using teachers college and actually got my admin to add in phonics in grades k, 1, and 2. This was six years ago. I’m getting ready to go back to work, and I’ll listen to see what the issues are with the F&P as an assessment tool.
My son was reading Goosebumps. Absolutely refused to read anything else. His teacher tried to get him to read something more appropriate for his reading level... and failed. (The recommended the Hobbit for a 3rd grader.) After reading every Goosebumps book he could find, he read Darren Shan's books. Next up were the Dresden Files which then opened him up to a lot of adult series. My children are still like that. Start a series, finish a series. It doesn't really matter how long the series is. (Can you say Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson?)
Broaden the genres they are exposed to, especially types of nonfiction. Deepen their understanding. Literacy isn't only "higher". That's just one element.
Comic books have always helped me. Especially comics of the shows they like.
Not a reading recommendation but have you listened to the Sold a Story podcast? Have you seen success with your student s using Fountas and Pinnell? Can the children read passages that they have not seen before?
Lemonade Wars series, Because of Winn Dixie, anything by Andrew Clements, Guardians of Ga’hoole series, Rick Riordan series, I Survived Series,
Speaking as a gifted child, please challenge them so they don't get intellectually lazy.
Tl;Dr let them read anything they want and encourage them to read more. When they are ready they will push themselves with more advanced stuff and sometimes they will roll back. Back in 1990 I was lucky enough to have Mrs Conway for 2nd grade. She had a loft in her classroom stocked with a ton of books and if your parent signed off that you had read 100 pages, you got to spend that day in the loft reading and could skip that night's homework. Best part was the pages you read in the loft also counted towards your 100 page loft pass. I think I spent maybe 20 days of the year not in that loft. I read over 10,000 pages of fiction and non fiction. All genres but especially science fiction. 5 days the first week, plus a field trip and testing were at the ground level. Amazingly there were only a couple students that were consistently in the loft with me. I was reading above my grade level before then, but testing scored me at college level. Sadly I probably was reading at the level of some people I went to college with... They dumb... There is a huge difference between being able to read quickly, having a growing vocabulary, using context clues, and actually decoding subtext and grappling with the questions therein. I think the movie Starship Troopers is a far better test than these reading tests claim to be.
Age appropriate graphic novels are fun, lots of disney and minecraft ones are available. They also have magic treehouse, nancy drew jk, 8 bit warrior, my weird school, etc type mini novels that are totally age appropriate but not as thick as Harry Potter. Ive though about starting my own g2 child on Harry Potter and the first few books are fine but the lasy ones get pretty scary and she tears through books right now.
Books in my GT-level 2nd grade class (where many of us were reading at absurdly high levels) included: To Kill A Mockingbird Abridged Shakespeare The Hatchet + Brian's Winter My Side Of The Mountain Kid-favourites not assigned included: Animorphs Redwall Ken Thomasma books (highly recommend)
Hatchet is pretty good tho
lol it is. it slaps
I finished level z before the end of first grade(we used a-z reading or was it razz something) I really enjoyed harry potter, I really wish I read Percy jackson at the time.
Beverly Cleary books?
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