Level the Books You Already Own

A teacher just told you your child’s reading level, and they might as well have been speaking a different language. Sound familiar? You’re not the only one. Most parents look at me and say, “What books or series of books should my child be reading?” So, here’s what you need to know about choosing the best books for your kids.

Not all publishers level their books the same way. Why? Because that would be too easy! For example, a level 1 book by one company may be much harder or easier than a level 1 book from another publisher. So, please do not purchase books because of their number level. If you are trying to pick a book quickly and don’t have time to figure out its level, a good rule of thumb is that when reading, the child should not miss more than 5 words on a page.

I always recommend that students read a range of books. For example, if your child’s level is a GRL D, then your child should be reading C-E. This range allows your child to read some books independently with ease, which will help build confidence. However, your child will need more instruction and guidance to read the higher leveled books, so they do not get frustrated.

1.) Pick a book from your home library

2.) Go to, https://bookwizard.scholastic.com/ and type in the title of the story, or download the BOOK WIZARD app to scan the bar code from the book (so easy!!)

3.) Scholastic provides multiple leveling programs: Guided Reading Level, Lexile Measure, DRA Level, and ACR Level.

4.)Then write the level on the inside cover of the book, and group the books together by level

Poof… you now know the level of the books you already own