Books for Struggling Readers Grades 5-12 IRC Conference 2012

1. Books for Struggling ReadersGrades 5-12IRC Conference 2012 Studies and Research Committee Thursday, March 15, 1:45-2:45, Center B 4W Chair: Elizabeth Goldsmith-Conley Boomer Crotty Pamela Godt Katie Ludes Karen Walker

2. Agenda • Introductions • Handouts Picking Appropriate Books 2 Book Lists Book Rating Form Conversion Table Wiki Directions Evaluation Form Audience Book Suggestions • Defining struggling versus reluctant readers • Strategies for picking appropriate books • Wiki - sample page • Book presentations • Filling out Audience Suggestion Form/ Audience suggestions • Evaluation/ Book Rating Form

3. Finding Appropriate Books for the Struggling Reader • Choosing the right level • Independent Level • Books students can read on their own with no • adult help • Instructional Level • Books students can read with a little adult help • 3. Frustration Level • Books that are too hard

4. Independent Level • The text is relatively easy for the reader. • Student can read 99% of the words successfully. • No more than approximately 1 in 100words are difficult for the reader . • Students can comprehend 80% of the content.

5. Instructional Level • The text is challenging but manageable for the reader. • No more than approximately 1 in 20 words are difficult for the reader. • Students can read 95% of the words successfully. • Students can comprehend 75% of the content.

6. Frustration Level • The text is too difficult for the reader. • At least 1 in 10 words are difficult for the reader. • Students can read less than 90% of the words successfully. • Students can comprehend less than 60% of the content.

7. Richard Allington At a 99% accuracy rate, students will still make errors on about 4 or more words per page. If there are 300 pages in the book, this means they will make 1200 errors during their reading of the book—this will cause a loss of comprehension and confusion/dis-traction/poor understanding.

8. Conversion Table for Reading Levels

9. Lexile Level How is a text's Lexile measure determined? Sources: http://www.lexile.com/

10. Lexile measures are based on two well-established predictors of how difficult a text is to comprehend: • semantic difficulty (word frequency) • syntactic complexity (sentence length).

11. Examples: Second Grade Shorter Sentences and Frequently Repeated Words Lexile = 370L Lexile = 380L Lexile= 370L

12. Examples: Upper Grades Longer Sentences, More Complex Words 880L-950L 1300 1410

13. Lexiles do not give any information about age appropriateness 680L 680L

14. Many other factors affect the relationship between a reader and a book, including its content, the age and interests of the reader, and the design of the actual book. The Lexile text measure is a good starting point in the book-selection process, with these other factors then being considered.

15. ATOS Levels ATOS Factors = Average Sentence Length + Average Word Length + Vocabulary Grade Level + The Number of Words in a Book Source: Renaissance Learning

16. Suggested Lexile Matches(If you don’t know your student’s exact level) 190 -700 for 6th grade struggling readers 240-780 for 7th grade struggling readers 295-830 for 8th grade struggling readers 400-880 for 9th grade struggling readers 435-930 for 10th grade struggling readers 465-945 for 11th grade struggling readers 465-945 for 12th grade struggling readers http://www.lexile.com/using-lexile/lexile-measures-and-the-ccssi/

17. If you do know your student’s lexile The suggested range of texts you give them should be between 50L above their lexile measure and and 100L lower http://www.lexile.com/using-lexile/lexile-measures-and-the-ccssi/

18. The Five Finger Rule Choose a book Open it anywhere Make a fist Start to read a page Put a finger up for each hard word 1 finger = too easy, try another book 2-3 fingers = just right, try another page to be sure 4-5 fingers = too hard

19. Professional Books That Can Help You Make a Difference

20. 100 Cupboards by N.D, Wilson Interest Level: Grades 6 –8 Reading Level: Grade 3.7 Lexile 650 L

21. Blood on the River: James Town 1607 byElisa Carbone Interest Level: Gr 6 – 8 Reading Level: Gr 4.8 Lexile 820L Genre: Adventure, Science Fiction and Fantasy

22. Breathing Underwater by Alex Finn Interest Level: Grs 9 - 12 Reading Level: Gr 7.1, Lexile 510, Guided Reading NR

23. Chicken Boy by Frances O’Roark Dowell • Interest Level: • Grade 6 – 8 • Reading Level: • Grade 5.1 • Lexile860L

24. Crank by Ellen Hopkins Interest Level: Gr 9 - 12 Reading Level: 6.8 Genre: Realistic fiction, drugs, teenage pregnancy,

25. Crossing the Wire by Gary Hobbs Interest Level: Gr 6 - 8 Reading Level: Grade 4.4 Lexile: 670L

26. Deadly Strangerby Peg Kehret Interest Level: Gr 3 – 7 Reading Level: Gr 3-4 Lexile 730L

27. The Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler • Interest Level: • Gr 9 -12 • Reading Level: • Gr 4.5 • Lexile790L

28. Fever of 1673 by Laurie Halse Anderson • Interest Level • Grades 7-9 • Reading Level • Grade 7.6 • Lexile580L

29. Gym Candy and Night Hoopsby Carl Deuker Interest Level Grades 9-12 Grade 6.2 630 L Grade 3.7 710L

30. Guys Read: Thrilleredited by Jon Scieszka Interest Level: Gr 4-7 Reading Level: Gr 3+

31. Haunting of Hawthorn by Anne Schraff Interest Level: Gr 9-12 Reading Level: Gr 3.5, Lexile 510, GR NR

32. Inside Out by Terry Trueman Interest Level: Gr 9-12 Reading Level: Gr 5.6 Lexile 710L Guided Reading NR

33. Invisible by Pete Hautman • Interest Level • Grades 9-12 • Reading Level • Lexile 730L Grade 4.1 DRA

34. Mockingbird by Katherine Erskine Interest Level: Gr 6 - 8 Reading Level: 3.5, Lexile 630L

35. Hank Zipzer #1 Niagara Falls, or Does It? by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver Interest Level: Grades: 3-5 Reading Level: Lexile 610L Guided Reading Level R Grade 4.1

36. Notes From a Midnight Driver Interest Level: Grade 7 - Grade 12 Reading Level: 5.5-6.0, Lexile 930L

37. On the Run: Chasing the Falconers • Interest Level: • Grade 4-8 • (might be 6-8 depend-ing on parental views) • Reading Level: • Grade 3.7 • Lexile 680L • Guided Reading R

38. White Fox Chronicles • Interest Level: • Grades 4-7 • Reading Level: • Lexile 600L • Grade 4.8

39. Repeat Recommendations G 9-12 590L G 6-8 670L G 6-8 810L G 8-12 850L G 3-5 950L

40. Repeat Recommendations Bluford High Series of 18 Books Interest Level Grades 9-12 Reading Level Grade 5 Lexile Range 700 - 750

41. Repeat Recommendations - Movies 810L 820L

42. Supplemental Bibliography Book Lists and Sites Found in Course of Doing Research for this Workshop Principle of Selection Upper Grades Interest Level Low Lexile Rating

43. To see summaries • Go to Google and type in “struggling readers wiki” or go to ircstrugglingreaders.wikispaces.com To be able to add your own suggestions and/or comments join our wiki. If you do not already have a wiki account, you will need to create an account with a user name and password that remains private and is never used for spam. You will then be able to join our wiki and add to our pages.

49. Book Suggestions Forms • What books have you used that work with struggling readers? • We will add it to our inventory and place results on the Wiki. • Thanks for your help!

50. Sharing Your Suggestions • What books have you used? - Title - Author - Audience the book is recommended for. - Why do you recommend the book? • We will add it to our inventory and place results on the Wiki. • Thanks for your help!