Topic:

Choosing a Just Right Book (on the student’s level)

Standards:

ELACC2RL10: By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories and poetry, in the grades 2-3 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

Essential Question:

How do readers choose just right books for independent reading time?

Duration:

about 1 hour

Materials:

a variety of texts, chart paper, marker

Overview or notes pertaining to lesson:

Students will learn how to decide if a book is on their independent reading level.

Mini Lesson:

Yesterday we discussed how readers choose books. Today I want you to think about what makes a book to easy, just right, or too hard. Use the selected texts from yesterday to model reading a book that’s too easy, just right, or too hard. Have students turn and talk about what makes the books too easy, just right, or too hard. Share some ideas. Make an H-chart with each category: too easy, just right, too hard. Easy: not many words, small words, I can read all the words, not enough to think about, I read very fluently. Too hard: words are too hard (failed 5 finger test), too many words on a page, I don’t know what many of the words mean, too much to think about, I can’t read fluently. Just right: I can read most of the words, I can understand what I’m reading, I can figure out tricky words, there is just enough to think about, so I enjoy it, I can read most of it fluently. You will have to model fluent/choppy reading, and I usually make a poster at this time explaining the 5-finger rule and I model how to do it.

Guided Practice:

Allow students to work in groups with a stack of books choosing just right books. Walk around and discuss/help students do this.

Independent Practice:

Allow students to choose a just right book to read for silent reading time.

Closing:

Review how to decide if a book is just right for you.