How To Estimate Reading Levelsby Valorie Delp | More from this Blogger 24 Aug 2007 07:27 AM There are several reasons why you may want to either estimate your child's reading level or estimate the reading level of the book you're giving to your child. For us, it makes a nifty addition to our annual assessment to be able to say that so and so is reading at such and such a grade level. Other times parents want to know either to identify a problem or strength. And of course, it's always nice to know when you're picking books out so that even if you haven't read the content, you have a good idea of whether or not the book will be too hard or too easy. The 5 Finger Rule The easiest way to determine whether or not a book is a comfortable reading level is to use the 5 finger method. If you're in a book store, have your child read a page and hold up one finger every time he or she struggles with a word. If he finishes the page before you have all 5 fingers up, then the book is likely at a comfortable reading level for him for independent reading. (On a side note, you should always choose more challenging books for reading out loud. Doing so will help improve vocabulary and comprehension.) Flesch-Kincaid Index If you're looking to (or if you're required to) produce a specific number of reading level, then you can use this formula. The Flesch-Kincaid index of a text passage results in a Literacy Level (LL) score. The formula is as follows: (0.39 x Average Number of words in sentences) + (11.8 x Average Number of syllables per word) - 15.59 The Simplest Way The simplest way to determine reading level of the books your child is choosing is to look on the back cover. Most books have a reading level listed near the price. If you want to estimate your child's reading level, have him read out loud to you and use the 5 finger test. You may need to have him read out loud several passages (which I suggest doing over the course of several days) until you come to something too difficult. You can safely estimate your child's reading level by giving the grade level of the last book in which he passed the 5 finger test. Related Articles: The 4 Squares Method to Reading Comprehension My Top 5 Reading Curriculum Picks Historical Fiction of the Ancient Time Period Learn more about Valorie Delp  Hello everybody! My name is Valorie and I am one busy lady! When I'm not writing or editing for families, I am busy trying to get my brood of 5 in line. Relevanthomeschooling tags User Comments carol pitts (168) 27 Aug 2007 07:56 AMmy sixth grader is reading at grade level my second grader is reading at first grade level and does not like it at all. my first grader will not even try. my four year old does the story telling of picture books quite well. and my two year old repeats all his favorits to me in bed. three out of five not to bad. Nola Redd (7081) 04 Sep 2007 06:56 PMThank you so much! I am nervous about doing this with my bookworm six year old, but interested in the results! I think we will try it tomorrow. We have just been using the 'try it' method; I have gotten several books on a subject out of the library and kept them for a few weeks, and let them explore at leisure. I'm always pleased to see my four year old (as well as my six year old) browsing the higher level books. Then again, I'm always pleased to see them reading!  Valorie Delp (49340) 05 Sep 2007 03:28 AMI think the 'try it' method works too. I try to do this about once a year. The reason is because I find it useful for my reporting on an annual assessment. I can say, my dd is reading at a 5th grade level as determined by such and such. But if you don't have that, by all means, try away. (And even if you do have to do something like that--go ahead and try away anyways!) Discuss this article
|
Homeschool categories |
