Why is Background Knowledge Important?

Background knowledge is the foundation for additional learning and essential for reading comprehension. It can account for as much as 33% of the variance in student achievement (Marzano, 2000). Continuing to grow background knowledge becomes even more crucial in later elementary grades, as students begin to read more content-specific textbooks (Young, Moss, & Cornwell, 2007).

The more a student already knows about a topic, the easier it is for that student to understand and remember what they read about it. Background knowledge is also important for vocabulary. Students can grow their vocabularies with subject-specific new words. (Download a complete list of glossary words introduced in our nonfiction/informational titles here.) Having domain-specific knowledge can help a reader choose between multiple meanings of a word when reading text. Our Critical Thinking Conversation Cards are ideal for sparking classroom discussions and assessing background knowledge, a.k.a. Roaming Around the Known.

What is a Chapter Book?

Books for new readers typically have few pages, short sentences, and get help telling their simple story from plenty of pictures. As children grow in their reading ability and can follow longer and more complicated stories, chapter books are the next step. Chapter books still feature illustrations, but fewer than the books for early readers. A chapter book tells the story primarily through the text. The story is long and complex enough to be broken up into short chapters that provide natural breaking points for readers to stop and resume reading later. And many children like the grown-up feeling of reading a book with chapters.

Each title in the Danny’s Big Adventure Chapter Books Set features original photography and has a storyline that is more complicated than the books leveled as early emergent and emergent. Titles in this series are written especially for early fluent readers. Early fluent readers are comfortable with books that have more pages, longer sentences, fewer pictures, and more text per page. Following Danny’s adventures throughout the Danny’s Big Adventure Chapter Books Set encourages progressing readers to continue to practice their reading, resulting in their being able to read more smoothly, decode unknown words more quickly, and readily understand the cues given by punctuation marks.

What is a cluster?

A cluster is a group of three or four words that you can read at a glance. Reading in clusters not only increases reading speed, it also can improve reading comprehension. Learning to read in clusters takes time and practice.

What are decodable words?

Decoding is the process of matching a letter, or a combination of letters, to their sounds (phonemes) and recognizing syllable patterns to correctly pronounce written words. Decodable words are often used in beginning reading instruction. They allow young readers to be able to be read using prior knowledge of letter sounds and frequently used words. Decoding is a common word attack strategy for beginning readers.

DRA

The Developmental Reading Assessment® (DRA) is a standardized, individually administered reading test used to determine a student’s instructional level in reading.

The DRA is typically administered to students in grades 1-3 twice throughout the school year in September and May. Testing students, both at the start of the school year and at the end, helps teachers track progress and ensure that students have improved over the course of the school year. The DRA is administered by teachers or reading specialists and involves the student reading selections of texts. The student will then recall what they have just read to an examiner to determine how well he or she has comprehended the text.

After taking the DRA, a student’s score or level will likely show up on his or her report card. The Developmental Reading Continuum can be used to interpret the guided reading level assigned to the student. A student’s DRA level is monitored by teachers to determine if they are reading at grade level.

Developmental Reading Continuum

What are digraphs?

A digraph is a combination of two letters representing one sound, as in ph and ey. Words with digraphs can be tricky for early readers. Common digraphs include: ch, ph, sh, th and wh. Some digraphs can be found at the beginning or at the end of words: such as sh, th, and ph. Others (kn) are typically only found at the beginning.

Early Emergent Readers are aspiring readers who are learning basic concepts about books. Readers at this level are developing letter knowledge, learning about one-to-one matching of spoken words to printed words, and becoming aware of punctuation.

Early Emergent readers are able to retell a simple story and make connections between the story and what they know personally. For example, if a child is reading Danny’s Toy Basket, he or she may make the connection that they both have a toy basket where toys are supposed to be put away. It’s important, when selecting books for early readers, that they can easily relate to the subject matter.

Early Emergent readers benefit from books about familiar topics that use carefully controlled text and repeated vocabulary. Illustrations are important keys to readers at this level, supporting the decoding of new words. Early Emergent readers are still building a vocabulary of high-frequency words. Having a large vocabulary of frequently used words enables reading that is more fluent and sounds like natural speaking language.

Readers at all levels benefit from reading both fiction and nonfiction/informational books. Reading nonfiction helps young students develop background knowledge, which increases their comprehension ability by enabling them to make sense of new ideas. Additionally, informational texts have the potential to motivate students to read more by tapping into their personal interests. MaryRuth Books offers many fiction and nonfiction/informational leveled readers, suggested and used by Reading Recovery® and Guided Reading educators, when teaching Early Emergent readers.

Basic Concepts of Books

• Parts of a book: title, title page, page numbers, etc.
• Text conveys meaning
• Look at left page before right page
• Read left to right across a word
• Read left to right across a line
• Return sweep (print continues from the end of one line to the beginning of the next)
• Read top of the page to the bottom

Letter Knowledge

• Recognize upper and lower case letters and their corresponding sounds
• Develop a bank of sight words
• Modeling one-to-one matching using the finger-point reading method

Characteristics of Texts for Early Emergent Readers

• Assigned Guided Reading Levels A-C
• Contain high frequency words
• Sentences are written in a pattern
• Clear pictures give context
• Each page displays the print in the same place
• Contains familiar subject matter

MaryRuth Books offers a carefully crafted selection of texts for aspiring readers. Shop our Early Emergent Reading Set online now! Titles in this collection include All About Danny, I Am Danny, and Danny’s Toy Basket. Contact MaryRuth Books for more information!

Sources:

Fountas, Irene C. and Pinnell, Gay Su. Guided Reading- Good First Teaching for All Children. Heinemann, 1996.

About Early Fluent Readers

Early Fluent Readers have developed a strategic processing system that allows them to read for understanding and self-correct when they reach a point of difficulty. Early Fluent Readers are able to take on new texts with more independence. Readers at this level can read longer, more complex texts fluently and, for the most part, with good comprehension and phrasing.

Early Fluent Readers are in between learning how to read and being able to learn from reading. Early Fluent readers recognize that reading has a variety of purposes and reading different kinds of books is enjoyable for distinct reasons. They should be reading both fiction and nonfiction/informational books. Reading informational books provides a different type of literacy benefit to early readers. Reading nonfiction helps young students develop background knowledge, which increases their comprehension ability by enabling them to make sense of new ideas. Additionally, informational texts have the potential to motivate students to read more by tapping into their personal interests. Encouraging students to explore a broad array of informational texts can help them see that the real world is as interesting and amazing as any fictional one. MaryRuth Books offers many fiction and nonfiction/informational leveled readers, suggested and used by Reading Recovery® and Guided Reading educators, when teaching Early Fluent readers.

Characteristics and Abilities of Early Fluent Readers

• Problem solving and self-correction
• Taking words apart using large, recognizable units or syllables
• Reading for longer periods of time while maintaining interest
• Reading more complex texts
• Increasing awareness of story structure and meaning
• Beginning to infer meaning, or make guesses, about the events of a story
• Increasing control of visual patterns
• Using context clues to problem solve

Find Texts for Your Early Fluent Reader at MaryRuth Books

The MaryRuth Books collection of children’s books is aimed at helping young readers improve literacy, comprehension, and vocabulary. Shop our books for early fluent readers online now, or contact MaryRuth Books for more information!

Sources:
Fountas, Irene C. and Pinnell, Gay Su. Guided Reading- Good First Teaching for All Children. Heinemann, 1996.

About Emergent Readers

Emergent readers have a good understanding of the alphabet and early phonics that help them decode unknown words. They are developing comprehension skills and word-attack strategies, and are comfortable with a significant number of high-frequency words. Emergent readers are more flexible in their ability to handle varied placement of text on a page and understand most punctuation. They’re also able to recognize that reading has a variety of purposes and reading different kinds of books is enjoyable for distinct reasons. Readers at the Emergent level are able to understand a wider range of punctuation and can read dialogue, reflecting the meaning through their phrasing. They’re also able to recognize and understand inflectional endings, like s and ing, and the effect those endings have on root words.

The guided reading Emergent reader category includes Levels D-E. Readers at this level benefit from reading both fiction and nonfiction/informational books. Reading nonfiction helps young students develop background knowledge, which increases their comprehension ability by enabling them to make sense of new ideas. Additionally, informational texts have the potential to motivate students to read more by tapping into their personal interests. MaryRuth Books offers many fiction and nonfiction/informational leveled readers, suggested and used by Reading Recovery® and Guided Reading educators, when teaching Emergent readers.

Characteristics and Behaviors of Emergent Readers

• One-to-one matching
• Directionality of print
  • Return sweep to the left of the next line
  • Left page before right page
  • Left to right across a line
  • Top of the page to the bottom
  • Left to right across a word
• Knowing a small core of high-frequency words that can be read fluently
• Self-monitoring or checking themselves using high-frequency words
• Rereading by returning to the beginning of the sentence
• Checking a prediction at point of difficulty with the picture (cross-checking)
• Rereading at point of difficulty
• Using beginning sounds to articulate an unknown word

Shop Emergent Reading Texts at MaryRuth Books

Texts from MaryRuth Books are fun, relatable stories for children aimed at helping them practice and grow their skills as developing readers. We offer books at every guided reading level, so shop MaryRuth Books online to find the perfect texts for your emergent reader!

Sources:

Fountas, Irene C. and Pinnell, Gay Su. Guided Reading- Good First Teaching for All Children. Heinemann, 1996.

What is Fluency?

Fluency is the ability to read text accurately, at a conversational rate, and with appropriate expression. Fluency provides a bridge between word recognition and comprehension. Fluent readers recognize words automatically and are able to group them quickly to gain meaning. Fluent readers sound natural when reading text, like everyday speech.

About Fluent Readers

Fluent Readers read for meaning. They are able to extend their general knowledge by reading a wide range of longer, more complex texts, across a variety of genre. Fluent Readers are also called self-extending readers. With every book a self-extending reader reads, they learn more about reading. It is a system that fuels increased learning and a love of reading. The final goal for a Fluent Reader is silent reading and complete independence, with books they choose for themselves.

Characteristics of Fluent Readers

Generally, Fluent Readers tend to:

• Use all sources of information flexibly
• Solve problems independently
• Read with proper phrasing and fluency
• Read for meaning and learn from reading
• Extend their understanding by reading a wide range of texts for different purposes
• Read much longer, more complex texts
• Read a variety of genre

Improve Reading Skills With MaryRuth Books

The MaryRuth Books collection of children’s books are aimed at helping young readers improve literacy, comprehension, and vocabulary. Shop our books online now, or contact MaryRuth Books for more information!

Sources:

Fountas, Irene C. and Pinnell, Gay Su. Guided Reading- Good First Teaching for All Children. Heinemann, 1996.

What are graphic organizers?

A graphic organizer is a visual display that demonstrates relationships between facts, concepts, or ideas. When used in education, they help students organize thoughts and ideas, function as a pre-writing tool, and provide a visual display of information. Different types of graphic organizers include: KWL Chart, Main Idea Web, T-Chart, Timeline Wheel, Venn Diagram, and Web Diagram.

About Guided Reading

Guided Reading is the framework in which a teacher supports each reader’s individual development of effective strategies for processing new texts at increasingly challenging levels of difficulty.

Guided reading is a great opportunity for the teacher to observe a student’s reading abilities while reading a text at his or her instructional level.

Characteristics of Guided Reading

Here are a few common elements of Guided Reading:

• Matching reading ability to text level
• Small groups within the classroom assigned by the teacher based on reading level
• Individuals reading aloud within their groups or individually with a teacher
• Discussing a text in small groups
• Teacher offering instruction or points of improvement to each student

The Experts on Guided Reading

Irene Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell developed The F&P Text Level Gradient™, also known as Fountas & Pinnell Guided Reading Levels. Readers build a system of strategic actions for processing increasingly difficult texts (leveled A–Z+). Guided Reading is a continuum of progress for readers. Learn more on our Guided Reading Levels page!

Finding texts for your students has never been easier. With the inspiration and guidance from experts Fountas and Pinnell, MaryRuth Books has carefully crafted texts for the developing reader. We offer an array of texts at varying levels on many different interesting topics.

Shop our Guided Reading Sets online now!

Sources:

Fountas, Irene C. and Pinnell, Gay Su. Guided Reading- Good First Teaching for All Children. Heinemann, 1996.

About Guided Reading Levels

Guided reading levels range alphabetically from A to Z, with level A representing the lowest level and level Z the highest. Leveling is based on the complexity of ten common book characteristics: genre, text structure, content, themes, language, sentence complexity, new vocabulary, difficulty of words, illustrations, and physical print features.

Guided Reading Levels, also known as the F&P Text Level Gradient™, is one of the most popular leveling systems in elementary education. It was developed in the late 1990s by well-known reading specialists and former Reading Recovery® Teacher Leaders, Irene Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell. The system has since been adopted around the world.

Guided reading is not about practicing reading. It is research-based, targeted and scaffolded reading instruction that gives young readers a path to fluency through increasingly challenging texts. Guided Reading Levels range alphabetically from A to Z, with level A representing the lowest level and level Z the highest.

Leveling is based on the complexity of ten common book characteristics:

• Genre – a category of literature based on content, form, style, etc.
• Vocabulary – the body of words used in a particular language or by a particular group of people
• Illustrations – pictures found in a book that serve to clarify or prove something
• Sentence complexity – the degree of difficulty of a sentence based on its structure in terms of independent and dependent clauses
• Content – an idea being expressed through the medium of writing
• Theme – the central idea in a piece of writing
• Text structure – how the information within a written text is organized

Guided Reading Levels at MaryRuth Books

MaryRuth Books offers a wide array of children’s books that fit the needs of readers at every stage. You can easily shop our books based on their guided reading levels to ensure you’re choosing the best texts for your students. Shop MaryRuth Books online today!

Sources Include: Fountas & Pinnell, Reading Recovery®, Scholastic

Comparison of Guided Reading Levels

There are many different leveling and assessment systems, as well as stages of development when it comes to reading comprehension. Luckily these systems do overlap and work together, as the stage of reading development that a reader is in helps determine what guided reading level of texts he/she should be reading.

What Are High-Frequency Words?

High-frequency words are common words, encountered regularly in reading, that make up the majority of any English text. e.g., like he, she, you, I, ask, is, but, the and have.

Why Are Illustrations and Pictures Important?

Illustrations include any kind of drawing, graph, or photo that accompanies the text of a book and adds information or increases meaning and enjoyment for the reader. Early readers need support as they develop reading strategies. Pictures that illustrate the text help provide that support. Pictures also add to a young reader’s enjoyment and can help stimulate a child’s interest in reading.

Evaluating how necessary illustrations are to a reader’s understanding of a book is one of the ten text factors used by the F&P Text Level Gradient™ when evaluating and leveling books for young readers.

Sources:

Fountas, Irene C. and Pinnell, Gay Su. Guided Reading- Good First Teaching for All Children. Heinemann, 1996, Mary Cappellini. Balancing Reading & Language Learning: A Resource for Teaching English. Stenhouse Publishers, 2005

What is Independent Reading?

Independent reading is where students choose their own reading material (fiction books, non-fiction, magazine, other media) for their independent consumption and enjoyment. Independent reading strengthens a student’s reading skills. More reading means more exposure to different vocabulary. Independent readers become more proficient readers and find reading more enjoyable. They continue to read more, increase their skills, and become even better readers (Stanovich, 1986).

It’s not just how much students read that matters. It’s also what they read. Students need to read and be able to understand nonfiction/informational texts in the same way as they do fiction.

What is an Inflectional Ending?

An inflectional ending is a letter, or group of letters, added to the end of a base word to create a new word with a different meaning. Understanding inflectional endings is a major step in developing reading and writing skills. Some examples of inflectional endings are:

-s makes a noun mean more than one

-ed means an action already happened

-ing means an action is happening now

What is an Informational Text?

An Informational Text is a piece of non-fiction writing that aims to educate or inform the reader about a topic. Unlike fiction or some other types of nonfiction texts, an informational text doesn’t use characters. It presents information in a way that helps the reader learn more about something that they are interested in. Some examples of informational texts are: biographies, newspapers, magazines, textbooks, or instructional manuals. (Source: www.twinkl.com)

Reading informational texts helps young students develop background knowledge, which increases their comprehension ability by enabling them to make sense of new ideas. Additionally, informational texts have the potential to motivate students to read more by tapping into their personal interests. Encouraging students to explore a broad array of informational texts can help them see that the real world is as interesting and amazing as any fictional one. MaryRuth Books offers many fiction and nonfiction/informational leveled readers, suggested and used by Reading Recovery® and Guided Reading educators, when teaching Early Fluent readers.

It’s not just how much students read that matters. It’s also what they read. Students need to read and be able to understand nonfiction/informational texts in the same way as they do fiction. Informational texts help students grow their vocabularies by introducing subject-specific new words. (Download a complete list of glossary words introduced in our nonfiction/informational titles here.)

What is Intonation?

Intonation makes it possible to understand the expressions and thoughts that go with the words. It is how we say things, rather than what we say.

Intonation is divided into phrases, known as tone-units. In each tone unit, there is a pitch range, where the pitch moves up and down. These patterns of pitch variation are essential to a phrase’s meaning. Changing the intonation can completely change the meaning of the words.

Early readers are often so busy decoding words that intonation suffers. Yet intonation is as important as getting the word right. Incorrect intonation can change the meaning of a sentence or phrase.

What is Letter-Sound Information?

Letter-Sound Information is the recognition of the relationship between letters and their corresponding sounds. Early readers use this to be able to solve the pronunciation of an unknown word. Understanding that words are composed of letters that represent sounds is one of the most basic skills for young readers to develop.

Level A readers are just beginning to understand books and the idea that written text conveys meaning. These young readers should be able to identify the upper and lower letters of the alphabet and recognize their corresponding sounds. Level A readers make predictions about what is happening in the story based on information in the pictures. They also self-monitor and self-correct using personal background knowledge. Level A titles can also support and encourage students who are struggling or reluctant to read.

Purchase our entire collection of Level A Danny Books in the Danny Leveled Set A.

Level B titles typically feature simple characters and colorful pictures that support the printed text. The vocabulary is already familiar to the reader and most pages have just two to five lines of text, with phrases that are repetitive, to help children build confidence as they read. Level B titles can also be helpful tools in supporting and encouraging students who are struggling or reluctant to read.

Purchase our entire collection of Level B Danny Books in the Danny Leveled Set B.

Level C titles typically feature simple characters and colorful pictures that support the printed text. The vocabulary is already familiar to the reader and most pages have just two to five lines of text, with phrases that are repetitive, to help children build confidence as they read. Students reading at level C are able to match spoken words to the printed words with their eyes. Level C readers notice punctuation and begin to use expression and phrasing in their reading as their comprehension skills continue to improve. They understand and can identify a simple sequence of events in the story. Reading at Level C, they now have a wider range of high-frequency words and are able to self-correct while reading. Illustrations are still important keys to readers at this level, helping them in the decoding of new words. The vocabulary in a Level C story is already familiar to the reader and most pages have just two to five lines of text, with phrases that are repetitive, to help children build confidence as they read.

Purchase our entire collection of Level C Danny Books in the Danny Leveled Set C.

Level D fiction titles typically feature stories about simple one-dimensional characters that have human experiences, exhibit emotions, talk, and have the ability to reason. The printed text in Level D readers continues to be strongly supported by illustrations. While the vocabulary and themes are familiar to the reader, at this level they can be examined in more depth. Additionally, Emergent readers no longer rely as heavily on repetitive language patterns.

For students reading at Level D, voice‐print matching is smooth and automatic. They no longer track text with their fingers. They’re able to read pages with up to six lines of text and increased sentence complexity. The text can include prepositional phrases, adjectives, simple contractions, and possessive words (using apostrophes). Some of the sentences on a page can be longer (containing more than six words) and carry over to a second line of text. Level D readers are able to consistently self-monitor, and cross‐check other sources of information to self‐correct while they are reading.

Purchase our entire collection of Level D Danny Books in the Danny Leveled Set D.

Level E fiction titles typically feature stories about simple one-dimensional human characters or animal fantasy where the animal characters have human experiences, exhibit emotions, talk, and have the ability to reason. The printed text in Level E readers continues to be strongly supported by illustrations. While the vocabulary and themes are familiar to the reader, at this level they can be examined in more depth. Additionally, Emergent readers no longer rely as heavily on repetitive language patterns.

For students reading at Level E, voice‐print matching is smooth and automatic. They no longer track text with their fingers. They’re able to read pages with up to six lines of text and increased sentence complexity. The text can include prepositional phrases, adjectives, simple contractions, and possessive words (using apostrophes). Some of the sentences on a page can be longer (containing more than six words) and carry over to a second line of text. Level E readers are able to consistently self-monitor, and cross‐check other sources of information to self‐correct while they are reading.

Purchase our entire collection of Level E Danny Books in the Danny Leveled Set E.

Readers at Level F notice and use readers’ tools and simple organizational features, like the table of contents, subtitles, and page headings. They read without pointing at individual words and with the appropriate rate, phrasing, intonation, and word stress. Level F readers can read stretches of simple and split dialogue, and process syntax. They are becoming comfortable with inflectional endings, plurals, contractions, and possessives. Level F titles are appropriate for Upper Emergent readers (Levels F-H).

Level F readers are typically able to recognize fifty or more high-frequency words automatically, within continuous text. They can also use letter-sound information to take apart and decode both simple and multisyllable words while they’re reading. Using these same tools, Level F readers self-monitor and correct. Level F readers use word parts (onsets and rimes), language structure, text meaning, and visual information to solve words. Readers at this level will often reread a phrase to problem solve, self-correct, or just confirm what they’re reading.

By Level F, readers can understand the characteristics of the different genres of texts. They are able to recognize whether a text is realistic fiction, fantasy, or nonfiction/informational by its features. In informational texts, Level F readers notice and are able to learn new facts about a variety of topics. They can also identify chronological sequences in a text, when applicable. When reading fiction, Level F readers can understand characters who are more complex and developed. They are able to talk about a character’s motivations and feelings. They can sometimes predict what may happen next in the story based on knowledge of the characters or the type of story.

Purchase our entire collection of Level F Danny Books in the Danny Leveled Set F.

Level G readers use clusters, blends and digraphs, as well as consonant and vowel letter-sound relationships to solve words. They connect words that mean the same or almost the same, and use context and pictures to figure out the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary. Level G readers can quickly and automatically recognize seventy-five or more high-frequency words within continuous text. When reading out loud, they are able to demonstrate (without using a finger to point at words) appropriate rate, phrasing, intonation, and word stress.

At Level G, progressing readers are still reading books with three to eight lines of text per page, but the print size is smaller and there are more words per page. With early reading skills under control, readers can follow slightly more complex story lines. Level G readers understand dimensional characters, identify with them, and feel empathy. They can talk about a character’s motivations and feelings, and can sometimes predict what may happen next based on knowledge of the characters or the type of story they’re reading.

Purchase our entire collection of Level G Danny Books in the Danny Leveled Set G.

Level H readers use clusters, blends and digraphs, as well as consonant and vowel letter-sound relationships to solve words. They connect words that mean the same or almost the same, and use context and pictures to figure out the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary. Level H readers can quickly and automatically recognize seventy-five or more high-frequency words within continuous text. When reading out loud, they are able to demonstrate (without using a finger to point at words) appropriate rate, phrasing, intonation, and word stress.

Purchase our entire collection of Level H Danny Books in the Danny Leveled Set H.

Level I readers use clusters, blends and digraphs, as well as consonant and vowel letter-sound relationships to solve words. They connect words that mean the same or almost the same, and use context and pictures to figure out the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary. Level I readers can quickly and automatically recognize a large number of high-frequency words, and use word-solving strategies for complex spelling patterns, multisyllable words, compound words, and many words with inflectional endings, plurals, contractions, and possessives. When reading out loud, they are able to demonstrate (without using a finger to point at words) appropriate rate, phrasing, intonation, and word stress.

At Level I, readers will begin processing texts with compound sentences, multiple episodes, more elaborate story lines, several chapters, and unusual formats such as letters or questions followed by answers. With early reading skills under control, readers can follow slightly more complex story lines. Level I readers understand dimensional characters, identify with them, and feel empathy. They can talk about a character’s motivations and feelings, and can sometimes predict what may happen next based on knowledge of the characters or the type of story they’re reading.

Purchase our entire collection of Level I-J Danny Books in the Danny Leveled Set I-J.

Level J readers are able to process a wide variety of texts, including short informational texts, short fictional stories, and longer illustrated chapter books. Level J readers automatically recognize a large number of high-frequency words, and quickly use word-solving strategies for complex spelling patterns, multisyllable words, compound words, and many words with inflectional endings, plurals, contractions, and possessives. When reading out loud, they are able to demonstrate appropriate rate, phrasing, intonation, and word stress.

At Level J, readers process texts with complex sentences (containing prepositional phrases, adjectives, clauses, and many compound sentences), multiple episodes, more elaborate story lines, several chapters, and unusual formats such as letters or questions followed by answers. With early reading skills under control, readers can follow more complex story lines. Level J readers understand dimensional characters, identify with them, and feel empathy. They can talk about a character’s motivations and feelings, and can sometimes predict what may happen next based on knowledge of the characters or the type of story they’re reading.

Purchase our entire collection of Level I-J Danny Books in the Danny Leveled Set I-J.

Level K readers are able to process a wide variety of texts and genres. Level K readers automatically recognize a large number of high-frequency words, and quickly use word-solving strategies for complex spelling patterns, multisyllable words, compound words, and many words with inflectional endings, plurals, contractions, possessives, prefixes, and suffixes. They read silently during independent reading, but when reading out loud, they are able to demonstrate appropriate rate, phrasing, intonation, and word stress.

At Level K, readers process texts with complex sentences and dialogue. With early reading skills under control, readers can follow more complex story lines with multiple characters or abstract concepts (time and space). Level K readers understand dimensional characters, identify with them, and feel empathy. They can talk about a character’s motivations and feelings, and can sometimes predict what may happen next based on knowledge of the characters or the type of story they’re reading.

Level M readers most often read silently and use meaning, structure, and visual cues to understand the story and figure out new words. Level M readers can quickly and automatically recognize a large number of high-frequency words, and use word-solving strategies for complex spelling patterns, multisyllable words, compound words, and many words with inflectional endings, plurals, contractions, and possessives. After silent reading, Level M readers are able to demonstrate an understanding of the text.

At Level M, readers read with high accuracy and process texts with compound sentences, multiple episodes, more elaborate story lines, several chapters, and unusual formats such as letters or questions followed by answers. Level M readers understand dimensional characters, identify with them, and feel empathy. They can talk about a character’s motivations and feelings, and can sometimes predict what may happen next based on knowledge of the characters or the type of story they’re reading. Readers at this level think about the problem and solution in the story, analyze the lesson within the story, notice how characters change throughout the text, and make connections to themselves, to other texts, and to the world.

What are Leveled Readers?

Leveled Readers are books that have been evaluated against a series of established criteria by early literacy specialists. The books are organized into 29 developmentally appropriate levels from easy books for aspiring readers to longer, complex books that a fluent reader would choose. Leveled books develop reading comprehension, fluency, phonics, and vocabulary. They are available in both fiction and nonfiction, and on a variety of topics appealing to children of every age.

Books are assigned a guided reading level based on several factors:

• Genre
• Vocabulary
• Illustrations
• Sentence complexity
• Content
• Theme
• Text structure

Shop MaryRuth Books

The MaryRuth Books collection of leveled readers is aimed at helping young readers improve literacy, comprehension, and vocabulary. Shop our leveled books online now, or contact MaryRuth Books for more information!

Sources:

Fountas, Irene C. and Pinnell, Gay Su. Guided Reading- Good First Teaching for All Children. Heinemann, 1996.

A nonfiction text is based on facts. Nonfiction texts can include one or more of the following features: table of contents, index, glossary, headings, bold words, sidebars, pictures and their captions, and labeled diagrams.

It’s not just how much students read that matters. It’s also what they read. Students need to read and be able to understand nonfiction/informational texts in the same way as they do fiction. Informational texts help students grow their vocabularies by introducing subject-specific new words. (Download a complete list of glossary words introduced in our nonfiction/informational titles here.)

Reading nonfiction helps young students develop background knowledge, which increases their comprehension ability by enabling them to make sense of new ideas. Additionally, informational texts have the potential to motivate students to read more by tapping into their personal interests. Encouraging students to explore a broad array of informational texts can help them see that the real world is as interesting and amazing as any fictional one. MaryRuth Books offers many fiction and nonfiction/informational leveled readers, suggested and used by Reading Recovery® and Guided Reading educators, when teaching Early Fluent readers.

What is an Onset?

An onset is the initial phonological unit of any word. The letter C is the onset in the word cat. Teaching children about onsets helps them recognize common sounding chunks when they’re decoding new words. Understanding onsets also improves spelling when a child is learning to write.

What are Onsets and Rimes?

A syllable can normally be divided into two parts: the onset, which consists of the initial consonant or consonant blend, and the rime, consisting of the vowel and any final consonants. For example: in the word strap, str is the onset and ap is the rime. The ability to recognize rimes requires an underlying awareness that rhyming words end with the same sound. But, rhymes are not the same as rimes. Spite and white are rhymes and rimes because they sound the same and both have the –ite ending. The word light is a rhyme, because it sounds the same as spite and white, but it is not a rime, because it doesn’t have the -ite ending. It doesn’t look the same.

Download Danny’s Beginning Sounds (Onsets) Chart

Download Danny’s Common Rimes Chart

What is Phrasing?

Phrasing is the ability to group words together as in normal speech, pausing appropriately between phrases, clauses, and sentences. Helping students learn to read in phrases improves fluency and comprehension.

About Reading Recovery®

Reading Recovery® is a short-term intervention for first graders having difficulty with early reading and writing. Specially trained teachers work individually with students in daily 30-minute lessons lasting 12 to 20 weeks. Reading Recovery® was developed by New Zealand educator and researcher, Marie M. Clay. The early literacy intervention is designed for children who are at risk in literacy learning by the end of their first year at school. Once struggling readers are identified, implementing the Reading Recovery® program as early as possible can help students reach grade-level standard. Strong literacy teaching benefits the entire school.

To teach struggling beginning readers, we need to understand them as readers. Marie Clay developed running records to more accurately assess a child’s reading level. Running records provide educators with an opportunity to analyze what’s happening when a student reads and how well that student is using the reading strategies they’re being taught in class. The teacher is then able to plan appropriate follow-up instruction and select helpful texts for reading practice. Running records can also help teachers decide when a student is ready to advance to the next reading level. Each MaryRuth Books title has a corresponding running record available as a free download on the individual title, or book set, product page.

Shop Reading Recovery® Books at MaryRuth Books

MaryRuth Books offers a list of books approved for Reading Recovery®. Shop our books online today to get your reader started on the path to success!

Sources:

Fountas, Irene C. and Pinnell, Gay Su. Guided Reading- Good First Teaching for All Children. Heinemann, 1996.
Reading Recovery® Council of North America. https://readingrecovery.org/reading-recovery

What is Response to Intervention?

Response to Intervention (RTI) is a comprehensive assessment and intervention process that identifies students at risk and monitors the academic progress of students in the general education curriculum.

What are Running Records and how are they used?

A running record is a tool designed by literacy expert Marie M. Clay and used primarily by Reading Recovery® educators to assess a child’s reading level. Running records allow teachers to evaluate how well a student is using the reading strategies they’re being taught in class and then determine when that student is ready to advance to the next reading level. Each MaryRuth Books title has a corresponding running record available as a free download on the individual title, or book set, product page.

What is Self-Correcting?

Self-correcting follows self-monitoring. The reader has used cues from the text to decode an unknown word. Immediately after reading on in the text, the reader notices a conflict among the cues. What they are reading doesn’t make sense. In self-correction, the reader goes back and coordinates additional cues to resolve the conflict and replace the incorrect first attempt with a word that does make sense. Encouraging and developing self-monitoring and self-correcting techniques is more important that stressing a highly accurate first reading.

What is Self-Monitoring?

Self-monitoring is an important metacognitive tool for improving reading comprehension. While reading, students monitor themselves to make sure they understand what they’re reading. If they don’t understand the material, these students engage in strategies like rereading portions of the text, or reading more slowly in order to figure out the meaning of unfamiliar words that are important to understanding the text.

What is Sentence Complexity?

Texts with simple, more natural sentences are easy for young readers to process. Sentences with embedded or conjoined clauses make a text more difficult to read and understand. Sentence complexity is one of the ten text factors used by the F&P Text Level Gradient™ when evaluating and leveling books for young readers.

Sources:

Fountas, Irene C. and Pinnell, Gay Su. Guided Reading- Good First Teaching for All Children. Heinemann, 1996.

What is Sequencing?

Sequencing is the ability to identify the components of a story: beginning, middle, and end. Understanding the sequence of events in a text is an important comprehension strategy, especially for narrative texts. Sequencing is also a key part of problem-solving across subjects. Understanding how to build a sequence also helps students develop basic scientific inquiry skills. Our sequencing cards are a fun way to teach sequencing.

What is Syntax?

Syntax in literature is the way in which words and sentences are placed together in the writing. In the English language, the syntax usually follows a pattern of subject-verb-object agreement. Texts with sentences that follow this pattern are easier for beginning readers because when decoding words they often ask the “does it sound right” question. It takes a more experienced reader to easily understand syntax that is deliberately changed by an author to achieve a different effect (lyrical, rhythmic, rhetoric or questioning).

What is Text Structure?

Text structure is the way in which words are organized on the page and presented to the reader. Most fiction is narrative and arranged primarily in chronological order. Informational texts use different structures to convey their information, most commonly; description, comparison and contrast, cause and effect, and problem and solution. Some text structures, especially when used in combination, can increase the difficulty of a text for a beginning reader. Structure is one of the ten text factors used by the F&P Text Level Gradient™ when evaluating and leveling books for young readers.

Sources:

Fountas, Irene C. and Pinnell, Gay Su. Guided Reading- Good First Teaching for All Children. Heinemann, 1996.

Upper Emergent Readers are beginning to build knowledge of the characteristics of different genres of texts. They can read stretches of both simple and split dialogue. They quickly and automatically recognize a large number of high-frequency words and use letter-sound information to take apart simple, regular words, as well as some multisyllable words while reading. They recognize and use inflectional endings, plurals, contractions, and possessives. They can also process and understand syntax. In fiction, Upper Emergent Readers are beginning to meet characters who are more developed. In informational texts, they are reading to learn new facts.

Upper Emergent Readers are still reading text with three to eight lines of print per page, but the print size is slightly smaller and there are more words on a page. With early reading behaviors completely under control, they are able to understand more complex story lines and ideas. Readers at this level can use a range of word-solving strategies. They read text with some content-specific words, but most texts have a minimum of challenging vocabulary words. In their oral reading, upper emergent readers demonstrate appropriate rate, phrasing, intonation, and word stress.

Stories for Upper Emergent Readers are longer and more literary, with less repetition in the text structure. Readers are able to process dialogue and reflect it through appropriate word stress and phrasing. Plots and characters are more elaborate. Because they now easily recognize a large number of high-frequency words, readers are able to engage in more in-depth thinking and solve words with complex spelling patterns.

Upper Emergent readers recognize that reading has a variety of purposes and reading different kinds of books is enjoyable for distinct reasons. They should be reading both fiction and nonfiction/informational books. Reading informational books provides a different type of literacy benefit to early readers. Reading nonfiction helps young students develop background knowledge, which increases their comprehension ability by enabling them to make sense of new ideas. Additionally, informational texts have the potential to motivate students to read more by tapping into their personal interests. Encouraging students to explore a broad array of informational texts can help them see that the real world is as interesting and amazing as any fictional one. MaryRuth Books offers many fiction and nonfiction/informational leveled readers, suggested and used by Reading Recovery® and Guided Reading educators, when teaching Upper Emergent readers.

Characteristics of Texts for Upper Emergent Readers

• Assigned Guided Reading Levels F-H
• Some texts have sequential information
• Familiar content that expands beyond home, neighborhood, and school
• Some longer stretches of dialogue
• Some sentences longer than ten words, containing prepositional phrases, adjectives, and dialogue
• Variations in placement of subject, verb, adjectives, and adverbs
• Text includes many words with inflectional endings
• Contains periods, commas, quotation marks, exclamation points, question marks, and ellipses
• Some longer texts with repeating and more complex patterns
• Some unusual formats, such as questions followed by answers or letters
• Sentences with clauses and embedded phrases
• Some complex letter‐sound relationships in words
• Some content‐specific words introduced, explained and illustrated in the text
• Complex illustrations that depict multiple ideas
• Slightly smaller print
• Narratives with more episodes and less repetition
• Multiple episodes taking place across time
• Some stretches of descriptive language
• Wide variety in words used to assign dialogue to speaker
• Some complex letter‐sound relationships in words
• Some complex spelling patterns
• Some easy compound words
• Italics indicating unspoken thought

MaryRuth Books offers a carefully crafted selection of texts for aspiring readers. Shop our Upper Emergent Reading Set online now! Titles in this collection include Entomologist Danny, The Drone, and Tortoises at the Zoo. Contact MaryRuth Books for more information!

Sources:

Fountas, Irene C. and Pinnell, Gay Su. Guided Reading- Good First Teaching for All Children. Heinemann, 1996.

What is Vocabulary?

Vocabulary is the words used and their meanings. A book that has vocabulary words a reader already knows and understands is easier for that reader to read. Vocabulary is one of the ten text factors used by the F&P Text Level Gradient™ when evaluating and leveling books for young readers.

Students can grow their vocabularies with subject-specific new words. (Download a complete list of glossary words introduced in our nonfiction/informational titles here.)

Sources:

Fountas, Irene C. and Pinnell, Gay Su. Guided Reading- Good First Teaching for All Children. Heinemann, 1996.

Voice-Print matching is a milestone in learning to read. When a child is just beginning to read, they point to each individual word with their finger as they read it. It helps early readers establish a one-to-one correspondence. Finger-voice-print matching is motor movement and slower than the fast, automatic visual processing that is required for fluent reading. As students get older, finger pointing is replaced with students being able to visually track the words without using their fingers.

Sources:

Fountas, Irene C. and Pinnell, Gay Su. Guided Reading- Good First Teaching for All Children. Heinemann, 1996.