Why Doesn't Home Reading Use Levelled Books?

"Reading good fit books is essential if students are to progress as readers.Much of the research into young children and how they learn to read is that children should choose books that they enjoy and that they can use the reading strategies they are taught to assist them to confidently read to themselves or have books read to them. As our students begin their reading journeys, they need to “want” to connect to the materials that they choose to engage in." - The Daily Cafe (Gail Boushey & Joan Mosher), Parent Pipeline

This is the ninth blog entry of this school year, all focused on Home Reading, to help families successfully support children as they learn to read :)

Over the past couple of decades, the idea of 'levelled reading' has become enormously popular in the field of education, and subsequently with children and their families as well. Books are levelled according to many different criteria, most commonly to organize the challenge level of text from the simplest to most complex. As children successfully read texts, their achievement levels may be easily tracked to determine growth as a reader.

The use of levelled reading books serves a definitive purpose for teachers, particularly when it comes to assessment of reading, as they detail progress in student's developing reading skills. Similar to basal reading series that were popular through the 1960's, 1970's and into the 1980's, but with more broadly developed vocabulary, text diversity and interesting, current topics, levelled reading texts bring a contemporary element to the concept of students learning to read with increasing skill through consecutively demanding books. 

Along with using levelled texts to assess student reading, teachers use direct teaching (sometimes in guided reading groups, sometimes one-to-one with students) to ensure students acquire the skills needed to consistently advance through levelled reading texts. 

The use of levelled reading systems has brought new insights and research into the development of reading with young children, benefitting both teachers and students alike. Teachers have more contemporary, research-based assessment devices. Students have fresh, interesting texts to engage with as they become stronger readers incrementally.  And parents understand the premise of levelled books as well, knowing that making progress through the reading levels indicates success for their children. There are, certainly, distinct advantages to the use of levelled reading systems.  There are, however, several challenges as well.

One of the greatest challenges with levelled reading resources is that they are not uniform in how they are developed, organized or in the way they assess reading progress and success. Each commercially produced system of levelled reading resources is different from the others, based on individualized research and development that does not correlate with the next set of resources. Schools are free to choose whatever levelled reading resource they prefer, so student progress may vary from school to school simply because the resources of schools are not aligned in content, scope or sequence. Simply put, the discrepancies and differences between the different commercial resources mean reading within and between levelled programs is like comparing apples and oranges. While this causes many issues teachers must grapple with, it is not the most significant reason why we are not using levelled reading books for Home Reading on a consistent basis. 

Although levelled reading books have certainly helped develop students' reading abilities over the past twenty years or so, research shows the most successful readers throughout life are those that become avid readers - just being a skilled reader is not all that is required to become a continuously advancing reader who enjoys interacting with texts. It is when readers find joy in reading that the greatest proficiencies and success as readers occurs and continues through to adulthood. 

Learning to read is an absolute requirement in our digital world - there is no form of learning that will not require proficiency as a reader in our 21st century.  Loving to read is what will guide learners to become invested, curious, motivated and dedicated to advancing their reading skills. Learning to read with skills is not enough; loving to read is essential for becoming a broad-based investigator, invested in the words and meaning, always wanting to read more and with greater skill and knowledge. 

Our first goal for Home Reading, therefore, is that our students will love to read. Whether families have been reading at home since birth, or are new to the practice of read-aloud and reading with children at home, our primary goal must always be to foster the love of reading. 

Certainly, we are also consistently working with students to develop letter/sound/word/meaning proficiencies as well as a working, highly-skilled knowledge of the intricacies of language. Armed with such knowledge, reading becomes increasingly easier as students develop these skills. The reality, however, is that students do not readily internalize language awareness without a purpose for doing so - wanting to be a better reader is the ideal purpose for continuing to improve at the craft of reading. 

Every teacher, every school will manage their Home Reading expectations and routines differently. At EHS this school year, our Grade 1/2 Teaching Team decided to focus on fostering joy in reading with students, teaching students to use the 'I-PICK' strategy for book selection as a way to begin exploring how to make connections with texts. Additionally, teachers are working with students to internalize the three main ways to read a book: read the pictures, read the words, retell the story. Using these three strategies, any child will be able to find a way to engage with any text in a meaningful way.

'I-PICK' is an acronym for; "I-choose a book", "Purpose (why read this book?)", "Interest (what is interesting in this book?), "Comprehension (what just happened? What's next?), 'Know the Words" (what do specific words mean? what do particular sentences mean?)

As we work through strategies to support students with being thoughtful about their text choices, students begin to develop a true appreciation for reading that is deeper than just knowing decoding skills or word meanings; it is the integration of all the technical knowledge with personal choice and purpose that generates tremendous interest and joy in personal reading, and launches children as successful readers.

Home Reading offers opportunities for students to elevate their experiences with reading in the company of their families. Shared, enjoyable reading experiences at home reinforce positive and successful reading experiences at school. That is the basic - and most important - premise that underpins the Home Reading experience. 

Lorraine Kinsman, Principal