New Fountas and Pinnell Guided Reading Levels for Kindergarten

                           

I love writing Guided Reading books for Thematic Units and always include 2 to 3 different leveled books to help meet the needs of all the students in a teacher's classroom.  For those working in Title I schools, it is not unusual for a 2nd grade teacher to have students reading at an early emergent level.  I have used the descriptors from Reading A-Z when I write the different leveled books. I am thrilled when I get feedback from teachers telling me that they were perfect for the different guided reading groups they teach. Up until CCSS was adopted, Kindergartners were expected to be at Level C by the end of the year.

So I was surprised to see this new chart on Scholastic below that has the Kindergarten range from A-D. This is definitely a result of the new Common Core Standards that have been adopted by 40+ states. Scholastic has also published the new guided reading levels which you can access by clicking on the chart below and download a free copy.

The first thing I noticed was how the number of words increased from Level C to Level D. There were also more difficult words. For many Kindergarten teachers who teach in Title I schools this will be very challenging.  I would love to know what level your Kindergartens are suppose to be reading at by the end of year. 

For all of my followers and viewers I have a free guided reading book from my packet for you to download. Just click on the picture below. What Fountas and Pinnell level do you think it is? It would be fun to use at the beginning of the year.

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Thank you for all you do to make a difference for your students. Have a great start to the new school year.

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What do you think about the new Reading levels or Kindergarten?

Reader's Theater: A Fun Way to Tell a Story and Practice Fluency

I love the theater!! Growing up outside of New York City my aunt would take me to Sunday Broadway matinees every once and awhile and I would dance and sing all the way home. My dream was to become an actress on Broadway but I have to say that being an elementary school teacher gave me so many opportunities to act out all the books I read my students and even create some fun plays and chants for my students. Although Reader's Theater is a reading activity, students are encouraged to act out the part as if they were the character in the story. Using gestures and intonation is also a way of knowing that a student understands the meaning of the words that his or her character is saying. It is also a great strategy for

building fluency as it is an activity that incorporates repeated practice. I hope you will check out this article on Reader's theater and check out all the great resources for finding scripts and using them in your classroom.

BTW, I was a guest blogger for my wonderful friend Jessica Stanford over at Mrs.Stanford's Class. Hope you will check it out and learn more about me.

Only 2 more days for the Fishing for Ideas Extravaganza!!!!! Check out below!!!!!

Thanks for all you do to make a difference for your students.
Arlene