What to Consider When Selecting Text for Students
Selecting text for students can be a daunting task for teachers. How do I select an appropriate book for small group instruction? Do you currently have any students that are reading below grade level? If you do not, consider yourself extremely fortunate. In my experience, most classroom teachers have many students that are reading below grade level. Teachers are confronted weekly, monthly, quarterly with the data that shows students achievement or lack of.
In our attempt to measure growth in the data driven world of education, teachers have latched on to one tool that helps them “prove” where students are currently reading, the F & P Text Level Gradient. This has created a push for students to climb the reading level ladder. If you are familiar with the this gradient, one year of growth is approximately 3–4 levels per year. Several years ago I read an article from Fountas & Pinnell Litearcy Blog A Level is a Teacher’s Tool, NOT a Child’s Label. The author, Jill Backman, Fountas & Pinnell Marketing Manager states,”Fountas and Pinnell created the the F & P Text Level Gradient to be used as a teacher’s tool for assessment and instruction. The levels aren’t meant to be shared with the children or parents.” When I read this I wanted to stand up and cheer. The author goes on to say, “it is detrimental to a student’s self -esteem and to their love of reading when they are encouraged to measure their own progress by “moving up levels,” (Fountas and Pinnell 2017).
If you read my very first post, I shared a “secret” with you about myself. I was a struggling reader as a child. I am from a family of readers. My mom was a secondary Communications teacher and a voracious reader as was my older brother and my dad. I grew up with books and magazines scattered throughout our house and people always reading around me but no matter what, I couldn’t find a love or even small bit of enjoyment in reading. I often think about how I would have felt if my classrooms reading levels were posted on a wall and all could see how poorly I was doing compared to my classmates. I was already a very shy and introverted child, this would have only made my confidence plummet even more. Backman suggests that “this is counterintuitive to building a classroom community where each student is respected, has a sense of agency, values collaboration over competition, and grows up seeing themselves as literate.”
Teachers have often used this gradient as a way to level their classroom libraries. That is a good method to help guide students in their search for a book, but telling students they can “only” choose a book from their “level” is not an authentic way to show students how to select text. Give students a range of leveled books to select from. We need to also take into account interest. A high interest book that is several levels higher than a students current reading level can be a huge motivator. Can you imagine what a confidence boast it is for a child to successfully read a book that supposed to be too hard? We need to teach students to make authentic choices just like we do as adults. Books that interest us and engage us. As a reader, I always have this internal struggle of wanting to get to the end of a book to discover the resolution but then I am disappointed that the book is done. One solution I have found is to read books in a series from an author I particularly like and enjoy. This keeps me motivated and reading. When I had a classroom I would try and get students interested in an author or series so their excitement and motivation would keep the momentum going.
Backman states, “Fountas and Pinnell believe very strongly that students reading levels have no place in teacher evaluation or on report cards to be sent home to parents.” It’s a guide to help inform instructional decisions. This is a very intricate and delicate process that has many factors. We must always make sure that a student’s comprehension aligns with the words that they are able to read. When I worked for UChicago Impact as a STEP Literacy Trainer, I would share the following statement from the STEP manual, “making meaning is the ultimate goal of reading.” Meaning or understanding is always what we are striving for every time a person reads. Here is an example I always used when training teachers. My daughter is Pediatric ICU nurse at a children’s hospital. When she was in college she had many large, thick text books with lots of big words. Could I read the words? Of course I could, but did I understand what those words said. Most of the time no! With a lot of exhausting mental work, I could figure it out but that isn’t enjoyable or interesting to me. It’s important to remember that when we are selecting text for students, the harder they have to work to understand the message, the less enjoyable and interesting it is going to be for them. The overwhelming feeling of discouragement is going to be counterproductive to the goal of achievement.
Selecting text solely by a students reading level is not what is best for developing well rounded readers. Students need to be introduced to a variety of text: fiction and non-fiction, instructional and independent levels. The objective is to guide and assist students in becoming life long readers that continue improving every time they read. As a teacher, knowing their reading level, gaps that are evident in their reading progress as well as topics of interest is three key points to hone in on when selecting text.
“Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.”
― Frederick Douglass
The joy is in the journey!
Peace,
Mary
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STEP stands for Strategic Teaching and Evaluation of Progress. It is an assessment tool that assists teachers in tailoring instruction to the needs of their students. If you are in need of a effective literacy assessment I highly recommend this assessment tool.
