Avoca Central School

Reading Levels

Kindergarten | First Grade | Second Grade | Third Grade | Fourth Grade | Fifth Grade

Kindergarten Reading Level A

Characteristics of Texts at Level A

• Simple factual texts, animal fantasy and realistic fiction
• Picture books
• Text and concepts highly supported by pictures
• One line of text on each page
• Familiar, easy content
• Repeating language patterns (3-6 words per page)
• Short, predictable sentences
• Almost all vocabulary familiar to children, strongy site-word based

Level A Reading Behavior

• Recognized high frequently works (such as, a, is, my, the, and, like)
• Can recognize two objects with the same beginning sounds (cat and car; plate and pan)
• Points to words as they read
• Remembers what the story is about while reading
• Uses the pictures to figure out tricky words
• Can hold a book right side up
• Knows which direction print goes (left to right)
• Can count the spaces between the words

Ways to talk to your child about their reading

• Can you match the word card to the word in the story?
• Can you touch each word as you read it?
• When they get stuck on a word, look at the picture to help you with the word.
• Watch how I hold the book right side up. Now you try.

Kindergarten Reading Level B

Characteristics of Texts at Level B

• Simple factual texts
• Fantasy and realistic fiction
• Simple, one-dimensional characters
• Picture books
• Two or more lines of text on each page
• Very familiar themes and ideas
• Short, predictable sentences

Level B Reading Behaviors

• Recognize and apply repeating language patterns
• Stronger awareness of left-to-right directionality
• Stronger awareness of 1 to 1 matching
• Learning concept of return sweep (moving from one line of text to the next)
• Able to distinguish and identify more letters according to their distinct features
• Developing stronger understanding of the connection between sounds and letters
• Expanding their core of easy, high-frequency words

Ways to talk to your children about their reading

• Read together every night.
• Look at hte picture to figure out hard words.
• Point to eeach word as they read to make sure what they say matches what's on the page.
• Think about what the story is about by looking closely at the cover.
• Think about what would make sense.
• Retell what happened in the story.

Kindergarten Reading Level C

Characteristics of Texts at Level C

• Simple factual texts
• Picture books
• Amusing one-dimensional characters
• Familiar, easy content
• Introduction of dialogue (assigned by said in most cases)
• Almost all vocabulary familiar to children
• Some simple contractions and possessives (words with apostrophes)
• Two to five lines of text on each page
• Some bolded words. Some ellipses, commas, quotation marks, question marks, and exclamation points.

Level C Reading Behaviors

• Begin to move smoothly across the printed page when reading
• Begin to use some expression when reading
• Noticing dialogue and punctuation and reflecting this with the voice
• Developing a larger core of high-frequency words
• Consistenly monitoring reading and cross checking one source of information against another; self correcting

Ways to talk to your children about their reading

• Read together for 30 minues every night.
• Get their mouth ready to say the first sound of each word.
• Look for words they know to help them read all the words on a page.
• Look at the picture and the first letter to help them figure out a tricky word.
• Think about what's happened so far in the story to figure out what the words might say.
• Check to see if what they read makes sense, sounds right and looks right.
• Retell what happened in the story by thinking about the title and looking through the pages.
• Begin to track print with their eyes rather than their finger.

Kindergarten Reading Level D

Characteristics of Texts at Level D

• Simple factual texts, animal fantasy and realistic fiction
• Picture books
• Amusing one-dimensional characters
• Familiar, easy content, themesm and ideas
• Simple dialogue (some split dialogue)
• Many sentences with prepositional phrases and adjectives
• Some longer sentences (some with more than six words)
• Some simple contractions and possessives (words with apostrophes)
• Two to six lines of text on each page
• Some sentences turn over to next line
• Some words with-s and -ing endings
• Fewer repetitive language patterns

Level D Reading Behaviors

• Eyes can track print over two to six lines per page.
• Can process tets with fewer repeating language patterns.
• Voice-print match is smooth and aautomatic; finger pointing is rarely needed, if ever.
• Notices and uses a range of punctuation and read dialogue, reflecting the meaning through phrasing.
• Can solve many regular two-syllable words, usually with inflectional endings (-ing).
• Consistently monitors reading and cross-chekcs one source of information against another; self corrects.

Ways to talk to your child about their reading

• Read together for 30 minutes nightly.
• Get their mouth ready to say the first sound of each word,
• Look for words they know to helpf them read all the words on a page.
• Make their reading sound more like talking rather than a robot by using the punctuation.
• Look at the picture, the first letter and parts of words they know to help them figure out hard words.
• Think about what's happened so far in the story to figure out what the words might say.
• Check to see if what they read makes sense, sounds right and looks right.
• Retell what happened in the story and formulate an opinion about what happened.

First Grade Reading Level E

Characteristics of Texts at Level E

• Simple informational texts, simple animal fantasy, realistic fiction, very simple retellings of traditional tales, simple plays
• Some texts with sequential information
• Familiar content that expands beyond home, neighborhood, and school
• Most concepts supported by pictures
• More literary stories and language
• Concrete, easy-to-understand ideas
• Some longer sentences – more than ten words
• Some three-syllable words
• Easy contractions
• Mostly words with easy, predictable spelling patterns
• Two to eight lines of print per page

Level E Reading Behaviors

• Attend to more subtle ideas and complex stories
• Solve longer words with inflectional endings
• Read sentences that carry over 2-3 lines or over two pages
• Rely much more on the print; pictures are becoming less supportive
• Left-to-right directionality and voice-print match are automatic
• Oral reading demonstrates fluency and phrasing with appropriate stress on words
• Read without finger pointing, brining in finger only at point of difficulty
• Recognize a large number of high-frequency words
• Easily solve words with regular letter-sound relationships, as well as a few irregular words

Ways to talk to your child about their reading

• Read together for 30 minutes every night.
• Reread and correct themselves when they notice they made a mistake.
• Make their reading sound more like talking rather than a robot by using the punctuation.
• Check to see if what they read makes sense, sounds right and looks right.
• Look for parts of words they know to help them read hard words.
• Retell what happened in the story and formulate opinions about what happened.
• Figure out longer words by breaking them apart.
• Talk about the book after they read to see if they understood.

First Grade Reading Level F

Characteristics of Texts at Level F

• Simple informational texts, simple animal fantasy, realistic fiction, very simple retellings of traditional tales, simple plays
• Some texts with sequential information
• Familiar content that expands beyond home, neighborhood, and school
• Both simple and split dialogue, speaker usually assigned
• Some longer stretches of dialogue
• Some longer sentences – more than ten words
• Some compound sentences conjoined by and
• Many words with inflectional endings
• More details in the illustrations
• Most texts three to eight lines of text per page Periods, commas, quotation marks, exclamation points, question marks, and ellipses

Level F Reading Behaviors

• Beginning to build knowledge of the characteristics of different genres of texts
• Read stretches of both simple and split dialogue
• Recognize a large number of high-frequency words quickly and automatically
• Use letter-sound information to take apart simple, regular words as well as some multisyllable words
• Process and understand text patterns that are particular to written language
• Beginning to read fiction with more well-developed characters
• Left-to-right directionality and voice-print match are completely automatic
• Read without pointing and with appropriate rate, phrasing, intonation, and stress

Ways to talk to your child about their reading

• Read together for 30 minutes every night.
• Reread and correct themselves when they notice they made a mistake.
• Read with fluency and phrasing by using punctuation to make their voice sound like a storyteller rather than a robot.
• Check to see if what they read makes sense, sounds right and looks right.
• Figure out hard words by looking for small parts they know inside the word.
• Figure out hard words by thinking about what is happening in the story.
• Track the words with their eyes instead of their fingers.
• Talk about ideas in the book that relate to their own experiences.
• Reread to search for meaning.

First Grade Reading Level G

Characteristics of Texts at Level G

• Informational texts, simple animal fantasy, realistic fiction, traditional literature (folktales)
• Some longer texts with repeating longer and more complex patterns
• Some unusual formats, such as questions followed by answers or letters
• Familiar content that expands beyond home, neighborhood, and school
• Some texts with settings that are not typical of many children’s experience
• Some sentences that are questions in simple sentences and in dialogue
• 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 depicting multiple ideas
• Most texts three to eight lines of print per page
• Slightly smaller print

Level G Reading Behaviors

• Able to internalize more and deeper knowledge of different genres
• Early reading behaviors now completely automatic
• Recognize a large number of high-frequency words
• Able to attend to more complex story lines and ideas
• Use a range of word-solving strategies (letter-sound information, making connections between words, using word parts) to read unknown words
• Read texts with some content-specific words
• Demonstrate appropriate rate, phrasing, intonation, and word stress

Ways to talk to your child about their reading

• Read together for 30 minutes every night.
• Reread to figure out hard words, self-correct, figure out what is happening and improve expression.
• Read with fluency and phrasing – make their voice sound like a storyteller and not a robot by using punctuation.
• Check to make sure what they read makes sense, sounds right and looks right.
• Figure out hard words by looking for parts of words they know, thinking of letter sounds, and thinking about what is happening in the story.
• Track the words with their eyes rather than their finger.
• Retell what happened in the story by giving details and formulating opinions.
• Notice punctuation to read smoothly.
• Make predictions about what will happen next

First Grade Reading Level H

Characteristics of Texts at Level H

• Informational texts, simple animal fantasy, realistic fiction, traditional literature (folktales)
• Narratives with more episodes and less repetition
• Accessible content that expands beyond home, school and neighborhood
• 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
• Most texts with no or only minimal illustrations
• Italics indicating unspoken thought
• Most texts three to eight lines of print per page

Level H Reading Behaviors

• Encounter more complex language and vocabulary
• Read longer, more literary stories
• Able to process a great deal of dialogue and reflect it through appropriate word stress and phrasing
• Solve a large number of multisyllable words, plurals, contractions, and possessives
• Able to read a larger and larger number of high-frequency words
• Able to think at increasingly deeper levels
• Solve words with complex spelling patterns
• Begin to read more new texts silently, in order to achieve efficient and smooth processing

Ways to talk to your child about their reading

• Read together for 30 minutes every night.
• Reread and correct themselves when they make a mistake.
• Reread to make their voice sound like a storyteller rather than a robot – to read fluently by noticing punctuation.
• Check to make sure what they read makes sense, sounds right and looks right.
• Figure out hard words by looking for parts they know in a word, thinking of the letter sounds and thinking about what’s happened in a story so far.
• Track words with eyes instead of a finger.
• Recognize the difference between big events and little details in a story.
• Make predictions about what will happen next.
• Read in a variety of genres and formulate opinions

First Grade Reading Level I

Characteristics of Texts at Level I

• Some informational texts with a table of contents and/or a glossary
• Narratives with multiple episodes and little repetition of similar episodes; more elaborated episodes
• Underlying organizational structures used and presented clearly (description, compare and contrast, problem and solution)
• Some unusual formats, such as letters or questions followed by answers
• Both familiar content and some new content children may not know
• Contain a few abstract concepts that are highly supported by text and illustrations
• Longer sentences that can carry over to two or three lines, and some over two pages
• Many two‐to‐three‐syllable words from all parts of speech
• Some complex spelling patterns
• Some complex letter‐sound relationships in words

Level I Reading Behaviors

• Able to process mostly short texts (eight to sixteen pages);
  some easy illustrated chapter books
• Able to sustain attention and memory over longer periods of time
• Can process longer (ten words or more) and more complex sentences
• Have a large sight‐word vocabulary
• Able to use word‐solving strategies for complex spelling patterns, multisyllable words, and words with inflectional endings, plurals, contractions, and possessives
• Read many texts silently, following text with their eyes and without pointing
• Oral reading reflects appropriate rate, stress, intonation, phrasing, and pausing

Ways to talk to your child about their reading

• Read together for 30 minutes every night and silently for some time.
• Reread and correct themselves when they make a mistake.
• Read fluently by noticing punctuation and reread to make their voice sound smooth.
• Check to make sure what they read makes sense, sounds right and looks right.
• Figure out hard words by looking for parts they know in a word, thinking of the letter sounds and thinking about what’s happened in a story so far.
• Track words with eyes instead of a finger.
• Recognize the difference between big events and little details in a story.
• Make predictions about what will happen next.
• Read in a variety of genres and formulate opinions.
• Talk about the story and the characters.

First Grade Reading Level J

Characteristics of Texts at Level J

• Informational texts, simple animal fantasy, realistic fiction, traditional literature (folktales), some simple biographies on familiar subjects
• Beginning chapter books with illustrations (forty to seventy-five pages)
• Underlying organizational structures used and presented clearly (description, compare and contrast, problem and solution)
• Some unusual formats, such as letters or questions followed by answers
• Some ideas new to most children
• Some texts with settings that are not familiar to most children
• Varied placement of subject, verb, adjectives and adverbs in sentences
• Contain some abstract concepts that are highly supported by text and illustrations
• Some complex spelling patterns and letter-sound relationships in words
• Many lines of print on a page

Level J Reading Behaviors

• Able to process a variety of texts (short fiction texts, short informational texts, and longer narrative texts that have illustrations and short chapters)
• Adjust reading strategies as needed to process different genres
• Process increasingly more complex sentences
• Have a large, expanding sight-word vocabulary
• Able to quickly apply word-solving strategies for complex spelling patterns, multisyllable words, and words with inflectional endings, plurals, contractions, and possessives
• Read silently during independent reading
• Oral reading reflects appropriate rate, stress, intonation, phrasing, and pausing

Ways to talk to your child about their reading

• Read together for 30 minutes every night, but silently for some of the time.
• Reread to correct themselves when they make a mistake and to check for understanding.
• Read fluently by noticing punctuation and reread to make their voice sound smooth.
• Check to make sure what they read makes sense, sounds right and looks right.
• Figure out hard words by looking for parts they know in a word, thinking of the letter sounds and thinking about what’s happened in a story so far.
• Retell what happened in the story by formulating opinions and giving details.
• Begin to recognize and understand author’s purpose.
• Talk about the story and characters and make predictions about what will happen next.
• Read many different kinds of books (fiction, non-fiction, mystery, poetry, etc.)
• Make connections between the book they are reading.

Second Grade Reading Level K

Level K Characteristics of Texts

• Informational texts, simple animal fantasy, realistic fiction, traditional literature (folktales), some simple biographies on familiar subjects
• Beginning chapter books (sixty to one hundred pages of print)
• Varied organization in nonfiction text formats (question/answer, boxes, legends, etc.)
• Some texts with plots, situations, and settings outside what a child would typically find familiar
• Longer (more than fifteen words), more complex sentences
• Variety of words used to assign dialogue, with verbs and adverbs essential to meaning
• Multisyllable words that are challenging to take apart or decode
• Longer stretches of print without the support of pictures

Level K Reading Behaviors

• Able to accommodate the higher-level processing of several fiction texts with multiple episodes connected to a single plot
• Read about and understand characters that are increasingly more complex
• Able to process a great deal of dialogue within a story
• Challenged to read stories based on concepts that are distant in time and space and reflect diverse cultures
• Have a large, expanding sight-word vocabulary
• Able to quickly apply word-solving strategies for complex spelling patterns, multisyllable words, and words with inflectional endings, plurals, contractions, and possessives
• Read silently during independent reading
• Oral reading fully demonstrates all aspects of fluent reading

Ways to talk to your child about their reading

• Read together for 30-40 minutes every night. Children should read silently for most of the time.
• Read fluently by noticing punctuation and reread to make their voice sound smooth.
• Check to make sure what they read makes sense, sounds right and looks right.
• Figure out hard words by looking for parts they know in a word, thinking of the letter sounds and thinking about what’s happened in a story so far.
• Retell what happened in the story by formulating opinions and giving details.
• Begin to recognize and understand author’s purpose.
• Talk about the story and characters and make predictions about what will happen next.
• Read many different kinds of books (fiction, non-fiction, mystery, poetry, etc.)
• Begin to read longer books over several days and be able to understand and talk about them.
• Make connections between

Second Grade Reading Level L

Level L Characteristics of Texts

• Informational texts, simple fantasy, realistic fiction, traditional literature (folktales), simple biographies, simple mysteries
• Underlying organizational structures (description, compare and contrast, problem and solution)
• Some technical content that is challenging and not typically known
• Some texts with plots, settings, and situations outside typical experience
• Multisyllable words that are challenging to take apart or decode
• Some new vocabulary and content-specific words in nonfiction text introduced, explained, and illustrated in the text
• New vocabulary in fiction texts (largely unexplained)
• Chapter books (sixty to one hundred pages of print)

Level L Reading Behaviors

• Able to process easy chapter books, including some series books, with more sophisticated plots and few illustrations, as well as shorter informational texts
• Adjust reading to process a variety of genres
• Understand that chapter books have multiple episodes connected to a single plot
• Bring background knowledge to new reading in order to process and learn new information
• Begin to recognize themes across texts (friendship, courage)
• Able to understand some abstract ideas
• Able to see multiple perspectives of characters through description
• Able to flexibly apply word-solving strategies for complex spelling patterns, multisyllable words, and words with inflectional endings, plurals, contractions, and possessives
• Read silently during independent reading
• Oral reading fully demonstrates all aspects of fluent reading

Ways to talk to your child about their reading

• Read together for 30-40 minutes every night.
• Children should read silently for most of the time.
• Read fluently by noticing punctuation and reread to make their voice sound smooth.
• Check to make sure what they read makes sense, sounds right and looks right.
• Figure out hard words by looking for parts they know in ba word, thinking of the letter sounds and thinking aboutbwhat’s happened in a story so far.
• Retell what happened in the story by formulating opinions and giving details.
• Begin to recognize and understand author’s purpose.
• Make predictions about events, outcomes and character changes.
• Read many different kinds of books (fiction, non-fiction, mystery, poetry, etc.)
• Begin to read longer books over several days and be able to understand and talk about them.
• Make connections between the books they are reading and the books they have read.

Second Grade Reading Level M 

Characteristics of Texts at Level M

• Informational texts, simple fantasy, realistic fiction, traditional literature (folktales), simple biographies, simple mysteries
• Most of the content carried by print, rather than pictures
• Some abstract themes requiring inferential thinking to derive
• Texts with multiple points of view revealed through characters’ behaviors
• Complex plots with numerous episodes and time passing
• Multiple characters to understand and notice how they develop and change
• Multisyllable words that are challenging to take apart or decode
• Some new vocabulary and content-specific words introduced, explained, and illustrated in the text

Level M Reading Behaviors

• Know the characteristics of arange of genres
• Developing preferences for specific forms of reading (mysteries, biographies)
• Can understand and process narratives with more elaborate plots and multiple characters that develop and change over time
• Able to identify and use underlying organizational structures (description, compare and contrast, problem and solution, cause and effect) to help navigate through text
• Word solving is smooth and automatic with both oral and silent reading
• Can read and understand descriptive words, some complex content-specific words, and some technical words

Ways to talk to your child about their reading

• Read together every night.
• Children should read silently for most of the time.
• Read fluently by noticing punctuation and reread to make their voice sound smooth.
• Check to make sure what they read makes sense, sounds right and looks right.
• Figure out hard words by looking for parts they know in a word, thinking of the letter sounds and thinking about what’s happened in a story so far.
• Retell what happened in the story by formulating opinions and giving details.
• Begin to recognize and understand author’s purpose.
• Make predictions about events, outcomes and character changes.
• Read many different kinds of books (fiction, non-fiction, mystery, poetry, etc.)
• Begin to read longer books over several days and be able to understand and talk about them.
• Make connections between the book they are reading and other books they have read.

Grade 3 Reading Level N

Characteristics of Texts at Level N

• Informational texts, simple fantasy, realistic fiction, traditional literature (folktales), simple biographies, simple mysteries
• Presentation of multiple topics that represent subtopic of a larger topic or theme
• Various ways of showing characters’ attributes (description, dialogue, thoughts, others’ perspectives)
• Complex plots with numerous episodes and time passing
• Multiple characters to understand and notice how they develop and change
• Variety in sentence length and complexity
• Many two-to-three-syllable words; some words with more than three syllables
• Multisyllable words that are challenging to take apart or decode
• Words with prefixes and suffixes
• Some new vocabulary and content-specific words introduced, explained, and illustrated in the text

Level N Reading Behaviors

• Know the characteristics of and can process the full range of genres
• Developing preferences for specific forms of reading (mysteries, biographies)
• Can understand and process narratives with more elaborate plots and multiple characters that develop and change over time
• Able to identify and use underlying organizational structures (description, compare and contrast, problem and solution, cause and effect) to help navigate through text
• Word solving is smooth and automatic with both oral and msilent reading
• Reader will slow down to problem solve or search for information, then resume normal reading pace
• Most word solving is unconscious and automatic; little overt problem solving needed
• Can read and understand descriptive words, some complex content-specific words, and some technical words

Ways to talk to your child about their reading

• Read together for 30-40 minutes every night. Children should read silently for most of the time.
• Read fluently by noticing punctuation and reread to make their voice sound smooth.
• Check to make sure what they read makes sense, sounds right and looks right.
• Figure out hard words by looking for parts they know in a word, thinking of the letter sounds and thinking about what’s happened in a story so far.
• Retell what happened in the story by formulating opinions and giving details.
• Begin to recognize and understand author’s purpose.
• Make predictions about events, outcomes and character changes.
• Read many different kinds of books (fiction, non-fiction, mystery, poetry, etc.)
• Begin to read longer books over several days and be able to understand and talk about them.
• Make connections between the book they are reading and other books they have read.
• Revise ideas as they read on. (They may think one thing at the beginning of the book, but as they read on may begin to think something else)

Grade 3 Reading Level O

Characteristics of Texts at Level O

• Informational texts, simple fantasy, realistic fiction, traditional literature (folktales), biographies, mysteries, historical fiction, short stories, chapter books with sequels
• Prior knowledge needed to understand content in many informational texts
• Presentation of multiple topics that represent subtopic of a larger topic or theme
• Content requiring the reader to take on perspectives from diverse cultures and bring cultural knowledge to understanding
• Multiple characters to know and understand
• Characters revealed by what they say, do, think, and by what others say or think about them
• Descriptive and figurative language that is key to understanding the plot
• Characters with both good and bad traits, who change and develop over time
• Some words used figuratively
• New vocabulary in fiction texts largely unexplained
• Some words with connotative meanings that are essential to understanding the text

Level O Reading Behaviors

• Know the characteristics of and can process the full range of genres
• Read a wide range of texts: chapter books, shorter fiction and informational text, including special forms such as mysteries, series books, and short stories
• Able to identify and use underlying organizational structures (description, compare and contrast, problem and solution, cause and effect) to help navigate through text
• Able to process lengthy, complex sentences, containing prepositional phrases, introductory clauses, and lists of nouns, verbs, or adjectives
• Solve new vocabulary words, some defined in the text and some unexplained
• Most word solving is unconscious and automatic; little overt problem solving needed
• Can read and understand descriptive words, some complex content-specific words, and some technical words
• Word solving is smooth and automatic with both oral and silent reading
• Demonstrate all aspects of smooth, fluent processing

Ways to talk to your child about their reading

• Read fluently by noticing punctuation and reread to make their voice sound smooth.
• Check to make sure what they read makes sense, sounds right and looks right.
• Figure out hard words by looking for parts they know in a word and thinking about what’s happened so far.
• Retell what happened in the story by formulating opinions and giving details.
• Discuss the book or parts of the book with your child.
• Ask them what’s happened or something specific about a character.
• Encourage them to write about what is happening in their book.
• Make predictions about events, outcomes and character changes.
• Read many different kinds of books (fiction, non-fiction, mystery, poetry, etc.)
• Read longer books over several days and be able to understand and talk about them.
• Make connections between the book they are reading and other books they have read.
• Revise ideas as they read on. (They may think one thing at the beginning of the book, but as they read on may begin to think something else)

Third Grade Reading Level P

Characteristics of Texts at Level P

• Informational texts, fantasy, realistic fiction, traditional literature (folktales), biographies, mysteries, historical fiction, short stories, chapter books with sequels, genre combinations (hybrids)
• Topics that go well beyond readers’ personal experience
• Content requiring the reader to take on diverse perspectives (race, language, culture)
• Ideas and themes requiring taking a perspective not familiar to the reader
• Some more challenging themes (war, the environment)
• Many ideas and themes requiring understanding of cultural diversity
• Multiple characters to know and understand
• Characters revealed by what they say, do, think, and by what others say or think about them
• Extensive use of descriptive and figurative language that is key to understanding the plot
• Building suspense through events of the plot
• Some more complex fantasy elements
• Many complex content-specific words in nonfiction, mostly defined in text, illustrations, or glossary
• Multisyllable proper nouns that are challenging to take apart or decode
• More difficult layout of informational text, and some fiction text, with denser format

Level P Reading Behaviors

• Can identify the characteristics of a full range of genres, including biographies on less well- known subjects and hybrid genres
• Read a wide range of texts: chapter books, shorter fiction and informational text, including special forms such as mysteries, series books, and short stories
• Able to identify and use munderlying organizational structures (description, compare and contrast, problem and solution, cause and effect) to help navigate through text
• Able to process lengthy, complex sentences,containing prepositional phrases, introductory clauses, and lists of nouns, verbs, or adjectives
• Solve new vocabulary words, some defined in the text and some unexplained
• Most word solving is unconscious and automatic; little overt problem solving needed
• Can read and understand descriptive words, some complex content-specific words, and some technical words
• Word solving is smooth and automatic with both oral and silent reading
• Demonstrate all aspects of smooth, fluent processing

Ways to talk to your child about their reading

• Children should read silently for most of the time.
• Read fluently by noticing punctuation and reread to make their voice sound smooth.
• Check to make sure what they read makes sense, sounds right and looks right.
• Figure out hard words by substituting a word and reading forward to see if it makes sense.
• Retell what happened in the story by formulating opinions and giving details.
• Encourage them to write about what is happening in their book
• Pay attention to new vocabulary and use it when speaking and writing.
• Interpret and understand what a book/story is teaching about life.
• Increase the number of pages read each night. Read longer books over several days and be able to understand and talk about them.
• Make connections between the book they are reading and other books they have read to deepen understanding.
• Revise ideas as they read on. (They may think one thing at the beginning of the book, but as they read on may begin to think something else).

Grade 4 Reading Level Q

Characteristics of Texts at Level Q

• Informational texts, more complex fantasy, realistic fiction, traditional literature (folktales), biographies, autobiographies, memoirs, mysteries, historical fiction, short stories, genre combinations (hybrids), diaries
• Many abstract themes requiring inferential thinking to derive
• Texts with deeper meanings applicable to important human problems and social issues
• Some more challenging themes (war, the environment)
• Many new vocabulary words that depend on readers’ tools (such as glossaries)
• Many new vocabulary words for readers to derive meaning from context
• Extensive use of figurative language (idioms, simile, metaphor)
• Words that are seldom used in oral language and are difficult to decode
• Many technical words that are difficult to decode
• Nonfiction may contain a variety of complex graphics, often more than one on a page
• Some non-fictional texts with graphics that have scales or legends that require understanding and interpretation

Level Q Reading Behaviors

• Automatically read and understand a full range of genres, including biographies, hybrid genres, fiction with elaborate plots and complex characters, informational texts, etc.
• Able to process lengthy, complex sentences, containing prepositional phrases, introductory clauses, and lists of nouns, verbs, or adjectives
• Solve new vocabulary words, some defined in the text and some unexplained
• Most reading is silent, but fluency and phrasing in oral reading are well-established
• Readers are challenged by many longer descriptive words and by content-specific/technical words
• Able to take apart multisyllable words and use a full range of word-solving skills
• Read and understand texts in a variety of layouts and formats
• Consistently search for information in illustrations and increasingly complex graphics

Ways to talk to your child about their reading

• Read fluently by noticing punctuation and reread to make their voice sound smooth.
• Check to make sure what they read makes sense, sounds right and looks right.
• Figure out hard words by substituting a word and reading forward to see if it makes sense.
• Retell what happened in the story by formulating opinions and giving details.
• Encourage them to write about what is happening in their book
• Pay attention to new vocabulary and use it when speaking and writing.
• Interpret and understand what a book/story is teaching about life.
• Increase the number of pages read each night.
• Think and talk about character’s thoughts and feelings.
• Make connections between the book they are reading and other books they have read to deepen understanding.
• Revise ideas as they read on. (They may think one thing at the beginning of the book, but as they read on may begin to think something else.)

Grade 4 Reading Level R

Characteristics of Texts at level R

• Informational texts, more complex fantasy, realistic fiction, traditional literature (folktales), biographies, autobiographies, memoirs, mysteries, historical fiction, short stories, genre combinations (hybrids), diaries
• Some collections of short stories that have interrelated themes or build a single plot across the book
• Fiction – settings requiring knowledge of content (history, geography, etc.)
• Complex ideas on many different topics requiring real or vicarious experiences
• Long stretches of descriptive language that are important to understanding the setting and characters
• Some long strings of unassigned dialogue from which story action must be inferred
• Settings distant in time and space from students’ experiences
• Many new vocabulary words for readers to derive meaning from context
• Extensive use of figurative language (idioms, simile, metaphor)
• Words with a wide variety of very complex spelling patterns
• Words that are seldom usedin oral language and are difficult to decode

Level R Reading Behaviors

• Automatically read and understand a full range of genres, including biographies, hybrid genres, fiction with elaborate plots and complex characters, informational texts, etc.
• Understand perspectives different from their own as well as settings and people far distant in time and space
• Able to process lengthy, complex sentences, containing prepositional phrases, introductory clauses, and lists of nouns, verbs, or adjectives
• Solve new vocabulary words, some defined in the text and some unexplained
• Most reading is silent, but fluency and phrasing in oral reading are well-established
• Readers are challenged by many longer descriptive words and by content-specific/technical words
• Able to take apart multisyllable words and use a full range of word-solving skills
• Read and understand texts in a variety of layouts and formats
• Consistently search for information in illustrations and increasingly complex graphics

Ways to talk to your child about their reading

• Read fluently by noticing punctuation and reread to make their voice sound  smooth.
• Check to make sure what they read makes sense, sounds right and looks right.
• Figure out hard words by substituting words and reading forward to see if it makes sense.
• Retell what happened in the story by formulating opinions and giving details.
• Encourage them to write about the big message in the book.
• Pay attention to new vocabulary and use it when speaking and writing.
• Interpret and understand what a book/story is teaching about life.
• Increase the number of pages read each night.
• Learn more about events in a story by including research.
• Make connections between the book they are reading and other books they have read to deepen understanding.
• Revise ideas as they read on. (They may think one thing at the beginning of the book, but as they read on may begin to think something else)

Grade 4 Reading Level S

Characteristics of Texts at Level S

• Informational texts, more complex fantasy, realistic fiction, traditional literature (folktales), biographies, autobiographies, memoirs, mysteries, historical fiction, short stories, genre combinations (hybrids), diaries
• Some collections of short stories that have interrelated themes or build a single plot across the book
• Content particularly appealing to adolescents
• Some fiction settings requiring knowledge of content (history, geography, etc.)
• Complex ideas on many different topics requiring real or vicarious experiences
• Long stretches of descriptive language that are important to understanding the setting and characters
• Some long strings of unassigned dialogue from which story action must be inferred
• Many new vocabulary words that depend on readers’ tools (such as glossaries)
• Many new vocabulary words for readers to derive meaning from context
• Extensive use of figurative language (idioms, simile, metaphor)
• Words with a wide variety of very complex spelling patterns
• Words that are seldom used in oral language and are difficult to decode
• Many words with affixes (prefixes and suffixes, multisyllable proper nouns that are difficult to decode)
• Increasingly difficult layout of informational texts, with dense content and format

Level S Reading Behaviors

• Automatically read and understand a full range of genres, including biographies on less well- known subjects, hybrid genres, fiction with elaborate plots and complex characters, informational texts, etc.
• Able to process lengthy, complex sentences, containing prepositional phrases, introductory clauses, and lists of nouns, verbs, or adjectives
• Understand perspectives different from their own as well as settings and people far distant in time and space
• Able to process lengthy, complex sentences, containing prepositional phrases, introductory clauses, and lists of nouns, verbs, or adjectives
• Solve new vocabulary words, some defined in the text and some unexplained
• Most reading is silent, but fluency and phrasing in oral reading are well-established
• Readers are challenged by many longer descriptive words and by content-specific/technical words
• Able to take apart multisyllable words and use a full range of word-solving skills
• Read and understand texts in a variety of layouts and formats
• Consistently search for information in illustrations and increasingly complex graphics

Ways to talk to your child about their reading

• Read fluently by noticing punctuation and reread to make their voice sound smooth.
• Check to make sure what they read makes sense, sounds right and looks right.
• Figure out hard words by substituting words and reading forward to see if it makes sense.
• Retell what happened in the story by formulating opinions and giving details and identifying the big message.
• Pay attention to new vocabulary and use it when speaking and writing.
• Interpret and understand what a book/story is teaching about life.
• Recognize and understand how a character is affected by external/internal factors and analyze characters’ relationships.
• Extend understanding of the book through research, writing or the arts.
• Make connections between the book they are reading and other books they have read to deepen understanding.
• Revise ideas as they read on. (They may think one thing at the beginning of the book, but as they read on may begin to think something else).

Grade 5 Reading Level T

Characteristics of Texts at Level T

• Informational texts, more complex fantasy, realistic fiction, traditional literature (folktales), biographies, autobiographies, memoirs, mysteries, historical fiction, short stories, genre combinations (hybrids), diaries
• Some collections of short stories that have interrelated themes or build a single plot across the book
• Nonfiction texts with multiple topics and categories and subcategories within them
• Themes focusing on the problems of preadolescents
• Many texts focusing on human problems (war, hardship, economic issues)
• Themes that evoke alternative interpretations
• Some more complex fantasy elements, some showing conflict between good and evil
• Some obvious symbolism
• Wide range of declarative, imperative, or interrogative sentences
• Many words with affixes (prefixes and suffixes, multisyllable proper nouns that are difficult to decode
• Words used in regional or historical dialects
• Some words from languages other than English
• Most texts with no or minimal illustrations

Level T Reading Behaviors

• Automatically read and understand a full range of genres, including biographies on less well- known subjects, hybrid genres, fiction with elaborate plots and complex characters, informational texts, etc.
• Able to read longer texts and remember information and connect ideas over a long period of time (a week or two)
• Read and interpret complex fantasy, myths, legends that contain symbolism
• Understand perspectives different from their own
• Understand settings and people far distant in time and space
• Readers are challenged by many longer descriptive words and by content-specific/technical words
• Read and understand texts in a variety of layouts and formats

Ways to talk to your child about their reading

• Read fluently by noticing punctuation and reread to make their voice sound smooth.
• Check to make sure what they read makes sense, sounds right and looks right.
• Figure out hard words by substituting words and reading forward to see if it makes sense.
• Retell what happened in the story by formulating opinions and giving details and identifying the big message.
• Pay attention to new vocabulary and use it when speaking and writing.
• Interpret and understand what a book/story is teaching about life.
• Recognize and understand how a character is affected by external/internal factors and analyze characters’ relationships.
• Extend understanding of the book through research, writing or the arts.
• Pay attention to the theme of the book and how it relates to the world.
• Revise ideas as they read on. (They may think one thing at the beginning of the book, but as they read on may begin to think something else.)

Grade 5 Reading Level U

Characteristics of Texts at Level U

• Informational texts, more complex fantasy, realistic fiction, traditional literature (folktales), biographies, autobiographies, memoirs, mysteries, historical fiction, short stories, genre combinations (hybrids), diaries
• Variety of underlying structures often combined in complex ways (description, comparison and contrast, temporal sequence, problem and solution, etc.)
• Topics that go well beyond readers’ personal experiences and content knowledge
• Content particularly appealing to adolescents Many themes presenting mature issues and the problems of society (racism, war)
• Many texts focusing on human problems (war, hardship, economic issues)
• Themes that evoke alternative interpretations
• Texts requiring inference to understand characters and why they change
• Many complex narratives that are highly literary
• Some literary devices (for example, stories within stories, symbolism, and figurative language
• Fantasy and science fiction showing struggle between good and evil
• Some words from languages other than English
• Long, multisyllable words requiring attention to roots to read and understand
• Most fiction texts with no illustrations other than the cover jacket
• A wide variety of complex graphics that require interpretation (photos with legends, diagrams, labels, cutaways, graphics, maps)

Level U Reading Behaviors

• Automatically read and understand a full range of genres, including biographies on less well- known subjects, hybrid genres, fiction with elaborate plots and complex characters, informational texts, etc.
• Able to read longer texts and remember information and connect ideas over many days of reading
• Read and interpret complex fantasy, myths, legends that contain symbolism
• Understand perspectives different from their own
• Understand settings and people far distant in time and space
• Most reading is silent, but fluency and phrasing in oral reading are well-established
• Able to take apart multisyllable words and use a full range of word-solving skills
• Read and understand texts in a variety of layouts and formats
• Able to search for and use information in an integrated way, using complex graphics and texts that present content requiring background knowlege.

Ways to talk to your child about their reading

• Read fluently by noticing punctuation and reread to make their voice sound smooth.
• Check to make sure what they read makes sense, sounds right and looks right.
• Figure out hard words by substituting words and reading forward to see if it makes sense.
• Retell what happened in the story by formulating opinions and giving details and identifying the big message.
• Pay attention to new vocabulary and use it when speaking and writing.
• Interpret and understand what a book/story is teaching about life.
• Recognize how a character is affected by external/internal factors and analyze characters’ relationships.
• Extend understanding of the book through research, writing or the arts.
• Pay attention to the theme of the book and how it relates to the world.
• Revise ideas as they read on. (They may think one thing at the beginning of the book, but as they read on may begin to think something else)
• Identifying and interpreting symbolism by paying attention to repetition.

Grade 5 Reading Level V

Characteristics of Texts at Level V

• Informational texts, complex fantasy, realistic fiction, traditional literature (folktales), biographies, autobiographies, memoirs, mysteries, historical fiction, short stories, genre combinations (hybrids), diaries
• Variety of underlying structures often combined in complex ways (description, comparison and contrast, temporal sequence, problem and solution, etc.)
• Topics that go well beyond readers’ personal experiences and content knowledge
• Critical thinking required to judge authenticity of informational texts, historical fiction, and biography
• Heavy content load in many texts, both fiction and nonfiction, requiring study
• Many themes presenting mature issues and the problems of society (racism, war)
• Many texts focusing on human problems (war, hardship, economic issues)
• Themes that evoke alternative interpretations
• Some switching from setting to setting, including time change (often unsignaled or signaled only by dialogue).
• Full range of literary devices. For example, flashback stories within stories, symbolism and figurative language.
• Many complex narratives that are highly literary
• Words used figurately or with unusual or hard-to-understand connotations
• Archaic words or words other than English that do not follow convential pronunciation patterns
• Introduction to more abstract literary forms such as satire

Level V Reading Behaviors

• Automatically read and understand a full range of genres, including biographies on less well- known subjects, hybrid genres, fiction with elaborate plots and complex  characters, informational texts, etc.
• Able to read longer texts and remember information and connect ideas over many days of reading
• Read and interpret complex fantasy, myths, legends that contain symbolism
• Able to read and interpret more abstract forms of literature (satire)
• Understand perspectives different from their own
• Understand settings and people far distant in time and space
• Readers can be very expressive when presenting poetry or readers’ theater
• Read and understand texts in a variety of layouts and formats
• Able to search for and use information in an integrated way, using complex graphics and texts that present content requiring background knowledge.

Ways to talk to your child about their reading

• Read fluently by noticing punctuation and reread to make their voice sound smooth.
• Check to make sure what they read makes sense, sounds right and looks right.
• Figure out hard words by substituting words and reading forward to see if it makes sense.
• Retell what happened in the story by formulating opinions and giving details and identifying the big message.
• Pay attention to new vocabulary and use it when speaking and writing.
• Interpret and understand what a book/story is teaching about life.
• Recognize how a character is affected by external/internal factors and analyze characters’ relationships.
• Extend understanding of the book through research, writing or the arts.
• Pay attention to the theme of the book and how it relates to the world.
• Revise ideas as they read on. (They may think one thing at the beginning of the book, but as they read on may begin to think something else.)
• Identifying and interpreting symbolism by paying attention to repetition.