There are lots of great books out there, far more than you’ll find on the DRA2 lists. If you are working on a book and you want to know if it’s a “good fit” or “just right” book here are the steps to help you check:
- Can your child read most of the words on the page?
- Are they using their strategies to figure words out? (chunking, using picture clues, getting the mouth ready with the first sound,)
- Can your child identify the characters and the big idea after reading a small section? (one or two paragraphs or a short page) This can be demonstrated by saying something like “While you were reading I heard that… Would you agree? What do you think will happen next?”
If the answer is no to these questions the book is too challenging and it would be better to find another book.
This said it is important to challenge your student. If you love reading to your child consider stopping at the end of each page and ask questions about who was in the story and what they did. Can you identify plausible predictions based on what has happened so far in the book? What kind of personal connections could be made to help children relate in some way to the story.
It is very common for emerging readers to learn how to say the words printed on the page but not know what they read. Comprehension is a large focus in upcoming grades so setting the framework now is very beneficial.
Mrs. Brown's 
Leave a comment