Book Recommendations for 4th Graders Click here to find a book that fits your child! Why is it important to know your child's Lexile measure? (If your wondering what your child's lexile level is, email Mrs. Cichocki)
Consider this: A father takes his son to the store to buy some shoes. The salesperson asks, “What kind of shoes do you need?” The father replies, “He needs basketball shoes.” As the salesperson leads them to the basketball shoes, he asks, “How old is your son?” The father answers, “He is 12.” So the salesperson points to five pairs of shoes on the wall and says, “There are our age 12 basketball shoes.” Not likely, right? We don’t buy shoes by age; we buy them by size. A more accurate scenario would involve the salesperson using one of those magical silver devices (called a Brannock Device) to measure the boy’s foot and then directing them to shoes in the size that would best fit his foot. Traditionally, that is how we have matched students and books.We discover that a student likes science fiction books and is 9 years old or in fourth grade and so she is given “fourth grade science fiction” to read. What, however, if that fourth grader’s reading ability is far higher than the “average” student her age? Or what if she has faced some challenges and, while she still loves science fiction, isn’t quite ready for the books she is given to read? Like the boy’s age 12 basketball shoes, the text simply doesn’t fit the student. Research has shown that readers make the most progress and develop lifelong reading enjoyment when they are given books that match their reading level instead of books that are too challenging, thus resulting in frustration. The Lexile Framework® for Reading (www.Lexile.com) provides a common scale for matching reader ability and text difficulty, allowing easy monitoring of student progress. Lexile® measures allow teachers and parents the confidence to choose materials that will improve student reading skills across the curriculum and at home. As a result, students read materials that are appropriately challenging, comprehend the content they are reading and build stronger literacy skills. Click here to read more