Which level?
How do teachers decide which level a student should choose from? |
| This is a very precise process.
One of the most effective ways for teachers to observe and record reading behaviour is to take a running record. This helps us to determine exactly what a student is doing when they are confronted with a text, compared with what we think they are, or should be, doing. It is also a way to observe what they can do rather than what they cannot do. We use analysis of the Running Record to determine whether the student is reading at the correct (instructional) level. A text is deemed to be instructional if a student scores 90-94% accuracy, can answer some questions about the text, and can read it with a degree of fluency and at a reasonable rate. Once we have decided on the correct level, we are able to group children and organise a variety of appropriate independent and explicitly taught activities. When children reach a level where they are reading independently, our focus shifts towards developing their Critical Literacy. That is, we begin to focus more on how to choose books from the library that are relevant to them and appropriate in terms of difficulty and content. |
