Guided reading level is a system that is intended to help children read books that are at an appropriate level for them. It is a method of ensuring age-appropriate content. For instance, some books have a reading level that suits children who are in kindergarten, while other books are aimed at kids in the third grade. It is possible for many younger children to comprehend material that is marked
. for older kids, and it is likewise possible for some older children to struggle when reading books that are designated for their age range. Guided reading levels are intended to serve as rough guides. Parents and teachers should make adjustments based on the abilities of individual children.One system that is often used to identify the different reading levels of children's books is the alphabet. Each book is labeled with a letter of the alphabet, with A as the easiest level and Z as the most difficult. Scholastic, which is a major publisher of children's books, uses this system. The Scholastic guided reading leveling chart is posted at http://teacher.scholastic.com/products/guidedreading/leveling_chart.htm. Kindergarten children are assigned A-D books, pupils in first grade are given the grouping from A-I, second graders are in the E-N group, third graders get J-Q, fourth graders are given M-T, fifth graders are given Q-W and sixth graders fall into the T-Z range. There is some overlap with this lettering system. For example, books with the Q designation are generally deemed suitable for students in third, fourth or fifth grade rather than just one of these grades.Another leveled book list is available at http://home.comcast.net/~ngiansante/textgradient3.html. It is similar to the Scholastic guide but differs slightly in some places. Titles of books that are marked according to the guidelines of this list are linked to from http://home.comcast.net/~ngiansante/index.html.An extensive leveled books database that features thousands of entries is posted at http://books.atozteacherstuff.com/leveled-books/index.php?p=getdb&db_id=1. Instructors and parents can search this database by book title to locate suitable reading material for children. More reference links: http://teacher.scholastic.com/products/guidedreading/overview.htm http://www.readinga-z.com/guided/index.html
