Books for taking turns

We just discovered a new series of easy reader books. Bear with me if you've already heard of them because they've obviously been around a while, but they are new to me. And they are fabulous! The series is We Both Read. Check out their website or search "we both read" on your library's search engine. These books have a parent's page on the left and a child's page on the right. They come in a range of levels.

The wonderful part about these books is how well they are written! The parent's page includes rich new vocabulary words for young readers. It helps the story move along for the youngster with a short attention span (the series includes non-fiction titles for your boys non-fiction fans). The child's page uses common sight words. Some new words are introduced on the parent's page, then repeated often on the child's pages. The child's page also includes short passages with larger print. And yet (here is the tricky part), the text is still well written, matching the flow of the story.

We had so much fun with The Frog Prince last night that I absolutely had to share! It really kept my daughter motivated to continue reading even though she was tired and it was hard work. I kept saying, "We can put in a bookmark and finish tomorrow." But she dug deep and continued on. That's the sign of a good book!

I have come across other books that utilize this same concept in the past, but I find they are not usually well-written, enjoyable books to read. We will definitely be trying more books from this series. I noticed some of the books listed on the website (the "Elephant and Piggie" series and "You Read to Me, I'll Read to You") were also books I would recommend as fun for taking turns reading. Please add any additional suggestions in the comments! Happy Reading!

Measuring progress

Testing season is coming! I have a confession to make. I love testing! I love taking tests, giving tests, and getting results. The concrete measurements fulfill something in me. To get a rank and measure of progress can not only be reassuring, but it can be useful! And if a test involves filling in those bubbles, that's an extra special kind of fun.

As a parent and teacher, I've been known to give a sight word vocabulary test using the SORT (which they trained us to use in college) every six months when my child's reading was really exploding. Using that test I would get a grade level year and month for my child's vocabulary (ex. 3.1 equals third grade, first month). I like to be able to look at a book, find out the level, and be able to get a good idea if it will be easy or hard for my child to read. Independent books should be at or slightly below level, instructional books should be slightly above level so as not to be overly frustrating but provide a challenge, and read-aloud books should generally be above level. To find out the reading level of a book, the Accelerated Reader program has leveled many books, but there are other measurement systems out there and many easy readers at your library will have the reading level printed on the back of the book.

Now that my son is a proficient reader, he often amazes me at what he can read. Sometimes I begin reading a book aloud and he can't wait for me to continue so he reads on his own. I will call up a book quiz on Book Adventure.com to find out that he can pass the comprehension test with no problem. There are other sources of book quizzes. The Magic Tree House website has comprehension quizzes available for the books in that series. Please comment if you know of others. Like I said, I love tests! They help me to be able to know for sure if my child understood what he read when he is reading on his own.

My five-year-old also surprises me with the words that she can read as I help her decode an Easter card or preschool morning message. This week at school she had to answer, "Do you want the snow to be gone?" "Yes, no, or maybe." That test question was an easy one. The answer was an emphatic "yes!"