Books for Beginning Readers

For beginning readers the key task is mastering the code, which consists of phonics, syllabic analysis, and other foundational skills. Instruction works best when the books and articles that children read reinforce the skills they have been taught. Students might read decodable texts, which are texts written to reinforce particular decoding elements. Or they might read children’s books that naturally reinforce certain elements. After learning the –ake pattern, students might read the The Cake that Mack Ate (Robart, 1986). Sheep in a Jeep (Shaw, 1986) would be a good choice for reinforcing the –eep pattern. Articles from children’s periodicals can also be used to reinforce decoding skills. “Shh . . . The animals are sleeping!,” an article from Scholastic’s My Big World, can be used to reinforce the –eep pattern.

Using the Stepping Stone Approach

One research-based method for boosting students’ ability to read challenging informational text is to use a steppingstone approach. In a steppingstone approach, students read texts that gradually increase in difficulty. The texts are on the same topic so that as students read increasingly difficult texts they grow in reading ability. The easier texts build a base for reading the more complex ones by developing background and vocabulary. As implemented in the research-based Interactive Strategies Extended approach, the teacher might select a grade-level biography of John F. Kennedy and then locate four of five biographies written on easier but gradually increasing levels (Gelzheiser, Scanlon, Hallgren-Flynn, & Connors, 2019). With support from the teacher, the student reads these increasingly difficult biographies and, if all goes well, is able to handle the grade-level biography. (Students who need it are also provided with intensive instruction in word recognition skills).

Steppingstone books can be obtained through your school or local library. Some sources for identifying suitable books are Titlewave, Renaissance Learning’s Bookfind, and Metametrics (Lexile framework). Titlewave is a commercial site used by librarians to purchase books. Books can be searched by title, author, subject, maturity level, or readability level. Many of the books listed on Titlewave are also accompanied by reviews.  Metametrics lists close to 150,00 books that can be searched. Using the Lexile search feature, Find a Book, 34 books on Kennedy were listed with Lexiles ranging from 440 to 1580. Book distributors, such as Amazon and Barnes and Noble, can also be used. Many of the books on Amazon, Titlewave, and other sites have a look-inside feature that allows readers to examine sample pages.

Using Children’s Periodicals

Children’s periodicals add variety to the literacy curriculum. In general, they are also written in a lively, engaging style and offer support in the form of photos, explanatory maps and charts, phonetic respellings of words, and definitions of key terms. Best of all, many state, local, and school libraries offer free access to periodicals.

Using Children’s Periodicals

Children’s periodicals add variety to the literacy curriculum. In general, they are also written in a lively, engaging style and offer support in the form of photos, explanatory maps and charts, phonetic respellings of words, and definitions of key terms. Best of all, many state, local, and school libraries offer free access to periodicals.