Choosing?the right graded?readers?for young learners?

Rachel Wilson
A child and a adult reading a book together in a library
Reading time: 4.5 minutes

Picking out the right graded readers?for your young learners?takes a little thought.?There are thousands and thousands of stories out there. Not only do you have to find the right level but also a?range of?books?that will keep them captivated?as they learn to read.

In this brief guide, I¡¯ll be helping you to choose the right Disney Kids Readers for your students, so they can participate in guided and independent reading in class and at home.

Let¡¯s delve in.

First, what¡¯s the difference between guided and independent reading??

Guided reading

In class, students typically read aloud in a small group with a teacher. The teacher supports the children as they decode the words, navigate elements of pronunciation, and make sense of the meaning. At home, a child reads aloud to a parent or caregiver. This is a terrific way to involve parents in a child¡¯s path toward reading fluency.

Independent reading

Independent reading, on the other hand, is when students read silently to themselves. These students?are?already?reading?with some confidence. They can?decode common words and have a good handle on sight words.?Their reading speed is fluent enough to focus on the meaning of?the text.

Graded readers can help with leveling

So, how do you know which reader to choose for your students? Well, graded readers are already organized?by level. They also often provide metrics to help teachers make informed decisions about what reading level a child is at.?

Let¡¯s?take a look?at Disney Kids Readers as an example:?

Age and level-appropriate stories

Disney Kids Readers have six levels. The number of words per page and the number of pages per story are consistent in each level.

For example, Level 3 stories have up to 40 words per page and 20 pages per story. As a child moves up through the reading levels, the books become longer and more?complex.??

Word lists

To write the stories, authors use lists of common, high-frequency words. Level 1, for example, has a word list of 200 words. Level 6 has a word list of 1,200 words. These are called ¡°headwords.¡±?

In this way, the vocabulary load is manageable for learners. Even better, learners?come into contact with?the same words again and again throughout the readers, which builds their vocabulary.

Of course, it¡¯s difficult to write an engaging story for children using only headwords. So, the readers also include a few low-frequency, high-interest words, like ¡°lantern¡± or ¡°tower.¡± These words then go in a Picture Dictionary or Glossary at the back of the book to support student understanding.?

From Level 3, Disney Tangled,?Picture Dictionary?p.?23

Grammar syllabus

The authors write using a grammar syllabus for each level. For example, regular past simple is introduced in Level 3 readers, around the same time that students are learning this verb tense in their general English lessons. As children read, they see examples of the regular past simple within the stories.

Teachers can?use the?Disney Kids Readers¡¯??Scope and Sequence?to see which language structures are covered at each level.

Lexile? measure

Every Disney Kids Reader is assigned a Lexile? measure. This is a global standard for measuring text complexity. Generally, longer sentences and more low-frequency words in a text lead to a higher Lexile? measure. This gives teachers and parents a way to compare these readers against any other book with a Lexile? measure.

It also means that you can arrange the graded readers from the lowest to the highest score. You can be confident that the readers you choose are gradually becoming more complex as your young learners become more skilled at reading. ?

Global Scale of English

The?Global Scale of English?(GSE) is a standardized, granular scale from 10 to 90 that measures English language proficiency. It¡¯s aligned with the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR).?

Every level of Disney Kids Readers sits within a band on the GSE. For example, the range for Level 1 is 16¨C27, while Level 6 is 36¨C48. If you know the GSE or CEFR level of your students¡¯ general English coursebook, you can match the graded readers to the same level.

Each reader includes a handy chart on the back cover.?

°ä?¾±²õ?´Ú´Ç°ù?¡°³¦´Ç³¾´Ú´Ç°ù³Ù²¹²ú±ô±ð¡±

Independent reading: Reading the text should be easy¡ªwith almost every word familiar to the student. In this way, they can focus on enjoying and understanding what they¡¯re reading.?, a leading expert on teaching and learning vocabulary, suggests that two new words for every 100 words is the right fit for comfortable, independent reading.

Guided reading: Reading the text should help the student practice the reading skills they¡¯re learning, such as using context to understand words, language structures, letter-sound relationships, and reading comprehension.?

Tips for working out the comfort level:?

  • Make an estimate of a child¡¯s reading level based on what you already know about their?abilities, and?use the tools available to you in the graded reader. Then start at the level below that. It¡¯s safer to start low and go up, than the other way around.?
  • Have the child read a passage out loud to you from a book at this level. Aim for them to read about 100 words. As they read, make a note of the number of errors they make so that you can get a rough idea of whether they are?hitting a target of about 90% accuracy.

E is for ¡°enjoyable¡±

We want?reading to be?enjoyable?for?our young learners.?If they are?given?books?that they can understand and that they?find interesting,?there¡¯s?a?much?better?chance?that they¡¯ll develop?a love of reading.

Tips?for?making reading enjoyable:

  • Never?refer to reading?books?as?¡°homework¡±?
  • Let children pick books that interest them once they know their reading level
  • Include?a range of fiction and non-fiction?reading material?in the library
  • Encourage?children?to read all kinds of material: poetry,?graphic?novels,?articles,?plays,?profiles, in addition to stories.?

Whether you¡¯re a?seasoned school owner, teacher, or parent,?you can use?these?tips?to get your children reading with confidence?and?developing?a love of reading to last a lifetime.?What could be better than that?

Visit our young learners?Readers page?for more information

References

Extensive Reading and Vocabulary Learning, Paul Nation, Victoria University of Wellington, YouTube, 2020? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ??

More blogs from ÃÛÌÒapp

  • placeholder

    Understanding your GSE score

    By Samantha Ball
    Reading time: 3 minutes

    For many students, navigating the world of English language proficiency tests can be a daunting experience. Whether you're preparing for university, looking to enhance your career prospects, or simply aiming to improve your communication skills, understanding what your Global Scale of English (GSE) score means is crucial.

    In this blog post, we'll break down the GSE, explain what your score represents and provide you with actionable steps to improve it.

  • Two business men looking at a laptop

    Making the case for English language training and assessment in your organization

    By Samantha Ball
    Reading time: 4 minutes

    You¡¯ve done your research and you know that a greater focus on language skills could help you and your organization reach your goals faster and more effectively. The next stage? Getting buy-in from your key stakeholders.

    Securing budgets and implementing new initiatives is a real challenge for HR professionals. That¡¯s why building a strong business case is essential. Reliable language testing tools can accurately measure a candidate's ability to use a language in real-life contexts. Assessing language proficiency is crucial for tracking employee fluency levels and ensuring effective communication within the organization.

  • Image of two business women in a office talking together over a document

    Global perspectives: International experience as the ultimate preparation for today¡¯s leaders

    By Samantha Ball
    Reading time: 4 minutes

    From global marketplaces shipping goods between countries to fast-paced remote teams combining talent from all corners of the world, business has never been more international.?

    This multinational, multicultural nature of today¡¯s companies demands more from business leaders. It¡¯s not enough to build a global team, you need to pre-empt and mitigate the challenges that team will face, from overcoming language barriers to navigating new opportunities, and nurturing their differences while creating cohesion.?

    We talked to five leaders about how international experience gave them a global perspective that enhanced their leadership abilities, defined their careers, and shaped their personal lives.?