Choosing "Just Right" Books!

Children make progress in reading by spending time independently reading while applying reading strategies.  However, in order for these students to apply these strategies they need to be reading a "just right" book. It's difficult to apply strategies when you know every word and understand everything; it's equally difficult when you know hardly any words and understand very little. Since my goal is to create independent readers then I need to make sure your child is choosing " just right" books. In order to help students understand how to choose "just right" books, I compared picking out a "just right" shirt. It didn't take long for them to catch on and realize how important it is for them to make sure each book they read is "just right" for them.

                                                                     TOO SMALL

                                                                          TOO BIG

                                                                     JUST RIGHT :)
                                                   
                 I told the studednts to use this 5 Finger Rule when trying to decide if on a book to read.