AT LEVELS Q-S A CHILD’S READING LEVEL IS DETERMINED BY: • Is the child reading with accuracy? No more than 10 errors/100 words. • The child is timed. Level Q students should read at least 90 words per minute. Level R and S at least 105 words per minute for fiction or 100 words per minute for nonfiction. • Is the child reading with expression that reflects the mood, pace, and tension of the text? OR, if the text is nonfiction, is the child emphasizing key phrases and words? • Does the child read in longer phrases, and heed punctuation? • For Level Q only, after reading the first few paragraphs, can the child stop and describe each character using 3 specific details? OR, if the text is nonfiction, can the child interpret what certain nonfiction text features show? • After reading the first few paragraphs,can the child make 3 thoughtful predictions of what might happen in the text? OR, if it is nonfiction, can he/she make 3 predictions of what he/she might learn in the text? • For Level R and S only, can the child form 3 questions he/she had from reading the first part of the text? OR, if the text is nonfiction, can the child use the title and table of contents page to think of 3 questions that may be answered in the book? • After reading, can the child write a summary, including important characters, events, and details, from the beginning, middle, end. OR, if the text is nonfiction, can the child write important facts from each heading? • Does the child use the important language and vocabulary from the text? • Can the child answer literal questions? • The child has to interpret the meaning of the story and support it with details. (For example: What did the character learn? OR Why did the character feel____? OR Why did the character say ____?) OR, if the text is nonfiction, a “why do you think…” question is asked. • The child must determine the most important event in the story and why, giving an opinion that reflects higher level thinking. • The child at Level R and S must check off a strategy that he/she used to help understand the text: FICTION: made connections, asked self questions, visualized, thought of reasons why things happened, understood characters’ feelings ~ with 2 examples from the text where the strategy was used! NONFICTION: recalled what he/she knew about topic, asked self questions, made connections, decided what was important, thought of reasons why things happened, visualized ~ with 2 examples from the text where the strategy was used!
What Does An ADVANCED Q-S Reader Look Like While Applying Strategies? Making Connections/Prior Knowledge Explains how background knowledge enriches the interpretation of the text and begins to make connections beyond life experience and immediate text
Questioning Uses questions to challenge the text related to the author’s purpose, theme, or point of view
Visualizing/Sensory Imagery Creates and describes multi-sensory images that extend and enrich the text; and can explain how those images enhance comprehension
Determining Importance Identifies at least one key concept, idea, or theme as important in overall text meaning and clearly explains why
Monitoring Comprehension Uses more than one strategy to build meaning when comprehension breaks down; can articulate which strategies are most appropriate for a given text
Predicting/Inferring Develops predictions, interpretations, and/or conclusions about the text that include connections between the text and the reader’s background knowledge or ideas and beliefs
Retelling/Summarizing/Synthesizing Stops frequently to reflect on text meaning; relates to the story or genre in a personal way; can identify key themes; may articulate how this process has created new meaning upon completion of text, refers to characters by specific name, and uses vocabulary from text http://www.mrsjudyaraujo.com/expectations-by-grade-level/ and adapted to fit the AW 2018 assessment matrix.