READING COUNTS 101

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READING COUNTS! 101

• The Basics
• by Rose Kelley

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LITERACY PROGRAM AT DESOTO TRAIL

• Phonemic awareness--hear, identify, and
  manipulate sounds of spoken words
• Phonics--relationship between written letters
  spoken sounds
• Fluency--read text accurately quickly
• Vocabulary--word use
• Comprehension--understanding what is read

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Techniques/Resources Used

• Explicit and systematic instruction using the
  Houghton Mifflin Reading Series
• Variety of short text passages in the reading
  series, other textbooks, Weekly Reader and
  Time for Kids
• Read alouds for modeling
• Extensive independent reading

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Reading Counts! (RC!)at DeSoto Trail

• RC! is an independent reading program that
  motivates students to become avid readers.
  Students read books of their choice on their
  Lexile level and take computerized quizzes to
  test for comprehension.
• The program and its companion, Scholastic Reading
  Inventory (SRI), were
• purchased by our school in 2001 to
• encourage more reading.

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What is Reading Counts!?
You can learn more than you ever wanted to know
about RC! at

• http//src.scholastic.com/ecatalog/readingcounts/d
  iscover/index.htm

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What is the Lexile Framework?

• In the late 1970s, Jack Stenner and Malbert
  Smith began working on a Lexile Framework that
  measures reading ability and text difficulty.
• The Lexile Scale (number followed by an L)
  ranges from 200L to 1700L.
• The Lexile Framework judges the difficulty of
  words by their frequency in standard written text
  and the challenge of syntax by the length
• of sentences.

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My child has taken the SRI and has a scorewhat
does it mean?

• It is the difficulty level at which the student
  can easily comprehend about 75 of the text
• The student should read between 50L above and
  100L below the Lexile measure

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Reading is like the three bears chairs

• Too hard (like Papa Bears) and the student may
  become frustrated and feel s/he doesnt like
  reading

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Too soft (like Mama Bears) and the student may

• Become too relaxed, complacent and bored
• Have trouble concentrating on the material for
  very long

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When the text is matched to the student, it can
be just right (like baby bears chair) and
students have

• Enough familiar text to feel competent
• Enough surprising vocabulary and challenging
  syntax to stay engaged
• An increased sense of mastery

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You can learn more about the Lexile Framework at

• www.lexile.com

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Parental Involvement in Learning
The family that reads together..
http//www.nifl.gov/nifl/facts/parental.html
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Using the Lexile Framework to Help Your Child

• Locate books within your childs Lexile range
  (Public Library, Desoto Trail Web site,
  Lexile.com Web site)
• Minimum of 20 minutes per day for independent
  reading
• Read challenging material aloud every day
• (high end of Lexile range or just above it)
• Think alouds for nonfiction/textbook reading
• Model your own reading behavior
• Have a variety of reading material available
• Make space for reading in your home
• Celebrate your childs reading accomplishments!

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What do students enjoy about RC!?

• They get instant feedback
• They have control over their accounts
• They have choices
• It helps them choose appropriate books on their
  level
• They enjoy the incentives--points ribbons,
  certificates, and assemblies