Month: September 2016
Lexile Leveling
I was very fortune to work with one of our wonderful sixth grade gifted Language Arts teachers on a Lexile “lesson” and book checkout. One of our teachers informed me she had finished the IReady test and her students had received their Lexile scores. We decided to have a lesson about Lexile levels, how to search for books in a Lexile range, and then have book check out in an attempt to challenge her students.
One amazing thing about middle school is how proficient we become by the last period of the day. Her first period was our guinea pig class and we were pumped about the lesson and ready to go. We began with small group writing prompts answered individually and then in groups. We asked 1. What makes someone a good reader? 2. How do you know a text is right for you? 3. What strategies do you use when you are challenged with a text? We then had group discussion and delved into their Lexile levels and what they mean.
What we discovered throughout the day and through the enormous amount of searches preformed was that Lexile levels are truly one small portion of how students should choose a text that is right for them. The quantitative measuring of a text looks at the sentence length and frequency of words. This means when you preform a search for Diary of a Wimpy Kid you get a Lexile level score of 950-1060. Searching for A Tale of Two Cities will result in a level of 1060, depending on the version. Many of the books in most middle school libraries are hovering around 700-900 levels. According to the Lexile to Grade correspondence chart that would put us around 4th-5th grade level.
What does all this mean and what did we decide to do?
Well, we decided to talk to students about challenging themselves from where they are currently reading. We also allowed them the freedom of choice when choosing which books to check out. We had them go to http://www.lexile.com and search for the books they had read recently or are currently reading to see what levels they were. Many were completely shocked by the levels being low. Then we told them to challenge themselves by going to the shelves and choosing several books they were interested in and to search them and try to find some above the level they have been currently reading on. It was great for students to see one way of looking at how difficult books can be but to also see the drawbacks of only looking at a number assigned to a book. Many of her students were directed to Stephen King books and Dean Koontz because of how high their scores were, which wasn’t going to work. Some students really wanted to get into their Lexile range and one way to do that was for her students to attempt some classic novels. I love that this teacher encouraged her students to try the books first. After they try it, they had the choice to continue reading it or switch to a different novel if it wasn’t for them at this point in time.
When using Lexile levels, remember content isn’t included in the scores. Another thing we noticed was non-fiction was much higher in general because of the vocabulary.
If you see a designation of HL before a level is stands for high interest but low readability. For example, Under the Never Sky, a popular dystopian read, was HL580L. This would be a great starting point for struggling readers.
If you see NC before a level it stands for non-conforming text. It has a lower grade level interest but a more difficult read. *We did have a student find a fiction title designated as NC but after reading some of the book said that it was easier than some of the other titles he had read that were considered a much lower Lexile level.
Most of all, we decided that Lexile leveling can be confusing and it should not be the only factor when choosing titles to read.
Happy Reading!
Young Adult???
Recently, at one of our librarian book club meetings we discussed what we have been reading and what we liked or didn’t like about the particular books. I had recently read the book Dumplin’. I discussed how much I enjoyed the read and another librarian commented that she loved the story too but asked, “do you think it should be in middle school?” We both agreed that is was geared toward a little older readers. There is such a struggle right now of “should I have this in my middle school library?” What book might be right for an incoming sixth grader might be too young for eighth graders. What book might interest eighth graders, sixth graders might not be ready for.
I know some stay away from young adult books completely because they don’t want to manage it. So, when looking to order books what do I usually do? I look at the reviews and suggested ages. Sometime the age is 12 and up, 13 and up, and 14 and up. These age ranges are included in middle school. I also look to see if other middle school libraries in my district carry the title.
Then just recently, I preordered the fifth book in a young adult series that I am in love with, Throne of Glass. The first book in the series is recommended for grades 7th-10th. I have the first three in this series in my school library. Only because I am currently reading this series, would I know that both book four and definitely book five are not written for middle school. I would even say that book five might be pushing it for high school as well. When searching for this book online the only recommended age I could find was for 14 and up.
It can be difficult when a student has already started a series and they want to continue reading it, how do you decide when to order and when to pass? Haha, I guess I will just have to pick up my reading pace and read everything.
I guess I am really thinking, when did the young adult/adult become so blurred and how do we keep up? I am not one for censoring what students are reading, I am just concerned some are unaware of this line becoming more blurred in a time when young adult literature is exploding.
I feel behind the times…sometimes…
As we kicked off our Writing Wednesday during all three of our lunches, I felt excited and hopeful as we had twenty-eight students show up, during their own lunch time might I add. We were discussing where we want the club to go and what we want to work on during our Wednesday work sessions. I had my own plans in my head and as I really opened it up to them I was amazed at how these kiddos are moving in the world of technology and the way it is shaping their ideas. Some of the kiddos in my group have their own YouTube channels, many are creating their own video games, they know which YouTube channels to watch for writing and art, and so much more.
Ideas were thrown out from beginning to learn how to use a green screen, to writing with squiggles, short stories, writing online, to just drawing. I guess I have some work to do looking into all these ideas but I am inspired to move forward and keep up with them as much as possible. Technically, our club should probably be labeled something other than “Writing Wednesday” and that will be a work in progress as well.
We also decided to start up our digital “magazine” again this year and students plan on bringing in some of their favorite work by the end of October for our first edition. I have already received two pieces and I am very excited about it! I can’t wait to see where this club takes us. I may be feeling behind the times, but these kids are not going to let that happen.
desertridgelibrary 