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    Explanations of Reading Levels  

    You may hear your child's teacher speak about their growth as a reader during the year.  The goal is to develop independence as a reader, being able to read any material that is at their reading level, both fiction and non-fiction.  The following information is to help you understand better the stages that a child will 'travel through on the road' to becoming an independent reader.     


    EMERGENT READERS
       use mostly information from pictures
       may attend to and use some features of print
       may notice how print is used
       may know some words
       use the introduced language pattern of books
       respond to texts by linking meaning with their own experience
       are beginning to make links between their own oral language and print

    EARLY READERS
       rely less on pictures and use more information from the print
       have increasing control of early reading strategies
       know several frequently used words automatically
       read using more than one source of information
       read familiar text with phrasing and fluency
       exhibit behaviors indicating  strategies such as monitoring, searching, cross-checking and self-correcting

    TRANSITIONAL READERS
       have full control of early strategies
       use multiple sources of information while reading for meaning
       integrate the use of cues
       have a large core of frequently used words
       notice pictures but rely very little on pictures to read the text
       for the most part, read fluently with phrasing
       read longer, more complex text

    INDEPENDENT READERS
       use all sources of information flexibly
       solve problems in an independent way
       read with phrasing and fluency
       extend their understanding by reading a wide range of texts for different purposes
       read for meaning, solving problems in an independent way
       continue to learn from reading, read much longer, more complex texts
       read a variety of genre

    *TAKEN FROM FOUNTAS AND PINNELL'S GUIDED READING