Bison Reading
Increase success with reading practice!
"With a book, you can go anywhere and be anything!"
FAQ
Reading will help you learn more about things that interest you, and the more you read, the better you get at it. Reading new and challenging texts will help you learn new vocabulary and will help you with fluency and reading speed.
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Why Read?
You have taken a Star360 test with the school, which identified your proximal zone for development while reading. You can use this information to choose books that are at your reading level. Please reach out to your teacher for information about your individual Star360 results so you can find a book that is best for you.
You can find books at your level on the AR Book Finder, but would then need to find that same book elsewhere to read it. http://www.arbookfind.com/default.aspx
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Book Finder by Lexile measure for parents: https://fab.lexile.com/
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More Information about Lexile Levels: http://www.scholastic.com/parents/resources/article/book-selection-tips/lexile-levels-made-easy
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How do I choose a book at my reading level?
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The more words you know and understand, the more information you will be able to comprehend while reading. There is a vocabulary section on this website to give you some tools to build your vocabulary, but it’s also important to look up words that you don’t know or understand while you are reading the books that you have chosen.
Why is Vocabulary practice important in reading?
You may have taken a dibels test with the school and can get those results by contacting your child’s teacher.
If not, you can administer a reading fluency test with your student.
You can use a passage from this site: https://www.readinga-z.com/fluency/fluency-practice-passages/ to conduct a one minute timed fluency test.
Score your child's fluency using this formula:
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Total words read: 60
Number of errors: 6
Number of correct words:
60 – 6 = 54
Accuracy percentage:
54/60 = .9
.9 x 100 = 90%
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How can I test my reading fluency to see if I need help in this area?
The fact that you have recognized that you need help learning to read is a great step in the right direction. Please be sure to reach out to your teacher for individual help, but you can also get started with the activities on the “fluency” page of this website. Fluency in reading is the ability to use phonics and decoding in order to read the words on the page. Building fluency is the first step towards better reading and is the most important place to begin if you are needing help decoding words on the page. Remember, even if you are practicing with fluency, it’s still important to continue your reading practice with books that meet your reading level. You can also read out loud or take turns reading with an adult. Taking turns reading with an adult is good for all ages. You can also check out some sources that will read aloud to you so you can hear the words pronounced as you read along.
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Epic Reader has a read along books for all ages, but you will need to get a code from your teacher to begin reading.
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Natural Reader is a downloadable source that will read the words aloud.
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What if I need help learning to read?
Where should I start?
You should start by perusing the book sites on the “reading page” and finding a book that you will enjoy reading on your own. Not only do you want to find something that you will enjoy reading and that interests you, but you will want to find something at your reading level. You don’t want to choose something that is too easy and doesn’t challenge you, but you also don’t want to choose something too difficult or overwhelming for you. The important thing is to read books that interest you that are at the appropriate reading level.
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How can my teacher help me?
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What if I don’t like to read?
More than likely, you don’t like to read because you haven’t found a book that truly interests you or you have only been reading material given to you by a teacher. Choosing your own book on a topic or from a genre that you enjoy learning about will help you start to enjoy reading. Think about the movies or TV shows that you enjoy, or activities and sports that you enjoy playing, choose a book that you think you will enjoy reading.
Sometimes, not having a joy for reading is caused from not understanding or reading beyond the level that is most appropriate for you. Please be sure to choose a book that isn’t too hard for you. Also, if you are struggling with decoding the words on the page, this can take the joy away from reading as well. It’s extremely important to learn decoding and phonics skills to build your fluency with the words on the page. You can check out the information provided about fluency to help you with this skill, but please be sure to also let your teacher know that this is an area where you are needing extra support so he/she can help support you.
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Looking for a list of popular
books from 2017?
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Young Adults/Teens
Children
Scholastic Lists (all ages) Choose the appropriate age at the top.
Your teacher can help you by providing a ZPD or Zone of Proximal Development for you to choose books that are at your individual reading level. ZPD is based on the Star360 reading test that you have taken several times throughout the school year. The ZPD will give you a grade-level and/or lexile level that you will want to choose books from.
Your teacher can also help you by coaching you on how to build fluency and can meet with you in either small groups or individually to help you with this important skill.