How To: Finding 4th Grade Appropriate Books

The goal for fourth grade is for all students to be within
the "Stretch Lexile Band" range. 

    In one of the sessions at Back to School Night we discussed age and level appropriate books. I expressed my concern with Diary of a Wimpy Kid as the Lexile Level for most of the books are around 1060LL. If you look at the chart on the right, even with recent increases that level is far above 4th and 5th grade level.

What is Lexile Anyways? 

     Students and books are given a number representing their understanding of vocabulary and the readability of the books. While books that are of a higher or lower level can be entertaining, the full reading experience is decreased and benefits of reading can be lost. 

How do I find the LL of a Book?

www.lexile.com, Search for your book and a page like the one above should pop up
giving you a number score for the lexile level. 

You have just searched for a book and now what? Take a look at the green circle and evaulate the score. If you are interested in trying a book that may push your child a bit, take a look further on the page at the Vocabulary Words section. There will be a list of vocabulary that will be in the book that may be difficult to understand.

The other thing that I like is that there is an "Expected Comprehension" score if you type in your child's approximate score. You will get a definite score in October. I thought the test was going to be available in September and it is not until October. For now, ball park around the beginning fourth grade levels on the stretch band for the good readers out there. Too difficult? Take it down to the high 600's or low 700's.

Popular Titles & Lexiles :

* Percy Jackson Series  (630)
*Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone ( 880)
*Harry Potter & the Chambers of Secrets (990)- appropriateness beyond this book is a personal household decision
*Charlotte's Web (680)
* Holes (660)
*Frindle (830)
*Michael Vey (530)
* To Kill a Mockingbird (790)
*Mr. Popper's Penguins (990)

Here you can find another great website to find books for your child in the 700 LL range. Actually, any range but the link will take you to the 700's.  I hope this helps a bit. Let me know what I can do to support you at home!