Language Arts

Students are hard at work building their reading lives in our reading workshop.  Part of building a reading life has to do with the books we choose.  Students are working to choose books that are "just right" for them.

So, what is a "just right" book?

A "just right" book is a book that is not too easy or too hard for a student.  It is a book that a student can read with 95-96% accuracy.  These are the books that children can read independently with fluency. They allow for some problem solving of words which helps students grow as a readers.

So how do we know if we have found a "just right" book?

We teach the students the Five Finger Rule to help determine if a book is just right for them.

Five Finger Rule
1. Choose a book you think you will enjoy.
2. Read the second page.
3. Hold up a finger every time you come to a word you are not sure or do not understand.
4. If there are five words you do not know or do not understand, this book is too challenging for you right now and you should choose another book.  

Click here to see a video explaining the five finger rule!

We will continue to help students monitor their selections to make sure that they are selecting just right books for their independent reading.