SELECTING “JUST RIGHT TEXT”

Part of our role in helping students learn to read is helping them to choose text

that is appropriate for their own purpose. Time spent helping students make

decisions about what they are reading supports the development of engaged

readers. Selecting a text is not just about the reading level, but rather involves

a variety of considerations. Selecting a text that is ‘just right’ will depend on

the reader’s purpose, interest, motivation, background knowledge and level.

Modelling lessons on how we choose text for ourselves will help our students

think about a variety of things when selecting text for themselves.

Some questions we might model:Am I interested in the topic?

Do understand what I am reading?

Why am I choosing the text?

What do I already know about the topic?

Are there different genres I would like to try reading?

Will the text features help me understand a more challenging text?

Is it an author or series I have already read and enjoyed?

Will it help me practice what I’m learning how to do?

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“Once we decide that it’s important for children to have say in the books they read, we must

not only teach them how to make wise choices, but also make available high-quality

selections that offer a wide variety of levels, topics and types of texts.” (Miller, 2013)

As teachers we can help students make wise decisions by: Modeling how we select text for ourselves Conducting text talks that help students become aware of

possible good choices Allowing time for students to discuss, share and post

text recommendations As students engage in text selection, having

conversations/conferring with individual students to discoverwhy they are making their text selection

Providing choices - Here are three texts that might work for you?Which one might you like to try?

Creating “Just Right Text” criteria book marks for students; onefor school and one for home.

Personalizing choices (e.g. putting a note on a book and leaving it on a child’s desk)

Questions to consider when Guiding Student Choice

Could a book:

that’s easy to read be just right for a student working on fluency?

above a students’ level be just right if he has extensive background about its content and/or is highly

motivated to read it?

be just right for a student working on comprehension if the words are easy to read, but the content is

challenging?

The term “just right” should be fluid and dependent on what students are

working toward.

More reading on this:

Book Love: Developing Depth, Stamina, and Passion in Adolescent Readers (Kittle, 2013)

Teaching comprehension in primary grades (Miller, 2012)

Beyond leveled books: Supporting early and transitional readers in K- 5 (Szymusiak, K., Sibberson F., & L. Koch, L.,

2008)

The daily five, 2nd Edition (Boushey,G. & Moser, J., 2014)

Conferring: The Keystone of Reader’s Workshop (Allen, 2009) *Adapted from Saskatchewan Reads (2015)