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In article one, the author basically said that students should always be reading complex texts, and not be reading on their individual level.

In the other article, I was amazed at the ACT score report based on the three different levels of passages.

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The big idea for both articles I selected is how leveled readers can be an effective tool if used correctly. Your entire reading curriculum should not be based on climbing to another level, but enjoyment. You should also make allowances for your ELL. I felt a little guilty of labeling those students who are on a different level. A student’s level should not predict whether they fail or succeed.

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I loved that F&P stated that reading levels are meant to be a teacher resource, not a label for a child because of how it is not easily understood by parents and does not reflect a student's choice in what text they read.  I liked the way they also stated I could read.....but I prefer young adult fiction.

Dr. Shanahan suggests letting children work with harder texts when with the teacher in groups and easier to understand texts on their own and just scaffold the amount of assistance the group needs in understanding/gaining meaning from the text presented.

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A Level is a Teacher Tool, Not a Child Label

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A Level is a Teacher Tool, Not a Child Label

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and Do Leveled Readers Hurt or Help my ELs?
The first article help us see how we should not label our student‘s ability on how they will learn.
The second articles is basically telling us that we shouldn’t limit ELs student’s level of reading either and allow them to explore as well.

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Considering Reading Instruction with the End in Mind

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Considering Reading Instruction with the End in Mind

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"Meet students where they are". When this statement is used, the focus is grade level. We would assume that if a student is in a particular grade, that is what level they are performing on. But that is not always the case. We will assume that this is a perfect world. We should never give a child text that is below the grade level that they are in. I say perfect world, because I have seen children be promoted when they had not mastered grade level skills.

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A level doesn't define a student, it's a teacher tool!  

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A level doesn't define a student, it's a teacher tool!  

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"Meet students where they are going not just where they are." This phrasing is new for me but the idea is not. I believe most educators live by this concept and my 2 articles just reinforced it. 

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"Meet students where they are going not just where they are." This phrasing is new for me but the idea is not. I believe most educators live by this concept and my 2 articles just reinforced it. 

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So I read "Considering Reading Instruction with the End in Mind" and "Do Leveled Readers Hurt or Help My ELs".

In the first, it talked about two students at different levels and how our focus is often on where the students are instead of where the students are going.  This is a shift that is currently happening for me.  Not just identifying where the students are but finding ways to push them to the next level.  It also talked about keeping complex texts for all students, but the differentiation should come from the supports that are given to students.

In the second, it talked about Do's and Don'ts for EL instruction. I thought this was very important. I appreciated the infographic this article gave. More so, I found the resources on this website awesome. You should go check them out even if you skip the article.

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I found it super interesting that Fountas and Pinnell suggest not sharing reading levels with children or parents to help take off some of the pressure to read better and do better. That leveling should be used for the teacher to plan instruction and not label a child or make a child feel like they are behind or above to brag about.

I also read the idea of not only meeting and continually working with students where they are but where they should be. If we never start to push higher, the gap won't close. That is a statement full of truth but one that is often forgotten.

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A Level is a Teacher's Tool, NOT a Child's Label, and Do Leveled Readers Hurt or Help My Els?

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A Level is a Teacher's Tool, NOT a Child's Label, and Do Leveled Readers Hurt or Help My Els?

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The big idea of the first article stated F&P guided reading levels are not meant to be shared or discussed with students or parents. They are simply to be used as a guide for teachers.
The big idea of the second article is that ELs need complex text in order to learn and grow in proficiency of English. I agree with the big ideas presented in both articles. As long as the needs of each child are being met, then teachers should predict the successfulness of all students throughout the year.

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One says breaking down things in levels negatively impacts students, specifically those that don't perform well.  It also encourages student choice of material not teacher or administrator.

The other just seemed to point out that textbooks reading isn't entertaining enough to make many students engage, which (I guess) suggests why so many of our learners struggle. It isn't them it's the material? I disagree.

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EXACTLY!!! Balance is the key. I love the idea of pairing students and having students who are reading more complex texts sit with the teacher. Yes, it may take longer to get through the text, but it can be done with much more meaning. I also appreciate him saying that we can still learn SOMETHING from easier texts, as well. It must be a balance between instructional and grade level texts to yield the best success!

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Article 1: I liked the idea of putting the students who are reading the hardest texts with the teacher during small group instruction instead of the students who are reading on a beginning level.

Article 3: I agree that a student's reading should be more about enjoyment and discovering new things than about moving up reading levels. The levels should be a way for teachers to guide students in choosing independent reading books and not a limitation or a requirement.

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I loved the articles I read about meeting students where they are going and a level is a teacher tool. I love the idea of letting a student choose a book based on interest and not one that is on their reading level. Teachers should always look to the big picture of where do I want my student to go this year and how do I make that happen?

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I loved the articles I read about meeting students where they are going and a level is a teacher tool. I love the idea of letting a student choose a book based on interest and not one that is on their reading level. Teachers should always look to the big picture of where do I want my student to go this year and how do I make that happen?

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A level is a teacher's tool not the child's label

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A level is a teacher's tool not the child's label

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I enjoyed reading this article so much. It puts the student into persective as to their intrest(s) will/should be a tool to access the grade level mateiral they read. Yes they struggle, but they will usually work to read the text and become more fluent.

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I loved the article about leveled readers! I do not use below-level text with my lower level students. 1) I do not think that will help them catch up to peers. 2) I do not want them to think they are behind and bring forth self-esteem problems. I love reading in my free time, and I want my students to feel that love too.
I also read the last article about EL students. I honestly thought example A would be easier for them to understand, therefore better for them to read. It turns out example B, the more challenging yet interesting excerpt, is better suited for them with scaffolding. Very interesting.

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I really liked the statement, "A level is a teacher's tool, not a child's label." I love that we are beginning to get away from labeling our students and giving them more of a chance to read books on their grade level and not just their reading level. This helps students grow as readers, and gives them a chance to read books they are interested in and in turn can create a love of reading.

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Question #4 Do Leveled Readers Hurt or Help My ELS?

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Question #4 Do Leveled Readers Hurt or Help My ELS?

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We need to get away from a mere exercise in a small group and focus on more engaging, enriched text for all learners, especially ELL>

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I read through several of the articles, as well as the responses on this page. I agree with so many of them. Being in a library, I see the highs and lows that come from struggling readers, as well as students who are struggling with English as a second language, to students who are overwhelmed with many options. Finding a balance is extremely hard; so many factors and criteria have to be met for success to occur. My goal is for students to fall in love with all genres of books, offer a variety of levels to our students, and promote the written word in hopes that it will help them as they move from grade to grade to graduation to adulthood.

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#3 Article-A Level is a Teacher's Tool, NOT a Child's Label: 

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#3 Article-A Level is a Teacher's Tool, NOT a Child's Label: 

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I really enjoyed this article. When children realize that they are not reading on the same level as their friends their confidence diminishes. Students will dread attending school and will be afraid to learn and try new things.

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Article # 2: Considering Reading Instruction with the End in Mind 

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Article # 2: Considering Reading Instruction with the End in Mind 

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I agree with the importance of exposing students to grade level text not just text on their reading level. We can meet children where they are but we need to have the end goal to push them to where they need to be. We are setting them up for failure if we do not push them to where they need to be, and that cannot be done without exposure and practice with grade-level text. We must use data and scaffolding tools to help students reach their full potential

Article # 3: A Level is a Teacher's Tool, NOT a Child's Label.
I could not agree more with this. Teachers need to use leveled readers to help students work on reading and comprehension skills to get them to read on grade level.

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Article 2: The Instructional Level Concept (Shanahan on Literacy) Two powerful takeaways ->(1)  "Start kids out with complex texts that they cannot read successfully; then teach them to read those texts WELL." (2) "..... students should read several texts across their school days and school  years.  This reading should vary greatly in difficulty, from relatively easy texts that would afford students extensive reads with little teacher support, to very demanding texts that could only be accomplished successfully with a great deal of rereading and teacher scaffolding.  I believe much is learned from that kind of VARIED practice." Again, it's a balance of where they are, where you need them to go and the best effective, instructional practices to get them there!

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Article 2: The Instructional Level Concept (Shanahan on Literacy) Two powerful takeaways ->(1)  "Start kids out with complex texts that they cannot read successfully; then teach them to read those texts WELL." (2) "..... students should read several texts across their school days and school  years.  This reading should vary greatly in difficulty, from relatively easy texts that would afford students extensive reads with little teacher support, to very demanding texts that could only be accomplished successfully with a great deal of rereading and teacher scaffolding.  I believe much is learned from that kind of VARIED practice." Again, it's a balance of where they are, where you need them to go and the best effective, instructional practices to get them there!

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Article 1: A Level is a Teacher's Tool, NOT a Child's Label - Everything about this article is right on point! In the fast-paced world of "get your students on-level", this article serves as a great reminder to educators of what reading (and reading progression) should be.  Many of our students are forced to read texts that are too difficult for them, and they lose interest in reading quickly.  This article reminds us that building great readers should be a balance of interests, ability and challenge.  With the mixture of all the right ingredients, we can create a recipe for ROCKSTAR READERS! 

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Article 1: A Level is a Teacher's Tool, NOT a Child's Label - Everything about this article is right on point! In the fast-paced world of "get your students on-level", this article serves as a great reminder to educators of what reading (and reading progression) should be.  Many of our students are forced to read texts that are too difficult for them, and they lose interest in reading quickly.  This article reminds us that building great readers should be a balance of interests, ability and challenge.  With the mixture of all the right ingredients, we can create a recipe for ROCKSTAR READERS! 

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Article: The Instructional Level Concept

"If a text is too easy, there will be nothing to learn." The importance of reading with a teacher is evident in this statment. If student reading/comprehension is not being monitored, how will it be determined that a text is too easy? As stated in the article, when working closely with students materials should be more difficult. This is something we need to adjust at our guided reading tables.

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"It makes no sense to teach everybody as if they were 5-years-old."  This statement really stuck out to me in the article by Shanahan.  I do not believe that is the intention of any teacher, but I also know it happens! Our job is to foster a love for reading and challenge students, but I believe we unconsciously have held students back by limiting their exposure to texts they may truly love if given the chance to experience. By denying children the opportunity to fall in love with texts, we simply create more non-readers and reduce the chances for success.

(I used a combination of all four articles.)

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Article 1: A Level is a Teacher's Tool, Not a Child's Label- Reading levels should only be used as a guide for the teacher to make decisions to help students succeed. Reading levels should not be used to make students feel as though they are below their peers. Teachers main goal should be to foster a love for reading.
Article 2- Do Leveled Readers Hurt or Help My ELs? - This article really opened my eyes to many things regarding ELs. I have a passion for helping ELs and they should never be labeled as behind based solely on the fact they are an EL student. We should always give each student a quality education. ELs do require more support but that does not mean they aren't capable of reading or understanding complex texts.

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#1 Article-A Level is a Teacher's Tool Not a Child's Label- In my 2nd grade reading class I make reading levels a game. The object is to reach their highest level by the end of the school year. Levels should only be used as a resource tool. Levels shouldn't be used to stress teachers, students, and parents. #2 Article Teacher's need to teach reading based reading level and not as a grade level. Grade level teaching is for whole group. Reading level teaching is for small group instruction. Teachers need to use a reading assessment to guide instruction for small groups. Teachers need to use data to drive their small groups instruction. I agree with both articles I picked to read. 

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#1 Article-A Level is a Teacher's Tool Not a Child's Label- In my 2nd grade reading class I make reading levels a game. The object is to reach their highest level by the end of the school year. Levels should only be used as a resource tool. Levels shouldn't be used to stress teachers, students, and parents. #2 Article Teacher's need to teach reading based reading level and not as a grade level. Grade level teaching is for whole group. Reading level teaching is for small group instruction. Teachers need to use a reading assessment to guide instruction for small groups. Teachers need to use data to drive their small groups instruction. I agree with both articles I picked to read. 

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I read number 2. one first. I understand the importance of getting student one on grade level,  but how do I et them there if I don’t start at their level? There’s a reason they came to me on that level and I need to help them go beyond that level. I do whole group on the more complex levels and I scaffold it by breaking it down for those who need the extra help. For those who don’t, I just remind them that a refresher is always nice to keep it fresh. I also pull those during station time and work on their level. They may not get to the level student two is on, but by the end of the year,  I will have them on or above grade level.Secondly I read number 3. This one really hit home. Not only am I a teacher, I am a mother. My oldest daughter loves to read and has always been 3-4 levels above her grade level in reading. By the time she got to 6th grade, she was reading at a 12th grade/ college level. My second daughter enjoys reading, but not to the degree my first daughter does. She’s in 5th right now reading on an 8th grade level. I don’t encourage them to talk about their levels, but to talk about what they read. I want to do this with my students too. Most of my students right now are 1-2 levels below grade level. I do not tell them this. I just tell them I want to help them read to enjoy the magic of books and how reading makes learning so much more enjoyable and doable. I never want them to feel, or will allow them to say, they are not smart or not as good as someone else. 

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I read number 2. one first. I understand the importance of getting student one on grade level,  but how do I et them there if I don’t start at their level? There’s a reason they came to me on that level and I need to help them go beyond that level. I do whole group on the more complex levels and I scaffold it by breaking it down for those who need the extra help. For those who don’t, I just remind them that a refresher is always nice to keep it fresh. I also pull those during station time and work on their level. They may not get to the level student two is on, but by the end of the year,  I will have them on or above grade level.Secondly I read number 3. This one really hit home. Not only am I a teacher, I am a mother. My oldest daughter loves to read and has always been 3-4 levels above her grade level in reading. By the time she got to 6th grade, she was reading at a 12th grade/ college level. My second daughter enjoys reading, but not to the degree my first daughter does. She’s in 5th right now reading on an 8th grade level. I don’t encourage them to talk about their levels, but to talk about what they read. I want to do this with my students too. Most of my students right now are 1-2 levels below grade level. I do not tell them this. I just tell them I want to help them read to enjoy the magic of books and how reading makes learning so much more enjoyable and doable. I never want them to feel, or will allow them to say, they are not smart or not as good as someone else. 

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In the article "A Level is a Teacher's Tool, Not a Child's Label", truer words cannot be spoken. I do not ever want my students to feel as if they are not as smart as or as good as another student because of their "level". Every student is great, no matter what level they are on. They need to be told this. I work on grade level with the entire class and then work in groups on their levels. No one feels singled out or different. 

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In the article "A Level is a Teacher's Tool, Not a Child's Label", truer words cannot be spoken. I do not ever want my students to feel as if they are not as smart as or as good as another student because of their "level". Every student is great, no matter what level they are on. They need to be told this. I work on grade level with the entire class and then work in groups on their levels. No one feels singled out or different. 

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I really liked the statement, "A level is a teacher's tool, not a child's label."