Connecting Research & Theory to Practice

How do you match a reader with a text? Texts and readers can be matched by interest, reading level, and skill. Review the information in your textbook on readability formulas and the Lexile framework. Using the grade level you intend to teach, choose a topic (i.e., frogs) to use as the focus for a thematic unit. Using Lexile’s “Find a Book” Tool, locate three to five thematic texts that would be appropriate for independent reading for students in the class whose reading levels vary by three grade level. For each text, provide: the book’s title author corresponding Lexile measure In two to three paragraphs, provide a rationale for the texts you chose and discuss the instructional implications for their use. At a minimum, your write-up should address the following: The theme you used to guide your selection of texts. A descriiption of the student that each text would be most appropriate for. The benefits and challenges of selecting texts based on these readability measures. Any other considerations that might need to be made when selecting texts for use in a class with a heterogeneous population.