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Language Arts

Seattle Developmental Stages of Reading (K-2)

A-D (K-2) | E-H (3-5) | I-K (6-8)

A (K)

B (1)

C (1-2)

D (2)

The reader
is learning the direction of print in English, letters and sounds, other decoding skills, and that print contains meaning. H/she often memorizes chants and/or text.

The reader
is continuing to build decoding skills as well as a sight vocabulary with slightly more difficult text. H/she reads own writing with ease and confidence.

The reader
is learning strategies for decoding and understanding, building fluency and confidence. H/she relies less on pictures/patterns and more on text and context.

The reader
has decoding skills that enable him or her to read some material independently. Goals are fluency and confidence in reading both literature and nonfiction.

Books:
* are very short (8 pages)
* have large print
* have few or no words on a page
* are regularly patterned (only 1 or 2 words change from page to page)
* have pictures that provide cues for text
* are highly interesting
* are highly predictable
* contain familiar objects or actions in content

Books:
* are patterned and short
* have large print
* have multiple lines per page
* have pictures that provide rich cues for text
* sometimes rhyme
* are written in complete sentences
* are highly interesting & entertaining
* have simple concepts and high degree of predictability

Books:
* have more pages (as many as 48)
* still have large print
* have fewer patterns in text
* may have short chapters
* have pictures throughout
* are highly interesting & entertaining
* have easy to follow structure in nonfiction text

Books:
* vary greatly with regard to vocabulary, size of print, number of pictures and content
* have headings and are well-organized in nonfiction

Early D books
* have considerable text per page with larger print and pictures thoughout

Late D books
* have smaller print and sporadic pictures; fiction usually has chapters

Examples:
* Brown Bear, Brown Bear by Bill Martin
* Have You Seen My Cat? by Eric Carle
* Rain by Robert Kalan
* How Many Fish by Caron Cohen (nonfiction)
* I Am Planet Earth by Jean Marzollo (nonfiction)
* Footprints in the Snow by Cynthia Benjamin (nonfiction)
* Noise by Joy Cowley
* I Am (Rookie Reader) by Rita Milios

Examples:
* Each Peach Pear Plum by Janet and Allan Ahlberg
* Over In the Meadow by Paul Galdone
* Hattie & the Fox by Mem Fox
* Lights off, Lights on by Analise Taylor
* My Uncle Owns A Deli by Sarah Hughes (nonfiction)
* Lost in the Museum by Miriam Cohen
* Big Red Apple by Tony Johnston (nonfiction)
* A Day with Air Traffic Controllers by Joanne Winne (nonfiction)

Examples:
* Frog & Toad are Friends by Arnold Lobel
* Arthur?s Loose Tooth by Lillian Hoban
* The Wonderful Pigs of Jillian Jiggs by Phoebe Gilman
* Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
* What Is a Wheel and Axle by Lloyd G. Douglas (nonfiction)
* New Year's Day by David Marx (nonfiction)
* People and Places in Kenya by Donna Bailey and Anna Sproule (nonfiction)

Examples: Early D
* Henry and Mudge by Cynthia Rylant
* My Little Island by Frané Lessac
* Wagon Wheels by Barbara Brenner
* Abe Lincoln and the Muddy Pig by Stephen Krensky
* Deadly Snakes by Lisa McCourt (nonfiction)

Late D
* Dinosaurs Before Dark by Mary Pope Osborne
* Freckle Juice by Judy Blume
* Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish
* Fruits by Fred & Jeanne Biddulph (nonfiction)
* Postcards from Vietnam by Denise Allard (nonfiction)

Seattle Developmental Stages of Reading (grades 3-5)

E (3)

F (3)

G (4)

H (5)

The reader
shows confidence in his/her ability to read and understand books at this level including the ability to read silently.

The reader
is capable of reading and understanding "chapter books" (including those with no pictures) and nonfiction.

The reader
is building more complex strategies and skills to understand longer and more advanced literature and nonfiction including reference materials.

The reader
is a capable reader with many skills and strategies (including adjusting rate) to read and understand a variety of texts.

Books:
* are 60-90 pages
* have smaller print
* have easy vocabulary /concepts
* have fewer pictures in fiction text
* have limited number of characters in fiction
* have problem and resolution in fiction
* contain ample pictures in nonfiction
* may contain graphics, charts, etc.

Books:
* include chapter books (approximately 100 pages)
* have few or no pictures in fiction text
* are short with single theme or longer on topics of high appeal
* have multiple topics with headings in nonfiction
* should contain table of contents or index in nonfiction
* include maps, graphs, etc. in nonfiction

Books:
* include chapter books
* have varied vocabulary
* are 100-200 pages long
* have longer chapters
* are of high interest
* have smaller print
* have complex sentences
* have more complex information in nonfiction
* frequently have content-specific vocabulary in nonfiction
* contain organizational features in nonfiction

Books:
* are longer & more complex ideas, topics, sentences
* have more difficult concepts, vocabulary
* have high interest, smaller print
* require more background for understanding
* utilize all text features in nonfiction
* contain organizational features in nonfiction

Examples:
* Stories Julian Tells by Ann Cameron
* Best Enemies by Kathleen Leverich
* Chalk Box Kid by Clyde Robert Bulla
* Deserts by Dr. Clive Catchpole (nonfiction)
* TRASH! by Charlotte Wilcox (nonfiction)
* Knights of the Kitchen Table by Jon Scieszka
* Tornadoes by Lorraine Jean Hopping (nonfiction)

Examples:
* Taste of Blackberries by Doris Buchanan Smith
* Sarah Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan
* Muggie Maggie by Beverly Cleary
* The Flunking of Joshua T. Bates by Susan Shreve
* Pandas by Miriam Schlein (nonfiction)
* Brrr! A Book About Polar Animals by Melvin and Gilda Berger (nonfiction)
* Zeppelin by Andrew Donkin (nonfiction)
* Sidewalk Story by Sharon Mathis

Examples:
* Spies by Dorling Kindersley (nonfiction)
* The Best Bad Thing by Yoshika Uchick
* Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary
* The Kid in the Red Jacket by Barbara Parks
* Owls in the Family by Farley Mowat
* Riding Freedom by Pam Mu?oz Ryan
* Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
* Turtle Watch by George Ancona (nonfiction)
* Do Bananas Chew Gum by Jamie Gibson

Examples:
* Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
* Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
* House of Dies Drear
by Virginia Hamilton
* Which Way Freedom by Joyce Hansen
* Snow Treasure by Marie McSwigan
* Old Ramon by Schaefer
* Sounder by William Howard Armstrong
* Energy by Larry White (nonfiction)
* The Great Migration by Monica Halpern (nonfiction)

Seattle Developmental Stages of Reading (grades 6-8)

I (6)

J (7)

K (8)

The reader
has internalized many reading skills and reads silently, maintaining comprehension for extended periods. H/she is beginning the transition to adult reader.

The reader
is reading more complex and controversial topics (frequently represented in young adult literature or current magazines or newspapers) while building analytic and evaluative skills.

The reader
is developing a level of sophistication that enables the reading of a wide variety of material for many purposes. These readers have the necessary reading skills to be successful beyond middle school.

Books:
* appear more difficult with smaller print
* include multiple settings & characters
* include complex plots
* include complex vocabulary
* include young adult themes & ideas
* require more prior knowledge in nonfiction
* utilize all text features in nonfiction

Books:
* include young adult topics
* have complex sentence structures
* have difficult vocabulary
* have complex or sensitive themes, understanding requires more mature thinking
* have figurative language and literary devices which must be understood
* contain complex layers of meaning (as in metaphor)
* contain technical words in nonfiction

Books:
* have complex sentence patterns, plots, and vocabulary
* include complex themes and ideas; multiple perspectives
* include young adult and some adult literature
* include enduring works
* require considerable prior knowledge and multiple strategies for understanding
* can be highly technical

Examples:
* Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
* Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor
* One-eyed Cat by Paula Fox
* Homesick, My Own Story by Jean Fritz (auto biography)
* The Giver by Lois Lowry
* The Smithsonian Institution by Collins (nonfiction)
* Crocodiles and Alligators by Simon (nonfiction)

Examples:
* Words by Heart by Ouida Sebestyen
* Dogsongby Gary Paulsen
* True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi
* Zlata's Diary by Zlata Filipovic
* Boy: Tales of Childhood by Roald Dahl
* Chain of Fire by Beverley Naido
* The Starry Sky by Patrick Moore (nonfiction)
* Black Ice by Lorene Cary
* The Acorn People by Ron Jones

Examples:
* Anne of Green Gablesby E.L. Montgomery
* The Pigman by Paul Zindel
* Waiting for the Rain by Sheila Gordon
* Shabanu by Suzanne Staples
* Red Scarf Girl by Ji-Li Jiang
* Good Night, Mr. Tom by Michell Magorian
* We Remember the Holocaust by David Adler
* Eleanor Roosevelt by Russell Freedman

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