AR (Accelerated Reader) Books at 8.0+ Reading Level

 

I went in search of books for my 6th grade daughter to read that are interesting and appropriate for her 
age, plus taking in to consideration she has had enough social studies to mostly understand the social 
contructs of a given time period. He most recent AR test put her at a 9.0-12.0 reading level. There goes
 all the Harry Potter books she loves (except one, which you will see below and she will be excited to 
know I requested from the library.) Do you know how hard it is to find books that are at that level that 
are appropriate for an 11 year old to read and doesn't require prior knowledge of historical events or 
social constructs in foreign lands? It is not easy. 

Sure I can find lots of non-fiction, but some of it starts to get really technical and, frankly, are of topics 
that would bore her. I am sure I will have to look again when my son gets to this level, as his interest 
in non-fiction topics is different than hers. When I was looking up books that are popular among teens 
and tweens the books were often in the 4.5-6.5 grade levels. Honestly, I saw several books we read for 
book club that are 6.5-7.5 levels. 

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Fiction

Call of the Wild by Jack London (8.0)

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain (8.1)

The Tales of Beedle and Bard by J.K. Rowling (8.3)

1984 by George Orwell (8.4)

The Black Cat by Edgar Allen Poe (9.9)

Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne (9.9)

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne (10.0)

The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann Wyss (9.7-10.0, different versions)

Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (10.5)

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving (11.0)

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens (11.3)

The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allen Poe (11.4)

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (12.4)

Non-Fiction

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (8.0)

Into the Wild by John Krakauer (8.1)

Lives of extraordinary women : rulers, rebels (and what the neighbors thought)  by Kathleen Krull (8.5)   

Getting Away with Murder by Chris Crowe (8.7)

Cubism by Shannon Robinson (10.1)

The Radioactive Boy Scout by Ken Silverstein (10.1)

Salt, Sugar Fat by Michael Moss (10.2)

Barack Obama by Sherri Devaney (10.3)

Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser (10.4)

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On these lists I made, I have only read 3 of the books in the non-fiction category, 2 of which I own and will 
give her to read. Luckily, the library system has a bunch and the ones I included are ones I can find within 
our system. I didn't include any that were not available. I like to make up these lists so I can go back and 
reference them when she needs more books, or when my son reaches these levels. No sense re-doing 
all the research when I can just save it and share with my readers. I looked to see if anyone had a list out 
there list this and couldn't find one. Next year, I don't believe she has AR anymore, so she can read some 
of those 4.5-6.5 books that are popular (that were not appropriate for her at the age she was when she 
was at that level.)

Color Sight Word Photo Scavenger Hunt

I did this activity with my son when he was in preschool. I sent him on a color sight word photo scavenger hunt. Now, colors are great, scavenger hunts are a ton of fun, but what really makes this activity a blast is that they get to take photos.

So, find something you have that takes photos that you don't mind letting your child use and send them on a mission to find all ten colors. Perhaps you will have a camera they can use or your phone (or even an old phone with a camera on it that you don't have service on, it can still be used for the camera - plus did you know you can use it with apps over wifi - you can even put google hangouts on your phone to have a phone number and texting number) or maybe you have a tablet with a camera.

They will have so much fun with this activity.

2015 Book Club Read List

In case you are looking for ideas for yourself or a pick for your own book club, here is what we have read this year. I was the host for February and so that was my pick. I have been thinking about 2016 and what my pick will be. I am pretty sure I have a pick for when I will host early in the year.

Reading Bright Start! from Nemours Children's Health System

Last week I had the opportunity to participate in a webinar sponsored by Nemours Children's Health System to help educate bloggers and the public about their new program called Reading Bright Start! They sent me the above Reading Readiness swag bag to use at home and encourage literacy skills among my children (note: disclosure). Now, this webinar wasn't that new of information to me as I have done ECFE (Early Childhood Family Education, it's a MN Dept of Ed. program) with my kids since they were infants. I started reading to my kids the same day I brought them home from the hospital and made a routine our of reading before nap time and bedtime. I nursed both of my kids for the first year of their life and it was the perfect opportunity for them to listen to me read. I had their full attention while they were nursing and when I had my second born, my older child would hold the book for me while I read to both of them.

We still read with my kids before bedtime, even my 8 1/2 year old. If they still want you to read to them or with them, DO IT! It won't be long before they might say they don't want you there an you don't want to look back wishing you had read to them more. Not only are you reading to them, but you are giving them sensory input by touching them while you sit/lay next to each other. Some kids are very sensory in nature and find it calming to be touched while they are learning and for some kids being touched is one of their love languages and they are receiving information that they are loved and cared for while they are also learning words and increasing their vocabulary. There is SOOO MUCH good to come from sitting with your child or grandchild and reading to them.

But we didn't read at bedtime, nap time, or during nursing. We read all the time. I have books in each our cars (don't tell me you are bored while we are driving somewhere! read!) When they were really little we had those little waterproof bath books we read to them, and we had a couple of books (an Alphabet one and Nursery Rhyme one) that we read while they ate in their high chairs. We encourage literacy every chance we get because it is so important to helping them become good students and having an opportunity at more success in many facets of their lives. It's no wonder that my preschooler is sounding out short words already and my 3rd grader is above reading level for her grade.

Now that I have shared with you a bit about how literacy is important to our family, I also want to tell you more about how you can use Nemours Reading Bright Start! online program to help your family. You don't need to live in an area where Nemours services to use there online resources, plus it's FREE! Their website is targeted towards providing literacy tools to help children between the ages of 0-5 reach reading milestones. They have 8 separated sections based on different age groups from birth through age five to help you learn what skills you can be working on with them and milestones they should be reaching during this age group. Each of they sections includes milestone information for  motor skills and language and cognitive skills, as well as a section on helping at home and another on warning signs, as well as fun ideas for books to be reading this age group. This is the 5 year old page (since I have a new 5 year old.)

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One of the more interesting tools I found on the website is the Preschool Reading Screener for ages 3, 4, and 5. At the end of the screener you are provided instantly with the results and an action plan on how to help your child develop their literacy skills. I think this is particularly useful if you are unsure of where your child is at or if there is no screening in your area before they start kindergarten. It is important that we help equip children with foundational early literacy skills so that we can set them up for possibly future success in school.

This is a picture of a slide in the  Nemours webinar I participated in that I found particularly interesting that says "If a child is not reading at grade level by the end of first grade, that child only has a 10% chance of reading at grade level by the end of fourth grade." WOW! That really struck home to me since I have a preschooler and 3rd grader. I go in to volunteer in both of their classrooms and see how some of the third graders are really struggling with reading and if they are struggling with reading they are likely to be struggling with other subjects as well and I see how important it is that I am in volunteering with the preschoolers and reading to them.

Just check out the list (in the green box) that states what other types of negative consequences there may be for children who are struggling with their reading and not reading at grade level. I bet some of you didn't think that problems with reading can result in some of those consequences, which is why it is so IMPORTANT that we encourage early literacy skills in our youth before they enter school and give them foundational skills that they will continue to build upon.

This is a little chart I have seen in an area library and after this webinar I thought it was such an impact to see visually what it looks like to read to your child 20 minutes a day. Imagine how many words will be in your child's vocabulary if you started reading to them at birth. Don't fret over if you didn't start reading to them at birth, just start reading to them now. Check out the Reading Bright Start! website to get ideas for books and learn about early literacy milestones that your child should be reaching.

Thrifty Thursday: Summer Reading Programs

Local Libraries - you can sign up at multiple libraries if they allow, we sign up for one in each town with libraries to the north and south of us. They are a great resource of activities for your children in the summer and also a chance to earn free books and prizes from completing reading logs.

Barnes and Noble - Imagination's Destination Read any 8 books and fill out the form and bring it in to an area Barnes and Noble to claim a free book from the list on the form. Valid May 20th to Sept 2nd.

American Girl - Read-a-palooza $1 of every AG book purchased from an AG store is donated to the Save the Children's US Literacy Program. ALSO - Summer Reading Bookmark Craft Valid May 1- Aug 26.

Half Price Books - Feed Your Brain Each month (June & July only) read 15 minutes a day, then turn in your sheet and get your HPB $5 to redeem for free book(s)

Pottery Barn - Summer Reading Challenge, read any 8 titles from their list and earn a free book

Scholastic - Log weekly minutes and earn rewards and help set a world reading record. Valid May 5- Sept 5

Sylvan - Book Adventure Register and take quizzes on book you have read to win prizes like temporary tattoos, a candy bar, 3 month subscription to Highlights and more!

Chuck-e-Cheese - Fill out the form in the link by reading for 2 weeks and earn 10 bonus tokens

Thrifty Thursday: Kids Summer Reading Programs

Local Libraries - you can sign up at multiple libraries if they allow, we sign up for one in each town with libraries to the north and south of us. They are a great resource of activities for your children in the summer and also a chance to earn free books and prizes from completing reading logs.

Barnes & Noble - Just print off the form and have child in grades 1-6 read 8 books and bring it and choose a free book listed. Valid 5/21/13-9/3/13.

American Girl - Learn new ideas, take quizzes and attend events. Valid 5/1-9/3

Half Price Books - Stay Tuned, in the past a child can earn $5 in HPB Bucks by reading 300 minutes each month in June and July. They can earn $5 Bucks each month. It is for ages 14 & under.

Pottery Barn - All kids can participate, even very young can be read to and have it count. They can earn a free book. All books on the list are available to be purchased at PB. Valid 5/16-8/26.

Scholastic - This began on MAY 6th!!!

iVillage - Begins June 17th and is 4 weeks long, daily chance to win prizes.

Sylan Learning - You can earn prizes including a 3-month Highlights Magazine Subscription, temporary tattoos, books and more

Chuck-e-Cheese - Kids earn 10 free tokens for reading for 2 weeks, limit 1 per kid per time & food purchase is required, but each child can have a certificate and this is good all year!

5 Free eBooks from Scholastic Storia

It's simple to get them. Just go to Scholastic Storia and log in using the same username & password you use to order books for your children. If you don't already have an online account with Scholastic, it's easy to set one up at that login page.


Currently, Storia is available for:

• Windows PC [Windows®7, Vista®, and XP Service Pack 3]
• iPad®
• Android™ Tablet

The next step is just to install Storia on your preferred device (but they do allow you to link up to 5 devices, so you can install on your laptop & iPad and you child can read those same stories on any of the devices.

Your 5 FREE ebooks are:

• Clifford's Good Deeds
• I Love School
• Goosebumps: Night of the Living Dummy
• Bad Pets
• Ready Freddy: Tooth Trouble

I just downloaded it for my kids. I love to have some books on the iPad for when we are traveling. They love to read and it is great not to have to carry a bunch of books along when we are already bringing the iPad with us.

Be sure to also read my post about other Free Online Books for Kids and my review of Starfall.com.