Matching books to readers

To appropriately match books to readers, the teacher must know the reading process, the students, the books, and the text characteristics that support or challenge readers. Guidelines for matching students to independent reading materials are outlined below.
 
Level Books, Not Students
Students should not be labeled or categorized as a particular level. Instead, concentrate on helping students select text that will support their growth as readers.

• Students do not read every title within a level before moving on. As they develop the skills and strategies they need, they will progress naturally to more challenging texts.
• All books and genres are not meant to be leveled. Avoid the temptation to level everything.
• If students or parents become overly concerned or anxious about text levels, explain that the reason for leveling text is to help each student find books that will help him or her grow as a reader.

 
Allow Student Choice

• Students should be allowed choice in selecting independent reading materials based on interests. Choice creates motivation and helps children develop their identities as readers. During units of study focused on a particular genre or author, teachers often narrow the selection to texts that match the unit of study.
• Books can be rotated in and out of the classroom library throughout the school year. Teachers may choose to stock the library with certain genres or topics based on what the class is studying in Readers' or Writers' Workshop, or to support content in other curricular areas. 

 
Help Students Learn to Select “Just-Right” Books

• The term “just right” is often used to help children select appropriate books from the classroom library. Most of the books that are just right for a student’s independent reading will be at that student’s independent reading level (95–100% accuracy with fluency and strong comprehension).
• It is okay if some of a student’s independent reading books fall within his or her instructional level (90–94% accuracy), so long as the student can read them with adequate comprehension and does not experience frustration. After all, just as one improves at tennis by playing against an opponent who is slightly more skilled, one can improve at reading by selecting books that present slight challenges. Some reading experts use the term “just right” in this way to refer to instructional-level text in the child’s zone of proximal development. In Readers’ Workshop, instructional-level texts are appropriate to use for instruction (such as during shared or guided reading) but are not always just right for independent reading. During independent reading, students should read text that they can decode and comprehend with ease.
• If a student has a great deal of background knowledge about a book’s content, he or she may find it to be a “just right” book and read it successfully, even if it would normally be classified as above his or her level.
• Over time and with help from the teacher, students will develop and use an internalized sense of “just rightness” by comparing new texts to those just right books they know and love.

 
Ensure Students Have Successful Reading Experiences with a Variety of Texts

• Most students read within a range of levels based on reading ability, interests, and background knowledge. Use on-going assessment to match students with appropriate texts.
• Encourage students to read a variety of genres and authors to vary their reading experiences and deepen their understanding of different text structures and styles of writing.