Reading Levels
Fountas & Pinell levels are used for helping students read appropriate books. Text levels correspond with grade levels.
Please note that while some students are able to read text above the 5th grade level, please be aware that some level V and W text content is appropriate for the developmental level of a fifth grader, however, texts higher than that almost always are at a developmental level that is not appropriate for 10 and 11 year olds.
Fifth grade students reading at the M, N, O, and P levels typically have difficulties with phonics, word attack, fluency and comprehension. These kiddo's generally do not enjoy reading and when forced, they generally fake it. Many of these kids have given up on the idea of ever enjoying reading.
Fifth grade students reading at the Q, R, and S levels often are strong at fluency and word attack, yet don't apply any comprehension strategies. They typically word call, meaning, they read the words but believe that is all that is required of 'reading.'
Students at level T and above generally enjoy reading, and read a lot. They are aware of the thinking that goes on in their heads and are able to keep track of it. Further, they know when a text is easy, just right, or too hard and manage their book selections appropriately.
Characteristics of Reading Levels
Book Titles
Level L – (middle of 2nd grade)
Horrible Harry Series
Cam Jansen
Amelia Bedilia
level M (end of 2nd grade)
Junie B Jones
Katie Kazoo
Magic Treehouse
Level N (beginning of 3rd grade)
Franny K. Stein
Level O (middle of 3rd grade)
Secrets of Droon
Jake Drake
Geronomo Stilton
Mallory
Ramona Quimby
Level P – (end of 3rd grade)
Encyclopedia Brown
Time Warp Trio
Jake Maddox
Level Q (beginning of 4th grade)
American Girls
Level R (end of 4th grade)
Hank Zipzer
Marguerite Henry’s Horseshoe Library
On the Run
Kidnaped
Level S (beginning of 5th grade)
Level T (beginning to middle of 5th grade)
Joey Pigza
Sammy Keyes
Fountas & Pinell levels are used for helping students read appropriate books. Text levels correspond with grade levels.
Please note that while some students are able to read text above the 5th grade level, please be aware that some level V and W text content is appropriate for the developmental level of a fifth grader, however, texts higher than that almost always are at a developmental level that is not appropriate for 10 and 11 year olds.
Fifth grade students reading at the M, N, O, and P levels typically have difficulties with phonics, word attack, fluency and comprehension. These kiddo's generally do not enjoy reading and when forced, they generally fake it. Many of these kids have given up on the idea of ever enjoying reading.
Fifth grade students reading at the Q, R, and S levels often are strong at fluency and word attack, yet don't apply any comprehension strategies. They typically word call, meaning, they read the words but believe that is all that is required of 'reading.'
Students at level T and above generally enjoy reading, and read a lot. They are aware of the thinking that goes on in their heads and are able to keep track of it. Further, they know when a text is easy, just right, or too hard and manage their book selections appropriately.
Characteristics of Reading Levels
Book Titles
Level L – (middle of 2nd grade)
- One – two characters in story
- Many repeated recognizable words
- Harder words but frequently encountered
- Most pages have illustrations
- Layout more difficult.
- First time sentences end in the middle of a line.
- First time sentences continue from one line to the next.
- Mostly 1-2 syllable words
Horrible Harry Series
Cam Jansen
Amelia Bedilia
level M (end of 2nd grade)
- Whole pages of print,
- illustrations
- Illustration are black and white drawings – scattered through the text.
- Book is longer, Chapters are longer, reading will take place over several days
- Font is smaller, narrower spacing.
- Many multi-syllable words
- Many technical words
- Characters, setting plot must be considered to understand story.
- Characters grow and change and develop
Junie B Jones
Katie Kazoo
Magic Treehouse
Level N (beginning of 3rd grade)
- Strong characters that are developed
- Characters grow, change, develop
- Reader has opportunity to feel empathy for characters
- Experiences provide suspense
- Irony used to create interest
- Characters are revealed differently – through thoughts, comments, what they do, and what others say about them.
Franny K. Stein
Level O (middle of 3rd grade)
- Multiple characters.
- Characters’ problems get heavier – death, war.
- Few illustrations
- Many multisyllabic words
- Frequently encountered words; but within decoding control.
- New vocab; to make meaning on own
- Complex sentences with full punctuation.
- Theme is more sophisticated requiring background knowledge.
Secrets of Droon
Jake Drake
Geronomo Stilton
Mallory
Ramona Quimby
Level P – (end of 3rd grade)
- Unfamiliar topics.
- Chapters get longer than 5-8 pages.
- Characters issues related to growing up, family relationships, preadolescence.
- Overall text is longer (over 100 pages)
- Vocabulary harder
- Details of setting are more descriptive
- Must sustain interest over several days
- Structural complexity harder
Encyclopedia Brown
Time Warp Trio
Jake Maddox
Level Q (beginning of 4th grade)
- Very few illustrations
- Cover illustration contributes to readers’ info
- Sentence structure more complex
- Themes more difficult, require interpretation; might about problems in society as it relates to children.
- Characters require empathy
- Plots more complex
American Girls
Level R (end of 4th grade)
- Range of time in history.
- Longer, sustained interest.
- Connotative shadings of meanings (challenges reader in understandings)
- Simile’s and metaphor’s require background knowledge.
- Themes: family prolbmes, war, death
- Must connect conepts and themes with political/historical events or how they tie to environment.
Hank Zipzer
Marguerite Henry’s Horseshoe Library
On the Run
Kidnaped
Level S (beginning of 5th grade)
- Complex ideas across a variety of cultures
- Words = many shades of meaning
- Sentecnes/paragraphs complex
- Rapid and fluent reading with automatic assimilation of punctuation.
- More optinos in historical fiction, biographies
- Settings are far from students experiences
Level T (beginning to middle of 5th grade)
- Longer – typically around 200 pages
- Few, if any illustrations
- Must be able to recognize character development
- Symbolism
- Multi-syllable words requiring analysis
- Words have literal and connotative meanings
- Most know more about historical and political events
- Most know about problems in different cultures and racial groups.
- Themes: growing up, courage, hardship, prejudice
Joey Pigza
Sammy Keyes