Books, Reading Levels and Lesson Plans

While many public libraries don't level their books, some do and so do some school media centers. Whether we do or don't level books is a discussion for another day.

Today's post shares resources for answering questions our patrons ask about the Lexile level of a book, the Accelerated Reader points for a given book, or where to find books at their level. Some library catalog records will indicate the reading level of a given book, but many do not and due to the variety of leveling systems, records may not include the one a patron wants.

In addition, patrons may want resources for homeschooling, for their children, or for their classrooms. Readers' Advisory can get an added boost from these tools, too.

A sampling of resources:

Many Novelist K-8 entries include information on Lexile and other reading levels or points. Parents can be shown how to obtain Lexile information themselves if they are interested. All users can access Novelist K-8 and Novelist through Badgerlink, Wisconsin's Online Library, with a Wisconsin library card.

Scholastic's Book Wizard provides six different types of level information including Lexile, AR, and Guided Reading. This is a beta version geared for teachers, but useful for librarians, students, and parents or caregivers.

Scholastic also has a handy Leveling Chart that provides general leveling information across grade and age. View it HERE.

AR BookFinder also provides a tool for searching books for different audiences including librarians, students, parents, and teachers. Entries provide information about reading levels, as well as awards, ratings, and summaries.

Another resource for guiding readers to the right book, TeachingBooks.net is also available through Badgerlink and has an abundance of resources for users. Lesson plans, book trailers, author interviews, and more like the ability to browse by grade level or subject make this a helpful tool.