GOLDILOCKS METHOD

"Too Easy" books
1. The book is short
2. The print is big
3. You have read the book before
4. You know all the words in the book
5. The book has lots of pictures

"Too Hard" books
1. The book is long
2. The print is small
3. There aren't many pictures in the book
4. There are a lot of words that you can't figure out
5. There's no one to help you if you get stuck
6. You don't know much about this subject

"Just Right" books
1. The book looks interesting
2. You can figure out most of the words in the book
3. Ms. Repaskey or Ms. Clark has read this book aloud to you
4. You have read other books by this author
5. There is someone to give you help if you need it
6. You know something about this subject

THE GOLDILOCKS TEST
Ask yourself these questions:

TOO EASY
1. Have you read it lots of times before?
2. Do you understand the story really well?
3. Do you know almost every word?
4. Can you read it smoothly?

JUST RIGHT
1. Is this book new to you?
2. Do you understand a lot of the book?
3. Are there just a few words on a page that you don't know?
4. When you read, are some places smooth and some choppy?

TOO HARD
1. Are there more than 5 words on a page that you don't know?
2. Are you confused about what is happening in most of this book?
3. When you read, does it sounds pretty choppy?
4. Is everyone else busy and unable to help you?

THE FIVE FINGER RULE
While reading the first page of a book, count the unknown words (using fingers to keep track is fine). If there are five or more, the book is too hard for now. Read that book together!

COMPREHENSION
Ask your child a lot of questions about the story in general and about specific pages to see if he really understands what was read. If your child cannot tell you accurate and detailed information about the story she has read, chances are, it is too hard for now.

CONTENT
Some children in first grade have developed an extensive sight vocabulary. They may be reading chapter books. Make sure that the content is age-appropriate.

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Tigger's Kyds
Ideas collected from:
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