11/12/08

Stages of Reading Checklist

A reading teacher I know handed out this wonderful Stages of Reading checklist at a presentation I attended. I have been using the checklist to track Jacob and Rosa's progress learning to read. Before I received a copy of this checklist, I had no idea there were so many milestones to be reached as a child learns to read. Teaching a child to read can require a great deal of patience and this list has helped me see the progress we are making which I might not have noticed otherwise. This list can also help a parent see where a child might need some extra help.

Stages of Reading

Emerging Reader
Stage One

__
Engages briefly with books shared one-on-one
__Relies on others to read or share books
__Begins to recognize some letters
__Recognizes first name
__Recognizes last name
Stage Two
__Enjoys having books read to him/her
__Enjoys looking at books on his/her own
__Repeats words or phrases from familiar books
__Makes up own story with books
__Identifies some letters
__Identifies most letters
__Has an awareness of environmental print (signs, logos, cereal boxes)
Stage Three
__Responds to books read to him/her
__Begins to choose books on his/her own
__Retells a story by looking at pictures after repeated listening experiences
__Knows how a book progresses from beginning to end
__Knows the difference between a letter and a word
__Identifies all the letters
__Begins to hear consonant sounds

Early Reader
Stage Four
__
Engages in reading reenactment
__Memorizes some texts
__Shows directionality by running finger along lines of text (left to right and top to bottom)
__Reproduces consonant sounds
__Uses initial consonants to identify words
__Begins to remember a few high frequency sight words
Stage Five
__Matches print words with spoken words in new text
__Rereads familiar stories
__Reads self created written messages
__Retells a familiar story without the book
__Uses pictures as cues when reading text
__Predicts story events, words, and story endings
__Needs encouragement when reading new words or books
__Uses both initial and final consonants to identify words
__Knows what vowels are
Stage Six
__
Reads using one-to-one correspondence and self corrects errors
__Begins to develop fluency with familiar books
__Needs help to select appropriate reading material
__Builds on his/her high frequency sight word vocabulary
__Uses beginning, middle, and ending consonants to identify words

Developing Reader
Stage Seven
__
Discusses and retells story to demonstrate understanding
__Compares or contrasts own experience with story
__Makes connections with other literature
__Reads new text one word at a time but shows some evidence of phrasing
__Corrects most errors that interfere with meaning
__Uses a variety of strategies when reading
__Comments on character, plot, and setting when prompted
__Chooses new, as well as, previously read books
Begins to analyze words and make connections
__Word family patterns
__Small words within a larger word
__Blends
__Consonant digraphs (sh, ch, th, wh, ph)
__Short vowels
__Long vowels
__Silent e
__Y as a vowel
__Digraphs (ai, ay, ea, ee ei)
__Diphthongs (au, oi, oy, oo)
__Prefixes/suffixes
__Compound words
__Contractions
__Recognizes high frequency sight words (aprox. 50)
__Is moving toward independence
Stage Eight
__
Reads fluently with expression most of the time
__Recognizes which errors are important to self correct
__Demonstrates comprehension of reading material through discussion and retelling
__Changes expression and inflection when reading aloud
__Answers and understands written questions
__Uses prior knowledge to make predictions
__Makes good use of reading time and chooses to read
__Selects appropriate reading material
__Views self as reader
__Retells story including setting, sequence of events, main idea, characters, and conclusion
Stage Nine
__Reads fluently with proper expression
__Rarely makes mistakes
__Demonstrates higher levels of thinking skills in comprehension of reading material
__Picks up on nuances in books (humor, sadness, injustice, etc.)
__Makes informed predictions using prior knowledge
__Makes connections independently
__Chooses to read for a variety of purposes
__Welcomes challenges as a reader
__Reads a variety of reading material (fiction, nonfiction, poetry, etc.)

4 comments:

Jenny said...

Thank you for sharing the check list - I refer to it with my daughter. I enjoy reading your blog - don't know how I got the link, but I find it interesting and useful! Thanks!

Queen of Carrots said...

This is a really interesting list. I knew there were a lot of little steps to be taken, but had never seen them all laid out.

I don't think the stages necessarily all stay together, though. My kids were picking out books and reciting stories from memory long before they had letters memorized. And I'm not sure either of them know what their last name looks like even yet . . . not going to preschool, they don't have much occasion to see it! Perhaps we should work on it, though.

Amy said...

I would agree that kids aren't going to meet all the points of each stage before moving on to the next stage. Each child is going to learn in a different way. I have enjoyed using this list to get a general idea of where my kids are and my kids have jumped around on the list as well.

Clemencia said...

thanks so much for your post, sharing this has been a great help to us :)