While some independent reading should be done on a student's current reading level, it is important to remember that student choice plays an important role in motivating students to become better readers. Sometimes what a child wants to read isn't written at his or her reading level. Parents and other caregivers should strive to read to or with their children, especially when the child selects a book that is too difficult for him or her to read alone. This allows students to maintain a positive relationship with reading and with the reader. Research supports the theory that the more a student enjoys reading, the better reader he or she will become. Click here for an article discussing the importance of student choice.
To help determine what books your child can read on his/her own, please contact your child's teacher for his/her reading level. Next, identify the reading level of the book your child would like to read. One quick way to do this is through the use of Scholastic's program, Reading Counts.