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DRA Level Descriptors
  • Home
  • How to R.E.A.D. with Your Child
  • Reading Specialist Corner
  • Level A/1
  • Level 2
  • Level 3
  • Level 4
  • Level 6
  • Level 8
  • Level 10
  • Level 12
  • Level 14
  • Level 16
  • Level 18
  • Level 20
  • Level 24
  • Level 28
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    • Home
    • How to R.E.A.D. with Your Child
    • Reading Specialist Corner
    • Level A/1
    • Level 2
    • Level 3
    • Level 4
    • Level 6
    • Level 8
    • Level 10
    • Level 12
    • Level 14
    • Level 16
    • Level 18
    • Level 20
    • Level 24
    • Level 28

DRA Level 6

Reading A-Z Level D


My Child is Reading Independently at a DRA Level 6

There are more lines of text per page and more pages per book. New types of punctuation are introduced. Repeated language is still included at this level. The story lines become more sophisticated and complex. Non-fiction or Informational texts include difficult concepts with higher vocabulary. Words in this level are often multisyllabic words and compound words are frequent. Included below are specific reading behaviors, skills and strategies for readers on this level.


Accuracy at Level 6:

  • Recognizes sight words with automaticity.

  • Recognizes CVC (consonant, vowel, consonant) words with automaticity.

  • Uses beginning and ends parts to solve words.

  • In large unfamiliar words, can locate word chunks. Looks for small parts of the word that are familiar. For example: wash inside of washes

  • Listens to their reading and self-corrects when the word they say does not match the printed text or sound grammatically correct.

How to provide reading support at home and prepare your child for Level 8:

  • Before telling your child the word they are unable to read, ask these questions and model for your child: Does that make sense? Does that look right? Does that sound right? Does that feel right? What other word solving strategy can you use to solve that word? What do you know about this word that can help you figure out the whole word? What can you use in the text to help you figure out the unknown word?

Fluency at Level 6:

  • Reading voice sounds like a conversation voice.

  • Puts groups of words together in short phrases while reading.

  • Starts to use different voices and voice levels depending on characters and specific words.

How to provide reading support at home and prepare your child for Level 8:

  • Ask this question: How do you know when your voice is supposed to change when you read?

  • Model for your child the change in your voice during different parts of a story and with different punctuation. Say: Listen to me read. Now you try it!

Comprehension at Level 6:

  • Remembers the important details from the story.

  • Begins to refer to specific pages as evidence from the story to support answers, thoughts and opinions.

  • Makes a connection to the text

    • Text-to-text - the book reminds student of another book

    • Text-to-self - the reminds student of something that has happened in their own life

  • Can describe their favorite part of the story and why it is their favorite part.

How to provide reading support at home and prepare your child for Level 8:

  • Re-visit each page and ask your child to retell in their own words. Students should be able to

    • include most of the most important events from the beginning, middle, and end in sequence,

    • refer to most characters by name,

    • use language/vocabulary from the text,

    • retell using first, next, then, last, or in the beginning, in the middle, in the end.

  • Ask your child: What part did you like best in this story? Tell me why you liked that part. What did this story make you think of? or What connections did you make while reading this story?

Dolch Sight Word List.pdf
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