A Closer Look at Level 10

A Look at Levels 9-10

A DRA Level 10 is considered a middle of 1st Grade Reading Level. Many of our Robert's Kindergarten students read at level 10 and a majority of our 1st Graders are at least a level 10 by the end of December.

As your student reads levels 9 and 10, you will notice that picture support decreases and that the text becomes more complex. Students use the words more than the pictures when reading at levels 9 and 10. Students will develop flexiblity with long and short vowel sounds, decode 2 and 3 syllable words and begin to read with expression and intonation, paying attention to punctuation.

When will my child be ready to move to levels 11 and 12?

We look students to consistently exhibit some of the following behaviors. Each is followed by some things you can say to help your child with these skills if they are struggling when practicing reading at home:

-Notice punctuation and use it for phrasing

If you notice your child not using punctuation you can say, "Did that sound right?", or, "Read that again and pause at the period".
You can also model correct phrasing for students and have them practice.

-Search for visual cues to read new words

If your child gets stuck on a word, you can ask if they see any parts that they know. If your child misreads the word, you can say, "It could be _____, but look at _____ (the beginning, the end, a part etc).

-Use syntax to predict

Usually students self correct with syntax errors, but if not, here are some prompts you can use:
"You said ___________. Does that make sense?"
"Can you think of a better way to say ______________________(repeat student words)?"
"Would _________ fit there?"

-Move quickly through text

If your child sounds "choppy" or reads text word by word, have your child reread the sentence/section again and then have them "Read it faster".

-Self correct by using multiple sources (picture clues, syntax, word parts, prior knowledge etc.)

"Does that look right? soud right? make sense?" or "There is a tricky part. Can you find it?"

You can also check with your child's teacher to see what other prompts she uses that may be helpful at home.

Sometimes teachers will try students at a higher level to see how the student performs and determine readiness to move up. We are flexible and careful not to celebrate moving up a level because we want students to be okay with changing back down if they are not quite ready or if they come back from a break needing to relearn/solidify skills.