Writing a guided reader book
A guided reader book is a little 8-10 paged book for beginning readers. Some are based on phonics while others are based on sight words. There are fiction and nonfiction guided readers.
Publishers have different standards for writing them. Often they limit words per book, page, or sentence. They often use a controlled vocabulary list to use. Since words are limited, every word counts (Cho, 2017).
Criteria to consider:
Scholastic suggests some considerations for writing or selecting guided readers:
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Length — Consider the number of pages, words, and lines on the page. Beginner books have just one or two lines on a page.
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Layout — text needs to be a large font with clear spaces in between words and lines. The print needs to be separated from pictures.
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Structure and Organization — Early books have simple plots and repetition.
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Illustrations — pictures help the reader gain meaning and figure out the words.
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Words — Beginning books use high-frequency words, text with regular spelling words, and content words reinforced by pictures.
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Phrases and Sentences — use very simple sentences.
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Literary Features — Consider the complexity of the ideas. What must readers understand about the characters, setting, and plot to read this book with understanding? Literary features such as flashbacks or metaphors may introduce a challenge.
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Content and Theme — Books for young children will focus on topics and themes that are familiar to them (Pinnell, n.d.).
Below is a list of words appropriate for first year readers:
References:
Cho, T. (2017, April 13). Writing a guided reading book 101. [Blog Post]. Retrieved from https://groggorg.blogspot.com/2017/04/writing-guided-reading-book-101-by-tina.html
Mogilner, A. (2006). Children’s writer’s word book (2nd ed.). Penguin Random House.
Pinnell, G. S. (n.d.). What is leveled reading? Retrieved from https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/what-leveled-reading/