"The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn, the more places you'll go", Dr. Seuss said. My students are eager to begin learning how to read, and by reading books on their level, it will enable them to grow and feel successful in their reading abilities.

My first graders are enthusiastic when it comes to wanting to learn to read. They come into first grade with high expectations that they will be reading by the time that they go on to second grade. We currently have some leveled readers in our classroom that are old and outdated. The children enjoy reading "just right" books that are on their level, but would be more passionate about reading if they were able to choose books that were more colorful and relevant to their life. We are fortunate to have a very high level of parent involvement at our school, therefore, by having leveled readers available in our classroom, children would be able to take home books on their level and practice reading them to their family. Parents with first graders often struggle with finding books at home on their child's reading level, so I feel that this would alleviate stress for the parents and would allow them to spend more time listening to their child read at home.

There are many ways to utilize leveled readers! I will keep them in the classroom for the children to read during independent reading time. This is a time during the school day, where every child in my classroom is reading a book on their level and I am able to walk around the room and listen to each child read, while asking them comprehension questions about their book. We are also very fortunate to have a reading loft in our classroom. We have a one hour literacy center block each day. During this time, children will read books on their level, by themselves or with a partner, for 15-20 minutes in our cozy reading loft. Another one of our literacy centers is "teacher table", where the students will bring books on their level to me and we will discuss the book, work on decoding strategies as well as comprehension and fluency skills. I will also send the leveled readers home with the children several times a week for them to read with their parents.

By having leveled readers in our classroom, it will instill a love for reading amongst my students! I will be able to use the leveled readers for years to come! In first grade, reading is such a crucial part of our day, so by having bright, colorful books with enriching text that is on their level, my children will be enthusiastic about reading and will gain an excitement for reading that will continue throughout their lives!