Multilevel Texts for Elementary Reading

Farmer, Kimberly (June 16, 2017), A Collection of Books
[Online Image] Retrieved from
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We all know that students are different and have their own strengths and weaknesses, especially in relation to reading ability. But not all students are capable of working at their expected grade level, and are sometimes found struggling through classes. This is something that is basically seen in every classroom and with every grade but is difficult to address on a daily basis. As educators, how do we create an inclusive classroom and develop lessons for multilevel groups of students? I've done some research and found several fabulous resources for developing reading skills with a multilevel class of elementary school students.


Creating Comics Based on Readings

I was really excited when I discovered this resource and absolutely love the idea of using comics to help students with reading and comprehension. The article Beyond the Sticky Note and Venn Diagram outlines several different apps and online activities that can help students with reading and writing. It also suggests strategies for using these resources for specific educational purposes. 

For example, Make Beliefs Comix, a free and easy online comic strip maker, can be used to have students reiterate information learned in a reading. After reading a story, students could then create a comic strip to illustrate the characters and plot from the reading. This is definitely something that I would use to spruce up a language arts lesson with my students, and it can be a fun activity for both junior and intermediate students. The Make Beliefs Comix website is very straightforward and has a lot of character, background, and text options. I was able to make the following comic strip very easily using the website:

http://www.makebeliefscomix.com/Comix/

  
Multilevel Texts for the Classroom

After some time of researching multilevel texts, I stumbled upon a useful and informative article by Catherine Cornford titled, Using Multilevel Texts: Supporting Literacy in the Inclusive Classroom. This article is full of information and resource ideas for multilevel texts that can be used in schools. If you're able to get your hands on one or all of these resources, they can make wonderful reading lessons that promote an inclusive classroom.

One of my favourites from Cornford's article is What Really Happened to Humpty (Ransom, 2009), an interactive storybook loaded with additional activities such as a character word search and fill-in-the-blank questions. It basically does the lesson planning for you by providing blank work pages and answer sheets. You can't go wrong with that!

My other favourite is Walk with a Wolf (Howker, 1997), a picture book written in both simple and advanced formats and also comes with a CD including music and sound clips. Students at many different levels can read and understand this book and develop their knowledge about wolves. Check out the link below to listen to a sample of the CD recording.


Walk with a Wolf by Janni Howker from Candlewick Press on Vimeo.


Keeping in Line With the Curriculum 

Although we want to find new and interactive ways to make learning fun, it is important to make sure that curriculum guidelines are being met. The essential principles regarding the teaching of reading are outlined on page 10 of the Ontario Curriculum Grades 1-8, Language. Students require a balanced reading program to develop their knowledge, communication, and reading skills. Teachers must be observant of student strengths and needs, and provide appropriate strategies that cater to the students’ levels of comprehension. Students are expected to read and understand several different types of texts, have the ability to read fluently, and be able to reflect on their reading abilities. Our job as teachers is to assist students in developing these skills through a variety of different approaches. 

I believe that using multilevel resources can help create an inclusive classroom and accomplish these goals for all students.