Rainbow Fairies questions - reading level? alternatives? What do I tell 1st grade? - Page 2

[Geofizz]

Originally Posted by eepster

I wouldn't get too hung up over which reading level scale is "correct" and which is "wrong."

When DD was in K and 1, I paid attention to reading levels. She was advancing quickly, becoming a stronger reader by reading the occasional harder book, and her vocabulary grew by leaps and bounds. But jumping ahead too fast, giving her a book beyond her level, led to frustration. We also had a huge mismatch in reading level and maturity that led me to be quite careful with the material.

I stopped feeling the need to pay attention in early second grade. She'd reached a level of reading where subject matter was what she was getting out of it. Her reading level is so high that the lack of challenge by reading 2-3 grade levels is no biggie.

Originally Posted by kate42

I think I will look into the Fairy Realm books. Do they have pictures?

A few, not as many as RM.

DD was in a 1/2 class for both years with the same teacher. It took me a year and a half to figure out that DD was getting no specific reading instruction at all. Indeed, her school seems to "teach" reading to fluent readers (~1 grade level or more) by having them read independently from the books available in the classroom. Almost all reading instruction is done via reading recovery. When I finally figured this out and complained, DD got reading instruction in her hastily assembled "reading group." Twice.

I started sending in books, requiring that DD only read from those I'd sent in, and did my own reading instruction. I mostly achieved that through discussing the books with her on our walk to school each morning. That was leaps and bounds above what she'd been getting, and in fact, quite sufficient.

{This summer another parent in a similar situation assembled a book club for kids in that category. Brilliant. DD needed it and has gotten so much out of it.}

I think that the OP is right to wonder if she's got something to concern herself with next year given the consuming-inhaling-drinking in these books the OP describes in a rising first grader. If I were to do it again, I would probably ask the teacher to specifically assess the girl's reading level and discuss how instruction will proceed (including frequency and duration of instruction). It could be a problem, and it could be a non-issue. It depends on the teacher, the school, and the school's its approach to reading.

[Naomi]

In my older daughter's kindergarten class, there was one other kid who DEFINITELY was reading the RF by first grade (I know this for sure because we stayed in touch), another who I assume was based on what she was reading in K, and another who certainly would've been reading them by October or November of 1st grade even if she wasn't reading them over the summer.

This was at an inner-city school, FTR, not some sort of fancy suburb.

Obviously these kids were ahead of the expected standard. But IMO fluently reading early chapter books like the RF books at the beginning of first grade means that the kid is ahead in a manageable way (unless the teacher is the sort of bonehead that insists that EVERYONE MUST BE DOING THE SAME THING AT THE SAME TIME which frankly is bad for every child, gifted or not.)

If the teacher is going to have the kids learn the Dolch words in class, this kid should not have to do that. They should get spelling that's at their level, which may or may not be what the other first graders are doing. The great thing about literacy instruction time and the advanced reader is that the obvious thing to let the kid do is read.

[ejsmommy]

I don't know what grade level they are but my oldest read all the Rainbow Fairy books last year in 1st grade. I really didn't like how fast she read through them...I'd buy her a new one and she'd read the whole thing in the the car while going to get her sister at preschool, like 20 minutes. Our library didn't carry the complete collection so I was mostly buying them like two at a time. Finally, I found the Mermaid S.O.S series, which was a step up and took a while longer. After that she got into the Emily Windsnap series.

[LynnS6]

Thanks for the recommendations. I'll definitely keep a list. Princess Academy and the Unicorn books are ones to try next, I think. She'll read Animal Ark books (about the same level, maybe a bit higher) and Pony Pals (also about the same level), but they don't capture her imagination like the RM books do. A lot of the books that loraxc recommended look good (we've read Catwings and all of the Beverly Cleary books as read-out-loud books).

I agree fully that these seem more like 2nd grade material than 3rd or 4th, but I wanted a reality check.

Originally Posted by whatsnextmom

However, you wouldn't want to meet with the teacher using these books as proof of 4th grade level reading KWIM.

Exactly. FWIW, I don't think she's at a 4th grade level, but I think probably about 3rd. And as someone else pointed out, it's not so much the grade level, but the fact that her reading level is progressing faster than typical.

I don't expect her to require a hugely differentiated curriculum, but it will need to be differentiated, partly based on our school. There was only one child in ds' 1st grade class that came in reading chapter books (and ds wasn't one of them; his reading didn't shoot up until 2nd grade). We're a Title I school with 70% ESL kids. At 1st grade, their language just isn't as advanced. By 4th grade, things even out a bit more.

Originally Posted by eepster

BTW, the princess academy is at a much higher reading level than what I saw of the Rainbow Fairy books. I think b/c our children progress through the levels more quickly than is typical, they may not seem like as huge a leap as they really are. I think my dyslexia may give me a slightly better perspective on the differences in reading levels, since I remember what would have been really hard for me at various ages. Rainbow Fairies looks like some thing I could have struggled through in 3rd grade, but wouldn't have been really comfortable with till 4th (though by those grades I'd also have found them mind numbingly dull, if the snippettes I read on Amazon are reasonably representative.)

Interesting -- for some of them, I might buy 3rd, but not 4th. And yes, the snippets on Amazon are representative. They are mind-numbingly dull.

Originally Posted by Geofizz

When DD was in K and 1, I paid attention to reading levels. She was advancing quickly, becoming a stronger reader by reading the occasional harder book, and her vocabulary grew by leaps and bounds. But jumping ahead too fast, giving her a book beyond her level, led to frustration. We also had a huge mismatch in reading level and maturity that led me to be quite careful with the material.

Yes, this is exactly what I'm worried about. She's emotionally highly sensitive (see my thread about phobias). She's afraid of the tooth fairy and can articulate fairly well why -- "it's just too weird. This person comes in your house at night while you're sleeping and takes something and then leaves something behind. That's just creepy." She cries when cello music plays sometimes.

Heck the RM books put her off for a bit because the goblins were 'scary'. It wasn't until she'd read 3 or 4 of them and realized that they never really did anything scary that she started to inhale them. She's rejected the magic kitten/magic puppy books because they are 'too scary'. So, apparently, she likes exceedingly dull.

Originally Posted by Geofizz

I think that the OP is right to wonder if she's got something to concern herself with next year given the consuming-inhaling-drinking in these books the OP describes in a rising first grader. If I were to do it again, I would probably ask the teacher to specifically assess the girl's reading level and discuss how instruction will proceed (including frequency and duration of instruction). It could be a problem, and it could be a non-issue. It depends on the teacher, the school, and the school's its approach to reading.

Our school tests every child's reading level at the beginning, middle and end of the year. But, they only test for 'benchmark', so it'll tell us if she's meeting/exceeding the 1st grade benchmarks, but I don't know if they'll give her the 2nd/3rd grade benchmarks to see where she's at. But I think I can request that, especially if she exceeds 1st grade benchmark at the 1st assessment. Unfortunately, they don't have a similar system for math. She's not as advanced for math, but she was definitely the most advanced for math of the K class (writing and solving the kinds of story problems that ds did at the end of 1st grade).

I'm pretty sure the school can meet her needs, but I do want them to be aware of her needs early on. If she gets bored, we're going to see it in her behavior at home. (Ds is just happy to daydream.)

[ChristaN]

Originally Posted by loraxc

Still, I'm surprised to hear that other consider these late K books--really, like the class reads them in K? That seems very advanced to me. The highest reading group in 1st grade here was reading Junie B. Jones, which are easier than RF books.

It's been quite a while since my dds were in first grade, but as I recall the highest reading group in dd11's 1st grade class was reading choose-your-own-adventure books, which I do believe are somewhat harder than Rainbow Fairies. I'd say that most of the typical kids could read RF by the end of 1st at least.

Back to the original question, though, I found that my oldest, who loves to read, made quite a leap in reading level when we made a large leap in terms of the books we were offering her. The bonus was that the plots were much better as well. Have you considered offering some of the "good" books for older elementary kids such as Harry Potter? Dd11 and I read some of those together when she was 6. She'd read a page, I'd read two or three pages. It was surprising how much her reading took off when we went that route. Plus, I could stand reading them with her !

[beanma]

I just wanted to put in a plug in for the Fairy Realm series by Rodda. My very sensitive dd1 started enjoying those stories at about that age. There are good male characters though any actual boys are incedental. It's very much a girl-oriented book with the main character being 1/4 fairy and 3/4 normal girl. The same author, Rodda, also has a series called Rowan of Rin that has a boy main character and then a third longer more intense series called the Key To Rondo. We've picked it up several times at the library, but never have actually read it. (I always check out too many books at the library!)

[loraxc]

I agree that the Fairy Realm books do seem better. Also, The Night Fairy one that I suggested looks like an actual classic in the making, and DD was completely entranced by it. I don't know if it's scary at all, though DD has a low tolerance for that as well (Magic Kitten is okay, though occasionally the endings make her cry because they're "too sad"!)

ETA that I picked the first Harry Potter the other day because I think DD could probably read it now, but after browsing a few pages I could tell that it's too intense and that the plot is too much for her right now.

[quaz]

Thanks for the recommendations. I'll definitely keep a list. Princess Academy and the Unicorn books are ones to try next, I think. She'll read Animal Ark books (about the same level, maybe a bit higher) and Pony Pals (also about the same level), but they don't capture her imagination like the RM books do. A lot of the books that loraxc recommended look good (we've read Catwings and all of the Beverly Cleary books as read-out-loud books).


EEK!
I would definitely NOT recommend Princess Academy if you are talking about her reading the book on her own. I stopped reading it to my six year old as a read aloud, after I read ahead, and realized it would be a bad fit.

It's at a much higher reading level 4th - 6th, depending on what you look at.
More than that, though, I started it as a read aloud for my older daughter and stopped. I thought the scenes at the academy were fairly dark, especially for a child that gets scared of Rainbow magic fairies.
The teacher is 'mean', and will hit the girls hands if they talk out of turn, there is a scene where a child is locked in a dark closet with rats for 24+ hours.
This is NOT material for a sensitive first grader that was getting scared with the goblins.

Really, if she likes the Rainbow magic fairies, go with something a 'bit' more difficult, such as the Disney Fairy books. The wording is more complex, and the stories aren't the same every time.

My daughter started reading the Rainbow magic fairy books at 4, and those Disney Fairy books, were some of the ONLY other chapter books that she liked. As said, she flew through about 4-5 of these before she hit something that was a bit scary, but nothing on the order of Princess Academy.

It isn't that Princess Academy isn't a good book, but I felt it wasn't a good fit for a young sensitive child. At a minimum, read it through yourself first.

Tammy

[LynnS6]

Thanks Tammy -- that definitely sounds too intense for dd right now. Harry Potter is DEFINITELY too intense. Ds won't even tackle it, and it's well within his reading range. He just doesn't want to deal with the scary parts. He might be ready at the end of the summer. He's reading and enjoying A Series of Unfortunate Events, which are pretty dark.

Once we're done with the Rainbow Fairies, we'll try the Fairy Realm and The Night Fairy.

[eepster]

I think that reading level (I'm talking about decoding ability, comprehension and endurance combined) is being confused with age level. My take on looking at a book like the Rainbow Fairies, is they are specifically focused at children who are early strong readers. I realized this while DS was looking at a book called Shortcut earlier today.

Shortcut has a minimum amount of words. There is really only minimal text, never more than 3 sentences on a page and usually just 1. The reading level is clearly much lower than that of the Rainbow Fairies books, especially in endurance. However, I would say Shortcut is the one aimed at an older audience. I suspect DS doesn't really get a lot of what is going on. I have read it to myself b/c I enjoyed it, and it is very witty and quite enjoyable.

There are a number of books, such as Floatsom that are aimed at older children that require a lot less (or even none) reading than the Rainbow Fairies and similar books. Many children will be well past being interested in books like the Rainbow Fairies long before they will be comfortable with the reading level. So, just b/c only kindergarteners, 1st graders and the occasional immature 2nd grader reads them does not mean they are at a 1st grade reading level, it just means they were written for 1st graders who have a high reading level but a typical interest/sensitivity level.

[loraxc]

eepster, I see your point, for sure. I think there is a lot to reading level and I find it interesting to see how my perceptions jive with those on the websites and the perceptions of others. DD read a series recently (The Unicorn's Secret) that "seemed" at a higher level to me than Rainbow Fairies, but it actually scans as lower. But the themes and stories, while appropriate for her, were much more rich and complex than Rainbow Fairies, so in a way I feel it's a higher-level read.

Anyway, this is why I love that Scholastic Bookfinder--they have "interest level" and reading level, so I can select for 4th-6th grade reading level and "lower grades" (k-3) interest level. I certainly pick up books all the time that DD COULD read but that I can tell are too subtle or "older" in their themes and humor. Even Ramona is a little old for her at times in this way. Similarly, there are books out there, often older ones, that are quite sophisticated in language but have "young" plots and themes These are the great ones for kids who read well at a young age.

[whatsnextmom]

ETA that I picked the first Harry Potter the other day because I think DD could probably read it now, but after browsing a few pages I could tell that it's too intense and that the plot is too much for her right now.

Yes, there were several books like this for my DD in particular. When she was 5, she started reading "The Little House on the Prairie." I found her crying after the first chapter or two because they described hog boiling (and we're vegetarians.) She wouldn't finish the book and has yet to read it even now at 13 lol. Potter was the same. She read the first two and then stalled on book 3 because it was too emotionally intense for her. I don't think she picked them back up again until 9. It wasn't that she "couldn't" read them. I don't think there was anything left that she "couldn't" read at 5. She just preffered to read material about kids her age in situations she could relate too (and nothing too scary!)

[loraxc]

It's funny how they react or don't. We are vegetarians, yet DD has had no problem with the Little House books (we read them aloud when she was 4, and she is reading them on her own right now). She did cry when the dog died, though, and she actually cried when the family moved, one of the times.

[rainbringer]

After Rainbow Fairies (six months of them!), dd has read
Fairy Realm series
Princess Ellie the Pony Crazed Princess
Disney Fairies
Secrets of Droon

[ChristaN]

I kind of get the impression that the books that have worked for dd11 don't work for a lot your other advanced readers at younger ages. My dd has always been a bit of an "old soul," for want of a better term. She does a pretty good job of self censoring -- mostly regarding things that have sexual content beyond what she is ready for -- but books with frightening imagery or about disturbing topics were never problematic for her. She was the kid who was reading Obedience to Authority by Stanley Milgram at 8, which seems to fit with that -- lol!

eta: she did have some difficulty with the story line of the Call of the Wild at the same age, though, b/c she has always had a harder time with animal abuse. We're vegan and vegetarian as well.

[emilysmama]

Originally Posted by Geofizz

I've made my peace with those @#$%$% books. We now refer to RM books as "the gateway drug." DD loved them, devoured them, requested new ones from the library. I'd put them at ~2 grade level.

They did motivate the definition of a new class of books in our house: "In your head only books." You're welcome to read them. I won't read them to you.

I was feeling sorry for all of you, wondering what this Rainbow Magic series was. Then, this morning, my dd took a book out of her library bag, and I looked at it. Yep, you have the last laugh "The Rain Fairy, Rainbow Magic". My dd has been checking these out of the library all summer long. I am now getting out my pencil to take notes to find a good alternative.

I have had some luck with distracting my dd with richly illustrated fairy tales from other countries (in the fairy tale part of the juvenile section of the children's library). Do you know how many different versions of Cinderella there are? Korean Cinderella, Egyptian Cinderella, Middle Eastern Cinderella, etc. And why are there so many different swan princess fairy tales?

The "In your head only books" made me smile. I, for one, cannot stand Junie B. Jones. I told my dd that I just cannot face the thought of working so hard to earn money and watch it spent at a bookstore on JBJ, so she'll have to borrow them from the library and it'll be my property taxes that pay for them.

[loraxc]

Just some recs for those whose kids like Junie B. (I hate her too, but DD has read the entire series--to herself, thank God!): Gooney Bird Greene, and sequels, by Lois Lowry; The Judy Moody series, by Megan McDonald; and The Talented Clementine, by Sara Pennypacker. Sassy strong girls, but less 'tude and bad grammar.

[emilysmama]

Originally Posted by loraxc

Just some recs for those whose kids like Junie B. (I hate her too, but DD has read the entire series--to herself, thank God!): Gooney Bird Greene, and sequels, by Lois Lowry; The Judy Moody series, by Megan McDonald; and The Talented Clementine, by Sara Pennypacker. Sassy strong girls, but less 'tude and bad grammar.

Thank you! These suggestions will be really helpful. Fortunately, dd also reads JBJ to herself, but we are constantly being told of allegedly clever phrases that JBJ says. If I hear another, "Junie B. Jones says, ...", so help me, I'll

Sorry for the hijack.

[robugmum]

I know someone already recommended them but I think they might have been overlooked. I can't say enough good stuff about Ivy and Bean. Similar reading level to the RF books but much more intelligent and engaging. Fabulous illustrations too. There's about 5 in the series, I think. Lucy Barrows, the author, also wrote a book for slightly older readers called The Magic Half, also lovely.

[Geofizz]

Originally Posted by robugmum

I know someone already recommended them but I think they might have been overlooked. I can't say enough good stuff about Ivy and Bean. Similar reading level to the RF books but much more intelligent and engaging. Fabulous illustrations too. There's about 5 in the series, I think. Lucy Barrows, the author, also wrote a book for slightly older readers called The Magic Half, also lovely.

6 books now. Author is Annie Barrows.

The Magic Half requires a bit of ability to handle tense plot points. Nothing major, many kids' pulse wouldn't quicken a bit, but my uber sensitive kid took a couple of tries to get through -- we finally read the last chapter together to make sure it came out ok in the end before finishing the book.

Adult readers might also like her The Guerney Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.

Ahh, to be able to read those books again for the first time.