Can your 1st grader read this?

[VOBetz]

This is a practice DIBELS test that my son's 1st grade teacher sent me.  We homeschool through k12/our school district and the DIBELS is mandatory reading testing. 

 

Just curious as to how many other similarly aged kids would be able to read a passage like this. 

 

[QUOTE]The morning light filled the room. Mel jumped out of bed and put on

her clothes. She had a busy Saturday planned. She could not wait to get

started.

First, Mel and her mom made Mel’s favorite food. Her mom cut

a banana in half. Then Mel spread peanut butter on both sides. She

brought the two pieces together and ate her banana sandwich outside

in the sun.

Soon Mel’s big brother came out with some chalk. They drew a line

on the driveway. After putting on helmets, they skated along the line. Mel

went very slowly. She was just learning to skate. Her brother helped her

skate in a straight line and not fall down.

Now it was time for art. Mel went to the art box. Her mom often

filled it with fun things. Mel got an idea when she saw some socks. She

made a dog puppet and a bird puppet out of the socks. Then she wrote

a play about them. She asked her brother and mom to come watch.

They liked the show and clapped when it ended.

That night, Mel helped her mom make dinner. Then she read a book

until it was time for bed. When Mel turned out the light, she thought

about all the fun things she had done.[/QUOTE]

[phathui5]

No, my current first grader could not read this; he's six.

My oldest could definitely have read it when he was in first grade.

[blessedwithboys]

Yeah, both of my kids could have read that in 1st grade.

[my3monkees]

Nope!! Not one of mine could have read that and I wouldn't have asked them to!  LOL

I wanted them to read at their own pace and what they wanted to read!

Of course k/12 isn't offered in NY or I might have considered it! LOL

[Jodie]

My 7 year old could not read that.

[ameliabedelia]

Yes, my 1st grader could read that.

[SweetSilver]

Not my nearly 7yo, not without lots of help.  However, when I was her age I could easily read something like this.  

The question I think of is, is this something that is expected to be read easily?  Or that this is a good challenge that a first grader might be ready for?  What kind of ability on the test are they looking for?  Perhaps they don't expect the typical 1st grader to read it perfectly?  Personally, I would think this is a good challenge for readers who don't melt down if they can't read a book perfectly, but much too hard for the "typical" first grader.

My daughter did try reading it, not easy on a screen, but she had trouble in all the places I thought she might.  So, lots of help.

[Jackielyn]

My 6 1/2 yr old 1st grader (we homeschool obviously) would not be able to read that.  My oldest wouldn't have been able to read it in 1st grade either. 

[AAK]

DIBELS is a standard test that is used in public schools.  My own opinion is that that is why our reading instruction isn't very flexible in the schools.  The dibels requires many words to be taught as "high frequency" or sight words rather than introducing things through phonetic decoding (with a sprinkling of sight words).  

To answer your question though, my oldest could read that in 1st.  My second could not.  My third is in kindy and not yet able to read it.  However, if you download all the dibels samples (free online), you will notice that there isn't a huge jump between 1st and 2nd grade and even 3rd grade selections. 

Amy

[kathymuggle]

By the end of first grade, my two oldest would have been able to read it.  My youngest - not a chance and not until about 8.

I wonder if different kids learn to read differently? - my youngest took a long time to progress, but once she did she was reading books at an appropriate grade level very quickly (it was like a lightbulb was switched on)

I don't think these reading tests or any tests, really, take into account those kids who learn in lightbulb bursts instead of incrementally.

[citymagnolia]

This is about right for my 7yo's reading ability if I was looking for something to challenge her.

[Imakcerka]

That was pretty full of sight words.  If they have learned all the sight words then it shouldn't be a problem.  DD2 Probably would have a pretty difficult time.  DD1 would have read that in kinder.  

[momtokea]

My two girls would have been able to read that in first grade, but my ds would not.  But it really doesn't matter much.

They are now 13, 12, and 10 and they could all read it just fine now. 

[Ohhedgehogs]

I in first grade would have been able to read that (I started reading at three) however my sister who had severe dyslexia would have struggled with that until age 18. At 18 she asked for a private tutor and now can read like a dream. But it took her a LONG time.

[mamaofprincesses]

Yes, my first grader could read that.

[Daffodil]

My 6 year old (who would be in kindergarten just based on age, but would probably fit better in a first grade class) can read that, but he's a very good reader for his age.  At this point in her first grade year my DD would have had trouble with it (but she may have a learning disability.)  Here is a link to the DIBELS benchmarks goals.  As you can see, a first grader at this point in the year is only expected to be able to read 20 words of a sample like that in one minute.  The way it's administered, the child has 3 seconds to read each word and if she can't get it in that time, the test giver tells her the word and she continues on until a minute has passed.  The number of words that were read correctly in that minute are counted.  So a first grader wouldn't need to be able to read the whole thing to "pass" the assessment; she would just need to read 20 words successfully in a minute, and those 20 words could be mixed in with ones she couldn't read and had to get help with. 

[blsilva]

My oldest would have been able to read that at the end of first grade, but reading has always been easy for him, and a favorite subject. My youngest is in the second grade, and wouldn't be able to read that now.  In first grade it would have simply frustrated him. 

[Mittsy]

Nope! But then again my 1st grader dd(6.5) is just working on sight words. She's not really interested in reading herself yet, we think she'll be a late reader.

[frugalmama]

My 5yo 1st grader could read it easily, but she has been reading for well over a year and currently is reading chapter books on a 2nd/3rd grade level. She has inherited my love of reading and reads above her grade level. 

[treemom2]

My 1st grade DS could read that easily.  My 5th grade DD could not read that.