Reading Continuum       
adapted by Sharon John,Dani Arnold, Joel Anderson, and Ruth Wolberg
 at Onion Creek School, 2000

Preconventional  (Preschool-K)
-Holds book, correctly turns pages
-Chooses book and has favorites
-Shows start/end of book
-Listens and responds to literature
    (predicts what’s next, answers litera questions)
-Knows some letter names (6-12)
-Interested in environmental print
    (asks what things say)


Emergent (Pre-K-1)
-Pretends to read
-Uses illustrations to tell stories
    (4 picture sequence)
-Participates in reading of familiar books
    (Choral reads.  ie. “Brown Bear”)
-Knows most letter sounds (13 )
-Recognizes names/words in context (20)
-Memorizes pattern books and familiar books
    (ie. “5 Little Monkeys”)
-Rhymes and plays with words


Developing (K-1)
-Relies on print and illustrations
-Reads books with word patterns
    (Sunshine A)
-Retells main idea of text
    (Sunshine B)
-Recognizes simple words
    (24-Early Emergent word list)
-Uses text or pictures to predict
    (What’s next?)


Beginning (1-2)
-Reads early-reader books
    (Sunshine A-J, 2, 3, ie. Dr. Seuss)
-Relies on print more than illustrations
-Uses sentence structure/meaning clues
    (finishes sentence & figures out missing word)
-Uses phonetic clues
    -sounds out (phonetically regular words)
    -uses initial letters
    -uses common word patterns to make sense of words (ie. ing, at, ent)
-Retells beginning, middle, end of story
    (ie. The Napping House)
-Recognizes names/words by sight
    (Sunshine-Early Fluent list )
-Understands signs, labels, instructions
-Begins to read silently
-Understands basic punctuation (. , ” ! ? )


Expanding (2-3)
-Reads beginning chapter books
    (ie. “Frog & Toad”, Sunshine 4-7)
-Reads and finishes a variety of materials with
  frequent guidance    
-Uses reading strategies appropriately to
  comprehend
    Sentence structure
    Word structure:      -simple abbreviations
       -suffixes         -contractions
       -prefixes             -context clues
-Retells plot, characters, and events (5)
    -demonstrates understanding of main ideas and details
    -draws on previous experiences
    -uses logical sequence (5 things)
-Recognizes different types of books
    (fiction, nonfiction)
-Reads to understand different views of family,
  friendship, culture, and tradition from literature                                                
-Makes inferences and predictions based on
  reading       
-Silent reads for short periods (5-10 min.)



Bridging (3-4)
-Reads medium level chapter books
    (i.e. Mouse and the Motorcycle )
-Reads and finishes a variety of materials with
  guidance
-Reads and understands most new words and
  works out unknown words (structural analysis)
-Uses reference materials to locate information
  with guidance
-Silent reads for extended periods (15-20 min)
-Builds reading vocabulary using:
    context clues
    dictionaries
    glossaries
-Understands structure of:
    sentences
    paragraphs
      chapters
-Understands and begins to use text organizers:
    table of contents
    index
    captions
    alphabetizing
    glossaries
    numbering
-Comprehends important ideas and details in:
    fiction
    non-fiction
    information texts,
      separates fact from opinion  
-Reads to perform a task
-Sets reading goals and develops strategies to
  meet goals, asks for feedback on reading

Fluent (4-5)
-Reads medium level literature
    (ie. Little House on the Prairie)
-Selects, reads, and finishes a wide variety of
  materials
-Uses reference materials independently
-Understands literary elements
    character
    plot
    setting
    point of view
    problem/solution
    figures of speech
-Understands genres:
    humor
    poetry
    fiction
    nonfiction
    exaggeration
-Begins to interpret deeper meaning in young
  adult literature with frequent guidance
    finds similarities and differences in stories
    understands relationships between parts
      of text
    recognize that authors have different
      purposes and styles
-Participates in guided literacy discussion
    identifies and discusses reading strategies
    discusses a variety of literature
        folk tales
        stories
        poetry
        plays
        mysteries
    shares favorite selections, develops
       confidence in talking about books
-Reads familiar text aloud confidently
-Recognizes organizational features of electronic
  information (pull down menus, key word
  searches, icons)

Proficient(5-6-7)
- Reads complex young adult literature
    (ie. Island of the Blue Dolphins)
- Moves between many genres with ease
- Reads both orally and silently with ease
- Integrates non-fiction information to develop a deeper understanding
- Interprets sophisticated meaning in young adult literary discussions; readily identifies and comprehends the main idea and supporting facts and details  and summarizes main ideas in own words
- Evaluates the validity of what is read
- Participates in complex literary discussions
- Begins to analyze literary elements (plot, characters, setting, theme, point of view, conflict, resolution)
- Uses reference materials independently (ie. dictionary, encyclopedia, atlas, almanac, electronic reference material)

Independent (7-8)
• Voluntarily reads and understands a variety of complex and sophisticated materials with ease
    (ie.
- Synthesizes information when reading from a variety of sources
- Evaluates the validity of what is read
- Uses
- Evaluates, interprets, and analyzes literary elements critically (plot, characters, setting, theme, point of view, conflict, resolution)
- Summarizes the main idea and supporting facts and details with evidence from reading
- Examines and increases vocabularies relevant to different contexts, cultures, and communities
- Reads fluently focusing on text details when necessary to maintain meaning
- Reads at different speeds, using scanning and/or careful reading as appropriate
- Uses reference materials independently (ie. dictionary, encyclopedia, atlas, almanac, electronic reference material, and the internet)