Green Eggs and Ham

[Kindra178]

Guys, reading is not even considered a mandatory k skill. The fact that some of you have experiences with your gifted kids reading chapter books in k is not the norm or even developmentally appropriate. Reading all of Green Eggs and Ham, out loud, by yourself, is not a small feat. Reading it, and understanding it, in total, is probably a first grade endeavor, especially for a boy. Remember, early reading MEANS Nothing at All, other than your child is an early reader.

H, I think your ds may be better served in first grade. My DS is in a K 1 2 program. Honestly, reading levels vary greatly and still are in the range of normal.

[GvilleGirl]

It is considered a 2nd grade book. 2.2 would be the beginning of 2nd. I can't believe that the school would not use any sort of leveling or running records to determine a students reading level. You can get lexiles if you school does Map testing. Remember when you are finding a student's reading level you are usually using a piece of reading material they have never seen. It will include accuracy and comprehension.

[kellij]

My son in 1st is reading Magic Tree House books, I wouldn't have thought he could, but he's doing well with them (has to ask about a few words).

My daughter is in K, and I don't think she could read Green Eggs and Ham yet. She has really simple books that they send home and she does well with those. My mom, teaches K, says they've been sending little books home with kids too and she's amazed how much all of the kids can actually read.

So I guess that means I would put it more at a first grade level. It kind of just depends on when reading clicks with your kid though.

[geochick]

I'm not a reading specialist, but I do volunteer to do reading testing in my second grader's classroom (public charter). This book would be very easy for all but two kids in my son's class. Those two kids have severe learning issues, and go to the reading and speech therapists regularly.

A phrase from the book:

I do not like them in a box.
I do not like them with a fox
I do not like them in a house
I do not like them with a mouse
I do not like them here or there.
I do not like them anywhere.
I do not like green eggs and ham.
I do not like them, Sam-I-am.

I'd say it's more appropriate for an average first grader in our area where we have one of the worst education systems in the country. We have something like the lowest per pupil spending. That being said, there are many kindergartners in our school who could blast through this book.

[Karenn]

A couple of thoughts: 2.2 does sound about right for me as far as the grade level for Green Eggs and Ham. I'm sure there are many children who were able to read this book well before 2nd grade. I think that would be particularly true of the children of people on this board since this is a very well educated and intelligent community. The average reading level of the children represented on this board has got to be skewed for that reason. However, when you consider the vocabulary, the number of decodable words and the content of Green Eggs and Ham, I think 2.2 is fair.

Also, as far as your child's grade level placement, I'm not sure that his grade equivalent reading level is going to matter that much. As you can tell from the responses here, what represents typical achievement in one Kindergarten class may not necessarily be typical in another. What would seem to me to be more important is how your child is reading in comparison to the standards at your child's own school. Those standards may seem arbitrary, but they still represent the environment where your child is learning at this particular time. According to Scholastic, my first grade DD is reading at a 3rd grade level. If I used that as a reason to stick her in third grade in her current school, she would crash and burn! However, scholastic's reading level equivalents are actually a pretty good tool when comparing her reading level to what we see in our local public schools. My DD probably is able to read as well as the average third grader in our local public schools. I think learning environment can be really important when considering grade level placement.

[o_mom]

Also, as far as your child's grade level placement, I'm not sure that his grade equivalent reading level is going to matter that much. As you can tell from the responses here, what represents typical achievement in one Kindergarten class may not necessarily be typical in another. What would seem to me to be more important is how your child is reading in comparison to the standards at your child's own school. Those standards may seem arbitrary, but they still represent the environment where your child is learning at this particular time. According to Scholastic, my first grade DD is reading at a 3rd grade level. If I used that as a reason to stick her in third grade in her current school, she would crash and burn! However, scholastic's reading level equivalents are actually a pretty good tool when comparing her reading level to what we see in our local public schools. My DD probably is able to read as well as the average third grader in our local public schools. I think learning environment can be really important when considering grade level placement.

I know the OP didn't give all the background, but if you look at her sig, her DS is 7 yo in K. I know from previous posts, that they have struggled with the correct placement due to his special needs and even earlier this year felt that the placement in K is not the correct one. I think if he is reading well (but not just based on GE&H) and doing the other first grade work, that it is appropriate to consider that he is not in the correct class.

[kerridean]

The second grade level is ABSURD. My DS (who is an was an early reader, but lacks many other skills) chewed Green Eggs and Ham up and spit it out at age 3-4.

Um....the grade levels are determined by experts in their field....and thanks for insulting my KD child. Her teacher tells me is she ahead of peers in reading BTW. JEEZ! The children who read this book had most likely memorized the text. Most three year old children do not know how to read! This is WAY outside of the norms.

[Jo..]

Um....the grade levels are determined by experts in their field....and thanks for insulting my KD child. Her teacher tells me is she ahead of peers in reading BTW. JEEZ! The children who read this book had most likely memorized the text. Most three year old children do not know how to read! This is WAY outside of the norms.

I'll clarify to say he wasn't sounding out at that age, but did know a lot of sight words (as did many of his peers). I also pointed out that my 3.5 year old is not yet reading.

[maestramommy]

Green Eggs and Ham is a bit of a tongue twister! I just read the sampling line, and that's a lot of words crammed together. I think Dora might've been able to memorize it after I read it to her multiple times, but if I were to just pull it off the shelf right now and ask her to read it to me, boy that would be a slog. I know there are a lot of repeated words, that rhyme, so maybe that makes it easier? Still, the charm of Dr. Suess to me is the rhythm of the verse. A lot of that is lost if a new reader is trying to read it out loud.

I've asked around and Magic Tree House is considered appropriate for grades 1-3, even 4, depending on interest. Now obviously some kids are gifted. A friend of mine has a kid who finished the entire MTH series at 4. BUT she knows that is not the norm, esp. since her current 4yo is just sounding out letters.

I also wonder about the idea of introducing books that are much more advanced in content than the child's age. Now this is a little OT, but I asked about the HP series since there is so much interest in introducing them to kids nowadays. One of the comments I heard was that just because a kid is capable of reading (like, decoding) HP doesn't mean they are ready to read it. The content is pretty heavy stuff, and not always age appropriate, even with the absence of sex, language, etc. As parents on this board many of us are extremely vigilant when it comes to holding back certain kinds of TV programming. Shouldn't we be just as thoughtful with books?

[Green_Tea]

Now this is a little OT, but I asked about the HP series since there is so much interest in introducing them to kids nowadays. One of the comments I heard was that just because a kid is capable of reading (like, decoding) HP doesn't mean they are ready to read it. The content is pretty heavy stuff, and not always age appropriate, even with the absence of sex, language, etc. As parents on this board many of us are extremely vigilant when it comes to holding back certain kinds of TV programming. Shouldn't we be just as thoughtful with books?

I think this an interesting and insightful observation. I took a reading class and a child lit class last semester, and it really changed the way I view the way our kids are learning to read and WHAT they're reading. There are a ton of really amazing picture books out there for kids who are in 1st-5th grade. They have challenging text and vocabulary, tackle dense, meaty topics, and are beautifully illustrated. But because parents (much more so than teachers, from what I've observed) are so preoccupied with getting their kids to read chapter books, these amazing picture books are often completely overlooked. I don't quite understand why Harry Potter has become the new benchmark by which parents measure their child's reading success. I seriously doubt that a first grader - even a VERY advanced one - can truly appreciate all of the subtext and depth of even the first Harry Potter book, even if they can read all the words and understand the plot. Yet I frequently hear parents declare that their kids have washed their hands of picture books in favor of Harry, and the parents encourage it. I find it kind of sad - many (not all, of course) of those kids are missing out on a whole range of awesome books. And the parents of the kids who aren't interested in reading 400 page chapter books in 1st grade are worried that their kids are lagging behind.

When I was a kid, I consistently tested MILES ahead of my grade level in reading. I was reading at an 8th or 9th grade level by the end of 3rd grade. But I didn't read a single chapter book until I was in 4th grade. I started with Judy Blume and Beverly Cleary books. Now those books would be considered downright babyish for a 4th grader. But today's 4th graders aren't actually better readers - they're just being encouraged to read thicker, more mature books at a much earlier age. I find it particularly ironic in the context of all the things modern parents rail against, particularly certain TV shows and encouraging independent problem solving (and independence in general). Reading seems to be the only area in which parents want their kid to act much older than they actually are.