We might sometimes wonder if our writing, or the books we choose to read to our children are age appropriate or at the level of the intended audience. Here are two wonderful resources for anyone writing for children. If you want your books to be used in the classroom, you definitely want to check out these resources.
1. THE CHILDREN’S WRITER’S WORD BOOK by Alijandra Mogilner has grade lists and vocabulary words for Kindergarten through sixth grade. It also describes which reading skills are acquired at each level.
2. You can become familiar with state and national curriculum standards at the Education World website: http://www.educationworld.com/standards/ These standards are what teachers must follow when they select materials for the classroom.
There is also a way to check the readability level of your test by using the FLESCH-KINCAID GRADE LEVEL score found on your computer. This resource is especially effective with longer passages.
Darlene Beck-Jacobson 