High Interest/Low Vocabulary

High Interest/Low Vocabulary (HILV)

Category: Language/Reading Grade Level: Grade 3 to 12; Adult literacy s

1. What is the purpose of the  Short time span, lots of action. High/Low Materials?  No wordiness, mostly dialogues. HILV materials have been designed to  Snappy conclusion. make the world of the written word more  Content difficulty should not be readily available to poor and non- confused with reading difficulty; the readers. They are books designed to former will be desirable for the older attract the potential reader by virtue of readers, the latter will not. their interesting content. At the same time they are designed to be easily 4. In what types of settings should the readable. High/Low materials be used? They are meant for individual use or for 2. With whom can they be used? use by small groups of readers in any These materials are intended for setting. reluctant, disabled, and disinterested readers of all age and grade levels. 5. To what extent has research shown the High/Low Materials to be useful? 3. What considerations should go into Provided that the materials are choosing High/Low Materials? appropriate to meet the readers interests There are three sets of factors to and needs the research seems to indicate consider: (a) presentation; (b) readability that this is a very useful approach to and (c) content. enticing poor and reluctant readers to PRESENTATION read. Keith Stanovich and others have  Short chapters. shown that reading proficiency is related  Normal sized print. to amount of reading practice.  Average sized book, written on regular paper (i.e., the book should References not stand out in appearance from 1. Crames, W. and Dorsey, S. (1978). those of the reader's peers). Read-ability books for junior and  Often a paperback senior high school students. Portland, Maine: J. Weston Walch. READABILITY 2. Dubrovin, V. (1979). The new hi/lo  Text vocabulary and syntax should books: Stepping stones to reading be at the instructional level of the success. Curriculum Review. 18, intended reader. 384-385. 3. Groves, M., Boettcher, J. and CONTENT Randall, R. (1979). Easy reading:  Fast-paced with a simple, but book series and periodicals for less relevant, storyline. abled readers. Newark, Delaware:  One well-developed main character, International Reading Association. few others. 4. LiBretto, E. (1981). High/low handbook: books, materials and services for the teenage problem Level 600 (gr. 3.5-4.0) reader. New York: R.R. Bowler. Level 700 (gr. 4.0-5.0) 5. New York Public Library, Office of Interest Levels are not reported Young Adult Services. (1979). Easy- to-read books for teenagers. New Read XL York: Author. Reading Level gr. 6-8 6. Thypin, M. (1979). Selection of Interest Level unknown books of high interest and low reading level. Journal of Learning High Interest Magazine Disabilities, 12, 75-77. 7. White, M. (1979). High interest-easy Action reading for junior and senior high Reading Level gr. 3-5 school students (3rd ed.). Urbana, Interest Level gr. 7-12 Illinois: National Council of Teachers. Scope Reading Level gr. 6-8 HI-LV Scholastic Reading Materials Interest Level gr. 7-12

Other High Interest/Low Vocabulary Second Chance Reading Series (gr. 2 - Titles from Scholastic (gr. 4-6) 8) Blue Willow Sparklers Captain Underpants and the Perilous plot Reading Level gr. 1-2 of Professor Poopypants Interest Level gr. 3-4 Daniel’s Story A Dinosaur Named Sue Super Doopers - High interest chapter Do You Want Fries With That? books with simple stories and lots of art Finding the Titanic Reading Level gr. 2-3 Hiroshima Interest Level gr. 4-6 The Hundred Dresses Robin Hood of Sherwood Forest Triple Play - fast action mini series Wild Weather: Tornadoes Reading Level gr. 3-4 Interest Level gr. 5-8

Fact Meets Fiction Reading Level gr. 4-6 Interest Level gr. 6+

Sprint Plus

Level 200 (gr. 1.5-2.0) Level 300 (gr. 2.0-2.5) Level 400 (gr. 2.5-3.0) Level 500 (gr. 3.0-3.5) Level 600 (gr. 3.0-3.5)