A “Just Right” book should be:  Interesting to you › The title is appealing › You know and like the author  Comfortable to read › The print is the right size › You like the illustrations › Some pages are smooth to read, others are choppy  You can read it › You can understand the plot and predict › You can tell others what the book is about › There are only a few words per page that you don’t know

 The Goldilocks Method › What did Goldilocks want in the story of “The Three Bears?” Ahhh…this bed is “just right!”

 The Five Finger Rule › Open to a page of the book › Begin Reading › Each time you come to a word you don’t know, hold up one finger › After you finish reading the page check to see how many fingers you are holding up:  0-1: Too Easy  2-3: Just Right  4-5: Too Hard

 Use Your Schema › What is schema?  What you know, if you’ve heard about it, experienced it, or seen it then it’s in your schema. (Example: If you know a lot about weather, then a book on weather might be a “just right” book for you.)

 You Can… › read most of the words › understand what you’re reading › enjoy the book › have some schema for the subject › read the book with smooth fluency but there are some choppy places › read at a “just right” rate—not too slow, not too fast › figure out the tricky words and still get the meaning of the story