Reading Placement Guide
First Step – Can’t recognize all of the letters or doesn’t know their sounds.
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Big Step – Recognizes the letters and knows their sounds.
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Giant Leap – Has completed the sight reading in Big Step
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Learn to Read with EP – This is for a child seven and up who is not reading independently yet. It covers the reading lessons in the Big Step and Giant Leap books but without the writing and math for younger children.
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Use this reading test to help you decide on a reading level. If your child knows how to read all the words and knows all their meanings, then move on to the next one to try. It's okay to have a couple challenging words, but they should still be able to understand what's going on and be able to tell you. Don't place your child above their grade level. Red is first grade. Orange is second grade, etc.
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Red Series: Solomon at last succeeded in falling asleep once more. And he dreamed that he chased
Benjamin Bat three times around Blue Mountain, and then three times back again, in the opposite direction. But he never could catch him, because Benjamin Bat simply wouldn’t fly straight. His zigzag course was so confusing that even in his dream, Solomon Owl grew dizzy.
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Orange Series: He had just reached a turn in the Crooked Little Path when who should run right plump
into him but poor Old Mr. Toad. He gave a frightened squeal and fell right over on his back, and kicked foolishly as he tried to get on his feet again. But he was all out of breath, and so frightened and tired that all he could do was to kick and kick. He hadn’t seen Jimmy at all, for he had been looking behind him, and he didn’t even know who it was he had run into.
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Yellow Series: The daily food of the family all came from the farm, the forest, or the creek. In the woods were found deer just for the shooting; and squirrels, rabbits, wild turkeys, pheasants, and quails, so numerous that a few hours’ hunting would supply the table for days. The fish in the river, as I told you, fairly longed to be caught.
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Green Series: The tempest had raged for six days, and on the seventh seemed to increase. The ship had
been so far driven from its course, that no one on board knew where we were. Every one was exhausted with fatigue and watching. The shattered vessel began to leak in many places, the oaths of the sailors were changed to prayers, and each thought only how to save his own life.
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Blue Series: The four dappled steeds skimmed along, as if they liked it quite as well as Tom did; the bugle was in as high spirits as the horses themselves; the coachman chimed in sometimes with his voice; the wheels hummed cheerfully in unison; the brasswork on the harness was an orchestra of little bells; and thus they went clinking, jingling, rattling smoothly on; the whole concern, from the buckles of the leaders’ coupling reins to the handle of the hind boot, was one great instrument of music.
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Indigo Series: I was a surgeon successfully on two ships, and made several voyages for six years to the East and West Indies, by which I got some addition to my fortune. My hours of leisure I spent reading the best authors, ancient and modern, being always provided with a good number of books; and when I was ashore, in observing the manners and dispositions of the people, as well as learning their language, wherein I had a great facility by the strength of my memory.