Two-Green (GG)

What is a GG Reader?

Two-Green readers have a sight word bank of 50–75 high frequency words. They are able to use the first two letters of a new word, along with the pictures and syntax clues, to help figure out new words. As they read in Two-Green materials, students accumulate an additional 50 sight words and become comfortable with contractions, word opposites, and basic category words (e.g., days of the week, colors, numbers). A Two-Green reader’s successful decoding is dependent on his or her basic background knowledge, vocabulary, common sense, and ability to reason.

Standards-based Objectives for GG

Wide Reading and Motivation

  • Reads regularly and independently in the GG Reading Zone for 15 minutes every day in the classroom without fatigue
  • Has established a home reading habit and reads for at least 15 minutes each night
  • Enjoys both fiction and nonfiction materials

Phonemic Awareness/Phonics/Decoding/Word Solving Strategies

  • Generates a series of rhyming words, including consonant blends
  • Recognizes the new spoken word when an initial consonant is changed (e.g, hill, when the h is switched out with a b, becomes bill)
  • Distinguishes between initial, medial, and final sounds in single-syllable words
  • Distinguishes between long and short vowel sounds in orally stated single-syllable words
  • Has control over initial blends (br-, cl-, st-) and digraphs (ch-, sh-, th-, wh-); self-prompts using these sounds in unknown words without reminders or help

Fluency

  • Reads comfortably and with confidence
  • Successfully figures out 95–100% of words in GG-level texts without help

Vocabulary and Background Knowledge

  • Knows 50–100 high frequency words by sight and can use them as “islands of certainty” while reading in GG-level materials
  • Uses and explains common antonyms and synonyms (e.g., big/small, tall/short)
  • Reads and identifies the words that compose contractions (e.g., can’t = cannot)
  • Has enough background knowledge to name and talk about the content common to GG-level books

Comprehension of Informational and Literary Text

  • Retells stories in correct sequence
  • Thinks critically about an author’s writing and supports opinions with examples from the text

Major Learning for a GG Reader

When two consonants start a word, they are usually combined into a new sound.

Major Characteristics of a GG Book

GG books are written with one or two simple sentences per page. The sight words are from the most frequently used 100 words (see G and GG Skills Cards).

IRLA: Independent Reading Level Assessment®

The IRLA provides comprehensive details about each readling level in American Reading Company’s leveling system. Learn more »

Alignment to Other Systems

See how our reading levels correlate to levels of other commonly used leveling systems. Learn more »