What is a Bk Reader?
Bk-level readers really get hooked on reading. This is when silent reading takes off and readers will sit and read for long periods of time, reluctant to stop because they want to find out what happens next. Bk is the level where good readers binge on junky series books (e.g., Goosebumps, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Matt Christopher’s sports fiction). This should be encouraged because it builds fluency, silent reading speed, endurance, and the habit of reading. Literary taste will come with experience. Require Bk-level readers to demonstrate their proficiency in both fiction and nonfiction, but otherwise let them indulge their passions. The levels that follow require students to broaden their reading into new genres. Take advantage of all the junky fiction and have students master the narrative form: characters, settings, dialogue, point of view, theme, etc., in both reading and writing.
In Bk text, the vocabulary demands are increasing, with 3–5 words on a typical chapter book page not familiar from everyday speech. Be sure readers can define those words either from past reading experience or through the use of context clues. Bk-level readers should finish a Bk chapter book, or its equivalent, each week.
