Finding a Book's Level (When it's Not in the Database)

Finding the level of a book not listed in the database isn't difficult! No need to worry. The basic idea behind leveling a book not found in the database is simply comparing it to books you've already successfully leveled, and deciding which level the book best matches. The more you do it, the easier it gets!

1. Create a pile for books not in the database. You'll more likely than not be leveling a sizable number of books at once. As you go through, you'll probably discover quite a few books that are not yet listed on our database. Place those books in a pile and continue leveling the books that are found on our site.
   
   
2. Arrange successfully leveled books by levels. Take some of the books you've already successfully leveled, and lay them out in piles (or bins, shelves, whatever is convenient) based on their level. (e.g. group the Ms together, and the Ns together, and the Os together)
   
   
3. Compare the books. Compare the books that weren't in our database to the ones you've successfully leveled. Use the following criteria as a general guide:
   • Number of pages
   • Number and frequency of pictures
   • Number of words per page
   • Difficulty of words
   • Accessibility of concept (e.g. a book about a 10 year old American boy has more accessible content to a fifth grader than does a book about Incan civilization)
   • Sentence length, paragraph lenght, and complexity of writing
     
     
4. Choose a level: Remember, leveling is not exact! After you have compared the book you are trying to level to ones that are already leveled, decide which category it fits best in based on the criteria above. If it doesn't seem to fit perfectly in any category, or seems to fall in a range, use your judgment. Your leveling does not have to be perfect; it's just a guide for pairing students with books.
   
   
5. Add the book to the database: Once you've successfully leveled a few books, add them to the database. By doing so, you'll help other teachers around the country create leveled libraries for their classrooms!