ABSTRACT
The texts used for beginning reading instruction have changed in remarkable ways over the last half of the 20th century Traditional “Look-Say” basal texts, challenged by literature-based advocates of the 1980s and early 1990s, gave way to literature-based anthologies. Challenged by phonics advocates in the mid-1990s, these “real literature” texts soon yielded to more “decodable” texts (see Hoffman, Sailors, & Patterson, 2002). Caught in the middle of these changes were (and are) the teachers and students who come daily to schools to teach and learn. Teachers must continue to instruct, even in the absence of consensus, and children must continue to become literate, even as adults squabble over the materials and methods to teach them. In this chapter, we offer a perspective on the leveled texts used for beginning reading instruction that attempts to separate the political rhetoric from the research. We focus our discussion specifically on leveled texts, texts written and designed with the goal of fostering early reading development. Leveled texts are organized around some sequence or progression of difficulty level for the reader. Traditional basal readers are an example of leveled texts, as are the little books and leveled libraries that are common in schools today. Our goal is to provide a principled perspective on the texts for beginning readers that can inform and support classroom teachers in their decision making. We hope that this perspective might also inform policymakers as they continue to struggle with issues of quality instruction.
