FiveFinger Rule The fivefinger rule is a great

Five-Finger Rule The five-finger rule is a great tool to use when you are trying to determine if a book is “just right” for your reader. • Your child reads from any page in his or her book aloud. • Your child puts up a finger for each unknown word. • At end of the page, if your child has less than five fingers raised, the book is readable at an independent level. • If there are five or more mistakes, the book is too difficult for your child to read independently. This is a book you could read with your child. • To ensure comprehension, make sure your child can tell you at least two things about the page he or she read to you.

Questions to Check for Understanding • Does this book remind you of another book? • How does the book make you feel? • Do you like the book? Why or why not? • What does author want you to think or feel? • Why did you choose the book? • Would you recommend the book to a friend? • What do you think will happen? • How do you feel about the characters? • What problems are the characters facing? • Where and when does the story take place? • How does the author keep you interested? • Is there anything you would change about the book? • What are you wondering about? • Is there anything you didn’t understand? • Does this seem like a “just-right” book for you? • What is surprising about your book or this subject?