DRA Reading Levels

Here is a link:
http://www.scholastic.com/parents/resources/article/book-...

At this age you would like to nurture a love for reading. Not just knowing how to but loving to. Tap into his interest. Young children love to read about things the like and know. Getting into series type books also helps as it makes them look forward to the next book. Books like Junie B Jones are perfect for that. I believe that's a first grade read.

Acquiring a booklist also helps. Your kid may enjoy and take pride in checking off books from his list. I have a list from a reading program my eldest daughter participated in. She was 6 then and going into 1st. Message me if you want a part of that list.

There are daily comprehension workbooks that are also great for young readers. Found ours locally for less than $4. It's kinda fun. You get to read the story, answer questions about it and even draw a picture related to the story. (Can you hear the excitement in my voice lol- sorry but I'm raising a self proclaimed nerd)

BTW, what level is your child? Maybe I can recommend some books. Here's one: http://www.powells.com/biblio?isbn=9780613099462 . Libraries usually carry this book and B & N has it for about $2

Ask your librarian if they keep a list of books and their reading levels. A lot of newer books (especially Scholastic) have the different reading levels printed on the books near the barcode. I don't know a lot about DAR because our school prefers to use AR (Accelerated Reader). But I do know our library keeps a list of books related to the reading levels.

I do believe that you shouldn't stress too much about the reading levels and focus on what your child enjoys. Pick out books that he is interested in regardless of reading level. Let his teachers focus on the reading level. Read together--sometimes let him read to you and then you read to him. No matter how old your child gets or how good he is at reading it is still very valuable to him to have you read to him. If you do that you will raise a person who LOVES to read. It is also good for him to see you reading just for fun. If you read together you will also have a pretty good idea about what types of books he is able to read on his own.

DRA is one of many ways that books are leveled.

Here is a list based on DRA levels.
http://wces.ucps.k12.nc.us/php/DRA_list.htm

Another list using another leveling system but you can click on the grade level.
http://home.comcast.net/~ngiansante/

You can go to http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/ and use the Book Wizard tab. You can do a search by reading level with one of the tabs. I also use the Book Wizard if I'm at a book store or library and looking at a book for one of my kids - you can look up specific titles to see what they are leveled (though it is frustrating because there are many that aren't leveled with Guided Reading, which is what our school uses). Good luck!