In Brown Bears at the Zoo, learn about brown bears, including how big they get, what they like to eat, and how they move. Brown Bears at the Zoo, part of At the Zoo Set 3, is a nonfiction/informational, I leveled, Early Fluent title.
Brown Bears at the Zoo is part of the At the Zoo Set 1. You may purchase the book individually, as a 6-pk (six books of the same title), or as part of At the Zoo Set 1. Brown Bears at the Zoo is also included when you buy the At the Zoo Collection (single copy of each of the 12 At the Zoo books) or the At the Zoo Classroom Collection (6-pk of each of the 12 At the Zoo titles).
Level I Readers
Brown Bears at the Zoo is a nonfiction/informational I leveled, Early Fluent reader (Levels I-M), based on independent evaluation by Fountas & Pinnell using the F&P Text Level Gradient™. Level I readers use clusters, blends and digraphs, as well as consonant and vowel letter-sound relationships to solve words. They connect words that mean the same or almost the same, and use context and pictures to figure out the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary. Level I readers can quickly and automatically recognize a large number of high-frequency words, and use word-solving strategies for complex spelling patterns, multisyllable words, compound words, and many words with inflectional endings, plurals, contractions, and possessives. When reading out loud, they are able to demonstrate (without using a finger to point at words) appropriate rate, phrasing, intonation, and word stress.
At Level I, readers will begin processing texts with compound sentences, multiple episodes, more elaborate story lines, several chapters, and unusual formats such as letters or questions followed by answers. With early reading skills under control, readers can follow slightly more complex story lines. Level I readers understand dimensional characters, identify with them, and feel empathy. They can talk about a character’s motivations and feelings, and can sometimes predict what may happen next based on knowledge of the characters or the type of story they’re reading.
Early Fluent Readers
Early Fluent readers recognize that reading has a variety of purposes and reading different kinds of books is enjoyable for distinct reasons. They should be reading both fiction and nonfiction/informational books. Reading informational books, like At the Zoo Set 1, provides a different type of literacy benefit to early readers. Reading nonfiction helps young students develop background knowledge, which increases their comprehension ability by enabling them to make sense of new ideas. Additionally, informational texts have the potential to motivate students to read more by tapping into their personal interests. Encouraging students to explore a broad array of informational texts can help them see that the real world is as interesting and amazing as any fictional one. MaryRuth Books offers many fiction and nonfiction/informational leveled readers, suggested and used by Reading Recovery® and Guided Reading educators, when teaching Early Fluent readers.