Content Areas,
2nd Edition
What’s New?!
- Revised research-based Teaching Guide featuring new sections on:
- Guided Reading in the Content Areas & Activating Background Knowledge
- Including Content Area Informational Text in Primary Classrooms
- New authentic texts with titles on science, technology, engineering, arts, math, and 21st century careers
- New teaching cards for every title
- A mix of Nonfiction & Fiction: 80% Nonfiction and 20% Fiction
Buy Multiple-Level Grade Sets and Save even more!
Kindergarten (4 levels, A–D)
40 titles, 6 copies each, 240 books
Grade 1 (9 levels, A–I)
90 titles, 6 copies each, 540 books
Grade 2 (10 levels, E–N)
100 titles, 6 copies each, 600 books
Grade 3 (8 levels, J–Q)
80 titles, 6 copies each, 480 books
Grade 4 (8 levels, M–T)
80 titles, 6 copies each, 480 books
Grade 5 (7 levels, Q–W)
70 titles, 6 copies each, 420 books
Grade 6 (7 levels, T–Z)
70 titles, 6 copies each, 420 books
Complete Set (26 levels, A–Z)
260 titles, 6 copies each; 1,560 books
Content Areas, 2nd Edition Reading Levels
Level A
Simple texts with one line of one to six words per page, easy-to-see print, and ample space between words. Children can focus on print and gradually increase their control over words. Most of the texts in Level A focus on topics familiar to children.
Level A Titles
- Level A Titles
- Cars
- Dress for Winter
- How Many Legs?
- I Can Do It
- Just Jump!
- Two Fish Swim
- What Is It Made Of?
- What's My Name?
- Where Is My Nest?
Level B
Texts focus on a simple story line or single idea, with direct correspondence between text and pictures; one or two lines of print per page, with a variety of punctuation; many texts at this level feature repeating patterns in the text.
Level B Titles
- All Kinds of Shoes
- Count on Frogs
- Fruit Market
- How Are They Alike?
- In the Snow
- Light and Heavy
- On a Bridge
- Patterns
- Think Pink!
- What's for Lunch?
Level C
Texts explore familiar topics in a variety of ways to offer new viewpoints to the reader; simple sentences may have introductory clauses set off by punctuation; text may be patterned but is not as predictable as in Levels A and B.
Level C Titles
- Add Up the Toys
- Do You Want to Be a Teacher?
- Family Fun
- Let's Have Pasta!
- Life at the Pond
- Mammals
- On the Farm
- Pets! Pets! Pets!
- See It! Paint It!
- Ten
Level D
Texts cover familiar topics but introduce new, more abstract ideas; illustrations support the text, but more attention to print is required; text contains more compound and multisyllabic words and a full range of punctuation.
Level D Titles
- All Kinds of Weather
- Big or Small?
- Can You See What I See? Nature
- Dogs All Year Long
- Footprints in the Sand
- From Egg to Robin
- How Plants Grow
- Making a Memory
- More and More
- Mud!
Level E
Stories have more or longer episodes; informational texts present more complex ideas; texts are longer than in previous levels, with more pages or more lines of text on each page; with more complex punctuation.
Level E Titles
- Do You Want to Be a Doctor?
- Gus Grows a Plant
- If I Had a Hammer
- In the Rain Forest
- Peach Trees
- Rainbows
- Sort It Out
- Water Changes
- What Is a Friend?
- Whose Shoes?
Level F
Concepts presented in texts at this level are more distant from familiar topics; larger variety of frequently used words and many more new words; text reflects patterns of written, rather than oral, language.
Level F Titles
- How I Care for My Pet
- How I Do My Homework
- How Many Feet? How Many Tails?
- I See Five
- May I Please Have a Cookie?
- My Camera
- Night Sky, The
- Scarf for Jerry, A
- What Is This?
- Who Lives in Trees?
Level G
In texts at this level, the language changes on each page, rather than repeating in patterns; texts offer challenges in ideas and vocabulary, with some introduction to technical language; variety of print styles and text layouts require reader's close attention and flexibility.
Level G Titles
- Animals Day and Night
- Chicks!
- Chu's Day
- Goldilocks Goes Shopping
- How Does Weather Change?
- Is It Really a Sea Animal?
- Let's Make Music
- Sensing Light and Sound
- Two by Two
- Who Has a Tail?
Level H
Texts are similar in difficulty to level G, but the texts vary more widely in size of print, length of sentences, and type of language; texts are less repetitious in events and language structures, with expanded vocabulary.
Level H Titles
- Ballet Stars
- I'm Not Scared Book, The
- Let's Make Pizza
- Look at Bird Beaks, A
- Score Points!
- Cool Drink of Water, A
- Seeds
- Stuck on You
- Super Fly Guy
- Twelve Is a Dozen
Level I
Longer and more complex stories than in levels G and H, with more highly elaborated information; multisyllabic words arranged in longer sentences and paragraphs that require complex word solving; illustrations enhance meaning but provide less support for understanding the meaning of the text.
Level I Titles
- About Fish
- Crow and the Pitcher, The
- Earth Book, The
- Families
- First Day of Winter, The
- Fly Guy Meets Fly Girl!
- It's Okay to Make Mistakes
- Landmarks U.S.A.
- Pair of Socks, A
- Senses on the Farm
Level J
Beginning chapter texts appear for the first time at this level, requiring readers to recall information over more than one sitting; fewer illustrations with whole pages of text in some texts.
Level J Titles
- Animals and Us
- Chameleon!
- Dance! Dance! Dance!
- Flat Shapes! Solid Shapes!
- From Sheep to Wool
- Katie Saves Thanksgiving
- Simple Machines
- What Does a Veterinarian Do?
- Why Is It Spring?
- Why Should I Protect Nature?
Level K
This level includes chapter texts and short informational texts with difficult concepts; readers learn about concepts and events outside their own experiences; readers need to use a variety of strategies to figure out different writing styles.
Level K Titles
- Amazing Wheat
- Baby Wolf
- Biggest Babies, The
- Even Steven and Odd Todd
- Farmers: Growing the Foods We Eat
- I Love You, ZooBorns!
- Jane Goodall
- Planets Around the Sun
- Rainbow Mystery, The
Level L
Texts at this level are much longer and more complex and include biographies; longer texts include many multisyllabic words and expand readers' vocabularies; some texts present abstract or symbolic themes.
Level L Titles
- Length
- Library Mouse
- Many Ways to Move
- Nature's Builders
- Roberto Clemente
- Rooster's Off to See the World
- Japan — Pluckrose
- Solar System — Vogt
- Tell Me Why Planes Have Wings — Willis
- The Grapes of Math — Tang
- Tyrannosaurus Rex — Landau
Level M
Text includes more complex language and requires reader to make interpretations; most texts at this level have greatly expanded vocabulary; many texts at this level have smaller print with narrower word spacing.
Level M Titles
- Amelia Earhart
- Arctic Animals
- Cactus Hotel
- Danger! Volcanoes
- I Fall Down
- Lion's Share, The
- Lizards
- My Baseball Book
- Toad Weather
- Zoo Foods
Level N
Vocabulary continues to expand and go beyond readers' own experiences; variety of texts offer readers a chance to interpret information and speculate on alternate meanings.
Level N Titles
- Albert the Fix-It Man
- Common Ground
- Follow the Money!
- Good Enough to Eat
- It's Our Garden
- One Tiny Turtle
- Seed, Soil, Sun
- Sir Cumference and the First Round Table
- Surprising Sharks
- A Weed Is a Flower
Level O
Longer texts at this level present varied vocabulary that will require readers to interpret the meaning of the text; texts have more sophisticated subjects and more complex sentence structures.
Level O Titles
- Deep-Sea Explorers
- Engineers Build Models
- Hurricane Hoax, The
- Marty McGuire
- Polar Plunge
- Engineers Solve Problems
- How Did That Get in My Lunchbox?
- Star Stuff: Carl Sagan and the Mysteries of the Cosmos
- Thirst for Home, A
- What If You Had Animal Teeth!?
Level P
Informational texts at this level include history and biography, enabling readers to learn how to gain information from a variety of structures; concepts may include issues of early adolescence.
Level P Titles
- Count Your Chickens
- Diary of a Worm
- Did a Dinosaur Drink This Water?
- Fifty Cents and a Dream
- Killer Whale vs. Great White Shark
- Mighty Ants and Other Cases, The
- Place for Birds, A
- Search for the Missing Bones, The
- Weslandia
- Why Do Kittens Do That?
Level Q
Selections contain themes to foster group discussion; relationship of illustrations to text also offers opportunities for exploration and discussion; texts contain difficult words, some from languages other than English.
Level Q Titles
- Five Brave Explorers
- Greater Estimations
- How Do Airplanes Fly?
- I Survived Hurricane Katrina
- If You Lived at the Time of Martin Luther King
- If You Sailed on the Mayflower in 1620
- Owl in the Office
- Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi
- Tree Lady, The
- Why Do Puppies Do That?
Level R
Texts in this level contain sophisticated vocabulary to challenge readers; some of the longer chapter texts require sustained reading effort over several sittings; texts represent a range of times in history.
Level R Titles
- Desert Giant
- Dirt
- Do Stars Have Points?
- Duke Ellington
- Everything Dog
- Rachel Carson
- Shiloh
- Snow Treasure
- This Place Is Wet
- The Whale Who Won Hearts
Level S
Selections challenge readers to make connections with previous reading and with historical events; words present many shades of meaning that require readers' interpretation; this level includes chapter books in a variety of genres.
Level S Titles
- Bridging the Gap
- Butterflies and Moths
- Electrical Wizard
- The Mouse With the Question Mark Tail
- Number Patterns
- Survival at 40 Below
- Tiger in Trouble!
- Tracking Predators and Prey
- When the Wolves Returned
- Winter's Tail
Level T
At this level, readers encounter a variety of nonfiction text structures; expanded vocabulary requires readers to consider both literal and connotative meaning.
Level T Titles
- Ben Franklin's Big Splash
- Crossing Bok Chitto
- Farmer Will Allen and the Growing Table
- Helen's Big World
- How Do You Burp in Space?
- Lady Liberty: A Biography
- Money Matters
- Tales of Famous Americans
- Wild Waters: Facts & Stats
- X-treme Sports
Level U
Texts cover a breadth of topics and present specific, technical information; illustrations require interpretation and connection to text; text requires readers to employ a wide range of reading strategies.
Level U Titles
- Astrophysicist and Space Advocate Neil DeGrasse Tyson
- Careers in Art & Design
- Environmental Engineering and the Science of Sustainability
- Flora & Ulysses
- Handful of Dirt, A
- Living Dangerously
- Prowling the Seas
- Storm Runners
- A Timeline History of the Declaration of Independence
Level V
Texts present complex issues and use technical language; topics are distant from students' experience in terms of time and geographic area and may include realistic historical information and more difficult themes.
Level V Titles
- Africa Is My Home
- Be a Geologist
- Electric Ben
- Journey, The
- Monster Plants
- Nature's Numbers and Patterns
- Oil Spill: Disaster in the Gulf
- Secret Coders
- Space Math
- Titanic: Voices From the Disaster
Level W
Texts present complex information requiring readers to employ a wide range of content knowledge and to understand the basic organizational structures of nonfiction; topics explore the human condition and social issues; texts vary in length; print is generally in a small font.
Level W Titles
- Castle Diary
- Creatures of the Deep
- Dark Life
- Do You Read Me?
- Eye of the Storm
- Heart and Soul
- Monster Crop Circles and Other Mysteries
- Outside and Inside Mummies
- That Bull Is Seeing Red!
- When Birds Get Flu and Cows Go Mad!
Level X
Texts cover increasingly mature themes and require extensive prior knowledge; texts are designed to present a significant amount of new information.
Level X Titles
- Civil Engineering and the Science of Structures
- At Her Majesty's Request
- Dust Bowl Through the Lens, The
- Heroes of Hurricane Katrina
- Mutants & Monsters
- P.S. Be Eleven
- Pearl Harbor
- Real Life Zombies
- Swamp Stories
- War Horse
Level Y
Texts feature similar themes to previous levels, with more explicit detail; this level requires critical reading skills to evaluate the quality and objectivity of the text.
Level Y Titles
- Air Travel
- Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream
- Bodies From the Ash
- Fences Between Us, The
- Forms of Government
- Gordon Parks: How the Photographer Captured Black and White America
- Pyramids, Temples, and Tombs
- Robotics
- Tentacles
- Tiles and Tessellations
Level Z
A challenge for more widely read students, requiring critical reading skills; topics include controversial social and political issues; readers experience complex examples of nonfiction organizational structure.
Level Z Titles
- Because They Marched
- Guts & Glory: The Vikings
- Heroes of 9/11
- I Am Malala
- Mockingjay
- Not Your Parents' Money Book
- Sophia's War
- Superstars of History
- Superstars of Science
- The Usborne Introduction to the Second World War
