Assessment: Independent Reading Levels Level V

Student Text

Yolonda’s Genius by Carol Fenner

Andrew and Yolonda watched from the breakfast table. They waited, each in their own

way, for their momma to utter her usual moan: “We’ve got to get out of this town.” But this time,

she didn’t say a word. She just stared down through the snow at that planet of hers.

Yolonda’s pulse of worry returned, rose, and beat against her temples.

She knew that night, when her mother got out her handsome leather briefcase and started

going over her résumé, that she was going to find another job—away from Chicago.

Her mother’s idea of a great place to live included fresh air, peace and quiet, and trees.

She was always talking about growing flowers and owning a barbeque grill that they wouldn’t

have to chain to the house. Yolonda fretted. Her mother’s tastes were definitely limited.

“I don’t ever want to move to a place where they can’t do double Dutch,” she said to the

back of her mother’s head.

Her momma didn’t even turn around. “Better to be a big fish in a little pond,” she said,

“than a little fish in the ocean.”

“I’m already a big fish in these waters,” said Yolonda. Yolonda was big–huge. Tall and

heavy and strong. Double Dutch wasn’t one of her powers, nor was making friends, but she

often stood around watching, hoping the jumpers would need a rope turner. “I’m already a big

fish,” she repeated.

Her momma laughed. “You got that right, baby,” she said.

Yolonda sighed. She wondered unhappily how much time she had to cram in the

precious morsels of Chicago living. She suddenly loved her street, her school, the kids who were

August 2019 TCRWP

Assessment: Independent Reading Levels Level V
Student Text

not her friends. She loved the great public library and the Art Institute of Chicago. How long,

she wondered, before her mother found a law firm in another place that needed a paralegal?

August 2019 TCRWP

 Assessment for Independent Reading Levels
(Fiction/Narrative)

Reader’s Name:
Independent Level: Yes No
Grade: Date:

Text: Excerpt from Yolonda’s Genius by Carol Fenner, pp. 5-6

Level: V Word Count: 311

* In the interest of time, you might first suggest that the student read the text and summarize it. If their summary is
sufficient, you may go on to the next level. When comprehension begins to be compromised, that's when you'll want to do
the full running record - and the student will reread the text aloud.

Text Introduction

Say this to the reader before they begin reading the student copy of the text:

“You will be reading a story about a girl named Yolanda and her family. In this part of the story, after some
troubling events, Yolonda’s family, which includes her mother and brother Andrew, is considering moving to a
new town. So, take one second and think - what do you already know about what this story is going to be
about?”

If needed, you can repeat the text introduction. Then say, “You might want to read this silently to yourself first,
then please read out loud. (Point to the line on the student copy to show the child where the first section ends.)
After this part, you may read the rest silently. If you need to, you can reread the first part.”

Running Record Text

Andrew and Yolonda watched from the breakfast table. They waited, each in their own way, for their

momma to utter her usual moan: “We’ve got to get out of this town.” But this time, she didn’t say a

word. She just stared down through the snow at that planet of hers.

Yolonda’s pulse of worry returned, rose, and beat against her temples.

She knew that night, when her mother got out her handsome leather briefcase and started going over

her résumé, that she was going to find another job—away from Chicago.

Her mother’s idea of a great place to live included fresh air, peace and quiet, and trees.

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©2020-21 Teachers College Reading and Writing Project
 Assessment: Independent Reading Levels Level V
Fiction/Narrative

Summarize
Ask the student to summarize the story. Say, “Can you think back over this part of the story, and summarize it?
Try to describe the big events - what happens, as well as what you learn about the characters. In your summary
be sure that you:

1. Include important events.

2. Include ideas you have about the characters - what you learn about them.
3. Do not include minor details, predictions, wonderings.

If you are unsure about the child’s comprehension, turn to the exemplar summaries to see what a benchmark
summary might include. You may also go on, and ask the comprehension questions. If the summary seems
complete, then you might skip the questions and go to the next level text.

To make these assessments as inclusive and sustainable as possible, students might use more than one modality
to summarize and to answer comprehension questions. They might tell you their responses as you transcribe,
they might write their responses, and/or they might record their responses.

Notes on Summarizing
(This may be a transcription, or comments on student’s ability to summarize in order and to prioritize
the key story elements):

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©2020-21 Teachers College Reading and Writing Project
 Assessment: Independent Reading Levels Level V
Fiction/Narrative

Comprehension Questions

The student’s summary is acceptable as long as it demonstrates an accurate understanding of the text. If the
summary doesn’t feel complete, then ask some of the questions below. You do not have to ask a question that
was already answered in the student’s original summary. There are many acceptable responses to each
question, some of which are listed below. The student may also refer back to the text as needed.

Student’s Responses
Questions and Possible Responses
(if necessary because not addressed in retell):

1. Yolonda’s mother says, “Better to be a big

fish in a little pond than a little fish in the ocean.”
What do you think she means when she says this?

• In a small town Yolonda will get attention and

get noticed, but in a big city there are so many people
that no one will even notice her.
• Yolonda will have a better chance to stand out
in a small town than in a big city.
• A small town is a better place to live than a
big city.

2. What do you think the author is trying to show

at the start of the passage when she writes that
Yolonda’s momma just stares, saying nothing?

• Yolonda’s mom is deep in thought about

moving to a new place.
• Yolonda’s mom didn’t want to answer
Yolonda because Yolonda already knew the answer.
• Yolonda’s mom was staring and not saying
anything because she was trying to make a decision.

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©2020-21 Teachers College Reading and Writing Project
 Assessment: Independent Reading Levels Level V
Fiction/Narrative

3. Why do you think that toward the end of the

passage Yolonda suddenly loves the place where she
lives?

• Yolanda is tired of moving from one place to

another.
• She is thinking of all the good things in her
town that she will miss—the library, the Art Institute
of Chicago, her street, and her school.
• She is realizing that you never know how
much you like something until you do not have it
anymore.

4. How does Yolanda feel about moving? How

does Yolanda’s mother feel? Do they have the same
points of view or different?

• Yolanda appreciates what they have.

• Yolanda’s mother thinks that a small town
may be a good change.
• Yolanda’s mother knows the power of being
heard and gave advice that sometimes it's better to do
it among a smaller amount of people than a larger one.

Reading Behaviors
The Reader:

• Reads with intonation, including responding to punctuation, phrasing, and meaning

• Uses the punctuation to notice shifts in tone, and uses both punctuation and dialogue to take on voices
of the characters

• Reads unfamiliar and multisyllabic words, using knowledge of phonics, word parts to word solve

• May encounter tricky parts that don’t make sense, stops to reread, then goes on

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©2020-21 Teachers College Reading and Writing Project
 Assessment: Independent Reading Levels Level V
Fiction/Narrative

Final Score (to determine independent reading level):

Yes No Does the student have 96% accuracy?

Did the student give an accurate summary of the text or give a somewhat accurate summary of
Yes No
the text, and answered three out of four of the questions with accuracy?

If you’ve answered yes to both of the above questions, please move to the next level.

See the Teacher Manual for further details and suggestions for how best to proceed, including how to
evaluate reading behaviors.

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