QuickReads are exactly that—short texts to be read quickly and with meaning.
The QuickReads program is a creative and innovative application of recent research on the nature of texts used to teach reading. QuickReads texts support automatic, meaningful grade-level reading.
QuickReads texts are written at the independent level for a grade. That means that 98% or more of the words in a text fit the grade-level curriculum. Compare this to current textbook or intervention programs where 10-15% of the words often fall outside the grade-level curriculum.
QuickReads texts are at a length that a grade-level reader should be able to read—when reading fluently—in one minute.
The Common Core State Standards recommends fourth grade students read informational texts 50% of classroom time. Using QuickReads follows that recommendation by introducing a set of informational texts that can be read through out the day—during literacy activities or science and social studies activities. QuickReads is a fluency and comprehension program that utilizes grade level appropriate concepts in science and social science texts.
How can QuickReads be used to help English Language Learner?
QuickReads helps you target the needs of students with varying levels of English proficiency. With QuickReads, you can:
- Help English language learners master high-frequency and critical content vocabulary through practice and reinforcement.
- Build fluency and comprehension through repeated readings and monitoring. Build knowledge in social studies and science via high-interest informational texts.
- Use self- and teacher-directed assessment to measure progress in all students and to provide immediate feedback.
Most of the words in the QuickReads passages, 98%, are drawn from the list of most frequent words or feature regular phonics and syllable patterns. By practicing reading with these words, students build automaticity and word-recognition skills allowing them to focus on meaning rather than the task of decoding words.
The remaining 2% of words in QuickReads represent the content-specific vocabulary for each QuickReads topic. Because each topic comprises several text passages (five in the original QuickReads program, four in QReads), these words appear repeatedly, allowing students to gain expertise with necessary content-specific vocabulary.
Features
QuickReads offers a comprehensive program to strengthen fluency and comprehension, while building background knowledge in science and social studies. Each QuickReads level includes three books, covering six topics with five passages per topic. Built-in placement and ongoing progress monitoring ensures that every student benefits from using QuickReads.
- Challenges students to use their higher-order thinking skills and solidify content-area knowledge by making connections across five passages
- Promotes the consistent development of comprehension strategies through a research-based and validated instructional routine that systematically improves reading performance
- Provides benchmark passages for every level for easy placement and ongoing progress monitoring with oral reading logs
- Contains curriculum-embedded non-fiction texts in science and social studies that are interesting and fun for students
- QuickReads is quick and easy to implement. Just 15 minutes per day in instructional time is all it takes to maximize student gains with QuickReads
| QuickReads Level | Grade-Level Curriculum | High-Frequency Words | Phonics and Syllable Patterns |
| Level A | Early Grade 2 | 300 most frequent words | All long and short vowel patterns in single-syllable words |
| Level B | Grade 2 | 500 most frequent words | All long and short vowel patterns, and r-controlled vowells in single-syllable words |
| Level C | Grade 3 | 1,000 most frequent words | All vowel patterns in single-syllable words |
| Level D | Grade 4 | 1,000 most frequent words | Two-syllable words |
| Level E | Grade 5 | 2,500 most frequent words | Mutli-syllable words with inflected endings |
| Level F | Grade 6 | 5,000 most frequent words | Mutli-syllable words with inflected endings |
Developed using Dr. Hiebert’s TExT Model of Reading
Research shows that beginning and struggling readers benefit when the number of unfamiliar words in a text is kept low enough to permit the tasks of meaning and comprehension to occur. When readers are overwhelmed by the task of decoding too many new words, their cognitive capability to also extract meaning is diminished and their overall proficiency suffers. But that doesn’t mean student should only be given text that are highly repetitive stories with a predictable pattern.
QuickReads utilizes Dr. Hiebert’s TExT Model of Reading with texts that follow specific guidelines. Oftentimes texts of this nature are boring and nonsensical. But since QuickReads texts follow national standards in Science and Social Studies, the texts in QuickReads are interesting and build critical subject matter knowledge.
| QuickReads Level | Life Science | Earth Science | Physical Science | Civics | Geography & Economics | History |
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Research into the Effectiveness of QuickReads
In 2006, a study was conducted by The Great Plains Institute of Reading and Writing (University of Nebraska-Lincoln) with 1,484 students in grades two through five of all learning abilities (below-, on- and above-grade level), including English language learners. The study assessed students with pre- and post-tests at the beginning and end of the intervention period to determine effectiveness.
The results of this study demonstrated that:
- In all domains students receiving QuickReads instruction had higher growth in oral reading fluency, comprehension and vocabulary than those students receiving regular classroom instruction.
- QuickReads is an effective strategy for all students in 2nd through 5th grades regardless of their pre-text reading ability.
- The use of technology in teaching reading fluency further accelerated student gains for the majority of students.
- In the area of comprehension, the gains over the control group were significant.
Implementation Flexibility
The overall success of QuickReads depends upon its consistent and concentrated use over time.
For best results:
- Use QuickReads at least three or four times a week to reinforce and practice the instructional strategies.
- Focus on a different passage during each teaching session to complete one level every 18 weeks.
- Choose a teaching option that best fits your students.
| Program Coverage | Length of Time | |
|---|---|---|
| Option 1: Continuous Use | 1 passage per day, 5 days per week | 18 weeks, or 1 semester (completes one level) |
| Option 2: Concentrated Periods of Time | 1 passage per day, 5 days per week | 6 weeks at the beginning of the school year, 6 weeks at midyear, 6 weeks before the end of the year (completes one level) |
| Option 3: Summer School | 2 passages per day, 5 days per week | 6 weeks (completes two books in one level) |
| Option 4: After-School Program | 2 passages per day, 4 days per week | 12 weeks (completes one level) |
| Option 5: For Extra Achievement | 1 passage per day, 5 days per week | 32 weeks or 2 semesters (completes two levels) |
Optional Extension Activities for School and Home
Reinforces vocabulary skills, supports ESL/ELL needs, and builds content knowledge through suggested activities for every QuickReads topic. Encourages family involvement to contribute to student success.
QuickReads Family of Products
There are six members in the QuickReads Family of Products. Click on a title below to see which one best fit the needs of your child or students.
- QuickReads: Print edition (2002, 2012)
- QuickReads: Technology edition (no longer available)
- QuickReads: Fluency Library (no longer available)
- QuickReads: Become an Expert (no longer available)
- QReads: Print edition (no longer available)
- QReads: Technology edition (no longer available)
How To Purchase QuickReads
At the moment, the only way to order QuickReads products is through Savvas’ QuickReads website.
Scroll to the bottom of Savvas website to find items in the QuickReads Family of Products. Simply select the item you wish to order, then the grade level to order QuickReads.
QuickReads Print
The original member of the QuickReads product family, the QuickReads print edition provides a comprehensive research-based fluency program for elementary age students.
The QuickReads print edition consists of six levels: A, B, C, D, E, and F. Each level contains three books, and each book contains 30 texts (90 texts per level). These texts support automaticity with the high-frequency words and phonics/syllabic patterns needed to be a successful reader at a particular grade level. Additionally, with topics in two subject areas: social studies and science, texts in the QuickReads program encourage meaning and comprehension. Book 1 includes texts on Civics, and Life Science. Book 2 includes texts on Economics, Geography, and Earth Science. Book 3 includes texts on History, and Physical Science.
What is the rating for each level?
With six separate levels spanning reading levels from grades two through six, the QuickReads program can be matched to each student’s individual level.
| QuickReads Level | Grade-level Curriculum | Lexile rating | DRA | Fountas-Pinnell Guide Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level A | Early grade 2 | Lexile 140L-400L | 14-20 | H-K |
| Level B | Grade 2 | Lexile 235L-500L | 16-20 | I-K |
| Level C | Grade 3 | Lexile 330L-700L | 30-38 | N-P |
| Level D | Grade 4 | Lexile 445L-810L | 30-40 | N-R |
| Level E | Grade 5 | Lexile 565L-910L | 40-44 | Q-V |
| Level F | Grade 6 | Lexile 665L-1000L | — | W-Y |
Look inside the box
QuickReads Print edition is available as classroom program for 24 students, or an Intervention set for 12 students. Each book in a level are also available in 6-book packs.
Each of the six levels of QuickReads Print edition includes :
- 3 books—across six subjects
- 1 Teacher’s Resource Manual
- 1 QuickReads Placement Guides
QuickReads Fluency Library
For students of any grade already using QuickReads Print edition reading levels: A–D
Featuring additional passages designed to the same text model as QuickReads Print and aligned to the QuickReads topics, the Fluency Library provides opportunity for additional reading practice and deeper background knowledge.
QuickReads Fluency Library
The perfect classroom companion to the QuickReads Print edition, QuickReads Fluency Library was designed to support students in developing the critical skills of fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary. Available in four levels, A–D, each library includes 24 motivating titles that can be used for independent or small group reading.
QuickReads Fluency Library follows the same TExT Model of Reading as QuickReads Print edition. Each topic in QuickReads Print edition has a corresponding book in QuickReads Fluency Library. For example, the book Bicycles: From Plan to Sale in QuickReads Fluency Library corresponds to Level C, book 2, Economics in QuickReads Print edition. Every book is full of new ideas that deepen background knowledge and overall understanding of these important content areas.
Researched and authored by Dr. Elfrieda H. Hiebert, the books in the QuickReads Fluency Library are unique and foster these critical skills by presenting more opportunites to read with high degree of success.
- Increase students’ background knowledge of key science and social studies content by extending and further developing each QuickReads topic.
- Support and extend the fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary skills students gained while using QuickReads.
- Experience the phonics patterns and the most-frequently-used words in each QuickReads grade level because it was designed with the same phonics “curriculum.” Each book is specifically written to develop automaticity and build content-area vocabulary through a combination of 98% high frequency words and words with a grade appropriate set of phonic/syllabic patterns and 2% content-area words.
- Practice the key vocabulary introduced and reinforced in QuickReads.
Look inside the box
Each QuickReads Fluency Library title extends one of the passages from each QuickReads topic, offering additional passages and activities to strengthen students’ fluency, comprehension and background knowledge. For each level, QuickReads Fluency Library titles are available in individual 6-packs or a comprehensive Classroom Library.
Each of the four levels of QuickReads Fluency Libraries includes:
- 18 books—9 science titles, 9 social studies titles <View sample books here!>
- 1 Teacher’s Resource Manual
- 2 audio CD collection—1 science titles, 1 social studies titles
- Student bookmarks
QuickReads: Become an Expert
For students of any grade already using QuickReads Print edition reading levels: A–D
Designed to motivate students to read more and expand their knowledge about the QuickReads topics, Become an Expert provides a collection of books specially chosen from various Pearson Education libraries to build upon the science and social studies content presented in QuickReads.
Spark your students’ interest in exploring engaging topics with QuickReads Become an Expert. This program is designed to motivate your students to read more and expand their knowledge about the popular topics presented in the QuickReads print and technology editions. Become an Expert contains high-interest books and student activity cards that are perfect for independent reading, literacy centers, and more!
How is QuickReads Become an Expert different from QuickReads?
QuickReads Print edition was written to help improve student’s fluency by using the TExT Model of Reading. QuickReads Become an Expert was designed to expand student’s content knowledge on the topics in QuickReads Print edition. The books in QuickReads Become an Expert were pulled from various collection published by Pearson. For example, the Level C Expert pack includes books from iOpeners, Domini World of Animals, Celebration Press, and many more. This means that each kit contains the best books from the Pearson Library that matches the topic in QuickReads.
QuickReads Become an Expert enables students to:
- Develop expertise about the science and social studies topics presented in the QuickReads program—all correlated to national science and social studies standards to meet accountability requirements.
- Build content knowledge through reading high-interest books and engaging in fun, related activities to sustain interest.
- Encounter and learn new, topic-related vocabulary words to become proficient readers.
- Gain experience in a variety of activities that complement their reading—including research, interviews, and field trips for a comprehensive approach.
- Develop confidence in their ability to pursue an interest so they will be motivated to read.
- Reinforce learning when they share the knowledge they have learned with their classmates.
Look inside the box
For each of the four levels, there are six Expert Packs available, corresponding to three science topics and three social studies topics from the same QuickReads level. Expert Packs are available individually or as a Classroom Library for each level. There is one Teacher’s Resource Manual for each level.
Each of the twenty-four packs of the QuickReads Become an Expert includes:
- 3 books
- 1 Activity card
QReads Print edition
For Middle and High School Grade Students Reading Levels: A–F
All the benefits of the original QuickReads program are now available for older students. Based on the same text model and reading levels as QuickReads, the QReads program has been adapted in content, presentation and instruction to enhance fluency and comprehension for students in middle and high school.
QReads uses the TExT Model of Reading to teach oral reading fluency, while developing knowledge and extending vocabulary and comprehension. Students follow a brief routine through a series of increasingly difficult text passages. Exercises accompanying each daily passage help check and build comprehension along with fluency. Students gain confidence in their skills as they move from level to level.
How is QReads different from QuickReads?
QReads was designed to address the needs of middle to high school students who are struggling with fluency. Improving the fluency of the ELL student in middle and high school may pose a challenging paradox. The texts that are currently available for developing literacy skills may be uninteresting or immature for middle or high school student. QReads was designed with topics that will interest middle and high school student and also support their literacy skills. All QuickReads products, including QReads, include topics from two subject areas: Science and Social Studies, but QReads also includes Arts & Culture and Literature & Language. These four subjects represent the interests of and increased number of content area classes required of middle and high school students.
How does QReads follow the language format established in QuickReads Print edition?
QReads follow the curriculum of high frequency vocabulary and phonic/syllabic patterns of the TExT Model of Reading. For example, texts in Level A/B emphasize the 400-600 most frequent words and one-syllable words with long and short vowels and r-controlled. The texts of the next level (C/D) emphasize the 1,000 most-frequent words and two-syllable words with regular vowel patterns. Just like the original QuickReads Print edition, texts in QReads contain:
- High-frequency words make up 98% of the texts
- Hard words are repeated so students can develop meaning and word recognition strategies for hard words
- Text length corresponds to grade-level reading rate for 1 minute
Developing Knowledge and Fluency
QReads texts were tailored for the interests of young adolescents, while addressing the state and national standards for content areas. For example, in the Arts & Culture topic of Fashion, (Level D) students read about careers in fashion, and how fashion is affected by international influences. Fashion meets the 9-12th grade Visual Arts standards in National Standards for Art Education, as well, as the National Standards for Economics.
QReads is also great for students who are currently unable to access the content that they are expected to learn at their grade level. While they are increasing their fluency, vocabulary, they are also learning about content that they may be missing.
Just like QuickReads, the topics in QReads follow the national standards in that content area.
Look inside the box
Group Kits contain two levels each (i.e., A & B, C & D, or E & F) providing you with a cost effective and flexible program for your classroom.
Each kit includes:
- 1 Teacher’s Edition
- 6 Student Guides for each level (12 student guides in all)
- 2 Playaway® audio devices (portable, compact, easy-to-use digital audio books for the modeled reading passages)
Student Guide: Student Guide pages are designed to make learning and teaching as easy as possible. Pages are clean and uncluttered to support students in focusing on the text. Features such as Key Notes and Fast Facts help students build skills of notetaking and research, while improving fluency. Each reading passage contains numerals that indicate word count, allowing students to track and monitor their own learning.
Audio Component: A QReads Group Kit comes with 2 battery-operated Playaway® audio devices, each loaded with content from both levels—for example, a device for Level E/F contains modeled readings for both Level E and Level F. Playaway® is a portable, compact, easy-to-use digital audio book offered in place of an audio CD. Simply plug in the earphones (included), turn it on, press “Play” and students can follow along.
Teacher’s Edition: The QReads Teacher’s Edition contains a wealth of features to help teachers effectively support students. It offers research support for QReads. Placement and assessment tools are included to determine which level best fits students’ needs. The steps of the instructional routine are presented and explained. Extension activities and student self-checks make it easy for students to apply and monitor what they’re learning, while Parent Guide and Supporting Reading features ensure that learning extends beyond the classroom.
