Having plenty of engaging books on hand is important for young readers, whether your student is learning at home or in school. Each of the Starting Back Sets includes eight books selected by level, two stamped postcards, two Danny + Bee labels (just waiting to be personalized), a 12 x 9″ reusable dry erase whiteboard with marker and eraser*, and a clear 4 mil Polyethylene, acid-free and archival safe HangUp bag. The handled HangUp bag is waterproof and can be wiped off and reused. The bag measures 12-1/2″ H x 14″ W and is perfect for transporting books to and from the classroom or for efficient, safe hanging storage. The 3-3/4″ gray handles of the bag snap together for security and have molded thumb grips for easy opening.
- Create a portable MRB menagerie of your favorite animal titles with our easy-to-make MRB Menagerie box. Download and print the box templates.
Titles included in the Starting Back A-D Nonfiction Set are:
- Counting Frogs Around the Pond (A)
- The Zoo (A)
- The Aquarium (B)
- Cubs at the Zoo (B)
- Cows (C)
- Stripes at the Zoo (C)
- The Little Raccoon in My Yard (C)
- Pigs (D)
* Dry erase whiteboard with marker and eraser included in sets only while supply lasts.
Early Emergent Readers
Early Emergent readers benefit from books about familiar topics that use carefully controlled text and repeated vocabulary. Illustrations are important keys to readers at this level, supporting the decoding of new words. Early Emergent readers are still building a vocabulary of high-frequency words. Having a large vocabulary of frequently used words enables reading that is more fluent and sounds like natural speaking language.
Add a 2-sheet MRB Letter Set to any order for only $1.00 each set
The 8-1/2 x 11″ sheets are printed in 2-colors on sturdy 110# white index stock and designed to be a portable way for students to do letter or word work whether they’re learning at home or in the classroom. The set includes one sheet of upper case and one sheet of lower case letters, plus several blank tiles so the sheets can be customized. Vowels are printed in red. Consonants are printed in blue. The font used for the letter sheets is student-friendly. Printed dashed lines between the individual letter tiles make cutting them out easy.
Readers at all Levels Benefit from Reading Fiction and Nonfiction Books
A recent study found that in typical 1st grades informational texts make up less than 10% of all texts in the classroom library. The median number of nonfiction/informational books was just 1.2 per student in low-income districts. In high-income districts that average only rose to 3.3 per student. Most young readers spend less than 4 minutes a day reading informational text. For lower-income students that amount of time drops to only 1.9 minutes during an average school day.
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. MaryRuth Books offers many fiction and nonfiction/informational leveled readers, suggested and used by Reading Recovery® and Guided Reading educators when teaching reading.