Reading Levels

Orca Currents and Orca Soundings

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Click here to see a page from a Sounding.

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Orca Soundings are books for reluctant teen readers. Orca Currents are books for reluctant middle-school students. Both the Soundings and the Currents have been hugely successful with struggling readers, ESL students and other kids reading below grade level. These are high-interest books with controlled vocabulary that appeal to students who are reluctant or non-readers.

Orca Soundings have been assigned a readability grade level using the Fry Readability Formula. The Fry Readability Formula (or Fry Readability Graph) is a readability metric for English texts, developed by Dr. Edward Fry. The grade levels for the Orca Soundings range from grade 2.0 to grade 4.5, while the interest level (ie: content ) is written for students ages 12+. The grade levels for the Orca Currents also range from grade 2.0 to grade 4.5, however, the interest level is written for students aged 10+.

The reading level is calculated based on the average number of sentences and syllables per hundred words. These averages are plotted onto a graph; the intersection of the average number of sentences and the average number of syllables determines the reading level of the content.

Please note that reading levels have been assigned to our books as a guide for teachers, librarians and educators looking for texts that are suitable for their students. In general, the Fry Readability Formula does not take into account difficult concepts or constructions and is to be used as a guide. Orca Book Publishers employs a stringent editing process which ensures linear storylines, clear context and understandable situations for the reluctant reader. There are few characters in these books, no flashbacks or confusing constructions and controlled vocabulary.

There are myriad readability level formulae available and many are confusing. Some wholesalers use their own readability formula based on averages of several different leveling systems. Some reading programs, like Accelerated Reader, also assign their own levels, while others, like Scholastic Reading Counts, use the Lexile Level. The Fry Readability level was chosen by Orca Book Publishers because it is relatively simple to understand and is a basic measure of word and sentence length. Both AR and Lexile levels are available for most Soundings or Currents titles.

Accelerated Reader Quizzes are available from Renaissance Learning for many Orca titles; see our lists of quiz numbers for Hi/Lo titles and other Accelerated Reader titles.

For more information about readability and Orca Book Publishers, please call 1-800-210-5277.