It’s difficult to read at a grade level above the reading level you are at. If you want to improve, it’s not very helpful to read at a reading level that is too low, or much below your actual reading level. You want to read at a level that’s neither too easy, nor too difficult. You want to read at a level that you can understand, yet it’s a bit challenging. Each level increases in difficulty because it includes higher-level English Vocabulary. Simply put, if you have low-level vocabulary, it’s difficult or almost impossible to read higher-level texts. If you find yourself needing to learn the most common American English vocabulary, we also offer vocabulary lessons based on the Dolch Sight Words, the Fry Sight Words, the VOA Wordbook, and at a more advanced English vocabulary level, the AWL Vocabulary List. If you wish to work directly with Maestro Sersea, participate in weekly webinars and online audio-video office hours, and be assessed online to identify your grade-level fluency in English as well as receive individualized English lessons at your grade level, you are invited to learn about the Platinum Level Monthly Membership.
Directions: Read the passages below. Identify the levels that are easy, and then identify the highest level you can understand and read, even if it is a bit difficult. You are then invited to write about what you learned in the comments section below.
Kindergarten Reading Level
I came from a small country in Europe called Romania. It was hard to live there because sometimes there wasn’t enough food or things to buy. The people who were supposed to help us, like doctors and police officers, sometimes did bad things and asked for extra money. When I came to America, I was happy because I thought things would be different. But some people here also like big government and that’s not good.
1st Grade Reading Level
I was born in a faraway land called Romania where things were very hard because of a bossy leader. We didn’t have much food or things to buy from the stores. The people who worked for the government and doctors and police officers were not very nice and sometimes asked for extra money. When I moved to America, I didn’t expect that some people here also want the government to control everything like they did in Romania. It’s not good when one person or group has all the power.
2nd Grade Reading Level
I was born in a small country called Romania in Eastern Europe a long time ago. It was ruled by a leader named President Ceausescu. Life was tough because there wasn’t enough food and many things were hard to buy. Some people in important jobs like doctors and police officers were not very honest and sometimes asked for money they shouldn’t. When I moved to America, I didn’t think the same kind of government would come here, but some people still don’t know it’s not a good thing when the government gets too big and powerful.
3rd Grade Reading Level
I was born in a small country called Romania in Eastern Europe. The leader of the country was not very nice and it was hard to find enough food and things to buy. Some people who were supposed to help were not very honest and asked for extra money. I moved to the United States where I thought I wouldn’t have to worry about this anymore. But some people here don’t realize that having a big government can be very dangerous.
4th Grade Reading Level
I was born in a small country called Romania, in Eastern Europe. When I was born, there was a leader named President Ceausescu, who was in charge of the country. Life was tough because there wasn’t enough food, and things were hard to get. Some people who worked for the government, like doctors and police officers, would sometimes ask for extra money, which was not fair. When I moved to the United States, I never thought that socialism would follow me. Some people here don’t know that having a big government can be dangerous.
5th Grade Reading Level
I was born in a small country called Romania in Eastern Europe. When I was born, the leader of the country was a person called President Ceausescu. Life was very hard because there wasn’t enough food, and many things were difficult to buy. Some people who worked for the government or in stores or as doctors or police officers were not honest and asked for money to do their jobs. Later, I moved to the United States, and I never thought that the way the government controlled things in Romania would follow me here. Some people in America don’t realize how dangerous it can be when the government has too much power and controls everything.
6th Grade Reading Level
I was born in Romania, a little country in Europe’s east while President Ceausescu was running a Socialist dictatorship. Life was tough because there wasn’t enough food or things to buy. People who worked for the government, shops, or hospitals were sometimes dishonest and would ask for money as bribes. I didn’t think socialism would come to America when I moved here. Some people here don’t know how bad it is to have a big government that controls everything.
7th Grade Reading Level
I was born in Romania, a small country in Eastern Europe, when there was a leader named President Ceausescu. Life was hard because there wasn’t enough food or things to buy. People who helped the public, like store owners, doctors, and police officers, often asked for bribes. When I came to America, I never thought that socialism would come here too. Some people don’t realize the risks of having a big government and a leader who has total control.
8th Grade Reading Level
I was born in a small country called Romania in Eastern Europe when a man named Ceausescu was in charge. It was a hard time because there wasn’t enough food or things to buy. The people who were supposed to help, like the police and doctors, were often asking for money in exchange for their help. When I moved to America, I didn’t expect to see the same kind of government again. Some people here don’t realize how dangerous it can be when the government has too much power and controls everything.
9th Grade Reading Level
I was born in Romania, a small country in Eastern Europe, when President Ceausescu was in charge of a Socialist government. Life was hard because food and other things were scarce. People in important jobs, like doctors and police officers, were often dishonest and asked for bribes. When I came to America, I didn’t think socialism would be a problem here. But some people don’t realize how dangerous it can be when the government has too much power and control.
10th Grade Reading Level
I was born in Romania, a small country in Eastern Europe, during a time when President Ceausescu was leading a Socialist dictatorship. It was a challenging time, with a shortage of food and many basic necessities. Public servants, like shopkeepers, doctors, and police officers, were often corrupt and openly asked for bribes. When I moved to the United States, I never imagined socialism would become an issue here. Unfortunately, many people don’t realize the potential dangers of big government and totalitarianism.
11th Grade Reading Level
I entered this world in Romania, a tiny nation situated in the eastern region of Europe, during the era of a Socialist dictatorship led by President Ceausescu. Life was a strenuous struggle, marked by a persistent paucity of food and other basic necessities that were readily available in other countries. Government officials, shopkeepers, medical professionals, and law enforcement personnel were frequently corrupt, brazenly soliciting bribes. When I migrated to the United States, I had never imagined that socialism would stalk me here. Many individuals in this country are unaware of the perils of an overpowering government and totalitarianism.
12th Grade Reading Level
I came into this world in Romania, a small Eastern European country, during the reign of a Socialist regime led by President Ceausescu. Life was tough and basic necessities were scarce, unlike in other countries where they were readily available. Public officials such as doctors, shopkeepers and police officers were commonly corrupt, and they would brazenly demand bribes. When I relocated to the United States, I never imagined that socialism would rear its head again. Unfortunately, many people here fail to recognize the perils of an all-encompassing government and totalitarianism.