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How students come to be, know, and do

Leslie Rupert Herrenkohl

Cover of How students come to be, know, and do

How students come to be, know, and do

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

A Case for a Broad View of Learning

by Leslie Rupert Herrenkohl

Reading Level 6 11LE Ages 9-12 Balanced Read

The text is written at a 6th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content is gentle with no concerning themes.

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About This Book

What makes learning more than just memorizing facts? Imagine being in a busy city classroom where kids from all over discover science in ways that make their hearts race and minds grow. But how do feelings, friendships, and trying again help students really understand and do amazing things?

Themes

ScienceLearningInterpersonal relationsMulticultural

Quick Assessment

This book explores learning beyond just knowledge, emphasizing social and emotional aspects crucial for children’s growth. Using examples of diverse urban fourth graders studying science, it highlights how interest, persistence, and collaboration shape learning experiences. Suitable for middle-grade readers, it encourages a holistic view of education without intense content concerns.

Why we rated How students come to be, know, and do 11LE

How students come to be, know, and do is written at a Level 6 reading level across 215 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 7.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, How students come to be, know, and do works for readers up to grade 8.0.

We rate How students come to be, know, and do as 11LE ("Light — Emotional") because the content sits in the "Gentle" range — no conflict beyond everyday childhood experiences. Across our four dimensions (emotional, physical, social, thematic) the book reads as evenly gentle; no single dimension stands out as a concern.

No specific content flags were raised by community reviewers, which is consistent with the gentle intensity score.

Thematically, How students come to be, know, and do explores science, learning, interpersonal relations, and multicultural — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers.

Good fit for

  • Children in the Ages 9-12 range — the maturity and attention span match the story's pacing.
  • Patient readers who enjoy slower, character-driven stories.
  • Kids drawn to stories about science, learning, interpersonal relations.
  • Curious kids who prefer real-world topics over made-up stories.

Maybe not for

  • ! Readers whose emotional readiness lags behind their decoding skills — this book's intensity outruns its reading level, a classic "gifted kid" mismatch.
  • ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.

For Parents

Content Intensity

11LE — Light — Emotional
Emotional
Light
Physical
Clear
Social
Light
Thematic
Light

No conflict beyond everyday childhood experiences. Safe for sensitive readers.

Data confidence: standard

Was our "Gentle" content intensity rating accurate for this book?

Reading Insights

Hook Factor

1/10

A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.

Discussion Potential

1/10

A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.

Book DNA

Multi-dimensional content fingerprint

Vocabulary Level
5
Emotional Weight
2
Theme Richness
4
World Scope
3
Data Confidence
7

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Details

Book Length

215 pages
ISBN
9780521515658
Pages
215
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Published
2010
Type
Nonfiction

Genres

Subjects

ScienceStudy and TeachingInterpersonal RelationsCity ChildrenLearningEducationGroup Work in EducationCase StudiesScience, Study and Teaching

Places

United States