Teaching Swimming and Water Safety
Sarie Lowden
Teaching Swimming and Water Safety
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
The Australian Way
by Sarie Lowden
Illustrated by Mary Ann Hurley
The text is written at a 4th 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
Mastering swimming isn’t just about splashing around—it’s a life skill that can save you! Discover how learning to float, dive, and move through water the right way turns you into a confident swimmer. Knowing these skills could make all the difference when it really counts.
Themes
Quick Assessment
This book offers clear, step-by-step guidance on teaching swimming and water safety, ideal for children aged 9 to 12. It covers essential skills like floating, movement, stroke development, and beginner diving techniques, emphasizing safety and confidence in aquatic environments. Perfect for young readers interested in sports coaching or learning to swim safely.
Why we rated Teaching Swimming and Water Safety 9LT
Teaching Swimming and Water Safety is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 169 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 5.5 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Teaching Swimming and Water Safety works for readers up to grade 6.5.
We rate Teaching Swimming and Water Safety as 9LT ("Light — Thematic") 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, Teaching Swimming and Water Safety explores sports coaching, swimming & diving, teaching of a specific subject, sports & recreation, and aquatic sports — 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 sports coaching, swimming & diving, teaching of a specific subject.
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
9LT — Light — ThematicNo conflict beyond everyday childhood experiences. Safe for sensitive readers.
Was our "Gentle" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
1/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
1/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9780736032513
- Pages
- 169
- Publisher
- Human Kinetics Publishers
- Published
- September 2000
- Type
- Fiction