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Pacific Institutes for Research
Principal Investigators
Lana Edwards Santoro, Ph.D.
P.O. Box 30380
Alexandria, VA 22310-8380
Scott K. Baker, Ph.D.
(541) 343-4484
David J. Chard, Ph.D.
Southern Methodist University
(214) 768-2000
About the Read Aloud Project
The Read Aloud Project builds first grade student comprehension and vocabulary by enhancing read alouds with comprehension and vocabulary-building activities. Read alouds are an ideal time to show students how comprehension works in a listening comprehension context. In other words, students can begin to learn a variety of comprehension strategies and build vocabulary just as they are beginning to learn how to read printed text. Overall, the Read Aloud project includes a research- and state standards-based practical read aloud curriculum that can be used without replacing any current instruction or school reading programs.
Project Purposes
- extend what we know about how read alouds boost student comprehension and vocabulary
- powerfully optimize read aloud time using narrative and expository texts to make explicit text-to-text connections
- enhance read alouds with integrated comprehension and vocabulary instruction
- implement read alouds focused on science content (thematic focus on animals and "living things"
- learn how teachers currently use read alouds to improve the Read Aloud Project in future years
- challenge students to develop more complex strategies than would ordinarily be necessary for the relatively simple narrastive and expository texts typically used in first grade
- deepen comprehension by increasing text-talk between and among students
- promote student gains in comprehension and vocabulary
Nature of the Research
- U.S. Department of Education, Institute for Education Sciences, funded
- focus on first grade classrooms
- recruiting a minimum of 20 teachers (1 per school) to participate
- 10 receive training & implement Read Aloud curriculum (intervention)
- 10 help us learn about existing classroom read aloud practices (comparison)
Read Aloud Curriculum
- a research- and state standards-based read aloud curriculum with lessons, books, and materials
- English Standards of Learning and Science Standards of Learning and addressed
- does not replace current instruction or reading programs - the Read Aloud curriculum is designed to be used during a teacher's read aloud time and complements rather than replaces a teacher's instruction and state standards
- whole-class read aloud instruction
- 10 thematic units: focus on living things and animal-related science content
- 20 books (1 narrative and 1 expository text per unit)
- 19 weeks of instruction
- flexible implementation