Exploring the Use of Interactive Read Alouds to Support the Literacy Development of Fifth Graders Receiving Academic Intervention Services

Abstract

Students identified as requiring Academic Intervention Services (AIS), either through testing or teacher recommendation, often struggle with fluency, reading comprehension, or a combination of both. This thesis project examines the effects of interactive read-alouds in reading instruction in an AIS class as a means to foster growth in comprehension and literacy skills. The central question, what happens when read-aloud activities include explicit instruction of reading comprehension and is incorporated into the instruction of students receiving AIS, was explored. The literature review section discusses previous research observations on the use of a designed read-aloud curriculum for teaching comprehension of narrative texts in elementary level classrooms. The research study was conducted in a small rural school district in western New York, with three AIS students identified as such by their scores on the New York State English Language Arts exam. It assessed the use of designed curriculum – using read-aloud practices such as thinking aloud, creating opportunities for text based discussion, and modeling good reading behaviors - in order to help students develop a range of comprehension strategies that would enable them to make meaning while significantly interacting with a text. Research data included the students' performance on benchmark assessments, continuous progress monitoring, and work samples as well as the students' abilities with both a fluency passage and MAZE, to chart growth, if any, that students made in their reading comprehension, higher level thinking, or reading fluency. Conclusions from the study support the use of a designed read aloud curriculum to increase reading comprehension for AIS students.