Although reading aloud to elementary students is a common practice, few studies have focused on the actual texts read, beyond considerations of fiction versus nonfiction, and few studies have included a line of inquiry exploring teachers' rationales for text selection. In this mixed-methods study, we pair a content analysis of the reported read…

This qualitative study examined kindergarten children's responses to their favorite books and their perspectives on reading at home and school. Data included observations, interviews with teachers, parents, and children, and "My Favorite Book" response sheets completed by children. Children's favorite books reflected various genres,…

Critical K-12 educators who teach students to question the status quo have always faced censorship, rebuke, and potential loss of livelihood. This risk is particularly heightened in conservative areas, like Texas, where ideological opposition to equity often results in legislative threats to ban literature and censor curriculum that addresses…

Caregiver abstract talk during shared reading predicts preschool-age children's vocabulary development. However, previous research has focused on level of abstraction with less consideration of the style of extratextual talk. Here, we investigated the relation between these two dimensions of extratextual talk, and their contributions to variance…

This descriptive case study presents findings from a 2 year research study on an intervention program, "Reading with Animals," launched in a linguistically, ethnically, and racially diverse Central New York community. The local literacy coalition implemented the Dolly Parton's Imagination Library (IL) program in two low-income zip codes…

The authors highlight two first-grade teachers who teach in New York City. Using a read-aloud, they explore differences between equity and equality and then engage children in a real-world scenario that engages concepts of fairness when allocating resources to disparate groups of people.

"Engaging" and "connecting" are often buzzwords associated with social media. While much has been made of its use and value for professional learning for teachers, classroom uses of social media with students have received less attention. The Global Read Aloud (GRA) is a collaborative book study where classes read a common book…

This study examined the effect of dialogic reading intervention on improving the theory of mind of rural Chinese children. A 12-week-randomized controlled trial design with two intervention groups, i.e. school practice intervention (SPI), parent-involved intervention (PII), and one control group with traditional reading intervention (TRI) that…

Children vary widely in their number knowledge by the time they enter kindergarten, and this variation is related to their future academic success. Although talk about number predicts children's early understanding of foundational number concepts, we know little about whether interventions can increase this talk nor about the types of number talk…

This paper outlines the development and implementation of a ten-week micro-curriculum, "Booked on Math," designed to introduce preschool children to foundational mathematics concepts through interactive read-alouds. The "Booked on Math" curricula includes ten book readings and associated inquiry-based lesson plans. "Booked…

Read-alouds of picturebook biographies offer children engaging windows into the lives and work of famous (and sometimes not-so-famous) mathematicians to observe and discuss their ways of learning and doing mathematics--their mathematical practices. The Standards for Mathematical Practice (SMPs), although generally embodied in the work of…

The paper presents the design of an assistive reading tool that integrates read-aloud technology with eye tracking to regulate the speed of reading and support struggling readers in following the text while listening to it. The paper describes the design rationale of this approach, following the theory of auditory-visual integration, in terms of…

Texts are an often-ignored element in studies of interactive read-alouds in early childhood settings. In this article, the author addresses this research gap by examining 60 preschool books for the vocabulary affordances they provide for young children. There were five types of books in the study: narrative, informational, interactive, alphabet,…

Understanding how to successfully train storytime providers is crucial to the goal of offering high-quality early literacy programs in public library settings. As part of a larger study, nine early-career public library storytime providers were interviewed to learn what contextual factors are important to improve their knowledge, practice, and…

Supportive parent-child interactions are critical for facilitating typically developing children's language and social skill development. For children who are late-to-talk, parent-child interactions may be particularly important to address as a means of supporting growth in children's early language abilities. Target Word is one parent-implemented…