What is the Significance of Reading Aloud to Middle School Aged Students in the Language Arts Classroom as Measured By the Star Reading Assessment?

The research question addressed in this study is: what is the significance of reading aloud to middle school aged students in the language arts classroom as measured by the STAR Reading assessment? Topics explored in the review of the literature include components of literacy-specifically children’s literacy, language arts curriculum, as well as the importance and effectiveness of classroom read alouds. A cohort of nearly 30 students in fifth and sixth grades were observed on how well they comprehended children’s novels while reading independently and while reading with teacher guidance and interaction. While one class completed a read aloud novel study with the instructor, the other read the same novel silently on their own. Ideally, they read two chapters a day regardless if they are reading with instructor or on their own. Both groups completed the same comprehension packet as they read the novel. Again, if they read the novel with the teacher, they completed the comprehension packet with instructor as well. If they read the novel on their own, the students also completed the comprehension packet on their own. After the completion of that novel, the class that read aloud with the instructor then silently read the next novel study on their own. The class that read the previous novel study silently on their own, then read aloud the next novel study with instructor. This way, each class read the same book at the same time, but one class read it silently and the other read it aloud. Both classes used the same assessments, whether they read aloud or silently read. Students then took an accelerated reader quiz after reading each novel which measured their comprehension and understanding of the novel. Students then took a STAR Reading Assessment to measure their overall comprehension growth. Keywords: rea