McKibben and Sax-Bendix co-presented at Summer Literacy Institute

Kori McKibben, a 2016 graduate of our M.A. in Literacy Education program, and Dr. Joan Sax-Bendix, Literacy Education Instructor, co-presented at the Summer Literacy Institute hosted by Hamline University’s School of Education on Wednesday, July 12. The presentation “It is True! Interactive Read-Aloud Really Does Increase Reading Comprehension!” is based on Kori’s master’s thesis research in the Literacy Education program. The participants in the workshop, many of whom had previously implemented the traditional method of read aloud, were eager to learn the process used for an interactive read aloud. Kori shared the amazing comprehension growth in her own classroom of students and displayed the many books used in the study (with all the Post-it Notes). After modeling a narrative book (Kori) and an informational book (Dr. Joan), participants practiced creating their own interactive read aloud with individual and small group guidance from the presenters. Kori and Joan have been accepted to present at the West Virginia Reading Association Conference at the Greenbrier Resort in November. Kori and Joan are currently working on revisions of an article for The Reading Teacher.