Read to Me

The research project Read to Me focuses on assessing children's reading as they read engaging texts aloud. The goal of the project is to provide teachers with more knowledge about the relationship between motivation and reading.

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Facts

Read to Me is a research project at the Norwegian Reading Centre, University of Stavanger. The goal is to develop a tool that teachers can use to closely monitor students' reading progress. Additionally, the researchers in the project want the students to be engaged in their reading while being assessed. The project is being conducted in collaboration with Norwegian teachers and students from first to fourth grade. The Research Council of Norway has granted NOK 12 million to Read to Me, which will run from 2021 to 2025.

The project leader is Bente R. Walgermo.

Reading skills and motivation are closely connected.

Bente R. Walgermo - project leader
About the project in norwegian
Read to me - logo

Resources to use in your Classroom

Kvinnelig lærer leser sammen med jente i klasserom

When a child learns to read, it requires motivation. Motivation and reading skills are closely connected — both in the crucial beginning stages and in further development. Despite this, motivation is often seen as something 'extra' or as a simple reward and is often considered less important than reading itself. However, for students who find reading difficult, motivation is even more crucial than for those who pick up letters easily. The "Read to Me"-research project is developing a tool that motivates students while the teacher assesses their reading aloud.

In "Read to Me", researchers and teachers are testing a method to notice what students struggle with, but without the student feeling evaluated. In this method, the teacher receives two tools: one tool for precisely identifying what the student is struggling with, and another tool for selecting the feedback to give the student, so that they feel encouraged to learn and read more.

The two tools come in the form of a checklist and a tips list. These lists are especially relevant for those working with children in grades 1 to 4. The materials were tested in the fall of 2024, so only a short version is currently available. After the materials have been tested, they, along with engaging reading books, will be available in the form of a book box.

Below, you will find "Checklist for Assessment" and "Tips for Feedback," in addition to finding the digital book "Evertything you read mixes with what you already know" and an animated film for use in the classroom. All illustrations in the project are created by the award-winning illustrator Øyvind Torseter.

Below you will also find four videos you can send to the students parents and guardians, and they are specific tip to how to practice reading at home.

Checklist for assessment
Tips for feedback - english version

Download the cards as PDF-files:
Checklist for Assessment
Tips for Feedback

Digital book: Everything you read mixes with what you already know

Videos to parents and guardians:

About the research in "Read to me"

Read more about our research.

Kvinnelig lærer leser sammen med gutt i klasserom

When beginning readers read aloud, the teacher’s feedback affects their reader identities. Teacher’s feedback may also imprint a strong model of what reading is and what proficient readers do. This systematic review investigates the characteristics of teachers’ feedback on elementary students’ reading and furthers its potential to support students’ agency in learning to read. A total of 52 empirical studies in K–5 settings were identified and analyzed. Findings suggest clear associations between how feedback was presented and what aspects of reading were targeted: typically, either explicit feedback on decoding or implicit feedback on meaning. Further, support for student agency was more strongly associated with implicit feedback practices. Finally, two groups of students—struggling readers and L2 learners—tended to receive feedback that does not promote agency. The review concludes by discussing the potential of feedback practices to support students in becoming proficient and independent readers.

Read the full article "Feedback Practices on Young Students’ Oral Reading: A Systematic Review" written by Karianne M. Grønli, Bente R. Walgermo, Erin McTigue and Per Henning Uppstad.

Researchers and staff in the project >>>

Associate Professor
51833244
OD - 1st floor
Faculty of Arts and Education
National Centre for Reading Education and Research
Professor
51831268
Faculty of Arts and Education
National Centre for Reading Education and Research
PhD Candidate
Faculty of Arts and Education
National Centre for Reading Education and Research
Professor
Faculty of Arts and Education
National Centre for Reading Education and Research
Associate Professor
51832984
Faculty of Arts and Education
National Centre for Reading Education and Research
Senior Adviser
51831259
Faculty of Arts and Education
Faculty Administration UH
Administration SLF
Adviser
51832830
Faculty of Arts and Education
Faculty Administration UH
Administration SLF
Head of Centre
51833260
Faculty of Arts and Education
National Centre for Reading Education and Research
Professor
Faculty of Arts and Education
National Centre for Reading Education and Research
Anne Marta Vinsrygg Vadstein
Nasjonalt senter for nynorsk i opplæringa
Liv Kristin Bjørlykke Øvereng
Nasjonalt senter for nynorsk i opplæringa