Story Smarts Online Reading Comprehension Program

No, there is no need for a child to read. You present the stories by reading them aloud, much as you do when reading stories to very young children. Of course, if your child is at a level where he or she can read the words, that is fine as well.

Each story takes about 15 to 20 minutes. It's good to do 2-3 stories a week. That means the program takes 10 to 15 weeks to complete. Generally, stories are not repeated. The goal of the program is not to teach children to "memorize" specific stories. Rather, it's designed to teach them how to extract the invisible core structures that form the basis of stories and make them meaningful.

To a skilled reader, comprehension seems easy and automatic. It is anything but that. Stories contain hundreds of words, lots of details, and no road map as to which detail is more important than another. That's why—when asked to tell a story— many children respond in a scattered fashion, offering something like a shopping list—where sequence and organization don't matter. With the right materials, these problems vanish. That is what Story Smarts is all about.

As a child advances in the program, over a period of three to four months, you will see that he or she:

• gets the "main idea"
• starts predicting the events in stories s/he hears or reads
• relates events experienced in the course of the day
• participates more freely in discussions with others

Story Smarts is suitable for students from 6-10 years of age. It is also appropriate for children who are older if they have experienced difficulties in language and/or comprehension. If you are not sure if the program is right for your student, try the following brief assessment.:

Download Assessment