The question that must be addressed is how does having someone read to you influence your reading ability" My research paper is connected to my capstone because I help kids at an after school to bring up their reading levels and increase their vocabulary skills. While writing my paper, I was getting more insight on how to help the kids reach their reading level goals. My paper talks about how having someone physically read to you enhances your reading level and vocabulary skills (Allen, 1992). I tested that theory out by having the kids read on their own and write the words they could not understand and write the page number that they had a hard time comprehending. I read the same few pages with them and I saw that the research was right and that the kids learn more when someone reads to them (Zimmermann, 1996).
There is one girl in 5th grade who reads at a low reading level so I decided to work more on her and now she is only a few levels down from her actual reading level. To go along with my research I did ask her who reads or read with her at home and she said that she never got the exposure that most kids were fortunate to have when younger. After that it all made sense as to why she had such a low reading level but my goal was to help her reach her goal. She went above and beyond her goal by reading out loud to me and at home and having me read to her during our sessions.