Program Description

"Fun, engaging, and effective, Story Friends is a language intervention program for 4- to 6-year-old children at risk for reading difficulties. Through 26 interactive animal-themed storybooks and lively, engaging audio recordings, Story Friends effectively improves oral language and vocabulary development—two of the most important predictors of later reading success. With colorful illustrations, rhyming text, interactive story components, and appealing narration from Wanda the Word Wolf, children strengthen other important skills, such as solving problems, empathizing, working together, and making friends with others who are different. And because Story Friends is a natural fit with any existing classroom schedule or curriculum, it's easier than ever to deliver interventions when they matter most and get all young children ready to read and succeed."

Cost

A Story Friends Classroom Kit costs $1,199.95

Intended Population

• Intervention

Grade

• Pre-K
• Elementary School

Intended Group Size

• Small group

ELL/DLL

• Unspecified

Multisensory Applications

• Yes

Delivery Method

• Hybrid / blended delivery

Scripted

• Instructor Scripted

Comprehensive or Skill Specific

• Comprehensive

Placement Tests

• No

Accelerated Learning

• No

Assessment to Monitor Skills Mastery

• Yes

Error Correction Built In

• Unspecified

Fidelity Measures Provided by Publisher

• Unspecified

Research Summary

Literature review revealed two studies with mixed effects for vocabulary growth and no significant effects for reading comprehension.

Study Citations

Goldstein, H., Kelley, E., Greenwood, C., McCune, L., Carta, J., Atwater, J., Guerrero, G., McCarthy, T., Schneider, N., & Spencer, T. (2016). Embedded instruction improves vocabulary learning during automated storybook reading among high-risk preschoolers. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 59(3), 484–500. https://doi.org/10.1044/2015_JSLHR-L-15-0227

Kelley, E. S., Goldstein, H., Spencer, T. D., & Sherman, A. (2015). Effects of automated Tier 2 storybook intervention on vocabulary and comprehension learning in preschool children with limited oral language skills. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 31(Jan), 47–61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2014.12.004

Evidence-Based Practice (EBP)

• Insufficient evidence