This tool examines qualities of teacher and child talk through observation of classroom shared book reading. The SABR is a reliable and valid measure of classroom quality. The tool captures the frequency of key behaviors that are known to promote young children’s language and literacy skills. The system is well aligned with the national learning standards and state standards for prekindergarten through grade 1, and can be used by teachers, school leaders, and intervention specialists to promote effective teaching.
- The short form allows educators and researchers to capture 17 focal aspects of classroom discourse during book reading that are most closely related to growth in young children’s language and literacy skills.
- The long form is designed for researchers to capture more detailed qualities of classroom discourse and includes 40 codes; this includes codes of theoretical importance as well as codes that closely relate to growth in children’s skills.
- The short form is designed for reviewing video-recorded read-alouds or live observations, whereas the long form is designed for use with transcribed read-alouds.
- The tool was designed with a researcher-developed book, but can be used to measure quality of any high-quality narrative text that tells a rich story.
- This version of the SABR is not designed for use with non-fiction texts or concept books such as alphabet books or rhyming books.
- The coding scheme is designed for ease of use, and materials are provided to quickly prepare teams of observers to reliably observe and measure these qualities of classroom discourse.
Select the short form or the long form to get started!
Users are encouraged to adapt or creatively remix the SABR codes to fit their individual project needs.