The challenge is real: too many adolescents lack reading automaticity. They can decode words, but they don’t read fluently enough to lose themselves in a story or power through challenging text. This isn’t about ability—it’s about practice. And traditional fluency passages? Boring, disconnected, and utterly uninspiring.
Enter TextProject’s StoryLabs—where we build automaticity with literature worth knowing. StoryLabs isn’t about replacing Frankenstein or Treasure Island or The Lightning Thief. We’re not creating condensed versions or Reader’s Digest shortcuts. Instead, we’re using the content of these powerful stories as the vehicle for developing the fluency, vocabulary, and background knowledge that struggling adolescent readers desperately need. While building reading speed and stamina, students gain crucial background knowledge. They learn that Victor Frankenstein is the scientist, not the monster—so when they hear “creating a Frankenstein,” they understand the metaphor. They discover the Cyclops, encounter the “yellow brick road,” and suddenly references in social media, blogs, and conversations click.
Each of the 13 Text Project’s StoryLabs features five beautifully designed two-page spreads built on research showing that readers achieve flow when they automatically recognize 95% of words in a text. By strategically using critical core vocabulary, TextProject’s StoryLabs keeps students’ eyes moving smoothly across the page—building the automaticity that makes all reading easier.
Some students will be inspired to read the complete works—wonderful! Keep those full novels ready to hand over. But even students who never pick up the full Frankenstein have gained something invaluable: reading automaticity through meaningful practice, expanded vocabulary, and essential ideas and references for their knowledge base.
The magic is in the combination. Students aren’t mindlessly reading disconnected passages. They’re engaging with authentic excerpts from original works, author biographies, and contemporary connections that make stories feel urgent and relevant. They’re reading about Mary Shelley writing Frankenstein at age 18. They’re seeing how The Lightning Thief connects to ancient myths.
Use TextProject’s StoryLabs however your students need them: daily reading warm-ups, intervention materials, or differentiated independent reading. The flexibility is intentional, but the goal is always the same: build automaticity that makes all reading more accessible while building background knowledge that unlocks academic and social success.
TextProject’s StoryLabs: Real literature. Real skills. Real results.
Ready to give your students the fluency, background knowledge, and interest in reading they need to succeed? Download your free StoryLabs today at textproject.org/free-texts/StoryLabs.
The Research Behind StoryLabs
Recent research published in the Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy provides compelling evidence for the StoryLabs approach. The study reveals that the approximately 33% of U.S. eighth graders who score below basic on the National Assessment of Educational Progress do so because they lack automaticity, not because they can’t decode words. Many haven’t read enough to be able to read fluently without pausing to decode at least some of the words in the text. Stopping to decode disrupts their train of thought—and consequently, their comprehension.
The research identifies Critical Word Zones (CWZ)—the high- and medium-frequency words that comprise approximately 95% of text—as essential for building reading automaticity. Studies show that texts strategically designed around these word zones significantly improve students’ reading fluency, comprehension, and background knowledge. This is exactly how StoryLabs texts are constructed
StoryLabs addresses this challenge by combining strategic CWZ scaffolding with compelling, knowledge-rich content. By carefully controlling the high- and medium-frequency words while exploring engaging topics—from scientific discoveries to historical events to contemporary issues—StoryLabs texts allow struggling readers to build automaticity with the words that matter most while simultaneously expanding their background knowledge and vocabulary. Research demonstrates that this dual focus on fluency development and meaningful content is particularly effective for middle and high school readers, especially those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.