220 pages · 2026
AI and Reading Instruction
Digital Partners for Deepening Comprehension and Discussion in K-12 Classrooms
By Mary Ehrenworth · Philip Seyfried
- Published
- July 29, 2026
- Imprint
- Routledge
- Edition
- 1st Edition
- ISBN
- 9781003652496
Overview
About this book
There are innovative, beautiful, personal ways that AI can deepen reading instruction—and most teachers simply need to be introduced to them. When willingness to explore AI combines with the urge to empower readers, remarkable things become possible. AI and Reading Instruction is a practical guide that shows you how.
Drawing from years of classroom research and intensive professional development across grade-levels, Mary Ehrenworth and Philip Seyfried reveal what happens when teachers discover the opportunities hidden in moments of technological change: newcomers and multilingual learners participate fully in class discussions. Avid readers examine their thinking in exciting new ways. Teachers co-author learning tools and assessments that would have taken hours to create alone.
Whether you're tech-phobic, tech-savvy but concerned about AI's impact on teaching, or simply curious about where to start, this book offers practical entry points and clear demonstrations. You'll learn to use large language models like ChatGPT, Claude, and Google Gemini to rapidly generate learning tools and analyze reading data, and EdTech platforms like MagicSchool, SchoolAI, and Flint to create safe, contained chat rooms and simulations where students can interact with AI partners designed to your specifications.
Inside, you'll find examples of research-based theoretical stances, practical tips, AI-student discussions, teacher-created chatbots, and co-created learning tools that show what this work looks like in practice. A companion website provides additional resources that will evolve as AI capabilities grow.
At a moment when students need deeper reading comprehension and critical thinking skills, this book demonstrates how thoughtful AI integration increases accessibility and equity for every reader in your classroom.
Subjects
K-12 Resources
Inside the book
Table of contents
Select a chapter to read its abstract.
ChapterIntroduction: Building a Relationship with AI
Pages: 12
In a second-grade classroom, an emergent reader eagerly engages with a personalized story about Minecraft that reinforces the phonics patterns he needs to practice. In a middle school reading class, a Ukrainian newcomer discusses complex novels in her home language while her teacher, who speaks only English, understands her student's insights. In a high school, a teacher partners with an AI writing coach to provide tailored feedback to 130 first drafts of literary essays simultaneously, highlighting unique strengths in each student's writing and interpretation that might otherwise go unnoticed.
Chapter Chapter 1Getting Started with AI and EdTech AI
Pages: 22
The authors address the fear that AI is difficult to use and understand and shift the conversation to the opportunity AI presents for teachers to increase reader efficacy for various students across learning environments.
Chapter Chapter 2Maintaining Metacognition
Pages: 24
In this chapter, Ehrenworth and Seyfried challenge the idea that AI will hinder student learning and provide evidence that AI can drive students to practice skills such as metacognition.
Chapter Chapter 3Personalizing Reading Experiences and Reading Response
Pages: 20
Teachers learn, in this chapter, how AI can be a thought partner for students despite the common fear that it takes away from learning opportunities.
Chapter Chapter 4Breaking Down Barriers and Creating Access
Pages: 22
The focus of this chapter is how AI can assist teachers and students in deepening comprehension and increasing equity among readers.
Chapter Chapter 5AI as a Vocabulary Coach
Pages: 22
In Chapter 5, the authors expand on the ways in which AI can become a linguistic coach to support both teachers and students when it comes to vocabulary studies.
Chapter Chapter 6Deepening Discussion and Interpretation
Pages: 24
Chapter 6 covers the opportunities to leverage AI as a confidence builder to make student interactions higher quality.
Chapter Chapter 7Deepening Criticality
Pages: 20
Here, the authors unlock the perspective that AI can lead students to consider multiple perspectives while thinking more deeply about their own.
Chapter Chapter 8Tracking Reader Development, Assessment, and Growth
Pages: 20
Ehrenworth and Seyfried share their insight in using AI to making grading and assessment high quality and simultaneously more efficient, granting teachers time to talk to students about their reading and learning.
ChapterConclusion
Pages: 6
While these tools offer unprecedented opportunities for enhancing learning and information access, their potential impact on cognitive development, critical thinking, and intellectual independence demands a very careful consideration and continued research.