The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of read alouds on eighteen second graders' vocabulary acquisition and comprehension when listening to stories with and without companion texts. Following each reading session, the students were required to complete a 100 word cloze comprehension test, as well as a brief vocabulary test based on five key words. The results of the study showed that there was a significant effect for order for both comprehension and vocabulary acquisition; students listening to the stories with companion texts outperformed students without companion texts on both comprehension and vocabulary measure when the companion text condition followed the non-companion text condition. Implications of results are presented. Appended materials include: (1) Vocabulary Test--With Book--Without Book; (2) Cloze Test--With Book--Without Book; (3) Running Records, 100 Words--5 Key Vocabulary Words; and (4) A letter to second grade parents. (Contains 9 tables.) [M.A. Thesis, Kean University.]