Language, comprehension, and word reading
Professor Young-Suk Kim’s research and the Story Detective and COMPASS interventions inform the project’s focus on the connected skills children use as they become readers.
UC IRVINE · DIGITAL LEARNING LAB · LANGUAGE LITERACY LEARNING LAB
My Story DetectiveAn AI-supported
literacy coach for
struggling readers.
Personalized support for every K–2 student, grounded in the science of reading—interactive, patient, and built to work at scale.
THE READING GAP
~40%of K–2 students struggle with foundational reading skills
1-on-1tutoring works best—but districts cannot deliver it at scale
My Story Detective brings individualized support into existing literacy time.
ABOUT MY STORY DETECTIVE
Responsive literacy support for more young readers.
My Story Detective is a web-based, AI-supported literacy experience that helps K–2 students build language, comprehension, and word-reading skills through illustrated stories. It extends skilled, responsive support while keeping teachers at the center.
Learn about the projectTHE PLATFORM
A connected reading experience.
An AI literacy coach that works like a skilled tutor—interactively, patiently, and at scale.
Stories become conversations. My Story Detective brings illustrated stories, guided conversation, and word-reading practice into one connected experience. Children build meaning as they talk about stories and practice the skills that help them read independently. Designed for school and accessible at home, it extends individualized literacy support wherever children read.
Explore the platform
RESEARCH FOUNDATION
Built on a decade of UCI research.
My Story Detective builds on two UCI research foundations: early-literacy research led by Professor Young-Suk Kim and the UCI Digital Learning Lab’s Converse to Learn project, which explores AI-supported dialogic learning.
Dialogic reading with conversational agents
The UCI Digital Learning Lab’s Converse to Learn project explores how conversational agents can support children’s engagement, comprehension, and vocabulary during story-based learning.
PROJECT FUNDING & RELATED SUPPORT
U.S. Department of EducationSupports My Story DetectiveNational Science FoundationSupports related storybook development
