The hypothesis of the study was explicit gradual release of responsibility comprehension instruction (GRR) (Pearson & Gallagher, 1983; Fisher & Frey, 2008) with the researcher-created Story Grammar Code (SGC) strategy would significantly increase third graders' comprehension of narrative fiction and nonfiction text. SGC comprehension strategy was rooted in evidence-based cognitive science studies for story grammar (Mandler & Johnson, 1977; Stein & Glenn, 1979). The classic five story grammar elements of character, setting, problem, actions to solve the problem, and solution--were interfaced with SGC icons to create the code-based adaption used as comprehension strategy intervention. Participants were third grade students and their teachers in a northeastern urban public school. The heterogeneous student population was assigned to one of two conditions: treatment group received explicit GRR comprehension instruction "with" SGC strategy; control group received explicit GRR comprehension instruction "without" SGC strategy. Explicit GRR instruction included direct instruction, guided practice, cooperative learning, and independent practice. Quantitative design employed two mixed ANOVA analyses of the strategy's effect on students' scores on the "Developmental Reading Assessment 2" (Beaver, 2006) and Story Grammar Assessments (Alves, Kennedy, Brown, & Solis, 2015; Morrow, 1985). Compared to the control group, students in the treatment group demonstrated statistically significant increases on SGA four testing periods, and the DRA2 pretest-posttest descriptive mean differences revealed treatment effect. The significance of this study was to update existing literature demonstrating the effectiveness of story grammar instruction aligned with the English Language Arts Common Core Standards, effectively supported students' comprehension of more complex text aligned with CCSS #10, and provided a story grammar strategy adapted to 21st century student-centered learning using the student-friendly SGC strategy. When students were given explicit GRR comprehension instruction that teaches awareness of narrative text structure and the application of meaning-based comprehension strategy Story Grammar Code, results demonstrated that all third graders achieved gains in comprehension, including the ability to transfer what they had learned about narrative text structure to more complex narrative texts. Implications for principals, principal-reading coach-teacher partnerships, future research, and reading practice are provided. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]