STRATEGY FOCUS
PAIRED BUDDY READING
PURPOSE
Paired/Buddy Reading is a strategy in which students read along together or take turns reading aloud to one another. Student pairs can include a more fluent reader paired with a less fluent reader or students who read at the same level, depending on the purpose. This strategy frees up the teacher to provide more individualized attention to pairs of students while the other groups are reading together. Paired/Buddy Reading helps build students’ fluency, self-confidence, and motivation by providing a safe space to practice reading and re-reading and to receive feedback.
PROCESS
- Determine how to pair students.
- Choose a text that works well for Paired/Buddy reading (e.g., relevant to the content and at an appropriate reading level).
- Provide each student with a copy of the text.
- If necessary, front load potentially difficult vocabulary and provide just enough background knowledge of the text so students are familiar with the content.
- Provide students with specific directions for the Paired/Buddy reading. Consider the following:
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- Will they sit side-by-side or across from one another?
- Will they choral read in unison? Echo read (one person reads, then the other repeats)? Take turns with each reading a sentence, paragraph, section, page, etc. while the other person follows along and listens? Will they choose?
- How will they help each other with difficult words (i.e., re-reading misread words, pausing, asking for help, referencing a resource, etc.)?
- How will they offer feedback to one another?
- Ask students to begin reading in pairs. If reading in unison, remind them to adjust their reading speed so they can stay together.
PROBING QUESTIONS
- What did you notice about yourself as a reader when you read with your partner/buddy?
- What did you notice about yourself as a reader when you read alone?
- What do you like best about Partner/Buddy reading?
- How does Partner/Buddy reading help you?
CONSIDERATIONS
- Creating a safe space/classroom community is important with this strategy. Before jumping into Paired/Buddy reading, cultivate a classroom environment that invites students to read side-by-side with a peer.
- When pairing students, be mindful of and sensitive to students with special needs, multilingual learners, students who struggle with reading, and/or students who are shy or lack confidence.
- Before implementing this strategy, be sure to model the procedure with a partner (another adult or student) to ensure students understand what Paired/Buddy reading looks and sounds like. As students engage, walk around the room to monitor students offering specific feedback.
- Modifications include Choral Reading (reading together) and Echo Reading (one student reads a section of text and the other student repeats).
- Leverage the use of technology to provide students with models of hearing a fluent reader. Record yourself (or another fluent reader) reading the text being used in class for fluency practice so students can re-listen and practice on their own. Or, have students record themselves reading and listen to it.
- Provide guidance and prompts to help students give feedback to their partner:
- Compliment strengths (e.g., “That flowed well,” “That sounded just like you talk” etc.)
- Point out areas for growth (e.g., “Could you go back and reread that word/sentence/section?” “Can you make your voice match the feeling?”)
SCAFFOLDS
General Scaffolds
- Before trying this strategy, be mindful of the culture of your classroom and sensitive to the varied needs of your students.
- Chunk the text to make it more accessible for students (e.g., number paragraphs, add write space for student responses and annotation, etc.)
- Model this strategy with a partner (another teacher or student) so students understand what it looks like/sounds like.
- Rereading familiar texts helps students focus on building their fluency.
- Reading and reciting songs, poems, or nursery rhymes is a low-stress and fun way to practice the strategy.
- Bold key vocabulary words and front load potentially difficult vocabulary.
- Provide guidance and prompts to help students give feedback to their partners.
- Direct feedback to the whole class, not individual students, since the strategy involves the whole class.
Scaffolds for Multilingual Learners
Entering/Emerging:
- Chunk the text to make it more accessible for students (e.g., number paragraphs, add white space for student responses and annotation, etc.).
- Use ALM’s Interactive Read Aloud–Think Aloud strategy to model fluency.
- Play audio recordings of text while students follow along.
- Have students reread familiar text.
- Bold vocabulary words.
- Allow students to access and use vocabulary resources and tools, such as anchor charts, word walls, word banks, and personal dictionaries.
Developing/Expanding:
- Have students practice fluency by recording themselves reading.
- Bold vocabulary words.
- Allow students to access and use vocabulary resources and tools, such as anchor charts, word walls, word banks, and personal dictionaries.
Bridging/Reaching:
- Have students practice fluency by recording themselves reading.
- Bold vocabulary words.
- Allow students to access and use vocabulary resources and tools, such as anchor charts, word walls, word banks, and personal dictionaries.
CONTENT APPLICATIONS
ENGLISH
LANGUAGE ARTS
Students echo read a poem together, taking turns as the first reader of a line or stanza.
SOCIAL STUDIES
Students read a short passage and alternate each paragraph with a focus on reading smoothly and sounding out words. Repeat the activity the next day with the same focus, then engage in a discussion of the content.
WORLD LANGUAGES
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
HEALTH & PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Students buddy read a text in unison about healthy eating. After reading, the students reflect together on what they noticed about themselves as a reader when reading with their buddy.
SCIENCE
Students read a short article in Time for Kids, alternating each section. After the first Paired/Buddy reading, the partners discuss how well they did with their reading, and then identify and practice words with which they struggled.
MATHEMATICS
UNDER CONSTRUCTION