Visual Supports for Partner Reading

           At our school, a new reading activity has been added called "Partner Reading".  I'm not an expert in reading and can't provide the research basis for this but I can describe minimally that students get together with a partner who reads at their level. They share their favorite parts, read to each other, and read together.You can see it in the video below.                                     

  CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO

I'm sure partner reading is great in the classroom for most of the kids.  My language impaired children, however, have a bit of difficulty.   First of all, to listen to a child read in a noisy environment can be challenging, and then comprehending the text well enough to ask and answer questions about it with a partner who may not adapt language to the other child's level is sometimes beyond reach.  My two children in one second grade classroom were basically sitting, taking turns reading, and daydreaming.......that is until, their wonderful teacher stepped in and made a very clever visual aid.

     I apologize for the slightly blurry photo, but this picture is a color-coded script for the 'listener' and 'reader'.   The teacher elaborately took pictures, making it crystal clear who was to read, talk, listen and when they should take turns.  She is planning on changing the comments and questions from time to time depending on the minilesson (you will note that these are all velcroed---nothing glued, so it's more of a dynamic process rather than learning only one script).  After some time, the need for this visual aid will diminish as the kids learn what their respective roles are and what they should say. 

Originally, I had given her ideas from this website (Independence in Learning), but the teacher took the idea of a sentence starter, and then expanded it to meet the children's needs in her classroom.  Thanks Patti!!! 


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