Intervention: Partner Reading

Tier: 1/2

Age/Grades: 1st-12th grade

Format: Check all that apply

☒Individual

☒Pairs

☒Small group (3-5 students)

☒Whole Class (becomes Tier 1)

Materials:

  • Timer – one per student pair (optional)
  • Classroom reading material, one per student set
  • Chart listing error correction procedures
  • Score Cards (made of index cards with list of consecutive numbers), one per pair
  • List of comprehension questions, per student pair (optional)
  • Notebook or folder per student (optional)

Frequency/Duration:3 times per week for 35 minutes per session

Progress Monitoring Tool:RCBM (AIMSweb)

Steps:

Preparation

  1. Rank order your students from strongest to weakest reader using scores on a combination of standardized test, statewide reading tests, teacher judgment
  2. Divide the list in half so that List A includes the stronger readers (who will serve as Partner 1) and List B includes the weaker readers (who will serve as Partner 2)
  3. Pair the student at the top of List A with the student at the top of List B and so on until all of the students are matched. Make adjustments as needed to accommodate reading ability and compatibility. Assign each pair to one of two teams for use of awarding points.

Introduction & Training

  1. Tell the class they will be practicing reading in pairs to help everyone become better readers.
  2. Indicate student partner assignments and have students move to partner reading stations. Also indicate teams for each pair.
  3. Distribute reading materials to each pair and indicate what kind of timing device will be used for the sessions (i.e., classroom clock, stopwatches).
  4. Display the chart with the error correction procedures where all students can see it.
  5. Using a student as a partner, demonstrate a Partner Reading session, following the procedures below:
  6. When you give the signal, Partner 1 reads for 5 minutes (3 minutes for early primary grade students), modeling fluent reading, while Partner 2 follows along and times the reading. If Partner 1 comes to the end of the passage before the time is up, he/she returns to the beginning and starts again. Partner 2 then reads the same passage for a specified time, while Partner 1 follows along and keeps time.
  7. If the reader misreads a word, skips a word, or pauses for more than 4 seconds, the tutor points to the word and says, “Stop. You missed this word. Can you figure it out?” If the reader pronounces the correct word in 4 seconds, the tutor directs the reader to read the sentence again. If the reader cannot figure out the word in 4 seconds, the tutor says, “That word is ______.” What word?” The reader repeats the word. The tutor says, “Good! Read the sentence again” and the reader rereads the sentence and continues. If the tutor cannot provide the word, the students raise their hand to ask for assistance.
  8. If a reader adds a word, the tutor says “Stop. You added a word. Can you figure out what word you added?” If the reader cannot figure out what he/she added, the tutor says, “You added _____. Read the sentence again” and the reader rereads the sentence and continues.
  9. Students earn points as a pair. For each correctly read sentence, regardless of the number of trials that are necessary, the tutor awards a point by making a slash mark through the next number on the score card.
  10. After the tutoring session, students take turns conducting 1-minute timings and graphing their words correct per minute (wcpm). While Partner 2 keeps time, Partner 1 reads the same passage for 1 minute and graphs his/her own wcpm rate in a notebook or folder. The process is then repeated for Partner 2. The error correction procedure is not used during the assessments. Students keep their score cards in their folders for the entire week.
  11. Conduct a class-wide practice session while you circulate to provide assistance and encouragement. For the first training session, have students practice Partner Reading without the error correction procedure. Introduce error correction in the second session and assessment and graphing procedures in a 3rd session.

Implementation

  1. At the end of the week, have each pair report their points so that you can determine total points for each time. The winning team is announced and applauded.
  2. Create new pairs and team assignments every 4 weeks. For high school students, change partners more frequently.

Variation: Partner Reading with Comprehension Questions

To add a comprehension component, have student partners take turns asking each other five comprehension questions (who, what, when, where, why) about the reading selection after the 1 minute timing

*Note: Partner Reading can be used effectively with a wide variety of reading material, such as nonfiction student magazines, newspapers, basal texts, trade books, and leveled readers.

References:

Mathes, P.G., Fuchs, D., Fuchs, L.S., Henley, A.M., & Sanders, A. (1994). Increasing strategic reading practice with Peabody Classwide Peer Tutoring. Learning Disabilities Research and Practice, 9, 44-48. Copyright 1994 by Blackwell Publishing. Adapted by permission.

Rathvon, N. (2008). Effective school interventions: Evidence-based strategies for improving student outcomes. New York: Guilford Press.

Vaughn, S., Chard, D.J., Bryant, D.P., Coleman, M., Tyler B., Linan-Thompson, S., et al. (2000). Fluency and comprehension interventions for third-grade students. Remedial and Special Education, 21, 325-335. Copyright 2000 by PRO-ED, Inc. Adapted with permission.

Wendling, B. J., & Mather, N. (2009). Essentials of evidence-based academic interventions. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

Fidelity Checklist

Date: ______Person Delivering Intervention: ______

Start Time:______End Time:______Name of Student: ______

Administrator Observing: ______

Intervention: Partner Reading

Directions: During the intervention observation, place an “X” in the “yes” column if the step is completed/observed. Place an “X” in the “no” column if the step was not observed. Tally the number of “Yes” marks and calculate the integrity of each part and the overall integrity.
Note: If the step is not applicable place an “N/A” in the “Yes” column. Do not calculate this in the integrity formula.

Part 1: Materials

Materials / Yes / No
Timer – one per student pair (optional)
Chart listing error correction procedures
Score cards (made of index cards with list if consecutive numbers), one per pair
List of comprehension questions, per student pair (optional)
Notebook or folder per student (optional)

Part 2: Intervention Steps(Preparation)

Steps / Checklist / Yes / No
1 / Rank order your students from strongest to weakest reader using scores on a combination of standardized test, statewide reading tests, teacher judgment
2 / Divide the list in half so that List A includes the stronger readers (who will serve as Partner 1) and List B includes the weaker readers (who will serve as Partner 2)
3 / Pair the student at the top of List A with the student at the top of List B and so on until all of the students are matched. Make adjustments as needed to accommodate reading ability and compatibility. Assign each pair to one of two teams for use of awarding points.

Part 3: Intervention Steps (Introduction & Training)

Steps / Checklist / Yes / No
1 / Tell the class they will be practicing reading in pairs to help everyone become better readers.
2 / Indicate student partner assignments and have students move to partner reading stations. Also indicate teams for each pair.
3 / Distribute reading materials to each pair and indicate what kind of timing device will be used for the sessions (i.e., classroom clock, stopwatches).
4 / Display the chart with the error correction procedures where all students can see it.
5 / Using a student as a partner, demonstrate a Partner Reading session, following the procedures below:
5a / When you give the signal, Partner 1 reads for 5 minutes (3 minutes for early primary grade students), modeling fluent reading, while Partner 2 follows along and times the reading. If Partner 1 comes to the end of the passage before the time is up, he/she returns to the beginning and starts again. Partner 2 then reads the same passage for a specified time, while Partner 1 follows along and keeps time.
5b / If the reader misreads a word, skips a word, or pauses for more than 4 seconds, the tutor points to the word and says, “Stop. You missed this word. Can you figure it out?” If the reader pronounces the correct word in 4 seconds, the tutor directs the reader to read the sentence again. If the reader cannot figure out the word in 4 seconds, the tutor says, “That word is ______.” What word?” The reader repeats the word. The tutor says, “Good! Read the sentence again” and the reader rereads the sentence and continues. If the tutor cannot provide the word, the students raise their hand to ask for assistance.
5c / If a reader adds a word, the tutor says “Stop. You added a word. Can you figure out what word you added?” If the reader cannot figure out what he/she added, the tutor says, “You added _____. Read the sentence again” and the reader rereads the sentence and continues.
5d / Students earn points as a pair. For each correctly read sentence, regardless of the number of trials that are necessary, the tutor awards a point by making a slash mark through the next number on the score card.
5e / After the tutoring session, students take turns conducting 1-minute timings and graphing their words correct per minute (wcpm). While Partner 2 keeps time, Partner 1 reads the same passage for 1 minute and graphs his/her own wcpm rate in a notebook or folder. The process is then repeated for Partner 2. The error correction procedure is not used during the assessments. Students keep their score cards in their folders for the entire week.
6 / Conduct a class-wide practice session while you circulate to provide assistance and encouragement. For the first training session, have students practice Partner Reading without the error correction procedure. Introduce error correction in the second session and assessment and graphing procedures in a 3rd session.

Part 4: Intervention Steps (Implementation)

Steps / Checklist / Yes / No
1 / At the end of the week, have each pair report their points so that you can determine total points for each time. The winning team is announced and applauded.
2 / Create new pairs and team assignments every 4 weeks. For high school students, change partners more frequently.

Summary

Steps / # of Yes / Total # Possible / %
Part 2 (Preparation) 1-3 / 3
Part 3 (Intro & Training) 1-6 / 11
Part 4 (Implementation) / 2
Overall Integrity / 16