READING P -Peer A -Assisted L -Learning S -Strategies

1. READINGP-Peer A-AssistedL-LearningS-Strategies Overview by Gail Gilmartin

2. What is PALS? • A class-wide peer tutoring program • Students work in pairs or triads to practice and strengthen reading fluency and comprehension.

3. Why Use Peer Tutoring? • Increasing diversity in classrooms • Broad range of achievement levels within classrooms • Increasing need to address variety of individual needs through differentiation

4. Important Features of PALS • Reciprocal roles (Coaches and Readers) • Structured Activities • Individualized • More time engaged on task • Includes ALL students • Opportunities for success for all students • Encourages positive peer interactions • Practical AND effective • Opportunities to monitor student progress

5. PALS Research • Statistically significant differences between students who participated in PALS vs Control group • Received ‘Best Practices’ status from Department of Education

6. PALS 2-6 Experimental ResultsImprovement in Reading Comprehension: Number Questions Answered Correctly

7. ROLES: Coaches and Readers • Coaches • Provides prompts and helps ‘Reader’ • Readers • Reads and accepts help from ‘Coach’ • Partnerships rotate every 3-4 weeks • PALS is conducted 3 times a week for 35 minutes

8. PALS Timeline • Week 1 • Student Training • Weeks 2-4 • Partner Reading with Retell • Paragraph Shrinking • Weeks 5-17 • Partner Reading with Retell • Paragraph Shrinking • Prediction Relay

9. Required Materials for PALS • Teacher Materials • Timer • PALS Rules • Student Assignment Chart • Scripts • Command Card • PALS Video of lessons for students to watch (to model what PALS LOOKS and SOUNDS like)

10. Required Materials for PALS • Student Materials • Book • Question Card • Point Sheet • Pencil • Coach & Reader Folders

11. Teacher’s PALS Duties • Assign Pairs and Teams • Select Text of Appropriate Difficulty • Monitor Student’s Reading and PALS Behavior • Assist ‘Coaches’ as needed

12. Absent Students and Uneven Pairs • If two students are absent, their partners may be paired for the day. If the two students are in different books, the pair should use the weaker reader’s book. • Allow a ‘high-performing student’ to read independently. • Form a triad

13. Reading Triads • Assign each of the students to be the coach during one of the three reading activities. • If a permanent triad is necessary because you have an uneven number of students, designate one as a ‘floater.’ • Never place learning disabled or extremely low readers in a triad for more than one day, if at all possible.

14. Selecting Text of Appropriate Difficulty • Each pair may read from different texts. • Text should be at weaker reader’s level-no more than 10 errors per 100 words. • Determine page numbers or stories to be read ahead of time.

15. Monitoring Student’s Reading • Provide positive feedback • Ensure correct PALS implementation • Ensure students are using proper correction procedures • Ensure cooperation between partnerships • Award BONUS points • Listen to EACH student • Listen for FLUENCY • Listen for quality of main idea statements

16. PALS RULES • Talk to only your partner (or Mrs. G) and only about PALS • Keep your voice low • Cooperate with your partner • Try your best

17. Partner Reading • Conducted for 11-12 minutes • Stronger reader reads aloud for 5 minutes • Weaker reader reads the same text for next 5 minutes • Weaker reader retells the story for 1-2 minutes • Readers should read quickly, accurately, and with expression • Coaches listen, correct mistakes, and mark points (earn 1 point for every sentence read correctly and 10 points for correct retell)

18. Correcting Errors • There are four types of mistakes to listen for: • Saying the word wrong • Leaving out a word • Adding a word • Waiting longer than 4 seconds • Use Correction Card to help with correction procedures

19. Demonstration and Practice • Coach and Reader read and mark points • Coach makes corrections, if needed • Reader retells story using Question Card • Both Coach and Reader are engaged at all times!

20. Paragraph Shrinking • Conducted for 10 minutes • Stronger reader reads new text aloud for 5 minutes, summarizing each paragraph as they read • Weaker reader reads new text aloud for 5 minutes, summarizing each paragraph • Coach listens, corrects mistakes and marks points

21. Paragraph Shrinking • After each paragraph, using the Question Card, the Reader : • Identifies the most important ‘Who’ or ‘What’ (1 point) • Identifies the most important thing about the ‘Who’ or ‘What’ (1 point) • States the main idea of the paragraph in 10 words or less (1 point) • Training includes identifying paragraphs and the main idea

22. Prediction Relay • First 5 minutes- using the Question Card, the Stronger Reader: • Make a logical prediction (1 point) • Reads half of a page (1 point) • Checks the prediction (1 point) • Makes a new prediction • Continues to read • Second 5 minutes- using the Question Card, the Weaker Reader: • Make a logical prediction ( 1 point) • Reads half of a page (1 point) • Checks the prediction (1 point) • Makes a new prediction • Continues to read