Paired Reading
What is it and what does the research say?
"Paired reading is a research-based fluency strategy used with readers who lack fluency. In this strategy, students read aloud to each other. When using partners, more fluent readers can be paired with less fluent readers, or children who read at the same level can be paired to reread a story they have already read. Paired reading can be used with any book, taking turns reading by sentence, paragraph, page or chapter" (Reading Rockets Inc., 2014). Paired reading is significant because not only does it promote reading, but it also promotes working together. A cooperative learning environment is a positive environment. To best utilize this, make sure to pair strong readers with weaker readers. The stronger readers can assist the weaker ones. This can help close any gap that exists in the classroom. Topping (1987) gave an example of how paired reading can work. In this example, both students read aloud at the same time, unison. Both students do so, and repeat until one is confident enough to read aloud by themselves. The other, who sits quietly by, will read and listen at the same time and make corrections/help when needed. After the first student finishes, it is the second student's turn. This repeats until both students are confident in their reading. |
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Example of Paired Reading and Possible Use
Sheen above is an example of two students working together reading about a ship. Not all paired reading requires a single book. Students can be paired up and both have a copy of the book. This might be best as every student prefers to hold and be connected to their reading material in different ways.
A suggested option (Reading Rockets Inc., 2014) is to use a book such as Frog and Toad Together by Arnold Lobel. This book for grades K-3 is a good book that spans multiple reading levels. This book can be seen below.
The ease of differentiation of this strategy is what makes it great. You can easily change the reading material for individual groups so it better suits their abilities. You can also suggest the students re-read, or even review difficult words together.
Video Example of Paired Reading
This first video is an informational video about what paired reading is and shows a demonstration of how it works. The significance of this strategy is that as an teacher or parent, you can appoint the child as the lead and simply support them through the reading. This can be done easily by parents and can easily bolster a student's learning.
This is sometimes called "shared reading." The second video, titled shared reading, discusses how this strategy can be used by parents.
Online Resources for Paired Reading
http://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/paired_reading
A good resource for learning more about what paired reading is.
References
Koralek, D., & Collins, R. (1997).Tutoring Strategies for the Primary Grades.http://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/paired_reading. Retrieved on July 24, 2014.
Reading Rockets Inc. (2014) http://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/paired_reading. Retreived on July 24, 2014.
Topping, K. (1987). Paired reading: A powerful technique for parent use. Reading Teacher, 40, 608-614.
