Parents and Peers as Reading Partners

Jane Kring

PARP Coordinator

PARP –Parents and Peers as Reading Partners

After School Program – Tuesdays and Thursdays Oct-March– Snack while listening to a story– Read one on one to partner– Craft, writing or team-building activity– Late bus or pick-up

PARP

• Community Events

S’mores and Scary Stories

Movie Night and Book Swap

Family Game Night & Scrabble Tournament

Personal Motivation for starting PARP

• Involvement with Literacy Volunteers– Head Start and GED program– Farida, Willie, Boris– One on one help works, reading’s importance

• Work study with 3rd graders in Syracuse– There are a lot of children who need help learning

to read

• Teaching High School Science in NC– It is very difficult to do well in other subject areas if

students cannot read near grade level

PARP Guiding Principles

• Importance of Early Practice• Paired Reading• One-on-One Attention

• Biweekly meetings to maximize results and improvement

• Community Involvement– Mr. Whitehead and Presbyterian Stone

Church

PARP After School Program Participant Benefits

Benefits to Learners• Practice improves

reading skills• Better readers do

better in school• Doing well in school

means more life choices

Benefits to Tutors• Positive force for

good• Resume’• Good place to be• Laughter• Food and parties• ? Scholarship

The Importance of Practice

• Skilled readers enjoy reading and read a lot independently

• Struggling readers find reading difficult and frustrating so they avoid it

• Continual reading practice causes good readers to far surpass poor readers

• Practice will improve reading skills• (Stanovich, 1986)

The Importance of Practice

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The Importance of Practice

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The Importance of Practice

• Encouraging practice when students are learning to read, will make them better readers

• Once they are better readers, they will practice more

• More practice will make them even better readers

Peer Tutoring Perks

• Improves the skills of tutors as well as tutees (Ehly, 1986)

• Builds tutor social skills (Garcia-Vazquez & Ehly, 1995)

• Motivates tutees

Important Tutoring Guidelines Which Ensure Success

(Garcia-Vazquez& Ehly, 1995) • Selecting peer tutoring activities that

supplement classroom instruction• Providing thorough training to peer

tutors in the essential elements of the tutoring process

• Ensuring the peer tutors have mastered the essentials before meeting with tutees

Important Tutoring Guidelines Which Ensure Success

(Garcia-Vazquez& Ehly, 1995)

• Adopting research-based treatments to improve the reading skills of tutees– Paired reading is a research-based instructional

technique that increases reading fluency– The National Reading Panel’s comprehensive

review of reading instruction techniques concluded that “practices that encourage repeated oral reading with feedback and guidance leads to meaningful improvements in expertise for students-for good readers as well as those who are experiencing difficulties (NRP, 2000, p.3-3).”

Important Tutoring Guidelines Which Ensure Success

(Garcia-Vazquez& Ehly, 1995)

• Conducting periodic ‘tutoring integrity checks’– Focus on appropriate activities, praise, and

timely use of corrective feedback

• Monitoring the effectiveness of peer tutoring– Look for improvements in reading fluency

and comprehension

Training Curriculum

• Lesson 1: Procedures and Positive Behaviors

• Lesson 2: How to Give Tutees Compliments

• Lesson 3: Strategies to Build Reading Fluency - Paired Reading

• Lesson 4: Writing for Reading• Lesson 5: Review and Graduation

PARP 2009-2010

• 31 K-4th graders assisted with reading– 21 students faithfully attended– 5 K, 4 1st, 8 2nd, 4 3rd, 1 4th graders – 13 students attended for part of the year

• 28 volunteer reading partners– 8 adults, 6 regularly – 20 MCS students, 2 faithfully

PARP 2009-2010

• DIBELs Test Results– Kindergarteners - Started with 3 Benchmark

Students, 1 Strategic...Ended with 4 Benchmark students

– 1st graders - (1 no data) Started with 1 Intense, 2 Benchmark...Ended with 1 Intense, 1 Strategic, 1 Benchmark

– 2nd graders - Started with 6 Benchmark students, 2 Strategic...Ended with 4 Benchmark Students, 4 Strategic Students

– 3rd graders - Stayed the same– 4th grader - no data

PARP 2009-2010

Reactions to Data

• How would the children have done without PARP? How do they compare to their classmates who didn’t attend PARP?

• The right students are getting involved in the program

• There is room for improvement• Would other “soft data” show improvement?• What measurements should be used to

assess the program’s success?

PARP 2009-2010

• Lessons learned– While the library is nicer and quieter, the

kids are more productive in the wireless lab– Book selection is challenging for students,

books from the classroom are best– Kindergarteners are not appropriate for the

regular PARP program, they do well with Sandy Wright in a small group

PARP 2009-2010

• Lessons learned (cont.)– Adult volunteer reading partners and 4th

grade volunteers reliably come– Most young readers reliably come– Student of the Month Assembly is nice!– 1st graders subjectively show a lot of

progress– Students enjoy participating, no problems

involving young readers

PARP 2009-2010

• Lessons learned - budget– $10/week for juice and crackers from the

cafeteria– $5/child and reading partner for awards– $40/pizza party

PARP 2010-2011

• Changes– Attendance Policy– Focus on all interested K & 1st graders,

and teacher-selected 2nd and 3rd graders– Recruitment of 4th-6th grade reading

partners– Monthly reading partner meetings

PARP 2010-2011

• Changes– Dissolution of the PTSA– Liability insurance through Haylor, Freyer & Coon,

Inc. as coordinated by Leslie Hockey– S’mores and Scary Stories fund raiser 10/29 after

school– ?Applying to become a non-profit corporation– ?Tutor incentives– ?Scholarship for graduating senior

Thank you MCS

• Ruth Lincoln - support & awards assembly• Natalie Panshin - library use• Debbie Aldrich - volunteer reading part.• Jane Wagoner - snacks• Ms. Miller, Ms. O’Donnell, Mr. Doyle, Ms.

Emrich, Ms. Gibson, Ms. Aldrich, Mr. Paradis - baggies of books

• Ms. Bissell, Ms. Ritchie, & Mr. Nowak - classroom use

Suggestions

• Program duration

• Students to involve

• Chapter books to read aloud

• Community contacts 344-7538 or janeakring@yahoo.com or Ms. Woodside

• Communication

• ?Links to Strategic Plan