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Re s o u rces Acco m p a nying This Pro g ram Include:Additional Handouts and Worksheets Online

w w w. c l a s s r o o m - c o n n e c t i o n s . c o m

Reading B u d d i e sReading B u d d i e s

Resource PackageComplete Program Guide

and Training Manual

Enhancing literacy skills bytraining high school studentsto be volunteer leaders withelementary school students

Grades 1-12

ELEMENTARYESL, Language Arts

SECONDARY

ESL, Guidance, English

School + Home + Business

Working Together For Our Children

Classroom Connections

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All Classroom Connections materials are available on-line at www.classroom-connections.com

E xe c u t i ve Director: H e ather MacTagga r t , Classroom Connections

Au t hor: S a n d ra Huehn, B. E d . , Frontier Colleg e

D e s i g n : Te a ch Maga z i n e

E d i t e d : Lisa Ke l ly and Dave Pag e

P u blished September 2000

This guide was made possible by the Classroom Connections Youth Empowerment 2001 eve n t .

P u blished in partnership with:

Frontier Colleg e

35 Ja ckes Ave n u e, Toronto ON M4T 1E2

P re s i d e n t : John D. O L e a ry

Te l : 1-800-555-6523 Fa x : (416) 323-3522 E - ma i l : i n fo r m at i o n @ f r o n t i e r c o l l eg e. c a

Frontier College mat e rials are ava i l able through w w w. f ro n t i e rc o l l eg e. c a

When school, family, and community work together

to nurture a joy of learning in children,

a society of educated citizens is create d .

Frontier College is a Canada-wide, volunteer-based, literacy organization. We teach people toread and write and we nurture an environment favourable to lifelong learning. Since 1899, wehave been reaching out to people wherever they are and responding to their particular learningneeds. We believe in literacy as a right and we work to achieve literacy for all.

We are grateful to our national sponsors -- Chapters, CIBC, Molsons, and Compugen Systems Inc. --for their extraordinary vision in continuing to support the work of Frontier College. And, thankyou to our many other corporate donors for their financial support and commitment to improved lit-eracy in Canada. We are also very grateful to Human Resources Development Canada and theNational Literacy Secretariat for their substantial commitment to Frontier College, which allows usto do literacy work across Canada that is both meaningful and sustainable.

Classroom Connections/R e a d i n g B u d d i e s

Thank you for your interest in setting up a Reading Buddies Program. Students of all ages

enjoy teaching and learning from one another. At any school in any part of the country at

any time, you will see students sitting in small groups working together - before classes, over

lunch and after school. This guide is designed to build upon this very common, natural activi-

ty. It has concrete techniques, tips and ideas to help teenagers help children learn to read.

This guide also describes a process for selecting, training and supporting high school volun-

teers to read aloud with children.

Teenagers make wonderful role models for young children. And volunteering as Reading

Buddies, teenagers develop their own skills in reading, writing and problem solving. It also

enables them to make a real difference in childrens lives. One of the best ways to prepare

and support young children for success in school is to simply read aloud with them.

Canadian students have been teaching with Frontier College since 1899. We are proud to be

working with you, your students and our friends at Classroom Connections in extending this

tradition to a new generation. Let us know how it works in your school!

John D. OLeary, President - Frontier College

I taught English in a high school a few years ago. Not a lot worked when we tried the usual

things with unusual learnersyou know the onesthey hated school, hated reading because

they couldnt, and were waiting to turn 16 to drop out. So, the guidance teacher and I

dreamed up a mentorship program. Take high school students with reading problems and

match them with local elementary school children who also have reading difficulties. We

offered this volunteer opportunity to every student in the high school.

The response bowled us over. Two hundred students, mainly those previously described as

unmotivated and lacking goals themselves, signed up. We screened all students to ensure

their commitment and gave a basic training program. Of course we prepared the elementary

teachers for the coming invasion. How did it work? We couldnt believe the results.

The most outstanding success was Tom (a pseudonym). He was achieving 40% or less in all

subjects. He wasnt a bad kid, just lost because he never learned to read well. Tom was paired

with Chris, a child in Grade 2. Tom took his responsibility very seriously and developed

incentives to make Chris want to read. When Chris performed well, they shot baskets in the

gym where their lesson was held. Of course, what Tom didnt realize was that he too was

benefiting from helping Chris. By December, Tom was passing all his courses. He spoke to

me about Early Childhood Education and ended up qualifying for the ECE course at a

Community College and has never looked back - except to tell me that without this volunteer

experience, he would never be where he is today.

Kathryn McFarlane, Executive Director Curriculum Services Canada

3

H OW TO SET UP A RE A D ING BUD D IES PR O G RA M . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 5

What is a Reading Buddies Program?

Who should be on your team?

Your First Decisions!

How much will it Cost?

What will the Tutors and Children do Together?

Tips on Recruiting and Selecting the Children

Tips on Recruiting and Screening High School Tutors

Matching the Children and the Tutors

Supporting the Child/Tutor Matches

Evaluating Your Program

T HE LA UN C H . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 9

T U TOR TRA ININ G . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 10

RESO UR C ES Volunteer Form/Parental Permission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 16

Volunteer Character Reference Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page18

Student Form/Parental Permission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 19

Reading Buddy Hand-out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 20

These resources are ava i l able on the Classroom Connections Web Site at w w w . c l a s s r o o m -connections.com

Introductory Letter to Parents Form to Compile a Contact List Scavenger Hunt for Launch Tutor Sign-In Sheet List of Recommended Childrens Books Portfolio Form Helping with Homework Questionnaires to Evaluate Program Certificate of Award Reference Letter for Tutors Bibliography Evaluation to Solicit your Feedback

R e a d i ng B u dd i e s/Classroom Connections4

WHAT IS A READING BUDDIES PROGRAM?The Reading Buddies Program involves a group of teenagers

reading one-on-one with a group of children every week. They read bookstogether, tell stories, play word games - anything to help the younger children become better readers.Reading Buddies work best when high s chool students are mat ched with children in grades 1 to 4. Th e yu s u a lly meet as a group at the end of the school day, the same day every week in the elementaryschools library. They meet for 30 minutes for younger children and up to 60 minutes for older chil-dren. The length of the program can range from 10 weeks to the entire school year. The average sizeof a program is 15 tutors and 15 children, however there can be as few as 5 or as many as 40 of each.

Anyone can initiate a Reading Buddies program: a teacher, librarian, parent, volunteer or a student!

Just remember to invo l ve people from the beginning so that eve ryone takes ow n e rship of and therefore

responsibility for the program.

WHO SHOULD BE ON YO UR TEAM?If you are a high school teacher, talk with the librarian of a nearby elementary school, or if you are

an elementary educator speak to the guidance counselor of the nearest high school. Many high schoolsh ave compulsory community service and may be looking for student placements. The key contact peopleat the elementary and high school need to recruit students as well as share the responsibility of support-ing the program. Recruit other people for your organizing committee. A team of 4 or 5 people helpsspread responsibilities but isnt too cumbersome. Your elementary school librarian will have i nva l u abl eexpertise in choosing ap p r o p ri ate books. A person with computer knowledge is always useful.(Remember: This entire program is available at www.classroom-connections.com.) And of course, it iscrucial to have the principals support to ensure the success of any special program.

I n form Staff Members during staff meetings, at both the high school and elementary sch o o l , to promote the program to teachers. Ask teachers for help by recommending students who may be suitable for the prog ra m . Ask them to support the prog ram by encouraging the students who choose to participate.

YO UR F IR ST DEC I S I O N S ! Before starting, look at all the responsibilities for the program. Discuss them as a group and decide

who will be assuming responsibility for what. How big will your program be? Start small about 10 children. Tell everyone involved that you

want to run a pilot project (we suggest 10 weeks), work out the glitches and then expand. Decide where the tutoring should take place. The ideal location is in the library of the elementary

school where there are plenty of suitable quality books available. Choose the time and day of the week the tutors and children should meet. It is easiest to manage a

program that runs the same day every week at the end of the elementary schools day. Children and t u t o rs could also meet during the school day or in the evening in a commun ity centre or public l i b ra ry.

Classroom Connections/R e a d i ng B u d d i e s 5

Plan a beginning and an end to the program. Have a launch with r e f r e s hments and a group introduct o ry a c t i v i t y. At the end of the prog ra m ,c e l e b rate your successes with an awards ceremony. Ensure eve ryone gets a ck n owledgment for their effo r t s : c e r t i ficate, reference letter, book.

H OW MUCH WILL IT CO ST ? There will be a fair amount of photocopying of materials; the Reading

Buddy hand-out, forms for tutors and children, certificates and referenceletters for tutors.

Food really makes the group celebrations special - the launch, parties and the awards ceremony. If you are unable to receive a small budget for cookies, juice and pizza, ask a pizzeria or grocery store for donations.

If you have a volunteer on your committee interested in soliciting donations,ask for books to give the children and tutors.

W H AT WILL THE TUTORS AND CHIL D REN DO TO G ET HE R ? Have fun! The experience should be rewarding for both the tutors and the children. Talk. Discuss. Think. The tutors and children should talk about books, stories, what they like to do,

what they did yesterday. Time spent talking is very useful especially for children who speak English as a second language.

Read books aloud together. Reading and writing reinforce one another. T u t o rs and children should try to write something each

time they get together. Word games help children learn about the connections between words. T u t o rs and children should maintain portfolios to keep tra ck of the books they read and any activities

they do tog e t h e r. T u t o rs can motivate the children by praising their efforts as they review the portfoliostogether. Portfolios will also provide information to help evaluate the effectiveness of the program.

There is a sample form on the Classroom Connection web site atwww.classroom-connections.com to make portfolios. A Reading Buddies program can evolve into a homework club that helps chil-dren with math and other class work depending on the age and the learningneeds of the children. There is a hand-out on the Classroom Connections website titled Helping with Homework for you to distribute to your tutors.

T IPS ON REC RUI T ING AND SC RE E NING HIGH SCHOOL TUTO R S There are many people at the high school who may be interested in setting u p

a Reading Buddies prog ra m : g u i d a n c e, the English Department, peer tutoring,co-op teachers, religion teachers or the school social worker. First contact the guidance t e a cher who should be able to tell you about the o p p o r t u n ities for recruiting vo l u n t e e rs in that particular school.

Recruit students who have va rying degrees of academic ach i e ve m e n t . Students who are struggling r e a de rs will benefit from reading to younger children -- learning by teaching.

Recruit students who may be able to take on a leadership role. It is tempting to accept all students who indicate an interest in tutori n g. High school students need a lot

of support after they have been mat ched with their Reading Budd i e s. Keep your prog ram manag eable especially for the pilot project.

Collect info r m ation from each student using the volunteer form on page 16. Ask each student to sign a contract to commit to volunteering for the program duration. The contract is at the bottom of the volunteer form.

There is a section on the bottom of page 17 to obtain parental permission which you will need for all tutors under the age of 16.

For screening purposes, ask each volunteer for a character reference using the form on page 18.Also speak with the guidance teacher about all students who have been recruited.

If a high school is not accessible to your elementary sch o o l , recruit c o ll ege or unive rsity students,older elementary school students, p a rents or volunteers from the community.

R e a d i n g B ud d i e s/Classroom Connections6

T IPS ON REC RUI T ING AND SELEC T ING THE CHIL D RE N The Reading Buddies Program works best for children in grades 1 to 4;

however, older children may benefit too. For the pilot project, recruit all children from one grade to streamline

the project so less people will be involved to support the project. It is helpful if the person who recruits the children also acts as the

key contact person. It is essential that all the children participate voluntarily. Before

speaking with parents, talk with the children to promote the program and also to gauge their interest and enthusiasm. It is especiallyimportant to ensure commitment and enthusiasm from older ch i l d r e n .If you are recruiting from a class of students in grade 4 or 5, tell the entire class about the opportunity. Then ask who would like to participate.Inevitably, the entire class will be interested. Select the children who will benefit the most and will be committed for the program duration.

Use the form on page 19 to obtain information about the children and parental permission.

M ATC HING THE CHIL D REN AND THE TUTO R S Mat ch the tutors and the children one-on-one rather than having a drop-in reading prog ra m . C ri t e ria for

matching could be: Gender (for role modeling) Tutor experience and student needs Common interests Ensure there is always a volunteer ava i l able to read with each child by setting up a tutor-partner

s y stem w h i ch invo l ves pairing the tutors. If one tutor is unable to attend one session, his or her t u t o r - p a r tner meets with both children.

To determine the best tutor pairs, describe the tutor-partner system during tutor training and ask for suggestions for pairs. Pair volunteers who are friends or in the same grade.

Elementary school teachers should also pair the children by learning needs and friendships. Compile a contact list of tutors and children which also indicates the tutor-partners. A sample

form for compiling this list is on the Classroom Connections web site. At the prog ram launch , children and tutors will meet for the fi rst time. Also introduce the tutor-partner

to the children so they will know whom to meet with if their tutor is absent.

S UPP O R T ING THE CHIL D / T U TOR MATC HES Recruiting and matching children and tutors is only half the job. Supporting matches takes a lot

of time and energy. Unsuccessful programs are usually those where not enough support was offered to the tutors and ch i l d r e n . It is essential t h at someone be ava i l able on a we e k ly basis to answer questions and provide encouragement tothe tutors. Many of their questions are very simple to answer and more often reflect their lack of confidence and experience.

Designate a volunteer coordinator at the high school.This person could be a teacher or a very responsible high school student. This persons responsibilities could include:

Notifying the contact person at the elementary school if any tutor is unable to attend a session and if the tutor-partner can fill in. T u t o rs are responsible for contacting the vo l u nteer coordinator and their tutor-partner if they are unable to attend.

Classroom Connections/R e a d i ng B u dd i e s 7

Remember: After the tutors and children are selected, there need to be two key contact people one at each school - who will provide ongoing support to the program.

Notifying any tutors if their Reading Buddies are unable to attend a session. Keeping track of attendance. Contacting any tutors who miss a session and do not notify anyone of their absence beforehand.

This is especially important for tutors under the age of 16 as you are responsible for them during this time period.

Checking in regularly with tutors either in person or by telephone. It is important to not onlya n swer questions, but to find out if they are having probl e m s. Often tutors are too shy or self-conscious to talk about difficulties but will do so if prompted. Sometimes simply asking What have you been doing with your Reading Buddy? and How has it been going? is all that is needed. The volunteer coordinator should speak with each volunteer at least once every two to three weeks.

Designate someone at the elementary school who will contact the volunteer coordinator at the high school if any children are unable to attend a session.

Ensure a teacher or librarian is available whenever the tutors and children meet to answer questionsand to help solve any issues that arise.

Organize a follow-up workshop (30 to 40 minutes) every 6 to 8 weeks for the tutors to exchange ideas and learn about new resources or techniques. Ask questions such as:

What have you been doing with your Reading Buddies? What has worked? What hasnt worked? What problems have you been having? As a group you can share ideas, b rainstorm solutions for issues identified and encourage each other.

E VA LUAT ING YO UR PR O G RA M At the end of the program hold a focus group with the tutors and children to see what wo rked and

find out how to improve the prog ram for the next ye a r. To stimulate discussion for the focus groups ask questions such as:

What did you like best about the program? What did you like least? H ow would you improve the prog ram for next year?

At the program completion, distribute questionnaires to teachers of the high school and elementarys chool students invo l ved to determine how all students may have benefi t e d . Also distribute questionnaires to the t u t o rs to receive anonymous fe e d b a ck . Sample questionnaires are posted on the Classroom Connections web site.

Incorporate feedback from the evaluations to improve your program. Evaluate the effectiveness of your program by examining the questionnaires and the portfolio content.

R e a d i ng B u d d i e s/Classroom Connections8

K EY FAC TORS FOR A SUCC ESS FUL RE A D ING BUD D IES PR O G RA M Start small; 10 tutors, 10 children, 10 weeks. Ensure tutors and children participate voluntarily. Support children and tutors: answer questions,

suggest books, offer advice, give lots of encouragement and praise.

Focus on story telling and having fun!


C HECK LIST PE R SON RES P O N S IBL E

Name tags, markers, pencils, camera, serviettes, cups, food, drinks

Develop and photocopy a Scavenger Hunt group activity

(see fifth agenda item below)

Match tutors and children and compile a contact list

Book the libra ry or another large room at the elementary school

Remind tutors about the launch the day before. Remind them that the

purpose of the launch is for the tutors and children to get to know one

a n o t h e r.

Invite the high school teachers who assisted with recruitment, the

guidance teacher and principal

Invite the elementary school principal, librarian and teachers of the

children being tutored

Ask key people who will attend the launch to prepare a few wo r d s ;

p ri n c i p a l , l i b ra ri a n , high school contact

I nvite the parents of the children being tutored and local community pap e r

Select facilitator(s) for the launch

AG E NDA FOR LA UN C HWelcome

Welcome everyone. Make sure everyone has a name tag.Introductions

Introduce tutors and children one at a time. Also remember to introduce children to the tutor-partners.Refreshments

Invite everyone to enjoy refreshments and food. Encourage the tutors and children to get to knowone another.

SpeechesThe principals and volunteer coordinators praise the tutors and children. As the children are quite young, speeches should be very short (1 or 2 minutes) and may be given while the children and tutors are eating.

Scavenger HuntDistribute a short quiz of 20 questions for the children to test the knowledge of the tutors. Include questions from childrens literature; Who frightened Miss Muffet? or Who wrote the Paper BagPrincess?; to questions about local sports teams What is the nickname for the goalie of the local hockey team?; to questions about current music or movies Who wrote the popular song ________? There is a sample Scavenger Hunt quiz on the Classroom Connections web site.

Tour of SchoolAsk the children to give the tutors a tour of the school.

Next StepsTake a group picture. Ask if anyone has any questions about the program. Remind everyone of the date and location of the next time they will see one another.

TO THE FAC IL I TATO R

The following agenda and notes will help you train highschool students to read aloud with children. We have present-ed the workshop exercises in script form (indicated in italics)to make the wo rkshop easier for you to facilitate. Carefullyread the Reading Buddy hand-out at the end of this guidebefore facilitating the workshop.

We have included a number of small group interactive exercises. Your role as facilitatoris to encourage the tutors to talk and then fill-in-the-gaps after they have discussed an idea. It usuallytakes about two hours to deliver this workshop.

C HECK LIST PE R SON RES P O N S IBLE

Name tags, extra pens, blank paper Arrange for juice and cookies (or pizza!) Book room - ideally the libra ry of the elementary school Photocopy mat e rials for tutors ; s c e n a rios (page 14), Reading Buddy hand-out

(pages 20-24), evaluation (sample questions on page 15) A s s e m ble the portfolios one for each tutor. A sample form is on the

Classroom Connections web site. Select a variety of childrens library books (30 to 40 in total) Remind tutors about workshop the day before Prepare the room Select workshop facilitator(s)

ImportantAll members of your organizing team should attend even if they are not facilitating.

ROOM PRE PA RAT I O N

A r range ch a i rs in a semi-circle facing the bl a ckboard so vo l u n t e e rs can easily see and hear one another.Tables are optional as most of the key information is included in the Reading Buddy hand-out so the tutors do not need to take many notes.

Arrange the library books on tables at the front of the room so the tutors can see the book covers.Arrange the drinks and food off to the side.

Write the agenda on the blackboard. As tutors arrive, ask them to put on a name tag and take a copy of the Reading Buddy hand-out.

IN T R O D U C T I O N S / RE V IEW AG E NDA (10 MINU T ES )

Ensure each tutor speaks during the first few minutes to improve the chance of everyone participatingduring the group exercises. Include latecomers.

Before we start, I would like each of you to state your name, why you want to be a Reading Buddyand the title of your favourite book or magazine.

It is obvious you all love reading; as teenagers you are ideal role models for children. And, one ofthe best ways to prepare and support young children for success in school is to simply read aloudwith them. Thank you for volunteering your time and energy to help children become better readers.

R e a d i n g B u d d i e s/Classroom Connections10

Refer to the agenda posted on the blackboard and talk about the format of the workshop.

The goal of the workshop is to discuss how you can read with a young child. This is an interactiveworkshop where you will do most of the talking. First, we will talk about the program logistics, andthen we will move onto selecting books. Next we will discuss reading aloud with children and final -ly we will talk about some of the other activities you can do with your Reading Buddy. We willhave a 10 minute break at (insert time) and we should finish by (insert time). Are there questionsabout the agenda?

OV E R V IEW OF PR O G RAM (5 MINU T ES )

Give a general overview of the logistics of the program.

You will meet with your Reading Buddy every (insert day) afternoon from (insert time) to (inserttime) in this room. The first time you meet will be on (date) at (insert time) to celebrate thelaunch of the program. We will have refreshments and will invite the parents of the children tocome and meet you. You will meet with your Reading Buddy for (insert #) weeks until (insertmonth). On (insert date) we will have another celebration to mark the end of the program. Youwill be matched one-on-one with a child, and you will also be paired with another tutor. If you areunable to attend a session, your tutor-partner will meet with both children. Please let me knowtoday who you would like to be your tutor-partner.

Ask the tutors to turn to the last page of the hand-out.

As you can see, we have listed the time, date and place for this program as well as all contactnumbers. Please write down the telephone number of your tutor-partner on this page. It is yourresponsibility to contact the volunteer co-ordinator and your tutor-partner if you are unable toattend a session. If you have an appointment you can not change, tell your Reading Buddy before -hand. Does anyone have any questions about this process?

Answer any general questions that apply to the entire group. Write any questions on the blackboardthat will be answered later during the workshop and assure the tutors that these questions will be cov-ered.

H OW DO CHIL D REN LEARN TO READ? (5 MINU T ES )

The first thing we will talk about is how you learned to read. How many of you were able to readbefore attending school? What do you remember about being taught how to read? Who taught youhow to read? a parent? a grandparent? a teacher? or perhaps an older sibling?

Do not spend too much time on theory as high school volunteers are oftenm u ch more interested in practical tips than a discussion of reading theory.

S E L EC T ING BOOKS (10 MINU T ES )

We will first talk about the characteristics of good books. The librarianhas picked out a number of books that children love to read. Pleaseselect a book and state why you believe it would be a good book to readwith a child.

Reinforce what each tutor says and give positive feedback on their views.

Some characteristics of good books are summarized on page 2 of yourhand-out. Dont forget to ask the librarian for assistance when choosingbooks. There is a wide variety of excellent books you can read withyour Reading Buddy. You can bring books from home or from the publiclibrary to share with your Reading Buddy. You can also encourage himor her to bring in books to read with you.


Give the volunteers a quick tour of the library. Make sure to point out where the various types ofbooks are located. There is a List of Recommended Childrens Books on the Classroom Connections website which you can post in the library or distribute to your tutors.

RE A D ING ALO UD WITH YO UR RE A D ING BUD DY (15 MINU T ES )

I will be dividing you into pairs for a role play. If you are on the left you will be an eight-year-oldand if you are on the right you will be yourself. Use the books you just chose for the first exercise.

For this role play, take turns reading the books either paragraph-by-paragraph or page-by-page.Tutors! Think of ways to make the reading interesting. Children! I would like you to have difficultysounding out some of the words to see how your Reading Buddy helps you.

Walk around the room and encourage the tutors during the role play to keep them on task. Afterthey have read together about 5 minutes stop the role play. Ask questions about how to read aloudwith children.

What can you do if your Reading Buddy has trouble reading a word aloud? How can you make astory come alive for a child? What can you do if your Reading Buddy loses interest in a book?What sorts of questions can you ask about a story? There are many ways that you can read aloudwith your Reading Buddy. One way is to take turns reading a page or a paragraph. What are theother ways that you can read with a child? Which way will you choose to read with your ReadingBuddy? Does anyone have any other ideas about reading with children?

LA N G UAGE EXPE RIENCE (10 MINU T ES )

Most of the time you will be reading aloud with your Reading Buddy but it is important that you doother things with your Reading Buddy as well. The first tutoring technique we will discuss is calledthe language experience approach. I need a volunteer to help out. I would like you to pretend thatyou are a 7-year-old boy who has trouble reading.

Please tell me what you did last weekend. Remember you are 7 years old!

Write what the tutor says word for word on the blackboard. Ensure there are at least three sentences.

For example: I went to my friends house.We played basketball and hockey.We went to McDonalds for lunch.

Now I am going to read these sentences to you and then it is your turn to read them aloud.

After the 7-year-old boy reads the sentences aloud.

You read that very well! That was great! Now, I would like to step out of the role play. Wouldthis 7-year-old child who has trouble reading be able to read these sentences? Yes! He would ifthe paragraph is short and he reads it right after you write it down for him. He can read itbecause the paragraph is in his words his language and it happened to him his experience!

After he has read it and you have given him lots of praise, ask him to put the date at the top ofthe page. Then, in a few weeks time, you can use this paragraph to practice reading with yourReading Buddy. There will most likely be some words that he has difficulty sounding out. At thispoint, you can help him practise reading words aloud.

For example, how would you help if your Reading Buddy has trouble reading the word went?(Possible answers: talk about phonics - consonant sounds; talk about word families - went, sent,bent)

How would you help if your Reading Buddy has trouble reading the word hockey? (Possibleanswers: look for a smaller familiar word in the bigger word key)


SIGHT WO RDS AND WO RD BA NKS (10 MINU T ES )

There are many words that we need to learn by sight as they either are very important in readingor they do not follow the phonetic rule. For example, of is the only word that pronounces the let -ter f like the letter v. The chart shown on page 4 of your handout lists the 100 most commonwords used in the English language. There are thousands of words in the English language butthese 100 words are used 50% of the time. If your Reading Buddy can use and understand these100 words, he can read at least half of anything!

Demonstrate this point by circling all the words in the paragraph of the 7-year-old boy that arei n cluded in this ch a r t . Compare the number of circled words to the number of words that are not circled.

You can compile a Word Bank with your Reading Buddy. Word Banks are lists of words that aresimilar in spelling or related in meaning. For example, you can put together a booklet with eachpage devoted to a letter of the alphabet. Or, you and your Reading Buddy can put together a WordBank with a focus on sports words associated with soccer on the first page, basketball the secondpage and so on. Your Reading Buddy can also put in his Word Bank the words from anything youwrite together that are not included in the list of 100 common words. From time to time, reviewtogether all the words in your Reading Buddys Word Bank.

OT HER AC T I V I T IES (5 MINU T ES)

What other resources are available in the elementary schools library. Are there computers? Is thereInternet access? Are there board games?

What are the other activities that you can do with your Reading Buddy? (Possible answers: playingword games; writing stories or letters; reading magazines; choosing books to take home.)

Give a portfolio to each tutor.

In this portfolio, please keep track of the books you read with your Reading Buddy and any activi -ties that you do together. Filling out this form together is a great literacy activity. It is also anexcellent way to find out if your Reading Buddy is enjoying and learning from what you do togeth -er. From time to time, review the contents of your portfolio with your Reading Buddy and praisehis or her efforts and accomplishments.

ROLE OF VO LUNTEER (10 MINU T ES)

Divide the tutors into groups of three or four people.

I would like you to brainstorm about your responsibilities to the program and to your ReadingBuddy. I would like your small group to also discuss the most important characteristics of a goodteacher. Please appoint a scribe for your group.

Allow 5 minutes for the brainstorming session. Visit eachgroup to keep them on task and to ensure they understand theinstructions.

I would like each scribe to tell the group one responsibilityor one characteristic until all of the ideas you thought ofhave been listed.

The students will list va rious ch a ra c t e ristics of good teach-ers: caring, enthusiastic, funny, interested, tolerant, kind, etc.You can pull together their ideas by discussing the impor-tance of building relationships. Without a relationshipbetween teacher/student or in this case between ReadingBuddies, it is difficult for learning to take place.


The most important responsibility is commitment. Theyneed to commit to meeting with the children until the end ofthe program. If they are unable to commit, they must letyou know now. If a tutor quits after having been matchedwith a child, the child will take the rejection personally.

SC E N A RIOS (20 MINU T ES )These scenarios represent situations that tutors may need

to deal with when meeting with the children. As you run

the program, a difficult situation may arise that you will

want to put into a scenario when you train new vo l u nteers.

Or there may be unique circumstances in your program that you feel would be wise

to raise through a scenario. Divide the tutors into groups of two or three students. Photocopy these

situations and distribute one to e a ch group. N o t e : In our experi e n c e, high school students enjoy the

s c e n a rios the most of all the wo rkshop activities.

Another role play! This time you will be given a scenario to solve in small groups. If you decide toact out your answer, dont read the scenario aloud. Lets see if the others can figure it out. Or,you can simply talk through your answer to the situation. In this case you need to read it aloud tothe group first. (There will be a prize for the best skit!)

S CEN A RIO HANDOU T

Situation One First Meeting You are going to meet for the first time with your Reading Buddy Kamo who is 8 years old.

What are you going to say to him? What are you going to bring?

Situation Two The Busy ChildYour Reading Buddy is Noel Jasjson. He is very boisterous and is constantly busy. Noel cannot sit

down!!!! Whenever you try to read together, it seems he wants to change the topic and just talk. Helikes to discuss his tree fort, his dog, and his collection of transformers.

Situation Three Physical AbuseYour Reading Buddy is a quiet girl, Sheena Brown. She mentions that she doesn't like gym because

her legs are ugly. You notice that her legs are covered in bruises above the knee and on the calf.When you ask about the bruises, she asks if you can keep a secret.

Situation Four Crit ical Pa r e n tYou are reading with Lisa Belafora who is in grade 4. In front of Lisa, her mother tells you that she

is slow that she only reads at a grade 1 level. She is very critical of Lisa. She asks you to just con-centrate on helping her with her homework.

Situation Five - Two Fa v o u r i te BooksYou are matched with Bonnie Smith. She just wants you to

read to her, and she wants her two favourite books read overand over. When you ask her to read, she only wants to readher two favourite books, and says the words from memory,rather than actually reading.


DEBRIEFING

Debriefing for Scenario One First Meeting The first meeting is social and not a tutoring session. It is the chance to get to know one another.

Bring something to share about yourself a book, pictures of a pet, or something that you often wear or carry with you.

Ask Kamo what types of books he likes. What are his hobbies? What sports does he play? Tell Kamo why you are there (i.e. you want to help someone else do well in school)

Debriefing for Scenario Two The Busy Child Channel energy by focussing on his interests. Read and write about dog s, tree forts or tra n s fo r mers. Ask his teacher to suggest some strategies. Sixty minutes may seem like a long time to Noel. Sit down together and plan the hour - vary the

activities.

Debriefing for Scenario Three Physical Abuse Although the tutors may be concerned about betraying Sheenas trust, her safety is most important. The issue is clearly abuse. Even when abuse is only suspected, it needs to be reported to a teacher.

Child abuse is the only issue in the Canadian legal system where proof is not needed, o n ly a suspicion. Explain the process within the school to report to Childrens Aid. Chances are, tutors will not encounter through this program a child like Sheena who is suffering

ab u s e. H owe ve r, in the future they may meet a child who is being abused or neg l e c t e d . ( We incl u ded this scenario as it is our responsibility as a community to keep children safe.)

Debriefing for Scenario Four Crit ical Pa r e n t Do not argue with her mother. Speak with the volunteer co-ordinator about Lisas mother. Lisas

teacher may be able to help solve this issue. If you see her mother again, talk about some of the progress you see Lisa making: the types of

books she reads; how motivated she is; or just how much you enjoy working with her.

Debriefing for Scenario Five Two Fa v o u r i te Books Its okay if Bonnie wants to read the same book over and over again. Repetition is how kids learn

about exceptions to the rules. For example, the words come home do not rhyme but both end in ome.Children gain confidence from re-reading a familiar book.

Strike a compromise with Bonnie. Every week read her favourite books, then read a couple of new books. Choose books by the same author or with a similar theme.

Write a story using names and scenes from her favourite books.

NEXT STEPS (5 MINU T ES )Refer to the agenda to ensure all items were covered. Review the hand-out with the tutors. Point out

any ideas not covered during the workshop. Also talk about any information or ideas discussed duringthe workshop which are not included in the hand-out. Ask if there are any remaining questions.Remind tutors of the time and date of the launch. Distribute an evaluation to collect anonymous feed-back on the workshop.

Evaluation questions could include: Were all of your questions answered today? If not, which ones? What did you like best about today? What did you like least about today? Do you have any other comments?


PLEASE FILL OUT BOTH SIDES OF THIS FORM

Name__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Street Address_________________________________________________________________________________________

City______________________________ Postal Code_____________________ School_____________________________

Telephone________________________Home Room Teacher ________________________________________________

Languages (spoken and written)_______________________________________________________________________

E-mail address________________________________________________________________ Age_____________________

AVAILABILITY

I am available between ______________________ on these days:

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

(Please indicate your 1st, 2nd and 3rd choice)

CONTRACT:

As a Reading Buddy, I will:

attend the initial training and the launch

meet with my Reading Buddy every week until the ______________________________ (date)

tell the volunteer co-ordinator if I will not be able to attend a session

sign in before each session

maintain regular contact with my volunteer co-ordinator

_______________________________________ _________________________Signature Date

IMPORTANTIf you are under 16 years of age, you need to obtain parental permission in order to volunteer in this program. Please ensure the form on the reverse side is completed by a parent or guardian.

Matched with __________________________ on _________________________


VO LUNTEER INF O RM ATION CO N T INUE D

Why are you interested in being a Reading Buddy? Have you tutored before or read with children?

What are your interests and hobbies?

Is there anything else we should know?

PARENTAL PERMISSION FORM

I give permission for my son/daughter ________________________ to volunteer as a Reading Buddy every

____________ from ________ pm to ________ pm at ____________________ School. I understand that the

program will start on __________________ and run every week until ___________________.

Emergency Tel. # ___________________ Allergies __________________

______________________________________ __________________________________

Signature of Parent or Guardian Date


Character Reference Form

____________________ will be tutoring a student at ___________________________ School this ye a r.We screen all vo l u nteers by asking for written character references. Could you please provide a char-acter reference for him/her?

1) How long have you known this student? ________________________________

2) Does he/she have the time, patience and reliability to work with children? Yes No

3) What special qualities does he/she have?

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

4) Is he/she a risk to children or others? Yes (please elaborate below) No

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

5) Do you have any other comments?

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________ _______________________Signature Date

________________________________________ ________________________Print Name/Department Tel # and Extension


Name___________________________________________________________________________________________________

School______________________________________________ Teacher____________________________________________

What languages do you speak?_____________________________ What grade are you in?___________________

What are your interests or hobbies?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I will:

meet with my Reading Buddy every week from ___________________________ to_______________________. tell my Reading Buddy if I cant come. have fun!!!

__________________________________ ____________________________Students Signature Date

Parental Permission Form

I give permission for my son/daughter ________________________ to meet with a Reading Buddy every

____________ from _______ pm to ______ pm at ____________________ Sch o o l . I understand that the pro-

gram will start on __________________ and run every week until ___________________.

Emergency Telephone Number_________________ Childs Allergies _________________________________________

_______________________________________________ ____________________________

Signature of Parent or Guardian Date


WHY IS IT IMP O R TANT TO READ ALO UD WITH CHIL D RE N ?Reading aloud with children is one of the best ways of teaching children how to read. It helps them

acquire language skills and develop their ability to think and reason. When children have a love ofreading and books, they are motivated to practise reading. Only through practising reading, do children

become fluent readers.

YO UR ROLEYour primary role is to be a storyteller; to provide a positive reading experience for your Reading

Buddy. The time you spend should be enjoyable for both of you. You will read books together, write sto-

ries, play word games, discuss books - anything to help your Reading Buddy discover the joy of readingand stories. Try not to pressure your Reading Buddy to perform. This is a time to share books and

stories together. You need to meet punctually and consistently with your Reading Buddy.

Your Reading Buddy will most likely be a beginning reader who simply needs more practice reading.Children love being read to and chances are your Reading Buddy will look forward to reading with you.

But your Reading Buddy may be frustrated with reading and therefore be disinterested in books, have ashort attention span, or may simply lack the self-confidence in trying to read with you. If this is the

case, your most important role is to provide a safe place where your Reading Buddy can take risks

reading aloud with you.

YO UR F IR ST ME ET IN GYour first meeting should be a social one where you get to know your Reading Buddy. Bring some-

thing personal to share: photographs, a favourite book or magazine. Ask your Reading Buddy:

What are your favourite books? What would you like to read about?

What are your favourite sports? What would you like to learn about?

Make sure your Reading Buddy knows that he or she can choose the books you will read together.

A TY PICAL SESS I O NIt is important that you vary the activities you do together

when you meet.

You can:

1 Select books together2 Read aloud to your Reading Buddy3 Listen to your Reading Buddy read aloud4 Read aloud together5 Discuss what you read6 Play word games7 Review Sight Words and Word Banks8 Write together9 Record what you did together10 Select library books to take home


Handout page 1

S E L ECT BOOKS TO G ET HE R

Browse through the books together and take turns selecting books. Praise your Reading Buddyschoices.

Consider a wide variety of books; picture books, story books, folk and fairy tales, chapter books,non-fiction books. Ask the librarian for assistance in choosing books. Alphabet Books - For beginning readers, they reinforce the alphabetic code. Illustrated picture books - For beginning readers, it is helpful to have books with pictures that

help tell the story. Funny books, silly books or scary books - Children love to laugh or to be frightened! Books with rhyming words - Beginning readers learn about the connections between words by

r e a ding and listening to words that rhyme. Books with characters from various cultures - Children need to see themselves in the books they

read. Fact/Information Books - We read for information as well as pleasure. Books with repetition - Books are easier for beginning readers if they have a sentence or

phrase that is repeated throughout the book. Books based on a television series - Many children are very motivated to read books with

characters they are familiar with such as Arthur and The Magic School Bus. Favourite books of tutors - Children are often intrigued by books that their tutors read as ch i ldren.

READ ALO UD TO YO UR RE A D ING BUD DY

Read with enthusiasm. Ham it up! Change your voice to reflect the personalities of the diffe rent characters.

Try not to interrupt the flow of the stories with too many explanations. Focus on the meaning of the story.

Develop a sense of rhythm when reading poetry, chants or stories with repetitive words. It is important for beginning and struggling readers to hear fluent reading.

L I STEN TO YO UR RE A D ING BUD DY READ ALO UD

Ta ke turns reading. You read one parag raph or sentence, then your Reading Buddy reads one paragraphor sentence. Encourage and praise your Reading Buddy.

When your Reading Buddy reads aloud, ask her to either practise reading with you (focus on s o u n ding out the words) or to read for meaning (focus on the story or the information).

When your Reading Buddy practises reading with you, help him sound out difficult words.For example, if your Reading Buddy has difficulty with the word went, talk about phonics (initialconsonant sounds) and word families (we n t , s e n t , b e n t ) . If he has difficulty reading the word h o ckey, ask him to look for a small familiar word (key) within the larger word. When practisingreading with your Reading Buddy, choose books that are familiar to him, have a lot of repetition or rhyming words.

When you and your Reading Buddy read for meaning, read aloud for her any words that she hasdifficulty reading to maintain the flow of the story. Over time, she may want to sound them out herself; but let her make this decision. (Keep a list of the words she has difficulty reading to make a word search or crossword puzzle or just review these words later.) When you read for meaning together, choose books that are of high interest to your Reading Buddy.


Handout page 2

READ ALO UD TO G ET HE R If your Reading Buddy is reluctant to read by himself, read aloud at the same time. This way of

reading takes the pressure off him to perform. Encourage your Reading Buddy to read aloud allthe words that he knows.

D I SC U SS WHAT YOU READ Before reading a book, look at the front and back cover, the title and the pictures. Predict

what the story will be about. As you read through the story, take turns predicting what will happen next and then confirm

your predictions. Discuss the pictures. After reading, discuss the story and characters. Talk about why characters behaved in a certain

way or discuss the moral of the story. Do not test your Reading Buddy. Relax and have fun together.

W RITE TO G ET HE R M a ke the reading and writing connection. Reading and writing are related and reinforce one another.

Try to write something each week with your Reading Buddy. Write a letter, review a book or write a story together.

For beginning or reluctant writers, use the language experience approach. Write down your Reading Buddys words as she tells you about a personal experience. Write down each word that she say s. Keep each story so she can practice reading with them lat e r. You can also use the l a ng u age e x p e rience ap p r o a ch to write about a story you have read together or to compose a letter or poem.

PLAY WO RD GAMES Play Scrabble, Boggle, Hangman - any games that use words or reading. Create crossword puzzles or word searches using the words that are difficult for your Reading

B u dd y. You can make customized word searches and crossword puzzles at www.puzzlemaker.com. Make a fill-in-the-blank exercise; delete some of the words from a paragraph you have written

together and list the deleted words at the bottom of the page.

RE V IEW SIGHT WO RDS AND WO RD BA NKS There are certain words that need to be learned by sight as they do not follow the phonetic

rule. Other words are so common that beginning readers need to learn them by sight in order to become fluent readers. Start with the words on the chart on the next page. These 100 wordsare the most commonly used words in the English language. Help your Reading Buddy learn these words by making a game of concentration or using them in sentences.

R e a d i ng B u d d i e s/Classroom Connections22

Handout page 3

Reprinted with permission - Don McCracken, Core Literacy Tutor Training Manual, 1990

Compile a bank of words with your Reading Budd y. Word Banks can be organized by letter

(A - apple, animal, alligator) , by theme (sports - baske t b a l l , s o c c e r, baseball) or by word segment (tion - nation, action, participation).

Use cue cards, a scrapbook or your portfolio to store your Word Bank. Word Banks help beginning readers learn words and about the relationships between words.

RECO RD WHAT YOU DID TO G ET HE R

Record in your portfolio what you did together.

Keep stories, Word Banks, word games in your portfolio.

Review the contents of the portfolio with your Reading Buddy from time to t i m e. Ta ke this opport un ity to praise her efforts and accomplishments.

CHOOSE LIBRA RY BOOKS TO TAKE HOME

If your Reading Buddy has difficulty with five or more words on a page, the book may not be at the independent reading level for her.

Both of you can take home a copy of the same book so you are able to discuss it the following week.


about by do her look my or she two when

an call down here made new other some up where

back came first if make no our their when which

been can from into me now out them well who

before come get just more off over then went will

big could go like much old right there were your

did has little must only see this what

These 100 words account for 1/2 of all reading!

Handout page 4

all as be had his one they with

are at but have not said we you

for him on so


a he in it that to

and I is of the was



You will be reading with your Reading Buddy every __________ from _______ pm to ______ pm at

__________________________________ School. The program will be launch on _________________ and the final

celebration will be on ___________________.

If you are unable to attend a session, contact the volunteer coordinator and your tutor-partner.

Contact Numbers

1 Responsibilities are:

_____________________ tel:__________________________________________

2 Responsibilities are:

_____________________ tel:___________________________________________

Your tutor-partner is:

_____________________ tel:___________________________________________

Classroom Connections Frontier CollegeTorontos First Post Office, P.O. Box 111 35 Jackes AvenueToronto, ON M5A 1N1 Toronto, ON M4T 1E2www.classroom-connections.com www.frontiercollege.ca1-888-882-8865 1-800-555-6523

Hand-out adapted from Read Together Guide, Jayne Eksteins, Toronto Public Libraries, 1998

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