Briefing session on setting up a Reading Pals Program in school

1. Briefing session on setting upa Reading Pals Program in school 10 October 2009

2. Run down

3. Secondary schools:Challenges in NSS • Learner diversity How can we help those who lag behind?

4. HKDSE English subject Reading strategies needed Speaking skills needed

5. SBA Extra reading time Reading strategies fiction and non-fiction discussion individual presentations Low voice Flat tone

6. Primary schools How can we help students to improve their TSA reading scores? How can we help weak students to read aloud? Apart from reading workshops, how can we help students to practice reading strategies?

7. READING PALS PROGRAM

8. Reading Pals Program is … a cross-age tutoring program in which an older student, with teacher’s guidance, reads to a younger student.

9. Setting up your reading pals program more able students in S.2 less able students in S.2 Senior form students Junior form students Primary 6 students Primary 2 students Win-win situation

10. Reading Pals Program Objectives • To extend students’ reading time outside the classroom • To provide opportunities for students to practice reading strategies when they read • To establish a friendly relationship between the tutors and the tutees Students helping students to become better readers

11. Expected outcomes for tutors • By reading aloud to tutees regularly, tutors will have a better reading fluency. • They will also practice reading strategies more often • Their communication skills and social skills will be enhanced.

12. Expected outcomes for tutees • They will practice reading and listening skills more often • They will enjoy reading more

13. St. Louis SchoolReading Pals Program

14. Infusing reading strategies into the formal curriculum Explicit Teaching of Reading Strategies Noticing text structure Making predictions Making inferences Visualisation Making comparisons Making connections Suitable reading materials S 1 Stories S 2 Pop culture texts S 3 Social-issues texts

15. Students seldom read outside the classroom Students don’t have enough opportunities to read aloud There is no effective co-curricular activity that promotes reading and speaking Extending students’ reading to the informal curriculum… Setting up a reading program and using reading stories as an entry point

16. Aligning the formal and informal curriculum Informal Curriculum Formal Curriculum Reading Strategies Story-telling skills Reading aloud skills We are the tutors of the Reading Pals Program!!! Explicit teaching of reading strategies Reading Pals program developing skills for SBA

17. Student Training 8 Training sessions based on a training CD rom 1. Purpose setting • Roles and responsibilities • Setting goals

18. 2. Reading strategies doing a picture walk making predictions making connections questioning using pictorial cues Student Training

19. Learning how to do a picture walk

20. Student Training 3.Reading aloud skills • Delivery • reading with appropriate expression, phrasing and pace • voice projection

21. Engaging in speaking activities

22. Practice and Role-plays

23. Student Training 4. Post-reading stage • Post-reading tasks • Giving feedback

24. Post-reading tasks Designing a new book cover Drawing a favourite character

25. Giving feedback

26. Post-reading session discussion

27. Post-reading session discussion handout

28. What is a reading session like?

29. Run-down of the program

30. Reading Sessions Doing a picture walk Activating prior knowledge Questioning Using pictorial cues Making predictions Learning Guessing word meanings with contextual clues Encouraging participation with positive feedback Making connections Genuine communication Reading with appropriate expression, phrasing and pace Good use of voice

31. Tutees’ post-reading tasks Designing bookmarks

32. Tutees’ work

33. Tutees’ work

34. Impact on the tutors • They have learned various reading strategies. • They can apply what they have learned from the program in their lessons. • They enjoy being in the program. • They will take part in the program next year.

35. School context : HHCKLA Buddhist Ching Kok Sec. School F.4 students need more practice with reading aloud skills to improve their pronunciation, intonation and expressions. Some F.1 students have poor reading skills. They need extra reading time and individualised instructions

36. Preparation work for Reading Pals Program • Communicating with parents • Recruiting tutors and tutees • Choosing booksfor tutees • Finding regular time and place for regular meetings • Matching tutors and tutees • Doing fluency pre-test using running records

37. Good illustrations Dialogues Short simplesentences

38. What is fluency? • “Fluent reading comprises three key elements: accuratereading of connected text at a conversational ratewith appropriate prosodyor expression.” • (Hudson, Mercer, & Lane, 2000.Exploring reading fluency: a paradigmatic overview. Unpublished manuscript, University of Florida, Gainesville)

39. Running Records

40. A visit to a primary school Simple questions Gestures

41. Service learning

42. Results of fluency tests w/m = words per minute

43. Fluency pre-test Fluency post-test

44. Your choice WIN WIN Different time slot Different abilities Different objectives Different elements

45. How to set up a reading pals program?

46. How to set up a reading pals program? Different strengths & weaknesses Different ability groups Different manpower and time Different goals Different needs Different versions

47. How to set up a reading pals program? Set goals and choose learning objectives Decide how to evaluate the program Decide who will be involved in tutoring Decide how to monitor the program Decide when tutoring will take place Language Support Officers Decide on tutoring materials, procedures and strategies Schedule the tutoring sessions

48. How to set up a reading pals program? Training CD Rom • Introduction of reading strategies • Training video clips • Training tools – lesson plans and T/L materials • Preparation tools • Evaluation tools CD Rom

49. Introduction of Reading Strategies

50. Lesson plans and materials Training videos