Ear to Ear reading

In Ear to Ear reading, students pair up and sit next to each other so that they are "ear to ear". The first student will read a paragraph out loud, but just loud enough so the partner may hear. The second student listens and reads along quietly. When the first student is finished reading out loud, the second student then summarizes in their own words what the paragraph was about. The students then switch roles with the second student reading out loud and the first student listening then summarizing. They then rotate between reading and listening to paragraphs until the reading is complete.

The benefits to this style of reading are many. Students get valuable practice reading out loud, without the possible embarrassment of reading in front of the entire class. Students practice social skills, summarizing the main idea of a paragraph, and they get exposure to another student's point of view. It is reading with a purpose.