Before the student begins to read, tell the student, "If you come to a word that you do not know, I will help you with it. I will tell you the correct word while you listen and point to the word in the book. After that, I want you to repeat the word and continue reading. Try your best not to make mistakes." When the student commits a reading error (e.g., substitution, omission, 5-second hesitation), immediately pronounce the correct word for the student, have the student repeat the word correctly, and then direct the student to continue reading. NOTE: To avoid too many reading interruptions, do not correct minor student errors (e.g., misreading or omitting the or a, dropping suffixes such as -s, -ed, or -ing)
Word supply is the simplest error-correction to use, so it can be ideal for student tutors or parents to use. On the other hand, the approach is less powerful than others described here for building student reading vocabulary (Singh, 1990).
At the start of the reading session, say to the student, "If you come to a word that you do not know, I will help you with it. I will tell you the correct word while you listen and point to the word in the book. After that, I want you to repeat the word and then read the rest of the sentence. Than I want you to read the sentence again. Try your best not to make mistakes."
When the student commits a reading error (e.g., substitution, omission, 5-second hesitation), immediately pronounce the correct word for the student and have the student repeat the word correctly. Then direct the student to reread the entire sentence in which the error occurred. The student then continues reading the passage. (If the student repeats the original reading error when rereading the sentence, you should again pronounce the word correctly and have the student repeat the word. Then continue on.) NOTE: To avoid too many reading interruptions, do not correct minor student errors (e.g., misreading or omitting the or a, dropping suffixes such as -s, -ed, or -ing) (Singh, 1990).
In this approach, the instructor prompts the student to apply a hierarchy of word-attack skills whenever the student misreads a word. The instructor gives these cues in descending order. If the student correctly identifies the word after any cue, the instructor stops delivering cues at that point and directs the student to continue reading. NOTE: To avoid too many reading interruptions, do not correct minor student errors (e.g., misreading or omitting the or a, dropping suffixes such as -s, -ed, or -ing).
Here are the 'Word Attack' Hierarchy instructor cues:
1. "Try another way." This cue is given directly after a reading error and alerts the student to the fact that she or she has misread the word.
2. "Finish the sentence and guess the word." The student is encouraged to make use of the sentence context to discover the correct word pronunciation.
3. "Break the word into parts and pronounce each one." The student is directed to sound out the segments of a word independently.
4. Using an index card, the tutor covers over parts of the word and each the student to sound out only the part of the word that is visible. This approach teachers the student a method for reducing the amount of visual information in each word.
5. "What sound does '___' make?" As the tutor covers selected parts of the word with an index card, the student is directed to use phonics information to sound out the word.
6. "The word is ___." If the student cannot decode the word despite instructor support, the instructor supplies the word. The student is directed to repeat the word and to continue reading.
(Haring, et al., 1978).
The Error Word Drill is an effective way to build reading vocabulary. The procedure consists of 4 steps:
When the student misreads a word during a reading session, write down the error word and date in a separate "Error Word Log".
1. At the end of the reading session, write out all error words from the reading session onto index cards. (If the student has misread more than 20 different words during the session, use just the first 20 words from your error-word list. If the student has misread fewer than 20 words, consult your "Error Word Log" and select enough additional error words from past sessions to build the review list to 20 words.)
2. Review the index cards with the student. Whenever the student pronounces a word correctly, remove that card from the deck and set it aside. (A word is considered correct if it is read correctly within 5 seconds. Self-corrected words are counted as correct if they are made within the 5-second period. Words read correctly after the 5-second period expires are counted as incorrect.)
3. When the student misses a word, pronounce the word for the student and have the student repeat the word. Then say, "What word?" and direct the student to repeat the word once more. Place the card with the missed word at the bottom of the deck.
4. Error words in deck are presented until all have been read correctly. All word cards are then gathered together, reshuffled, and presented again to the student. The drill continues until either time runs out or the student has progressed through the deck without an error on two consecutive cards.
(Jenkins & Larson, 1979)
While schools can exercise considerable creative freedom as they put together a peer tutoring program in reading, they should also take care to adhere to a core set of tutoring guidelines to ensure success (Garcia-Vazquez & Ehly, 1995). These guidelines include:
selecting peer tutoring activities that supplement classroom instruction. Peer tutors are not reading teachers, so they do not teach new reading skills. However, peer tutors are ideal for the role of 'reading helpers', who motivate and encourage struggling readers to practice reading skills that were previously taught. Just as important, the tutor can give immediate corrective feedback whenever the child being tutored makes a reading error.
providing thorough training to peer tutors in the essential elements of the tutoring process. Peer tutors cannot carry out the key components of their tutoring assignment unless they have been carefully trained beforehand. Schools organizing a peer tutor training should assume that tutors require lessons in behavioral expectations (e.g., how to move politely and respectfully through the hallway to and from tutoring sessions), use of praise (e.g., congratulating the tutee on having read a difficult passage), and simple academic intervention strategies (e.g., paired reading).
ensuring that peer tutors have mastered the essentials of tutoring before allowing them to meet with their tutees. When training tutors, schools should give them opportunities to practice, and to demonstrate their mastery of, the various skills taught. Trainers can exercise their imaginations to come up with fun ways that tutors can practice skills under the watchful eye of the trainer. Group responding, pairing off students to complete cooperative learning activities, and use of role-play are only some of the strategies that students can be invited to 'show what they know'.
adopting research-based treatments to improve the reading skills of tutees. Peer tutors can be especially useful in helping their tutees to develop fluency in reading. The peer-tutoring program outlined in this manual trains tutors to use either paired reading (Topping, 1987) or 'listening while reading'. Both approaches are simple rehearsal techniques with corrective feedback that have been shown to increase reading fluency.
The importance of reading fluency to literacy skills was underscored in the recent report issued by the National Reading Panel (2000). In a comprehensive review of effective techniques for teaching students to read, the NRP concluded that "classroom practices that encourage repeated oral reading with feedback and guidance leads to meaningful improvements in reading expertise for students-for good readers as well as those who are experiencing difficulties (NRP, 2000, p.3-3).
conducting periodic 'tutoring integrity checks'. The active treatment components of most peer tutoring programs consist of (1) activities that give the tutee lots of opportunities to practice targeted academic skills. (2) praise, and (3) the timely use of corrective feedback. Adults who supervise peer tutors should occasionally drop in to observe tutoring session, using a structured 'integrity checklist' to rate the quality of the tutoring. These periodic integrity checks can inform the supervisor of any tutors who are lapsing from the prescribed tutoring format and need additional 'refresher' training to improve their tutoring skills.
monitoring the effectiveness of peer tutoring. The purpose of peer tutoring is to improve the reading skills of tutees and tutors alike. Schools should select academic measures to use to track students' reading levels both before tutoring begins (baseline) and during the tutoring program (ongoing progress monitoring). An ideal, research-based method for tracking student growth in reading fluency is Curriculum-Based Measurement (CBM). CBM is an ideal measure for peer tutoring programs and can be used to monitor reading growth in both tutors and tutees. For a free online manual with guidelines on how to use CBM, download Curriculum-Based Measurement: A Manual for Teachers(Wright, 1992). (see attachment at the bottom of this page)
Curriculum-Based Measurement: A Manual for Teachers (Wright, 1992)
Lesson 3: How to Do Paired Reading or 'Listening While Reading'.
The student follows along silently as an accomplished reader reads a passage aloud. Then the student reads the passage aloud, receiving corrective feedback as needed.
Reading book
The teacher, parent, adult tutor, or peer tutor working with the student should be trained in advance to use the listening passage preview approach.
Step 1: Sit with the student in a quiet location without too many distractions. Position the book selected for the reading session so that both you and the student can easily follow the text. (Or get two copies of the book so that you each have your own copy.)
Step 2: Say to the student, "Now we are going to read together. Each time, I will read first, while you follow along silently in the book. Then you read the same part out loud."
Step 3: Read aloud from the book for about 2 minutes while the student reads silently. If you are working with a younger or less-skilled reader, you may want to track your progress across the page with your index finger to help the student to keep up with you.
Step 4: Stop reading and say to the student, "Now it is your turn to read. If you come to a word that you do not know, I will help you with it." Have the student read aloud. If the student commits a reading error or hesitates for longer than 3-5 seconds, tell the student the correct word and have the student continue reading.
Step 5: Repeat steps 3 and 4 until you have finished the selected passage or story.
The student reads aloud in tandem with an accomplished reader. At a student signal, the helping reader stops reading, while the student continues on. When the student commits a reading error, the helping reader resumes reading in tandem.
Reading book
The teacher, parent, adult tutor, or peer tutor working with the student should be trained in advance to use the paired-reading approach.
Step 1: Sit with the student in a quiet location without too many distractions. Position the book selected for the reading session so that both you and the student can easily follow the text.
Step 2: Say to the student, "Now we are going to read aloud together for a little while. Whenever you want to read alone, just tap the back of my hand like this [demonstrate] and I will stop reading. If you come to a word you don't know, I will tell you the word and begin reading with you again.".
Step 3: Begin reading aloud with the student. If the student misreads a word, point to the word and pronounce it. Then have the student repeat the word. When the student reads the word correctly, resume reading through the passage.
Step 4: When the child delivers the appropriate signal (a hand tap), stop reading aloud and instead follow along silently as the student continues with oral reading. Be sure occasionally to praise the student in specific terms for good reading (e.g., "That was a hard word. You did a nice job sounding it out!").
Step 5: If, while reading alone, the child either commits a reading error or hesitates for longer than 5 seconds, point to the error-word and pronounce it. Then tell the student to say the word. When the student pronounces the error-word correctly, begin reading aloud again in unison with the student.
Step 6: Continue reading aloud with the student until he or she again signals to read alone.
In this very simple but effective intervention, the student reads aloud while an accomplished reader follows along silently. If the student commits a reading error, the helping reader corrects the student error.
Reading book
The teacher, parent, adult tutor, or peer tutor working with the student should be trained in advance to use assisted reading approach.
Step 1: Sit with the student in a quiet location without too many distractions. Position the book selected for the reading session so that both you and the student can easily follow the text. (Or get two copies of the book so that you each have your own copy.)
Step 2: Instruct the student to begin reading out loud. Encourage him or her to "do your best reading."
Step 3: Follow along silently in the text as the student reads.
Step 4: If the student mispronounces a word or hesitates for longer than 5 seconds, tell the student the word. Have the student repeat the word correctly. Direct the student to continue reading aloud through the passage.
Step 5: Occasionally, praise the student in specific terms for good reading (e.g., "You are doing a really great job of sounding out the words that you don't know. Good work!").
The student reads through a passage repeatedly, silently or aloud, and receives help with reading errors.
Reading book
Stop watch (if readings are to be timed)
The teacher, parent, adult tutor, or peer tutor working with the student should be trained in advance to use the listening passage preview approach.
Step 1: Sit with the student in a quiet location without too many distractions. Position the book selected for the reading session so that both you and the student can easily follow the text.
Step 2: Select a passage in the book of about 100 to 200 words in length.
Step 3: Have the student read the passage through. (Unless you have a preference, the student should be offered the choice of reading the passage aloud or silently.)
Step 4: If the student is reading aloud and misreads a word or hesitates for longer than 5 seconds, read the word aloud and have the student repeat the word correctly before continuing through the passage. If the student asks for help with any word, read the word aloud. If the student requests a word definition, give the definition.
Step 5: When the student has completed the passage, have him or her read the passage again. You can choose to have the student read the passage repeatedly until either the student has read the passage a total of 4 times (Rashotte & Torgesen, 1985) or the student reads the passage at the rate of at least 85 to 100 words per minute (Dowhower, 1987; Herman, 1985).
Students who need to increase their reading fluency often do well with repeated reading, an intervention in which the reader repeatedly rehearses the same passage aloud while receiving corrective feedback (Lo, Cooke, & Starling, 2011). Repeated reading has traditionally been delivered in a 1:1 tutoring setting. However, schools faced with limited personnel resources would prefer to deliver interventions in small-group format (e.g., Vaughn et al. 2003), to provide academic support to a larger number of struggling students.
An effective group repeated reading intervention (Klubnik & Ardoin, 2010) has been developed that allows a tutor to work on reading fluency with up to 3 students in a group format. This tutoring package includes several components, with repeated reading as the 'engine' that drives student growth in reading fluency. A tutoring session using this group intervention will last about 15 minutes. Below are guidelines for implementing the intervention (adapted from Klubnik & Ardoin, 2010).
Preparation. To prepare for each tutoring session, the tutor creates or obtains these materials:
1 student reading passage: This passage should be 150 words or longer and at students' instructional level. Instructional as defined here means that students are able to correctly read at least 90% of the words in the passage (Vaughn et al., 2003). Copies of the passage are made for each student and the tutor.
1 copy of the Group Repeated Reading Intervention Behavior Rating Scale.
Procedures. The group repeated reading intervention has 4 components: passage preview, repeated readings, phrase-drill error correction, and contingent reward:
Passage Preview. The tutor reads the practice passage aloud once while students follow along silently, tracking their place with an index finger. During this initial read-through, the tutor stops several times at unpredictable points and asks a student selected at random to read the next word in the passage. (NOTE: This 'assisted cloze' strategy -- Homan, Klesius, & Hite,1993--ensures that students pay close attention to the tutor's modeling of text.)
Repeated Readings. The tutor next has the students read the practice passage aloud 3 times . For each read-aloud, the students engage in sequential reading: First, one student reads a sentence, then the second reads a sentence, and the third reads a sentence--with the process continuing thus in round-robin fashion until the passage is completed. When a student misreads or hesitates in reading a word for 3 seconds or longer, the tutor states the correct word. At the beginning of each repeated reading, the tutor selects a different student to start the reading, to ensure that by the end of the 3 readings, each student will have read each sentence in the passage once.
Phrase Drill Error Correction. During each repeated reading, the tutor writes down any word that students misread or hesitate in reading for 3 seconds or longer. At the end of each reading, the tutor reviews these error words with the students. For each error word, the tutor points to that word in the passage, ensures that students are looking at the word, and asks them to read the word:
If students read an error word correctly the first time, the tutor advances to the next error word.
If students misread or hesitate for 3 seconds or longer on the error word, the tutor pronounces the word correctly and has students read the word aloud together (choral responding). Then the tutor has students read aloud a phrase of 2-3 words that includes the error word--performing this action twice. (NOTE: If a sentence contains 2 or more error words, the tutor models each word, has students correctly read each word, then has students read the entire sentence twice.)
Contingent Reward. At the start of each tutoring session, the tutor reviews with the group the 3 behavioral expectations from the Group Repeated Reading Intervention Behavior Rating Scale:
When asked to read aloud, I did my best reading.
When others were reading, I paid close attention.
I showed good behaviors and followed all directions quickly.
The tutor reminds the students that they can earn a reward if they observe these behavioral expectations.
At the end of the session, the tutor rates each student's behavior on the Group Repeated Reading Intervention Behavior Rating Scale. Any student who earns a top score (3 points) on all rating items receives a nickel (Klubnik & Ardoin, 2010), sticker, or other modest reward.
Timed repeated readings should be done using books or passages the student has read before that are at an independent reading level (i.e. books the student can read with 95% accuracy or above). Most timed repeated reading sessions should include 3-4 re-readings of the same text.
What you will need:
Two copies of the assessment passage — one for the student and one for the teacher
Stopwatch or clock
Pencil
Carefully select passage to be used, and determine the type of assessment information you want to gather:
One minute reading. The student reads for 1 minute. The teacher or partner counts the number of words read correctly in one minute (WCPM). This score is as valid as calculating perfect correct or accuracy on longer readings. Provide some practice time with non-assessment reading material before beginning the 1 minute timed reading.
Timed repeated readings. The student reads the same passage for 1 minute multiple times (3-5). The teacher or partner counts how words the student read in 1 minute. The number of words read results can be graphed using a bar graph.
Words correct per minute (WCPM). Choose a passage. Time the student when s/he reads the passage.
It promotes fluency.
It helps readers learn to read aloud with expression.
It helps build reading confidence.
Choose a story that can be divided into parts, or character. Tips on choosing scripts >
Assign reading parts to each child.
Ask students to read their scripts orally for practice.
Have students read assigned parts to the audience.