Reading Re ading Buddies

Resource Package
Complete Program Guide and Training Manual Enhancing literacy skills by training high school students to be volunteer leaders with elementary school students

Grades 1-12
ELEMENTARY

ESL, Language Arts

SECONDARY

ESL, Guidance, English

Re s o u rces Acco m p a nying This Pro g ram Include: Additional Handouts and Worksheets Online
www.classroom-connections.com

When school, family, and community work together to nurture a joy of learning in children, a society of educated citizens is create d .

School + Home + Business Working Together For Our Children

Classroom Connections Torontos First Post Office P.O. Box 111 260 Adelaide Street East, Toronto, ON M5A 1N1 Tel: 1-888-882-8865 Fax: (416) 955-0815 E-mail: ccmail@sympatico.ca
All Classroom Connections materials are available on-line at www.classroom-connections.com

Executive Director: Heather MacTaggart, Classroom Connections Author: Sandra Huehn, B.Ed., Frontier College Design: Teach Magazine Edited: Lisa Kelly and Dave Page Published September 2000 This guide was made possible by the Classroom Connections Youth Empowerment 2001 event. Published in partnership with:

Frontier College 35 Jackes Avenue, Toronto ON M4T 1E2 President: John D. OLeary Tel: 1-800-555-6523 Fax: (416) 323-3522 E-mail: information@frontiercollege.ca Frontier College materials are available through www.frontiercollege.ca Frontier College is a Canada-wide, volunteer-based, literacy organization. We teach people to read and write and we nurture an environment favourable to lifelong learning. Since 1899, we have been reaching out to people wherever they are and responding to their particular learning needs. 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, thank you to our many other corporate donors for their financial support and commitment to improved literacy in Canada. We are also very grateful to Human Resources Development Canada and the National Literacy Secretariat for their substantial commitment to Frontier College, which allows us to do literacy work across Canada that is both meaningful and sustainable.

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 activity. 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 volunteers 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

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H OW TO SET U P A R E A D I NG BU D D I ES P R 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 H E L A UN C H . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 9 T U TOR TR A I N I N G . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 10 RESO UR C ES Volunteer Form/Parental Permission . Volunteer Character Reference Form . Student Form/Parental Permission . . Reading Buddy Hand-out . . . . . . . . .

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These resources are available on the Classroom Connections Web Site at www.classroom-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

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WHAT IS A READING B UDDIES PROGRAM? The Reading Buddies Program involves a group of teenagers reading one-on-one with a group of children every week. They read books together, tell stories, play word games - anything to help the younger children become better readers. Reading Buddies work best when high school students are matched with children in grades 1 to 4. They usually meet as a group at the end of the school day, the same day every week in the elementary schools library. They meet for 30 minutes for younger children and up to 60 minutes for older children. The length of the program can range from 10 weeks to the entire school year. The average size of 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 involve people from the beginning so that everyone takes ownership of and therefore responsibility for the program. WHO SHOULD BE ON YO U R T EAM? 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 schools have compulsory community service and may be looking for student placements. The key contact people at the elementary and high school need to recruit students as well as share the responsibility of supporting the program. Recruit other people for your organizing committee. A team of 4 or 5 people helps spread responsibilities but isnt too cumbersome. Your elementary school librarian will have invaluable expertise in choosing appropriate books. A person with computer knowledge is always useful. (Remember: This entire program is available at www.classroom-connections.com.) And of course, it is crucial to have the principals support to ensure the success of any special program. Inform Staff Members during staff meetings, at both the high school and elementary school, to promote the program to teachers. Ask teachers for help by recommending students who may be suitable for the program. Ask them to support the program by encouraging the students who choose to participate. YO U R 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 tutors could also meet during the school day or in the evening in a community centre or public library.

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 Plan a beginning and an end to the program. Have a launch with refreshments and a group introductory activity. At the end of the program, celebrate your successes with an awards ceremony. Ensure everyone 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 reference letters 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 AN D CHI L D R EN 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. Tutors and children should try to write something each time they get together. Word games help children learn about the connections between words. Tutors and children should maintain portfolios to keep track of the books they read and any activities they do together. Tutors can motivate the children by praising their efforts as they review the portfolios together. Portfolios will also provide information to help evaluate the effectiveness of the program. There is a sample form on the Classroom Connection web site at www.classroom-connections.com to make portfolios. A Reading Buddies program can evolve into a homework club that helps children with math and other class work depending on the age and the learning needs of the children. There is a hand-out on the Classroom Connections web site titled Helping with Homework for you to distribute to your tutors. T I PS ON REC R U I T I NG AN D SC RE E N ING HIGH SCHOOL T UTO R S There are many people at the high school who may be interested in setting up a Reading Buddies program: guidance, the English Department, peer tutoring, co-op teachers, religion teachers or the school social worker. First contact the guidance teacher who should be able to tell you about the opportunities for recruiting volunteers in that particular school. Recruit students who have varying degrees of academic achievement. Students who are struggling readers 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 tutoring. High school students need a lot of support after they have been matched with their Reading Buddies. Keep your program manageable especially for the pilot project. Collect information 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 school, recruit c o llege or university students, older elementary school students, parents or volunteers from the community.

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T I PS ON REC R U I T I NG AN D SELEC T I NG TH E CHI L 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 especially important to ensure commitment and enthusiasm from older children. 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. 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. M ATC H ING TH E CHI L D R EN AND TH E TUTO R S Match the tutors and the children one-on-one rather than having a drop-in reading program. Criteria for matching could be: Gender (for role modeling) Tutor experience and student needs Common interests Ensure there is always a volunteer available to read with each child by setting up a tutor-partner system which involves pairing the tutors. If one tutor is unable to attend one session, his or her tutor-partner 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 program launch, children and tutors will meet for the first time. Also introduce the tutor-partner to the children so they will know whom to meet with if their tutor is absent. S U P P O R T I NG TH E CHI L D / T U TOR MATC H ES 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 children. It is essential that someone be available on a weekly basis to answer questions and provide encouragement to the 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. Tutors are responsible for contacting the volunteer coordinator and their tutor-partner if they are unable to attend.

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 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 only answer questions, but to find out if they are having problems. 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 questions and 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, brainstorm solutions for issues identified and encourage each other. E VA LUAT I NG YO U R PR O G RA M At the end of the program hold a focus group with the tutors and children to see what worked and find out how to improve the program for the next year. To stimulate discussion for the focus groups ask questions such as: What did you like best about the program? What did you like least? How would you improve the program for next year? At the program completion, distribute questionnaires to teachers of the high school and elementary school students involved to determine how all students may have benefited. Also distribute questionnaires to the tutors to receive anonymous feedback. 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.

K E Y FAC TORS FOR A SUCC ES S F UL R E A D ING BU D D I ES P R 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!

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C H ECK LIST  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 library 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 another.  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 words; principal, librarian, high school contact  Invite the parents of the children being tutored and local community paper  Select facilitator(s) for the launch

P E R SON R ES P O N S I B L E

AG E N DA FOR L A UN C H Welcome 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 know one another. Speeches The 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 Hunt Distribute 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 Bag Princess?; 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 School Ask the children to give the tutors a tour of the school. Next Steps Take 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.

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TO TH E FAC IL I TATO R The following agenda and notes will help you train high school students to read aloud with children. We have presented the workshop exercises in script form (indicated in italics) to make the workshop easier for you to facilitate. Carefully read the Reading Buddy hand-out at the end of this guide before facilitating the workshop. We have included a number of small group interactive exercises. Your role as facilitator is to encourage the tutors to talk and then fill-in-the-gaps after they have discussed an idea. It usually takes about two hours to deliver this workshop. C H EC K LIST  Name tags, extra pens, blank paper  Arrange for juice and cookies (or pizza!)  Book room - ideally the library of the elementary school  Photocopy materials for tutors; scenarios (page 14), Reading Buddy hand-out (pages 20-24), evaluation (sample questions on page 15)  Assemble 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) Important All members of your organizing team should attend even if they are not facilitating. ROOM PR E PA R AT I O N Arrange chairs in a semi-circle facing the blackboard so volunteers 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. I N T R O D U C T I O N S / RE V IEW AG E N DA (10 MIN U T ES ) Ensure each tutor speaks during the first few minutes to improve the chance of everyone participating during 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 Buddy and 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 of the best ways to prepare and support young children for success in school is to simply read aloud with them. Thank you for volunteering your time and energy to help children become better readers. P E R SON R ES P O N S I B LE

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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 interactive workshop where you will do most of the talking. First, we will talk about the program logistics, and then 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 will have a 10 minute break at (insert time) and we should finish by (insert time). Are there questions about the agenda? OV E R V I EW OF P R O G R AM (5 MIN U 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 (insert time) in this room. The first time you meet will be on (date) at (insert time) to celebrate the launch of the program. We will have refreshments and will invite the parents of the children to come and meet you. You will meet with your Reading Buddy for (insert #) weeks until (insert month). On (insert date) we will have another celebration to mark the end of the program. You will be matched one-on-one with a child, and you will also be paired with another tutor. If you are unable to attend a session, your tutor-partner will meet with both children. Please let me know today 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 contact numbers. Please write down the telephone number of your tutor-partner on this page. It is your responsibility to contact the volunteer co-ordinator and your tutor-partner if you are unable to attend 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 blackboard that will be answered later during the workshop and assure the tutors that these questions will be covered. H OW DO CHI L D R EN LEAR N TO R EAD? (5 MI NU T ES ) The first thing we will talk about is how you learned to read. How many of you were able to read before attending school? What do you remember about being taught how to read? Who taught you how 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 often much more interested in practical tips than a discussion of reading theory. S E L EC T I NG BOOKS (10 M IN U T ES ) We will first talk about the characteristics of good books. The librarian has picked out a number of books that children love to read. Please select a book and state why you believe it would be a good book to read with 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 your hand-out. Dont forget to ask the librarian for assistance when choosing books. There is a wide variety of excellent books you can read with your Reading Buddy. You can bring books from home or from the public library to share with your Reading Buddy. You can also encourage him or her to bring in books to read with you.

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Give the volunteers a quick tour of the library. Make sure to point out where the various types of books are located. There is a List of Recommended Childrens Books on the Classroom Connections web site which you can post in the library or distribute to your tutors. R E A D I NG ALO U D WIT H YO UR R E A D I NG BU D DY (15 MI N U 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-old and 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 difficulty sounding 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. After they have read together about 5 minutes stop the role play. Ask questions about how to read aloud with children. What can you do if your Reading Buddy has trouble reading a word aloud? How can you make a story 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 aloud with your Reading Buddy. One way is to take turns reading a page or a paragraph. What are the other ways that you can read with a child? Which way will you choose to read with your Reading Buddy? Does anyone have any other ideas about reading with children? L A N G UAGE EXP E R I ENCE (10 M IN U T ES ) Most of the time you will be reading aloud with your Reading Buddy but it is important that you do other things with your Reading Buddy as well. The first tutoring technique we will discuss is called the language experience approach. I need a volunteer to help out. I would like you to pretend that you 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. Would this 7-year-old child who has trouble reading be able to read these sentences? Yes! He would if the paragraph is short and he reads it right after you write it down for him. He can read it because 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 of the page. Then, in a few weeks time, you can use this paragraph to practice reading with your Reading Buddy. There will most likely be some words that he has difficulty sounding out. At this point, 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? (Possible answers: look for a smaller familiar word in the bigger word key)

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SIGHT WO R DS AN D WO R D BA N KS (10 MI N U T ES ) There are many words that we need to learn by sight as they either are very important in reading or 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 common words used in the English language. There are thousands of words in the English language but these 100 words are used 50% of the time. If your Reading Buddy can use and understand these 100 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 are included in this chart. 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 are similar in spelling or related in meaning. For example, you can put together a booklet with each page devoted to a letter of the alphabet. Or, you and your Reading Buddy can put together a Word Bank with a focus on sports words associated with soccer on the first page, basketball the second page and so on. Your Reading Buddy can also put in his Word Bank the words from anything you write together that are not included in the list of 100 common words. From time to time, review together all the words in your Reading Buddys Word Bank. OT H ER AC T I V I T I ES (5 M IN U T ES) What other resources are available in the elementary schools library. Are there computers? Is there Internet access? Are there board games? What are the other activities that you can do with your Reading Buddy? (Possible answers: playing word 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 an excellent 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 praise his or her efforts and accomplishments. ROLE OF VO LUNTEER (10 MIN U T E S) 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 Reading Buddy. I would like your small group to also discuss the most important characteristics of a good teacher. Please appoint a scribe for your group. Allow 5 minutes for the brainstorming session. Visit each group to keep them on task and to ensure they understand the instructions. I would like each scribe to tell the group one responsibility or one characteristic until all of the ideas you thought of have been listed. The students will list various characteristics of good teachers: caring, enthusiastic, funny, interested, tolerant, kind, etc. You can pull together their ideas by discussing the importance of building relationships. Without a relationship between teacher/student or in this case between Reading Buddies, it is difficult for learning to take place.

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The most important responsibility is commitment. They need to commit to meeting with the children until the end of the program. If they are unable to commit, they must let you know now. If a tutor quits after having been matched with a child, the child will take the rejection personally. S C E N A RIOS (20 MI NU 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 volunteers. 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 each group. Note: In our experience, high school students enjoy the scenarios the most of all the workshop activities. Another role play! This time you will be given a scenario to solve in small groups. If you decide to act 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 to the group first. (There will be a prize for the best skit!)

S C E N A RI O HAN D OU 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 Child Your 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. He likes to discuss his tree fort, his dog, and his collection of transformers. Situation Three Physi cal Abuse Your Reading Buddy is a quiet girl, Sheena Brown. She mentions that she doesn't like gym because her legs are ugl y. 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 Critical Pa r e n t You 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 concentrate on helping her with her homework. Situation Five - Two Fa v o u r i te Books You are matched with Bonnie Smith. She just wants you to read to her, and she wants her two favourite books read over and over. When you ask her to read, she only wants to read her two favourite books, and says the words from memory, rather than actually reading.

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D EB RI EF I N G
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 dogs, tree forts or transformers. 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, only 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 abuse. However, in the future they may meet a child who is being abused or neglected. (We included this scenario as it is our responsibility as a community to keep children safe.) Debriefing for Scenario Four Critical 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 M IN U 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 during the 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 feedback 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? Classroom Connections/ R e a d i n g B u d d i e s

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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 _________________________ Date

_______________________________________ Signature

IMPORTANT If 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 _________________________

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VO LU N TEER I N F O RM AT ION CO N T I N U E D
Why are you interested in being a Reading Buddy? Ha ve 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

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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 character reference for him/her? 1) 2) 3) How long have you known this student? ________________________________ Does he/she have the time, patience and reliability to work with children? What special qualities does he/she have?

Yes

No

______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________

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

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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 ____________________ School. I understand that the program will start on __________________ and run every week until ___________________. Emergency Telephone Number_________________ Childs Allergies _________________________________________

_______________________________________________ Signature of Parent or Guardian

____________________________ Date

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Handout page 1

WHY IS IT IM P O R TANT TO R EAD ALO U D WITH CH I L 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 of reading and books, they are motivated to practise reading. Only through practising reading, do children become fluent readers. YO U R ROLE Your 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 stories, play word games, discuss books - anything to help your Reading Buddy discover the joy of reading and 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 a short 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 U R F IR ST M E ET IN G Your first meeting should be a social one where you get to know your Reading Buddy. Bring something personal to share: photographs, a favourite book or magazine. Ask your Reading Buddy: What are your favourite books? What are your favourite sports? What would you like to read about? 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 T Y P ICAL SESS I O N It is important that you vary the activities you do together when you meet. You can: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Select books together Read aloud to your Reading Buddy Listen to your Reading Buddy read aloud Read aloud together Discuss what you read Play word games Review Sight Words and Word Banks Write together Record what you did together Select library books to take home

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Handout page 2

S E L ECT BOOKS TO G ET HE R Browse through the books together and take turns selecting books. Praise your Reading Buddys choices. 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 reading 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 children. READ ALO U D TO YO U R R E A D I NG BU D DY Read with enthusiasm. Ham it up! Change your voice to reflect the personalities of the different 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 R E A D ING BU D DY R EAD ALO U D Take turns reading. You read one paragraph or sentence, then your Reading Buddy reads one paragraph or sentence. Encourage and praise your Reading Buddy. When your Reading Buddy reads aloud, ask her to either practise reading with you (focus on sounding 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 (initial consonant sounds) and word families (went, sent, bent). If he has difficulty reading the word hockey, ask him to look for a small familiar word (key) within the larger word. When practising reading 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 has difficulty 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. Classroom Connections/ R e a d i n g B u d d i e s

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Handout page 3

READ ALO U D 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 all the words that he knows.

D I SC U SS WHAT YOU REA D 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 Make 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 says. Keep each story so she can practice reading with them later. You can also use the language experience approach to write about a story you have read together or to compose a letter or poem.

PLAY WO R D 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 Buddy. 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.

R E V I EW SIGHT WO R DS AN D WO R D BA N KS 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 words are 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.

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Handout page 4

a and

he I

in is

it of

that the

to was

These 12 words account for 1/4 of all reading!

all are

as at

be but for

had have him

his not on

one said so

they we

with you

These 32 words account for 1/3 of all reading! about an back been before big call by down first from get go has like little do her here if into just look made make me more much must my new no now off old only or other our out over right see she two up when well went were what when where which who will your

some their them then there this

came can come could did

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

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

Compile a bank of words with your Reading Buddy. Word Banks can be organized by letter (A - apple, animal, alligator), by theme (sports - basketball, soccer, 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 R D WHAT YOU DI D 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 time. Take this opportunity to praise her efforts and accomplishments. CHOOSE LIB R A 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. Classroom Connections/ R e a d i n g B u d d i e s

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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: _____________________ 2 Responsibilities are: _____________________ Your tutor-partner is: _____________________ tel:___________________________________________ tel:___________________________________________ tel:__________________________________________

Classroom Connections Torontos First Post Office, P .O. Box 111 Toronto, ON M5A 1N1 www.classroom-connections.com 1-888-882-8865

Frontier College 35 Jackes Avenue Toronto, ON M4T 1E2 www.frontiercollege.ca 1-800-555-6523

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

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