With children though, we need to keep in mind that some find it easy to let one or two lead in a group and do the work, but with just two group members, accountability is a non-issue. Having students work in pairs means high productivity which is especially important during that time when the teacher is working with small groups. If a group isn't on task, it shows very quickly, so today, I'm going to share a few options I love for working with pairs.
Partner Plays
The first option that has become my favorite for both primary and upper elementary students I work with are my partner plays. Last year, I began making partner plays for my fourth and fifth grade groups. The idea came about as I used a Reader's Theater with my guided reading group. I noticed as I was using one with my group, one of my students had very few lines which is counterproductive when you are wanting to work on fluency, so I looked for two part scripts thinking that would increase the real reading time for my kids. I found a few for young readers and a few for older student, but I still wanted to make sure that the focus was kept on comprehension skills and strategies too. It led me to the decision to write my first set. My plan was to combine the philosophy of Reader's Theater with the strategies of Close Reading. After all, the idea with Reader's Theater is that you practice to improve the performance, but with Close Reading, you reread to deepen comprehension, and that was the birth of my partner play idea.
Seasonal Sets You Might Like for Now:
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🎠Apple Picking
🎠Halloween
🎠Fall
🎠Thanksgiving
🎠Veteran's Day
🎠Oceanography
🎠Gift Giving
🎠Reindeer
🎠Penguins
🎠Mittens
🎠Snowmen
🎠Friendship/Grandparent's Day
🎠Rocks
🎠Cooking
Get them all!
As you can see, there's a wide range of topics. Some are great for any time of the year. Some are seasonal, and some are tied to content areas. This set is best for grades 2-5, and are great for small group or stations.Partner Plays for Young Readers

How They Work

Schema Building and Vocabulary
To begin with, you'll want to prepare for the reading by building schema for the topic to build interest and to fill in any misconceptions (although with a dog theme, you're unlikely to have an issue with misconceptions). Once the students are feeling excited about the reading and are prepared, you will pair them up. In the teacher notes, you'll see one part is more challenging than the other. For the most part, I've stuck with Sam as the character with the easier part. I recommend establishing the norms for your classroom for partner work (where they can be/not be, voice level, materials they can/can not have, etc.). If your students work well in pairs, you could proceed. If you have some that require additional guidance (or supervision), you could pull them to your reading table for more directed reading. (and I would pull some to monitor regardless just to get a feel for how your students are handling the text).Guiding Questions for Paired Discussion

Repeated Reading and Writing Extension
Finally, the last step (which could be used during reading as well) is a writing page. You can use these for extension of the theme, story retellings, or a specific prompt you ask for. Students can mount them on construction paper and embellish them for hanging (maybe a dog peek over??), write a simple response, glue it in a journal, or by-pass the stationary all together.Over time, I've added more to the series, and there are now fourteen of them. They do get a little more complicated, so keep in mind that the scripts will have a range. You can organize them in any order you choose, and you'll see I tried to include some seasonal options too.
For the full bundle, check out the thumbnail below. The bundle includes a copy of fourteen partner plays. You can try the one below for free with your email subscription. I've done 14 in all, and the bundle is priced at $20.00 ($1.25 each).
Poetry Reading for Partners


Book Buddies
The final suggestion is a no-frills suggestion. Simply find two copies of a book that your students will be dying to read and pair two compatible kids. As students begin with chapter books, pairing up is a great way to keep them engaged for the duration of the book, allow conversations about the story events, and build in reading fluency.
Worried about keeping the kids accountable? You might provide response journals that the pair can work on together, give them graphic organizers to respond to, or have them provide a brief book talk with the class. I highly recommend book talks as a practice because getting students to talk about what they are reading helps students make plans for future reading. We know this leads to greater motivation.
Until next time, happy reading!

Carla,
ReplyDeleteThese partner scripts are such a great idea! Wow! I truly just love this idea! Students always love doing readers theater and this takes it a step further. What a great way to build fluency and comprehension!
Thanks for sharing this!
-Stacia :)
Collaboration Cuties
Thanks a bunch, Stacia. I'm so glad you like them. I needed a way to really work on fluency with my kiddos AND comprehension. These helped them practice going back to the text for evidence. Anyway, I truly appreciate your comment. Makes my day!
DeleteCarla
Carla,
ReplyDeleteLOVE these partner work ideas! I always loved having my kids work with partners, often a great part of the day. Wish I would have had these genius ideas long ago for even more ways. Thanks for sharing!
Anita
Thank you! I've really enjoyed working with the kids this way. They are 100% involved with paired work which I love.
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