Typical Schedule of Activities

A typical Reading Buddies session include the following activities.

Familiar Reading. Students reread familiar stories or dictations. This material should be at each student’s independent reading level. This rereading helps support recognition of familiar words that will then be carried over into reading other books and into writing. Familiar reading helps students to improve their fluency and confidence.

New Reading. Students read new books that have a minimum of new learning in them. New books are read with a good deal of support from the tutor or teacher. New reading also includes a personal dictation about an experience. Here, the student dictates a few sentences to the tutor who writes them down or types them on a computer. The dictation is then reread and the printed version is placed in a folder for further practice.

Write With. Students either write with support or write independently as needed. These writing activities are important as work done in writing supports reading development just as reading supports writing development.

Word Study. Students learn how to work with letters, sounds, and words to discover and reflect upon patterns. Activities include word banks, picture and word sorts, and word study games.

Read To. Students are read books that are too difficult for them to read without help. The books read are also of interest to the students and may serve as a point of discussion to be followed by a writing or word study activities. This reading also serves to model fluent and expressive reading, and helps to develop a love for stories and reading.