• Paired reading takes place in the LRC every Monday morning from 8.40 a.m. to 9.10 a.m. from October half term until Easter.
• Yr 10 volunteers are given a Yr7 reading partner who needs help with their reading.

Advice for Y10 Pupils

Prompts for reading sessions

• It is essential that you build up a good relationship with the pupil you are coaching, so spend a few minutes at the beginning of each session putting them at ease.
• If the pupil has already started a book ask them to tell you about the story so far. Try to make this friendly influence, e.g. ‘I can’t remember what happens in this book, can you remind me?’
• Names are often difficult for pupils and being familiar with characters will help build confidence. Point out the names of characters and say them aloud to the pupil. Get the pupil to repeat them.
• Vary the activities during each session.
• Read a few paragraphs to the pupils to get going.
• Read a few paragraphs simultaneously with the pupil.
• Let the pupil read unaided and show that you are responding positively.
• It is imperative for the pupil to understand that it is a partnership and that he or she is not expected to do all the work.

Key Coaching Tips

• Go back to the first inaccurate word in a paragraph and ask the pupil to reread.
• Ask pupil to look at the whole word.
• Ask pupil to sound out the word. e.g. teacher – ‘t – each – er
• Ask pupil to use the rest of the sentence or paragraph to work out the unknown word.
• Ask the pupil to divide the word into parts that are already known. e.g. postage – ‘post – age’
• Ask the pupil to see if the word consists of a familiar root word and a prefixor suffix.
• Ask the pupil to use any illustrations.

You may find the following prompts helpful in deciding what to record about the session.

• Interested in the book.
• Concentrated well.
• Good pace.
• Read fluently.
• Attempted to correct errors by ……?
• Used a range of strategies to attempt unknown words, e.g. sounding out.

 Golden Rules

• Always be patient, positive and encouraging.
• Don’t let the pupil down by not turning up for sessions.
• Be sensitive – know when to step in and when to be quiet.
• Remember to build on a pupil’s success. Never forget that even if pupils are struggling with reading they will still have some success. Look for the positive.
• Encourage pupils to have a go before offering help. Remind them of the strategies they might use.
• Build up a special relationship with the pupil by taking an interest in them and using ‘we’ and ‘us’ rather than ‘you’.
• Keep a sense of humour and make the session fun.