Doug Fuchs and Lynn Fuchs Vanderbilt University

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Doug Fuchs and Lynn FuchsVanderbilt University

• Presenter Loulee Yen
• Project Coordinator
• Vanderbilt University
• loulee.yen_at_vanderbilt.edu

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• Peer
• Assisted
• Learning
• Strategies

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Overview

• Overview of PALS
• Grades 2-6 Reading PALS
• Description
• Evaluation
• Demonstration and Practice
• High School Reading PALS
• Similarities and Differences
• Evaluation

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What is PALS?

• A classwide peer tutoring program
• Students work in pairs to practice reading
  fluency and comprehension

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Why use Peer Tutoring?

• Increasing diversity in classrooms
• Broad range of achievement levels in classrooms
• Increasing need to address a variety of
  individual needs

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Important Features of PALS

• Reciprocal roles (Coaches and Readers)
• Structured activities
• Individualized
• More time engaged on task
• Includes all students
• Opportunities for success for all students
• Encourages positive peer interactions
• Practical AND effective
• Opportunities to monitor student progress

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PALS Research

• Based on Juniper Gardens Classwide Peer Tutoring
  model
• Over 10 years of experimental research
• Title I and Non-Title I schools
• Urban and suburban schools
• High, average, and low achievers
• Students in special education

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PALS 2-6 Experimental ResultsImprovement in
Reading Words read correctly in 3 minutes
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PALS 2-6 Experimental ResultsImprovement in
Reading Comprehension Number Questions Answered
Correctly
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PALS 2-6 Experimental ResultsSocial Acceptance
of Students with LD
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PALS Research

• Statistically significant differences between
  students who participated in PALS vs. Controls.
• Best Practice status from U.S. Department of
  Education

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Training Objectives

• Assign students to PALS pairs and teams
• Train students to prepare PALS materials and
  conduct PALS reading activities
• Use PALS correctly and independently in the
  classroom

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Coaches and Readers

• Coach
• Provides prompts and helps Reader
• Reader
• Reads and accepts help from Coach
• Higher-performing readers are paired with
  lower-performing readers
• Partners change every 3-4 weeks

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PALS Activities

• Conducted 3 times per week for 35 minutes
• SUPPLEMENT to regular reading program

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Grades 2-6 PALS Timeline

• Week 1
• Student Training
• Weeks 2-4
• Partner Reading with Retell
• Paragraph Shrinking
• Weeks 5-17
• Partner Reading with Retell
• Paragraph Shrinking
• Prediction Relay

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PALS Materials

• Teacher Materials
• Timer
• PALS rules
• Student assignment chart
• Scripts
• Command card

• Student Materials
• Book
• Question card
• Point sheet
• Pencil

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• Show 2-6 video

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Teacher PALS Duties

• Assigning Pairs and Teams
• Selecting Text of Appropriate Difficulty
• Monitoring Students Reading and PALS behavior

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Assigning Pairs and Teams
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Absentees and Uneven Numbers of Students

• If two students are absent, their partners may be
  paired for the day. If the two are in different
  books, the pair should use the weaker readers
  book.
• Allow a high-performing student to read
  independently.
• Form a triad.

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Triads

• Assign each of the three students to be the coach
  during one of the three reading activities.
• If a permanent triad is necessary because you
  have an uneven number of students, designate one
  as a floater.
• Never place learning disabled or non-disabled
  low-performing readers in a triad for more than a
  day.

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Selecting Text of Appropriate Difficulty

• Each pair may read from DIFFERENT text
• Text should be at weaker readers level
• No more than 10 errors per 100 words
• Determine page numbers or stories to be read
  ahead of time

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Monitor Students Reading

• Provide feedback
• Ensure correct PALS implementation
• Ensure students are using correction procedures
• Ensure cooperation between partners

• Award bonus points
• Listen to each student
• Listen for FLUENCY
• Listen for quality of main idea statements

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PALS Rules

• Talk only to your partner and only about PALS.
• Keep your voice low.
• Cooperate with your partner.
• Try your best.

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Partner Reading

• Conducted for 11-12 minutes
• Stronger reader reads aloud for 5 minutes
• Weaker reader reads same text aloud for 5 minutes
• Weaker reader retells story for 1-2 minutes
• Readers read quickly, correctly, and with
  expression
• Coaches listen, correct mistakes, and mark points
  (1 point for each correctly read sentence and 10
  points for story retell)

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Correcting Errors

• 4 types of mistakes
• Saying the wrong word
• Leaving out a word
• Adding a word
• Waiting longer than 4 seconds

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Correction Procedures

• Show overhead

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Demonstration Practice

• Coach and Reader read and mark points
• Coach makes corrections
• Reader retells story using Question Card

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Paragraph Shrinking

• Conducted for 10 minutes
• Stronger reader reads new text aloud for 5
  minutes, summarizing each paragraph
• Weaker reader reads new text aloud for 5 minutes,
  summarizing each paragraph
• Coach listens, corrects mistakes, and marks
  points

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Paragraph Shrinking

• After each paragraph, the Reader
• Identifies the most important Who or What
• (1 point)
• Identifies the most important thing about the
  Who or What
• (1 point)
• States the main idea in 10 words or less
• (1 point)
• Training includes identifying paragraphs and main
  ideas

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Demonstration Practice

• Paragraph Shrinking using Question Card
• Marking points
• Making corrections

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Prediction Relay

• First 5 minutes
• Stronger reader
• Makes prediction
• (1 point)
• Reads half of a page
• (1 point)
• Checks the prediction
• (1 point)
• Makes new prediction
• Continues to read

• Second 5 minutes
• Weaker reader
• Makes prediction
• (1 point)
• Reads half of a page
• (1 point)
• Checks the prediction
• (1 point)
• Makes new prediction
• Continues to read

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Demonstration Practice

• Prediction Relay using Question Card
• Marking points
• Making corrections

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High School PALS

• Similarities
• Differences
• Results

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High School PALS

• Conducted 3 times per week for 35 minutes
• SUPPLEMENT to regular reading program

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High School PALS Timeline

• Week 1-2
• Student Training
• Partner Reading with Retell
• Weeks 3-5
• Partner Reading with Retell
• Paragraph Shrinking
• Weeks 6-17
• Partner Reading with Retell
• Paragraph Shrinking
• Prediction Relay

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ActivitiesSimilarities and Differences

• Partner Reading
• Paragraph Shrinking
• Prediction Relay

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High School PALS

• Taking notes
• On-the-Job Behaviors
• PALS dollars
• Record of Earnings
• Checkbook
• Highest-Earning Pair
• Employee of the Month

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PALS Reading Manuals

• Include detailed scripts providing information on
  how to explain concepts and provide students with
  practice (e.g., how to identify paragraphs,
  identify the who or what, make main idea
  statements.)
• Provides templates for all activities.

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Purchasing a PALS Manual

• All manuals are 30, videos are 10.
• Contact Mary Wilson [phone]
• mary.b.wilson_at_vanderbilt.edu
• Reading
• Kindergarten
• 1st Grade
• Grades 2-6
• High School

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Purchasing a PALS Manual

• All manuals are 30, videos are 10.
• Contact Mary Wilson [phone] Math
• Kindergarten
• 1st Grade
• 2nd Grade
• 3rd Grade
• 4th Grade
• 5th Grade
• 6th Grade