That Fun Reading Teacher

Fun early literacy and social-emotional learning tips, resources, and more!

  • Inspiring literacy
  • Storybook Lessons
  • Early Literacy Skills
  • Feelings & Social Skills
  • Writing for Real Purposes

Tips for starting a Reading Buddies (or Learning Buddies) program in your classroom

2016-08-05 By: That Fun Reading Teachercomment

Pin1K
Share12
Tweet
1K Shares

Tips and tools for starting a reading buddy in your classroom any time of year! | That Fun Reading Teacher.com #readingbuddies #teaching #teachersoftpt #literacy #education

Thinking about starting a Reading Buddies program in your classroom this year? Here are some tips and tools to get things rolling!

Consider putting School-wide Reading Buddies on aĀ staff meeting agenda.

If you’re thinking of starting reading buddies program, discuss the benefits for all students with your staff. Even if the idea is planted to be reassessed, the seed is planted for the future. When many teachers opt in, optimal class pairings become simpler.

Take age into consideration.

Ideally, an age / grade difference of 3+ years between buddies work really well. Another way to think about spacing is from different divisions (i.e. K/4, 1/5 2/6, 3/7, 4/8).Ā 

Approach a colleague about pairing classes…

…and be realistic about whether your schedules will work!Ā Casual conversation over lunch can often accomplish this, but I’m a fan of using email so I can refer back to it and refresh my memory!

Build Reading Buddy time into your timetable.

When ‘it’s official’Ā everyone knows what to expect, when. Perhaps it is alternate week familiar reading, word-work, or math skills review through games, part of character education or religious education for forty minutes. While Reading Buddies may not appear in on the timetable your principal has to hand in to the school board, it’s important that the kids have this special time to look forward to. It could even happen overĀ lunch!

Define expectations to both classes.

My personal experience starting reading buddies programs has taught me the importance of a strong start. Defining and reviewing expectations! First in the individual classrooms, then when the groups are brought together. Visual reminders in meeting areas are also very helpful. Buddies time can quickly look like recess if sixty kids are unsure of what the rules are!

Years ago, I wrote general expectations in a storybook lesson format for my young students. This was shared with their older buddies along with tips for communicating with younger children.Ā 

These and a fun ‘getting to know-each other’ art activity became the Reading Buddies Starter pack.

Ā 

It has been growing ever since and is now a best-selling resource: Reading Buddy Activities for the Year. Check out this video preview!

Ā 

The success of this has inspired the creation of The Learning Buddy Starter Pack.

What are some expectations that you find important to put in place starting reading buddies program?


Related:Ā 

The benefits of a Reading Buddy program for big and little buddies

Ā 

Ā 

Ā 

Ā 

Thank you for being my reading buddy! Free end of school year card for kindergarten and early primary students to color and give to their big buddies! #readingbuddies #free #tpt #teacherspayteachers #endofschool #earlyed

Thank you for being my reading buddy! Free end of school year card for kindergarten and early primary students to color and give to their big buddies!

  • Related

    FREEBIE

    TOP SECRET READING TRICKS STORYBOOK

    Freebie!
    Thank you for subscribing!

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Welcome!
    Canadian mom and literacy teacher sharing great content from years of fabulous on-the-job training, and the best of what I find on the web. Background in teaching kindergarten and primary grades, Reading Recovery and special education

    Let’s Connect:

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

    Search this website!

    Freebie

    TOP SECRET READING TRICKS STORYBOOK

    Freebie!
    Thank you for subscribing!

    Everything Seasonal!

    The Dealing with Feelings Series

    The Top 3 Reading Prompts

    Teaching reading - The top 3 reading prompts for emergent readers | ThatFunReadingTeacher.com

    Canadian Education K-3

    Canadian education resources and content for primary and kindergarten students!

    Kids’ Stuff

    Instagram

    thatfunreadingteacher

    thatfunreadingteacher
    Merry Christmas, everyone! Hope you're all enjoyin Merry Christmas, everyone! Hope you're all enjoying time with your loved ones, cherishing memories of those who are 'gone from your sight'. Be warm, safe, healthy and happy this holiday season! xo I.M.
.
.
.
#merrychristmas #teachers #teacherchristmas #kindergartenteachers #primaryteachers
    "Kindness, I've discovered, is everything in life. "Kindness, I've discovered, is everything in life." 
~ Isaac Bashevis Singer

Thoughts? 

It means more to me personally with each passing day. šŸ’•
.
.
.
#kindness #teachersofinstagram #teachersofthegram #teachersofig #teachersofinsta #teachers #igteachers
    Why I’ve been MIA on social media for way too lo Why I’ve been MIA on social media for way too long. Trying to juggle all the things after all the moves in what still feels like a new position #teacherlibrarian 
.
.
.
#teachersonig
    I love hanging out with our kindies! Here’s what I love hanging out with our kindies! Here’s what they’ve been working on for #fathersday 

What do you have planned? 
.
.
.
#thatfunreadingteacher #fathersdaycard #kinder #kindergarten #teaching
    Are you ready to hope and believe again? . . . #ho Are you ready to hope and believe again?
.
.
.
#hope #teacherlife #teacherfriends #iteach #thatfunreadingteacher
    It’s like running into a student outside of scho It’s like running into a student outside of school…
.
.
.
#teacherlife #iteach #canadianteacher #teachersofinstagram #ThatFunReadingTeacher
    It's ON! The first sale of 2022! Today and tomorro It's ON! The first sale of 2022! Today and tomorrow, save 25% on TPT when you apply the code FEBSALE22 at checkout. ⁣
⁣
My wish for you is that you treat yourself to something that will simplify your days! Link to my TpT store in profile and comments! Check out my freebies to sample resource lines for social emotional learning and early literacy!

#tptsale #socialemotionallearning #sel #thatfunreadingteacher 
.
.
.
#iteachk #iteach1st #earlylearning #alphabet #iteachreading #readingteacher
    I don’t know about you, my friends, but I’m lo I don’t know about you, my friends, but I’m looking for all of the #positivity I can find right now! Our Groundhog predicted an early Spring, but that pretty much lines up with six more weeks of Winter around here anyway, so I’m going with this…hope it makes you smile - even for a second!
 
#february #welcomefebruary #teacher #teacherlife #thatfunreadingteacher
    Groundhog day is just two days away! This is a gre Groundhog day is just two days away! This is a great opportunity to  talk about and practice 'prediction' with students. My first grade and some of my kindergarten students have enjoyed these activities over the years. We have used the 'yes and no' pages as data for graphing and eagerly awaited the news on February 2nd. The link to this resource is in my bio. Wishing you all a safe and healthy end to January.
.
.
.
#groundhogday #1stgrade #literacy #kindergarten #thatfunreadingteacher
    Load More... Follow on Instagram

    Teachers Pay Teachers

    Pinterest

    That Fun Reading Teacher © 2023 Ā· Disclosure · BRANDING + WEB DESIGN BY LAUGH EAT LEARN

    We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking ā€œAccept Allā€, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.View Terms and Conditions
    Cookie SettingsAccept All
    Manage consent

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
    CookieDurationDescription
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
    viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
    Functional
    Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
    Performance
    Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
    Analytics
    Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
    Advertisement
    Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
    Others
    Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
    SAVE & ACCEPT