RI
Reading
Fall
Elementary
MS
Ms. Tamara Wells
Literacy Coach
Riverside Elementary, Southeast
Peer Reading Partners: Cross-Grade Buddy Program
On Grade Level
61%
78%
+28%
Reading Volume
18 books/yr
41 books/yr
+128%
Student Engagement
3.2/5
4.5/5
+41%
Symptom
Reading benchmark data showed that 39% of students in grades 1-3 were reading below grade level, and independent reading volume was well below targets. Students lacked motivation to read outside of guided reading groups, and the school library circulation data confirmed that most students were only checking out books when required.
Upper-grade students (grades 4-5) also showed signs of disengagement, particularly boys, with declining interest in reading as measured by quarterly attitude surveys.
People
Ms. Tamara Wells, the literacy coach, designed the program with input from grade-level team leads. Fourth-grade teachers embedded buddy reading into their schedule, and first-grade teachers prepared their students for the partnership.
Team:
- Ms. Tamara Wells — Literacy Coach, program design and training
- 4th grade team lead — Schedule coordination, mentor preparation
- 1st grade team lead — Mentee readiness, book selection
- Media specialist — Library support, book matching
Data
The team tracked three metrics: percentage of students reading on grade level (DIBELS/mCLASS), independent reading volume (books per student per month via library and classroom logs), and student reading engagement (quarterly survey). Data was reviewed monthly at grade-level meetings and presented to the full staff at quarterly data days.
Plan
Fourth-grade students were paired with first-grade students for three 20-minute buddy reading sessions per week. Pairings were intentional: 4th graders who needed confidence-building were matched with 1st graders who needed modeling.
Each session followed a predictable routine: book selection (5 min), read-aloud by the 4th grader (10 min), retelling/discussion (5 min). 4th graders received a one-week training on read-aloud strategies, questioning techniques, and how to support younger readers without doing the work for them.
The media specialist curated paired book bins at appropriate levels and refreshed them monthly.
Resources
Buddy Reading Handbook
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Book Matching Spreadsheet
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