If you walked into one of the first grade classrooms toward the end of reading workshop, you would see children sitting in pairs, side-by-side, with one book placed in between them. You would hear a productive buzz of children reading and sharing ideas about a book, or discussing which strategy would help solve a tricky word. First-grade students have been practicing good reading habits since the beginning of the school year and now are fully entrenched with partnership reading. The work involved in partnerships varies, but involves trying different word solving strategies, discussing the problem of a story, or sharing a favorite part. Reading together taps into the power of the social aspect of a story and helps children become even more strategic as readers. Partners are taught to remind one another, and cheer for each other to get stronger.
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