Buddy reading, or "Book Buddies", is an activity designed to increase emergent or less-able readersÕ literacy.  Usually it involves pairing underachieving readers with older, more advanced students from classes that are a few grade levels above their own.  Book Buddies can also be formed between students in the same classroom.  The typical format is for the more able student to select books from the kindergarten to second grade readability level and then to share them with his or her "buddy" once a week for thirty minutes.  Most often, during these sharing periods the older or more able reader book buddy holds a book so that the younger reader can follow along silently as it is read aloud.  Each book buddy asks and answers questions about the content.  Primary grade teachers meet with intermediate teachers to schedule time for their teams of  "book buddies" to read.  They also identify locations on the school campus where these buddy interactions can occur in a relaxed atmosphere.

      The benefits of buddy reading are well documented (e.g., for a review of research see Block, in press; Johnston, Invernizzi & Juel, 1998).  Many values extend to the tutor, the early reader, and the teacher.  Specifically, tutors quickly develop dramatic modulations and inflections in their oral read abilities.  They also learn to use other vocal qualities to sustain their young readers' interest, such as pronouncing individual words with wide-ranging pitches, using variant paces, and creating distinct voices to depict each character in a story.  In addition, by choosing a book to share, tutors gain a sense of accomplishment.  They realize that their own reading ability has progressed when they examine the book they chose for their buddy and recognize how much easier it is for them to read it was in their recent past. This value of realizing "how far they have come" as a reader disperses positive affect and leads to growth in other subject areas as has been documented through testimonials of more than 100 book buddies with which we have worked.

A Òbook buddiesÓ program also assists tutors to verbalize comprehension strategies.  We have witnessed how such explanations enable tutors to realize that they have unknowingly used these same strategies in their own reading.  After several book buddy sessions, we have also observed that tutors begin to purposely search out books for their tutees in which they can teach their buddies how to apply specific comprehension strategies to the book that they will read together.  For instance, David, a fifth grade student contemplated and considered many books for his buddy before selecting The Stinky Cheese Man by Jon Scieszka.  This was his "all time favorite book" and he was excited with his choice.  Then, he stated that he wanted to also look for a second book.  He reasoned thus.  The goal that his teacher had established for this particular book buddies session was to increase SamÕs (his buddy's) prediction abilities.  After carefully surveying several titles, he added If You Give A Moose A Muffin by Laura Numeroff to his buddyÕs reading plan.  As David stated:  "For a kindergarten child, this book will be better at illustrating the concept of prediction that I want to teach today."  After this book buddy lesson, captured in the photo below, David reported that through teaching the concept of predictive thinking during reading to Sam that he was now able to better understand prediction making himself.  By being required to examine this difficult skill (prediction of a story line) and apply that strategy to If You Give A Moose A Muffin, David had increased his abilities to make predictions when he read.  Verbalizing the predictive thinking process by teaching with think alouds and repeated examples made the expert reader skill more automatic for him.

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      Tutees realize many benefits from buddy reading as well.  First, they instantly obtain an older student in the school to befriend them.  In SamÕs case, he had come to enjoy David's visits almost as much as his recess periods.  He would see David in the hall, wave, and proudly announce to anyone within earshot: "That's my buddy!"   Not only did Sam's esteem, belongingness, and pride increase, his literacy abilities grew at a rapid pace.  This acceleration was marked not only in measurable rises in readability levels but in Sam's deep, internalized value for literacy in his life.  One measure of the impact that the book buddies program on his affective literacy growth became evident when he presented David with a treasured Christmas present.  Sam walked in to the library with this beloved gift hidden behind his back in a paper sack that he had decorated.  Before he handed it to David, he whispered in one of our ears that he had selected this present with special care because he wanted David to have the very best present in the world.  When David opened his package, we saw Sam's treasured gift: a book for David to keep forever!  Having a book of oneÕs own was something that Sam had come to value, which is a published goal that almost every reading program strives to achieve.

      The third person to benefit from a buddy reading program is the classroom teacher.  Instruction of an expert to a novice reader for an extended period of time at least once a week translates into significant literacy gains for students who are in most need of one-to-one instructional time.  Such person-to-person tutoring would not be possible for a classroom teacher to deliver weekly to numerous students.  Unless a book buddy program was in action.  For example, if a single teacher was to share a book for thirty minutes with every student (in a class that contained 25 pupils) it would require that teacher to do nothing else except buddy reading every minute of the day for two full days every week.  Moreover, book buddy activities enable teachers to provide less able readers opportunities to receive the benefits of exclusive attention, interesting reading experiences, and personalized instruction from people other than their teachers.  Third, book buddies enable younger readers to pose more questions and hear literacy strategies explained in words that are more closely attuned to their own oral vocabularies.  Elementary aged tutors create examples to communicate difficult concepts through words that are only privy to the rapidly changing colorful every day vernaculars of children.

How to Extend and Enrich the Benefits of Book Buddies

      Traditionally, individual book buddy sessions unfold by a tutor reading a story aloud and then asking questions in an oral format.  Then, the younger buddy in each pair shares his or her thoughts and responses to the book.   Most often, these exchanges are not documented with written records of the questions asked and answers given, and it is difficult for teachers to chart the specific progress of each child.   We recommend the following types of writing activities, which can eliminate these deficiencies and significantly increase the effects of buddy reading.  The following six writing applications are also easy to implement which is an important factor for teachers who manage buddy reading programs.

      Studies have shown that when buddy reading is coupled with writing activities, writing abilities, comprehension, and reading retention increase (Block, 2000). For this reason, book buddies can achieve more success when book buddy journals are kept.  To do so, file folders, which contain single sheets of notebook paper, can be created with each tutor-tuteeÕs name written on the folderÕs label and cover.  Prior to each book buddy session, on single sheets of notebook paper, tutors record the date of the session, titles of books to be read, and questions that they want to ask or activities to be engaged with the book.  Below each question the tutor leaves space so that he or she can write the answers given by the tutee.  Next, as a closing activity, on the back of each page, tutors write the free response answers that their tutees give to one or more of the following questions (or questions that their teachers use to assess individual tuteesÕ reading progress): (1) What did you learn today that helped you to read better? (2) Is there anything else that you would like to share or say about this book, or (3) What do you want to learn at the next book buddyÕs session?

The second writing application employs the "Buddy Buddies Journals Reflection Form,Ó as shown in Figure 1.  After six sessions, tutors (and tutees if they are old enough to write independently) record descriptions of all that they (and their tutees) have learned during this grading period.  If tutees cannot write independently, tutors can read what they wrote and tutees voice their agreement or disagreement with statements written.  Tutees can also answer each question on Figure 1 orally and tutors can write these on a separate form for tutees.  After such one-page descriptive writings are finalized, tutors (and tutees) can grade their growth by referring to the criteria in Figure 1.  These objectives can change each grading period to reflect the goals that have been taught in a specific six weeksÕ work.  Through these shared reflections, tutors and tutees can assist each other to improve their literacy, and discuss ways that the next six weeksÕ work together can be strengthened. 

A third type of writing activity is depicted in Figure 2.  Tutees can list the titles of all the books that they have shared on "My Buddy Reading Record" (Figure 2).  At the end of each book buddy session, tutees can rate each book on a five-to-one star scale.  The rating is similar to that used by critics in their assessment of new movies to designate their enjoyment and their ranking of the quality of each book.  This reading record documents tutees depth of breadth of reading interests.  In time, this easy to reference form assist tutors and teachers to select more advanced books in interest bands so as to enhance individual tuteeÕs reading appreciation and power.

      The fourth type of writing activity is used when tutors and tutees read orally.  This form reminds both pupils of the decoding and comprehension strategies that they can use to prompt each other when difficult words or ideas present themselves.  Strategy names should be spaced on the paper so that tutors have room to write the words and sentences that gave them trouble during a shared reading.  By writing such words and sentences below the strategies that buddies used to decode meaning, teachers have a record of both students' knowledge of, frequency of use, and effective application of each strategy.  As shown in Figure 3, tutors can place a checkmark whenever they prompt their tutees with a strategy on this form, and below that strategy the words or sentences to which that strategy was applied can be written.  Tutors enjoy this form because they have a record of all the strategies that were taught in a book buddies session, and emergent readers profit by having a sheet to read of the numerous strategies from which they can choose when reading difficulties arise.

This form is also useful to add variety to book buddy sessions.  For example, sometimes the tutor can ask the tutee to read a book orally.  As the tutee reads, the tutor can check each decoding strategy on the buddy reading form that the tutee demonstrates or reports to use.  This form also enables the tutor to stay more thoroughly engaged as the younger student reads the book, and it sharpens the tutor's writing skills and ability to document exactly how much his or her buddy's reading has improved.

      A fifth writing activity is a spinner game, called The ReadersÕ Million Dollar Game (illustrated in Figure 4a).  In this spinner match-race, a blank copy of the spinner in Figure 4b is enlarged to fill an 8 by 11 inch cardboard paper.  It is laminated and affixed with a brad, and a metal or paper secured spinner in the middle of the game board.  Then, before a book is to be read at a book buddy session, questions based on that book are written in each quadrant of the spinner by the tutor, one of the teachers involved in the book buddies program, or the schoolÕs librarian.  After the reading, the tutee spins and answers the question upon which the spinner lands.  If the answer is correct, the tutee received the total number of points designated for that quadrant.  Next, the tutor spins and receives the designated points for a correct answer to the query posed in the quadrant in which the spinner lands.  If a pair of book buddies wants to have more than two spins each, they can request that up to four questions be written in each quadrant.  In this way, both students can receive eight turns apiece until all questions are answered.  At the end of the game, the student with the most points wins.

To vary this contest, writing assignments can be designated in each quadrant.  When used in this manner, during the reading of a chosen book, both tutor and tutee would stop after sharing approximately 10 pages and take turns spinning the spinner.  Next, they would engage in the writing activity in each quadrant in which they landed.  After their writings are complete, book buddies read and discuss their answers with each other.  The writing activities in each space vary according to the specific literacy abilities taught in a particular grading period.  Some suggestions are to write (or draw depending on the skill level of pre-kindergarten through first grade tutees) about (a) the student's favorite character thus far in the story, (b) a summary of the story's unfolding plot; (c) the cause/effect relationships that have occurred to that point in the story;  (d) what will happen next; or (e) a "mystery question".  The mystery question is an opportunity for tutors and tutees to ask their partners a question that they have themselves about the reading to date for which they would like to have their partner's opinion and reflection.  This spinner game has demonstrated to enhance the pleasure and retention of material read during book buddy sessions.

      The final step in extending book buddies is to chart progress through use of Goal Books.  Book buddy teams design these booklets to depict progress on their own self-selected literacy goals.  They reflect studentsÕ creativity and personalities (e.g., Chan, a eight-year-old, cut his goal book out in the shape of a football; and Shandra, a six-year-old, drew a picture of Clifford, the big, red dog (which was her favorite book-friend) on the cover of her goal book).  Inside Goal Books, young readers note their daily progress, and tutors praise and validate Goal Books when these self-initiated goals are attained.  Stickers can also be placed on daily sheets to denote the completion of each day's work and to enhance the tutee's sense of accomplishment.  Figure 5 is a page from Shandra's goal book, and her progress over a period of two weeks. 

      In summary, book buddies enable tutors and tutees to reach new heights in their literacy abilities.  By incorporating record keeping and writing activities, teachers can significantly increase the benefits of such a program.  Through Book Buddy Journals, Book Buddy Journal Reflection Forms, Buddy Reading Records, Strategies Checklists, ReadersÕ Million Dollar Game, and Goal Books, tutors and tutees interests have demonstrated to significantly increase and the spectrum of reading and writing abilities has grown in depth and breadth (Block, 2001; Block, Shaller, Joy & Gaines, in press).  We offer these six activities to assist teachers, tutors, and tutees to saver the joys of sharing and growing together that we have personally and repeatedly experienced with our book buddies.  Our best wishes go with you as your work begins or deepens through the actions that you take to Òbetter book buddiesÓ.

Block, C. C. (in press).  Teaching the language arts:  Expanding students thinking through student-centered instruction, Third edition. Boston, MA:  Allyn and Bacon.

     Block, C. C. (2001).  A spotlight on exemplary practices that significantly increase studentsÕ literacy even when they enter first grade without the precursors for literacy success.  In Shananan, T. (Ed). National Reading Conference Yearbook.  Chicago, IL:  National Reading Conference, pp. 43-55.

     Block, C. C. (2000).  How can we teach all students to comprehend well.  Research Paper.  NY:  Scholastic.

     Block, C. C., Schaller, J., Joy, J., Gaines, P. (in press).  Teaching Students to Think About Comprehension As A Process And More Than Strategies.  In Pressley, M. & Block, C. C. (Eds).  Reading Comprehension. NY:  Guilford, pp. 33-56.

     Johnston, J., Inveernizzi, M., & Juel, C. (l998).  Book Buddies. NY:  Guilford.
Figure 1:  Book Buddy Journals Reflection Sheet

Name ___________________________________

BuddyÕs Name ________________________________

Directions:  When you and your partner have completed 6 buddy journal entries, you and your partner can discuss and grade them.  If you agree with the grade, check ÒyesÓ and write why.  If you donÕt agree, check ÒnoÓ and write why.

            BuddyÕs Evaluation                  PartnerÕs Response

	Yes	No
1. Reading lessons were clear, interesting and helped me improve my reading abilities. Grade ________ Specific examples are:
2. Opening and closing discussions were captivating and increased by comprehension. Grade  _______ Specific examples are:
3. I increased my vocabulary.  I now use and can read more vivid words, adjective, nouns, and verbs. Grade ________ Specific examples are:
4. I do not repeat words or ideas unnecessarily when I read orally, write or share my responses. Grade _______ Specific examples are:
5. I can comprehend more difficult sentences. Grade _______ Specific examples are:
6. I can decode better. Grade _______ Specific examples are:
Additional Comments and things I would like to add about our Buddy Readings are: