Educational Psychology Services - Paired Reading

What is Paired Reading?

Paired reading is a simple yet very effective way of improving a child’s reading. It helps to improve their basic reading ability (i.e. the ability to read words quickly and accurately) and their ability to understand whatever is being read.

The approach was first developed by Prof Keith Topping at Dundee University is used by schools across Scotland.

How do you do Paired Reading?

In paired reading, pupils work in pairs. One pupil is the tutor and the other pupil is the tutee.

There are a number of stages to a Paired Reading lesson.

The tutee chooses a book for reading. It can be anything – a comic, a novel, a non-fiction book or a magazine.

The tutee and tutor talk together about the book before they begin reading.

The tutee starts reading. If the tutee gets stuck, the tutor waits for up to 4 seconds and then tells them the correct word.

If they make a mistake, the tutor corrects the mistake. The tutee repeats the word and then carries on reading. When the tutee makes a mistake, the tutor and the tutee read together.

When the tutee is ready, he or she makes a simple signal to the tutor that they want to read alone.

The tutor is encouraged to praise the tutee when they are doing well.

Usually, Paired Reading takes place 2 or 3 times each week for 15-20 minutes each time. A Paired Reading programme usually lasts for about 10 weeks.

How can I help at Home?

Anyone can help with Paired Reading – mums, dads, older brothers and sisters, grandparents, other family members and family friends.

Just follow the method described in the previous section. Here are a few handy hints though:

• Before reading, talk about the pictures and the title of the story. During and after reading, talk about what's in the book and ask them questions about what they have read.
• Keep reading time fun. Use lots of praise when your child is doing well.
• When your child reads a word wrong, just tell your child what the word says. You say the word correctly, then your child says it after you. 

It’s best not to make the child struggle, or 'break it up' or 'sound it out’ for too long. However, if they get stuck, you shouldn’t jump in and say the right word straight away either.    Give your child 3 or 4 seconds to see if they can figure it out by themselves and then just tell them the word.

How often should we do paired reading at home?

It really depends on the age of your child but little and often is probably better. For example, with younger children, it might be better to do Paired Reading for around 5 minutes, 3-5 times per week. For older children, it might be better to do Paired Reading for slightly longer (e.g. 15 minutes) but only 2-3 times per week.

It also depends on how interested your child is in reading. Most children enjoy Paired Reading but for pupils who are less interested it is maybe best to start by reading for only a short period of time.

Also, if your child is doing lots of Paired Reading at school, it might be best to do less at home to avoid boredom!

It’s probably best just to ask your child – they’ll tell you if they’re getting fed up!