PALS

Grades 2-6


Portfolio by:
Kaylee Dillon

Spring 2014
Education 460: Individuals with Mild Disabilities

Table of Contents
Summary
Section 1: Detailed Description of PALS
a. Overview of typical PALS session
b. Detailed Descriptions of the three main activities
i. Paragraph Reading with Retell
ii. Paragraph shrinking
iii. Prediction Relay
c. Description of how to select Partners and organize the initial PALS sessions
d. Description of training program, including a suggested 12 day training
schedule.
e. Description of activities to encourage and maintain student interest.
Section 2: Materials
a. Reading materials for one PALS session
b. Score Sheets
c. Question Cards
d. Correction Cards
e. Training Materials
f. Materials for activities to Encourage and Maintain interest
Summary
PALS stands for Peer Assisted Learning Strategies. PALS complements the existing
reading curriculum by providing research-validated learning strategies through peer-
mediated instruction. PALS is modeled after Class Wide Peer Tutoring (CWPT). PALS is an
approach to teaching children important reading skills. PALS was originally developed for
use with students in second grade through sixth.
In the PALS approach, teachers pair a high-performing reader with a low-performing
one in order to complete activities designed to promote the development of reading skills.
PALS incorporates:
Reciprocal peer tutoring
The use of scripted prompts
Highly structured activities that have been demonstrated to improve
students learning
Frequent verbal interaction and feedback between the coach and reader.
PALS was originally developed for use with student grades 2-6 and was later
expanded to include versions for students in kindergarten, first grade, and high school. For
grades 2-6 the reading skills addressed are fluency and comprehension. It includes activities
to use to improve these skills such as partner reading with retell, paragraph shrinking, and
prediction relay.



Section 1:
Detailed Description of PALS

a. Typical PALS Session
When PALS is implemented among students in the second through sixth grade, it
requires and engagement in three activities designed to build fluency and comprehension
skills. Once an initial round of training has been completed, students implement the three
activities during each session in a prescribed order: Partner Reading with Retell, Paragraph
Shrinking, and Prediction Relay. Each PALS session lasts for approximately 35 minutes, with
about 10 minutes devoted to each of the activities.
During each of the activities, the lower-performing reader serves as the Coach and
the higher-performing reader performs the role of Reader. The Reader models good reading
skills. After five minutes, the students switch roles. The pair proceeds through each of the
tree activities in the same manner.
It is essential that the teacher selects appropriate texts for each student pair based
on the reading level of the weaker reader. It is also essential, that while the students are
engaging in peer tutoring activities that the teacher moves around the room and monitors
their work. By doing this, the teacher gets a great opportunity to offer feedback to students
about how well they are reading, implementing the PALS activities, and working with their
partners.

b. Description of Activities
i. Partner Reading with Retell
Partner Reading with Retell address skills in reading fluency and summarizing. The
length of this activity is 11-12 minutes. As each student reads, the student Coach monitors
and offers corrective feedback when the Reader says the wrong word, adds a word, leaves a
word out, or pauses for more than 4 seconds. This activity consists of three main steps,
which are explained in the box below.
Step 1
The higher- performing student reads first for five minutes. Because
this student will serve as a model for the less-proficient student, he
or she should read carefully but quickly and with expression.
Step 2
The lower-performing student reads the same text for five minutes.
By listening before reading, this student has had an opportunity to
take note of any hard words and so is more likely to be comfortable
with the text and to read it fluently.
Step 3
The lower-performing reader takes one or two minutes to retell the
story. The teacher should allow one minute for students in the
second and third grades to complete this step and two minutes for
students in the fourth through the eighth grade to do so.

ii. Paragraph Shrinking
Paragraph shrinking is designed to improve comprehension and it should last 10
minutes. This activity helps students to monitor their own comprehension and focus on the
main idea of each paragraph, pay attention to important details, and elaborate the content
of a text. As the Reader reads, the Coach monitors and offers corrective feedback when and
if the Reader incorrectly summarizes a paragraph or the summarizing uses more than 10
words. Paragraph Shrinking consist of four steps, outlined the box below.
Step 1
The higher-performing student reads for five minutes, beginning
where the second reader left off in Partner Reading and stopping at
the end of each paragraph.
Step 2
At the end of each paragraph, the higher-performing reader
identifies the main character (who or what) and summarizes the
main idea in 10 words or fewer.
Step 3
After switching roles, the lower-performing student picks up where
the higher-performing reader left off in the text, reading for five
minutes and stopping at the end of each paragraph.
Step 4
At the end of each paragraph, the lower-performing reader identifies
the main character (who or what) and summarizes the main idea in 10
words or fewer.

iii. Prediction Relay
Prediction Relay benefits students because the ability to make predictions is
associated with improvements in reading comprehension. This activity should last 10
minutes. Prediction Relay consists of three steps outlined in the box below. Beginning with
the strongest reader, each student completes the three steps and continues the process for
5 minutes, at which time the students switch roles. The students begin reading in the text at
the point they left off in Paragraph Shrinking.

Step 1
The Reader makes a prediction about what will happen on the next
half page.
Step 2 The Reader reads the half page.
Step 3 The Reader determines whether the prediction was correct.


c. Selecting Partners and Organizing the Initial PALS Sessions
Through PALS, students are systematically paired so that each dyad consists of one
higher-performing reader and one lower-performing one. The teacher ranks their students
based on their reading achievement level, divides the list in half, and pairs the top high-
performing student with the top low-performing student. This process is repeated until all of
the students have been paired. Students with certain disabilities such as learning disabilities,
mild intellectual and developmental disabilities can be paired successfully with students with
or without disabilities.
Students in grades 2-6 will usually remain in their assigned pairs for 3 or 4 weeks.
After this time, the teacher will need to reassign partners. Teachers should be aware that
there may be circumstances that require adjustments to their initial pairings. The table
below lists examples of reasons that student pairing might require modification.
Reason Example
Behavior issues
The student pair has difficulty following instructions and the PALS
rules, creating a disruptive environment.
Student
incompatibility
The stronger reader does not work well with the struggling student,
exhibiting disrespect and offering inappropriate feedback.
Student academic
needs
A discrepancy in the students abilities is too large to accommodate
learning.
Absenteeism One student is absent for the day.

When a classroom contains an odd number of students, it leaves one student without
a partner. In this case, teachers can create a group of three students (a triad). When doing
so, they should consider that:
Each student can serve as the Coach for one of the three activities and the
Reader for two of the activities.
One student with average or above reading and social skills can be assigned to
a triad but serve as a floater, filling in for other students when they are
absent.
It is better to place higher-performing students in triads than to assign
struggling readers to these groups, because students in triads have fewer
opportunities to practice their reading.

d. Training Program
Before any teacher can successfully implement any strategy in their classrooms, they
must ensure that their students are effectively trained. The training for PALS includes twelve
35-minute sessions. Through these sessions, teachers gradually introduce their students to
each of the strategys three activities. This allows them more opportunities to discretely
practice Partner Reading with Retell, Paragraph Shrinking, and Prediction Relay before all
three are combined into one session.

Suggested 12 Session Training Schedule
Session 1 Introduce PALS
Session 2 Introduce Partner Reading
Session 3 Practice Partner Reading
Session 4 Introduce Retell
Session 5 Practice Partner Reading and Retell
Session 6 Introduce Paragraph Shrinking
Session 7 Practice Paragraph Shrinking
Session 8 Practice Partner Reading, Retell, and Paragraph Shrinking
Session 9 Practice Partner Reading, Retell, and Paragraph Shrinking
Session 10 Introduce Prediction Relay
Session 11 Practice Prediction Relay
Session 12 Put It All Together


In order to teach students about each PALS activity, use the following training
procedures:
Discuss PALS
Introduce PALS and highlighting the advantages of using the
strategy. Explain what the strategy is for, how it is used, and when it
is useful. Also, define terms that are specific to PALS, such as Reader,
Coach, and peer pairing, explain rules that apply during the
implementation of PALS, and describe the procedures for a PALS
session.
Model PALS Activity
Model the set-up procedures and each reading activity. Additionally,
through presentations and role-playing, demonstrate the role of the
Coach, especially how to provide corrective feedback and highlight
appropriate social behaviors for students working in pairs.
Allow Time for
Guided Practice
Once student understand the basic principles of PALS, allow them to
practice what they have learned. During this time, guide students
through the process as they engage in the three PALS reading
activities, practice gathering and putting away materials, and
rehearse moving to partners.
Allow Time for
Independent
Practice
When students have become familiar with each of the strategies,
monitor their practice and provide corrective feedback. Make
certain that the students perform the activities correctly. The teacher
should also offer appropriate corrective feedback, maintain positive
social interactions, and observe the PALS rules.


e. Activities to Encourage and Maintain Student Interest
All teachers would like for each of their students to possess an intrinsic motivation to read.
However, a number of students lack the necessary skills and self-confidence. For this
reason, PALS incorporates an extrinsic motivatorfriendly classroom competitions in which
pairs are assigned to one of two teams and earn points through participation. As teachers
prepare for this competitive component of PALS, there are several things that they should
consider.
Assigning Students to Teams
To the extent possible, teachers should make certain that their teams are matched in
ability. They should create new teams approximately every three to four weeks to coincide
with the assignment of students to new pairs. If there are an uneven number of pairs on the
teams, the teacher can:
Assign the pair to one team and average each teams scores
Add one pairs points to both teams scores
Awarding Points
A student earns points during PALS sessions for correctly completing each activity and for
working well with his or her partner. At the end of each week, the scores for each team can
be tallied, and the first- and second-place winners announced and posted on the Score
Board. In addition to assigning points for each activity, teachers could also allot bonus points
to students who are doing a better-than-average job at working cooperatively.

Materials for Competition
You can create Pairs and Teams Assignment Charts so that students can keep track of
their partners and their teams. You should create new charts every three to four weeks
when pairs and teams are reassigned. Each student pair will need one Score Card per week
to keep track of the point theyve earned. Once the students have reported their points for
the week, you can post the scores on the Score Board and announce the 1
st
and 2
nd
place
winners.