9 Ideas For Your Buddy Reading Center
Buddy Reading Center has always been a consistent center each week. We want our little ones to read, read, read as much as they can daily, so I never switch this one out. With all the planning that is required for all subject matters, it can be nice to have centers that are familiar and don't require model practice with the teacher sometimes. However, you don't want your students to get 'bored' when it's their day to visit this center. Here are some ideas to jazz up Buddy Reading:
1. Pointers: Ah, this is one of THE most favorite teacher tools that kids love to get their hands on! Perhaps, you let your kids use these in the Big Book Center (if you have one), but why not let them use them in Buddy Reading, too? How about a mini hand pointer that is just the right size with a regular size book? These can be found in teacher resource stores or Amazon. Or you can make your own with a small wooden dowel and trinket to glue at the end.
2. Story Characters: This depends if you invest in these guys. I have always collected the little plush characters that go with many of my favorite stories: Max and the Wild Things, June B. Jones, Elmer, Frog and Toad, Mouse from If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, and many more! During read-alouds, if I have a character doll, I allow a student to hold him or her during the reading. And if the books ever end up in a center basket, I put the character(s) in if I have it/them.
3. Timers: Students need to get comfortable with timed readings, so let them practice with their buddy. Leave an hourglass sand timer (or electronic if you want to teach them how to use it) and a fluency passage page in the center basket. The students can read to each other while the other 'times'. I always model how they can watch the timer, yet take their eyes away to help their buddy if he/she gets stuck on a word and needs help.
4. Highlighter Tape: Highlighter tape is another fun teacher tool that will make a center fun for kids! I let the students use this when they practice timed readings with me as a whole group. I tear off 3 pieces and place them at the top of their reading fluency page. At the end of the first timed reading, they can place the tape on the last word they read. Then, they will continue to do the same for the second and third timed readings. This is a good visual for kids to see how practice in reading the same text repeatedly helps them to become faster more fluent readers, too! Students can use this special colored tape for timed readings in your Buddy Reading center. Also, you can provide it for any other tasks you may give for the center that week (examples: highlight all words with short i, or whenever they come across a given sight word).
5. Puppets: Provide puppets to act out a story or a reader's theatre. Also, your reading curriculum may offer character cut-out printables in the resource section of your teacher's guide. I often place a student reading textbook in the Buddy Reading center with props and character puppets I cut, colored, laminated, and attached to craft sticks.
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| Provide an alligator puppet to accompany the book Sometimes, by Keith Baker |
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| Little Bear's Friend, by Else Holmelund Minarik |
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| Harcourt Trophies printables for Little Bear and Emily |
6. Games: Puzzles and Games is a fun center to have in your center rotation schedule, but you can also place games in your Buddy Reading center. Allow the students to play a game once before they dive into the text you have left for them to read. I create game boards that incorporate words that they will be reading in the text. All kids love playing games and it gets them familiar with the words they will come across in the story, to make for more fluent reading. Here's an example of a game board that includes words that will be in a story that focuses on short a CVC words.
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| This game can be played before reading 'What Do I See?', a decodable short a book. |
Another example would be Roll and Read. Pull some words, phrases, or sentences from the text, and write a number 1-6 beside it. (One idea is to do this on note cards.) When a student rolls the dice, he/she must read from the text beside that number. Here is an example of my Roll and Read activity that comes in my short vowel Decodable Books with printables.
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| This activity provides practice reading text from my decodable book, 'Look!' |
7. Flashcards: Include a set of flashcards for the students to read before they read the text. You want these flashcards to contain words from the story they are about to read during center time. You can easily make flashcards with index cards and markers.
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| Flashcards are included in my decodable book, 'What Do I See?', and other short vowel decodable books. |
8. Task Cards: Students should know what is expected of them during center time and a good way to do that is to provide task cards. I invested in a set of Debbie Diller's literacy work station task cards. Each card gives clear student-friendly directions with illustrations. Tasks include the following: 1. I read. You read. 2. I read a page. You be my echo. 3. We read together. 4. We read. We act it out. 5. I read. You retell. 6. I read. You listen. 7. We read a book together. We plan a book talk. 8. Sit beside each other. Take turns reading the pages. These cards can be found on Amazon and include task cards for many centers.
9. Reading Hats: We all wear many hats. Why not wear one when we are readers? I have found little visors from the Dollar Store that the kids enjoy wearing. Check out the Target dollar bins, too! You can place cowboy hats, Dr. Seuss red/white striped hats, or even festive holiday headbands in your center.
My short vowel Decodable Books and Printables include several activities that can be used in your Buddy Reading center. The fluency reading pages, games, and books are perfect for practicing sight words and short a, e, i, o, and u CVC words. You can find them in my store!
Buy the Bundle for all 5 vowels and save!
You can also find center signs in my store:
