Second Grade Partner Time

in Reading Workshop

Hello Teacher Friends!  I was so excited about my day at PS 116 last week.  I wanted to share with you some of the great partner talk happening there.  Partner time has been going well there because it is a work-in-progress.  The teachers are working hard to listen and coach it. 

Second Graders love to talk about books in Kristen and Alyson's second grade classroom at PS 116.  They started the habit early and the kids remembered so many things from their first grade partner time.  Last week (which was just the second week of school for these 8-year-olds) we reminded them about book recommendations.  We told the kids that friends are often asking each other, "What are you reading?"  or "Do you have a good book your could recommend?" We noted how a book recommendation usually sounds, modeled one with a Mr. Putter and Tabby book we had just read, and then got the whole class practicing with a book they knew from Read Aloud, Mercy Watson to the Rescue.  

Towards the end of independent reading time, we gave a quick interruption to help the kids plan for their partner time.  We said, "choose the book or the part of the book you want to talk about with your partner today.  You might want to use the chart to rehearse if you are going to retell and/or give a recommendation."

Soon, they met with partners.  The readers in this inclusive classroom span a wide range of levels and there are lots of options for partner time.  Some kids chose to read a book together, some chose to talk about favorite parts, and many chose to give a recommendation.  While the kids met with their partners, the teachers and I could listen and take some quick assessments about retelling and summarizing.  We ended that reading workshop brimming with ideas about some quick small groups we could gather to support partner time as well as retelling and monitoring for sense as you read.

Finally, we started a class book recommendation chart together during our end-of-workshop share time.  The kids were chomping at the bit to post their recommendations.  It is growing day by day.

Our hope is that all the good book talk results in great independent book shopping and an increase in reading stamina.  I read with stronger stamina if I know a friend has told me a book is great.  Don't you?  

What partner talk routines are happening in your classroom?  What are kids doing already that they remember from last year?  Do you have fun ways for kids to share book recommendations?