ABOUT PALS
Reading

PALS Reading is a structured, peer-mediated reading activity appropriate for students in preschool through grade 6 and high school. All students in a class are divided into pairs. Each member of the pair takes turns being Coach and Reader. As the reader reads aloud, the coach listens and provides corrective feedback.

Preschool PALS focuses on letter names, letter sounds, first-sound identification, and phonological awareness.

In Kindergarten PALS, children practice letter-sound correspondence, decoding, phonological awareness, and sightwords.

First-grade PALS emphasizes decoding and reading fluently.

In grades 2-6, there are three PALS activities that promote reading fluency and reading comprehension:

1) Partner Reading
2) Paragraph Shrinking
3) Prediction Relay

Students are divided into teams and are awarded points for good reading and coaching. PALS does not require special reading material. Teachers may use library books, or short stories.

High School PALS is similar to PALS at grades 2-6 but uses more age-appropriate motivational strategies and helping strategies.