Pair Class Kit – Red

PAIR CLASS KIT – RED

This class kit is designed for Foundation Year students. It is a home reading scheme that runs for one school term.

It includes 50 home readers (8 different titles):

• Teacher Guide booklet
• BLM Resource booklet
• 25 small puzzle books
• 25 carry bags
• Sturdy vinyl storage box

Class kit (25 Students) includes:

x 8

x 6

x 6

x 6

x 6

x 6

x 6

x 6

x 1

x 1

x 25

x 25

Our mission is to engage children in quality, read-aloud conversations that enrich their literacy experience and enable their future learning.

Built On Research

Parent Assisted Immersive Reading (PAIR) is built on world research that shows children who have been read to regularly at an early age grasp educational concepts more readily right through their schooling years. Furthermore, such benefits are magnified when sessions incorporate quality reading material combined with quality discussion. The gains can be dramatic, far reaching and long lasting.

The PAIR Program

PAIR’s point of difference, and its strength, is that it involves parents in a very meaningful way. Parents read stories aloud to their child and then engage them further by following engagement prompts (questions, actions, tips, activities, discussion points) provided throughout each PAIR book. This extended involvement accelerates the child’s reading readiness and lifts their early literacy skills.

By following the prompts provided parents are trained in effective reading engagement strategies that they can employ elsewhere with other reading matter. The school in effect has gained a knowledgeable asset – the parent.

How does a PAIR book work?

PAIR Picture Books are specifically designed to generate quality discussion between parent and child.

PAIR draws on, and has included, the three main reading styles parents most naturally use when reading aloud to their children. These styles are:

• Performance Orientated style: parents introduce the story; read the story in one uninterrupted flow; and then ask concluding questions.
• Describer style: parents ask factual questions as the story unfolds.
• Comprehender style: parents ask inferential and critical thinking questions as the story unfolds.

The Pink Sections

Each P.A.I.R. book includes a strategy for ‘Whole-book Awareness’.
Pink sections including a range of questions appear in the front and back of each book. Parents introduce the book by visiting the first pink section. They then read the whole story right through without interruption. At the end of the story they visit the concluding pink section. (This scaffolding supports the ‘Performance Orientated’ style parent reader).

The Yellow Sections

Every double page spread in a PAIR book contains a range of prompts that assist the parent in engaging their child further in the story.

Top left corner:  This corner contains straight-forward, literal questions that will quickly engage the child in the story. (These support the ‘’Describer’ style parent reader).

Top right corner:  This corner contains inferential and critical thinking questions. These higher level questions help the child to engage more deeply in the story. (These support the ‘Comprehender’ style parent reader).

Bottom left corner:  This section deals with de-contextualisation. That is, helping the child make links to their own world  and experiences. This is a vey powerful tool for comprehension – putting events in context clarifies meaning.

Bottom right corner:
This section allows for vocabulary development. The parent and child explore interesting words that appear in the text and images.

All prompts play a unique role in the development of early reading skills.

NOTE: For any given double-spread the parent need only visit one yellow corner and ask just one or two questions. This way the story keeps its flow. This also reserves ample questioning for multiple re-tellings.

Each PAIR book is values-based. Each book tells a wholesome story that supports an important social theme or value.

Each book is supported by colourful, stimulating images incorporating appealing, friendly characters.

How to treat the different book types

Prose: Parents should occasionally trace the text with their finger as they narrate – this reinforces the left-to-right nature of reading. They should also try to be expressive – maybe giving each story character its own distinctive voice.

Rhyming Verse: A number of the PAIR books are written in verse. Understanding rhyme is an important phonetic skill. Parents should highlight rhyming words. They should sometimes pause just before reading the second word of a rhyming pair. Also they should be mindful of beat and tempo.

Wordless: ‘Snuggles’ Birthday Cupcakes’ is a wordless book. A simple storyline is provided in the BLM Resources booklet and can be sent home accompanying this book. Encourage parents to be descriptive – they should feel free to embellish.
Number: ‘Additon with Andee’ and ‘Subtraction with Steggie’ reinforce number concepts. Parents can use the counting corners in the books and manipulate discrete objects to add to the learning and fun.

The 8 PAIR Picture Books

Recommended Implementation

Model One – to run over one school term.

Model Two – to run over two school terms.

• This 2-week cycle is repeated over two terms.

Model Three – Integrated Unit model

• All students in the class take home the same title for home reading.
  (Note: Extra PAIR books will be required)
• This PAIR book supports a short integrated unit of study done in class.
  For example, ‘Sniff Goes Camping’ is read at home, but supports the
  at school integrated unit on ‘Holidays & Family Fun’.
• Classroom units should last 1-2 weeks.

Additional material and information on how to implement this easy-to-use program can also be found in the Teacher Guide booklet & the BLM Resources booklet. For example: Books Tracking Sheet, Letter To Parents etc.