Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS)

Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS) is a supplemental 1-1 peer tutoring program where elementary students work in pairs, taking turns as teacher and learner. The lessons involve reading aloud, listening to their partner read aloud, and providing structured feedback based on teacher training in five minute increments. The feedback involves identifying errors, initiating correction procedures, and awarding points for correctly read sentences. Additionally, activities include describing the main idea and predicting what comes next in the passage. Through these lessons PALS focuses on building phonemic awareness, phonics, sound blending, passage reading, and story retelling literacy skills.