Pair and Share Reading is a strategy incorporated in the HOT ROD series that pairs developing readers with proficient readers (educators, parents, peers) who share the literacy experience by reading the more challenging segments of a text aloud while the developing reader reads the portions that are targeted for their decoding level. For instance, in Book One from Set One of the series, The Box and Other Stories from Greek Mythology, the poems are read by the developing reader and the introductory story information that appears before each poem is read by the reading partner. 

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The reading partner may be a reading interventionist, speech-language pathologist, or other educator working 1:1 or in a small group with students. In the classroom, teachers can more strategically assign portions of books to be read aloud by students at very different reading levels. They may also pair struggling readers with more advanced ones to work together as reading partners. The stories from the HOT ROD series are perfect for parents who want to support the reading instruction happening at school or other settings. The books can be sent home for additional reading practice or parents may incorporate them on their own in consultation with a teacher or reading tutor. Finally, home schoolers can use books from the series along with the Pair and Share strategy to expose their children to content beyond their current reading level. In fact, exposure to rich content is at the heart of the strategy. The Higher Order Thinking questions at the back of each book challenge students of all ability levels to think beyond the text.

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Many of the stories in the HOT ROD series incorporate poetry which naturally lends itself to repeated readings. In addition, because the stories include engaging and high quality content, students are excited to circle back to the stories as their decoding skills improve and they are able to read the entire content independently. 

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If you are a parent who is concerned about your child’s reading abilities and suspect they may have dyslexia or another type of neurologically-based reading challenge, reach out to your local branch of the International Dyslexia Association. Many resources for families may be found at dyslexiaida.org.