This week, our fourth graders started partner reading. Each set of partners is reading the same book. The students will self assess their skills, set goals for themselves, and strengthen their comprehension by envisioning and predicting.

As the partners read together, they try to experience the story as if it is real life. They draw on earlier parts of the text to add to the details in their mental movie. They may discuss with their partner about the characters’ traits and motivations, the setting, and the events in chronological order.

Partners are also focusing on walking in the shoes of their characters by imagining and empathizing. Partners may discuss "How do the character's new actions fit with/change those ideas?" or "Why might the character act like this?" As a whole class we discuss that characters are quite complicated, we might think about how the character is different on the outside than the inside and how that character might act differently in one relationship than another. Using empathy or seeing things through their eyes is one way we answer many questions about our characters.