For current and incoming ROW volunteers

Volunteer Resources

Training videos, required documents and reading-session reference tools for ROW volunteers.

Additional required training and volunteer records are available in the Volunteer Portal.

ROW student and volunteer working with books

Required documents

Mandatory Volunteer Training

Front and back shown once

Volunteer Reference Tools

Open a printable copy or review both sides here before a reading session.

ROW Volunteer Coaching Card

Specific feedback, reading techniques, word-attack strategies and comprehension questions.

Download coaching card PDF

Front of the ROW Volunteer Coaching Card — Front

Back of the ROW Volunteer Coaching Card — Back

Accessible text version

Front

Generic praise: Good job! Nice work! You did great!

Specific feedback: You kept trying until you got it right. You looked all the way through that word.

Techniques: Track words with your finger. Pause for punctuation. Use vocal inflection and an appropriate pace.

Back

Word-attack strategies: Stop if something does not look right, sound right or make sense. Say the letter sounds and blend them. Point under the letters. Cover part of the word. Look for a known chunk. Try a different vowel sound. Reread the sentence.

Comprehension questions: What do you think will happen next? How was that character feeling? What was your favorite part?

PEER Sequence Bookmark

A front-and-back prompt guide for interactive read-alouds.

Download bookmark PDF

Front of the PEER Sequence bookmark — Front

Accessible text version

PEER sequence

Prompt: Ask a who, what, when, where or why question about the book. Evaluate: Affirm the child’s response. Expand: Rephrase the response and add information. Repeat: Ask the child to repeat the expanded response.

When and why to use it

Use PEER whenever you read a book aloud. The sequence supports a playful conversation that helps children learn new words, practice those words and form longer phrases and sentences.

Video Training for Volunteers

New volunteer training

Your Pile, My Pile: Letter Recognition Practice

A practical demonstration of sorting known and unknown letter cards, then practicing the letters a student needs most.

Go Fish

Kid Friendly Definitions

Looping Under CVC Words

Memory Game

Tap Tap Track it Back

Writing Spelling Games

Continuing Volunteer Education

28 minute training

Interactive Read-Alouds

A guide for volunteers for building oral language.

The 4:1 ratio

Help developing relationships, trust and pointing out the positives.

Parallel talk

Helping develop vocabulary and encouraging students to speak in complete sentences.

Partner reading

Help coach students through tricky words to reinforce reading accuracy.

bookmark link

Paragraph Shrinking

Helping kids get to the main idea of the text.

Building Automaticity

Using focus boards (see first 3 minutes).

NOTE:

T here are multiple tabs on the spreadsheet.
When using this document, please make a copy to use with your student.

Directions: Enter a list of six words, letters, sounds, or Final Stable Syllables, and generate 5 Rapid Recognition charts to use with your students. To use the Rapid Recognition Chart as an assessment, time the number of student readings of the chart within one minute.

FOCUS BOARD LINK [excel file] FOCUS BOARD LINK [Google doc]

Echo and Phrase Reading

Help for reaading with students who need modeling.