Figure 1: Mentor Responsibilities

Mentor Responsibilities

  • Respect confidentiality at all times
  • Abide by the Pupil Protection Policy (Policy 701)
  • Attend all training/debriefing sessions
  • Prepare for Mentor sessions in schools as scheduled
  • Report to designated school as per schedule
  • Document each experience/session in Reading Logs
  • Maintain open communication with researchers to discuss questions, concerns, successes, schedule changes, etc.

Mentors were also briefed on the criteria/ingredients for successful read aloud sessions (Figure 2) which were included in the Mentor Handbook.

Figure 2: Criteria for Successful Read Aloud Sessions

Recipe for Reading Aloud

  • See yourself as an artist; saying the words to help the listeners think the pictures
  • Pick a story you enjoy
  • Prepare by reading several times from beginning to end
  • Use your natural speaking voice
  • Use your voice to make the story effective (pitch, tone, volume)
  • Use well-timed pauses to help the listeners anticipate what is coming
  • Tape-record/videotape yourself and evaluate