Wander into any of our three fourth grade classrooms and you will see partners reading to each other, writing thoughts on sticky notes or in their journals and intently sharing their ideas about their books. Partner reading in fourth grade is in full swing! 
Books were chosen that portrayed interesting characters and lent themselves to students grappling with interpretations and developing theories about their characters. Each pair chose between two fiction books. Some of the books being read include Dog Days, Yang the Youngest and His Terrible Ear, Jake and Lily, Ruby Holler, Fourth Grade Rats and Museum Mysteries. Partners decided together how many pages they would read at home in between reading workshop sessions. A comprehension strategy such as Feelings Change is completed by everyone in order to elevate the readers' thinking about their book and to provide a foundation for discussion between the partners.
Tiger Rising is the mentor text that has been read aloud. Students have the opportunity to practice the comprehension strategy with this mentor text before applying it to their partner book. As students share their thinking, in response to Tiger Rising or their partner book, it is clear that this fourth grade year, is a time when student's ability to make inferences, develop theories and make connections to characters is deep and meaningful.
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