Read Together Program
The Read Together Program scripts are developed by Saroj Ghoting and based on information from the Every Child Ready to Read @ your library program of the Association of Library Service to Children (ALSC) and the Public Library Association (PLA) divisions of the American Library Association.+ It provides you with scripts that can be used in several ways including the following:
* As a Drop-In Program
* As an On-the-Spot Program or One-on-One Interaction
Drop-In Program
Library sets up a 1 1/2 to 2 hour time once a week for a Read Together Program. Parents/caregivers drop in for 5 minutes or more. Set up the display noted. As people come in with their children, determine the age/stage of the child and use the part of the script that is most appropriate. Then the parent and child take some time to read together practicing the skill. The appropriate Read Together Card can be handed out.
On-the-Spot Program/One-on-One Interaction
Decide on the script you will use for the week. Set up a display. Anytime an adult comes in with a young child, use the script to talk about an aspect of the skill. Use the child's age/stage of development to determine which part of the script to say. Have a display set up for the week. Encourage the parent and child to read together to practice the skill you spoke about. The appropriate Read Together Card can be handed out.
The Scripts:
There are 4 scripts for each of the six early literacy skills. Each script highlights one aspect of the skill. You can choose to do all 4 scripts for one skill "in a row" or you can mix up the skills, i.e. Phonological Awareness #1, then Vocabulary #1, etc.
Each script is broken down by age-level: babies, toddlers, two- to three-year-olds, and four- to five-year-olds. For each level, activities are noted for supporting the skill with a book and without a book. Scripts below are in MSWord format.
* Print Motivation Read Together Script
* Phonological Awareness Read Together Script
* Vocabulary Read Together Script
* Narrative Skills Read Together Script
* Print Awareness Read Together Script
* Letter Knowledge Read Together Script
The Cards:
The Read Together cards are handouts that support the scripts and actually correspond to each script. While they can be used independently of the scripts, some terms may not make sense unless they are explained.
1. There are two sheets (back-to-back) of Introductory cards which give informaiton on early literacy, on each of the six skills, and space for information on your library. The cards are designed to have a hole punched in the upper left-hand corner. These 8 cards can be put on a ring and handed out the first time.
2. As you go through the scripts, hand out the card that corresponds to the script. Each card is labelled with the name of the skill, the script number, and the age-level. The front of each card summarizes activities that support the skill using a book. The back of each card summarizes activities that support the skill without using a book. These cards can be hole-punched and then added to the ring handed out initially. If you need any of these files in MSPublisher format, please contact me.
* Introductory Cards pdf
* Print Motivation Cards pdf
* Phonological Awareness Cards pdf
* Vocabulary Cards pdf
* Narrative Skills Cards pdf
* Print Awareness Cards pdf
* Letter Knowledge Cards pdf
* English Language Learner Cards pdf
These cards are for adults whose first language is not English. They include information often asked by parents/caregivers whose first language is not English, one card for each skill. These cards are IN ADDITION to the ones above. I do not have the resources to have these translated. If you find them useful and have them translated, please send the translations to me and I will add them here (with credit given).

+ Thank you to the following for ideas and feedback in developing the scripts and the cards: Katie Ross, Kanawha County (WV) Public Library, Pamela Martin-Diaz, Allen County (IN) Public Library, Abby Kiracofe, Columbus Metropolitan (OH) Library, Staci Shaw, Idaho Commission for Libraries, Renea Arnold, Multnomah County (OR) Library, and to Cheryl Allen and Angela Reynolds who piloted the project for DC Public Libraries.