Shared Reading
The use of Shared Reading as a daily instructional strategy by teachers helps to get students interested and involved in text. Using a big book text, students are led by the teacher through multiple day readings and talking about the story. The text that is used is predictable, easy to read, and full of literary elements to teach children including sight words, punctuation, spacing, rhyming words, and other important parts of literacy. The teacher introduces the book to the class during whole/small group. Together the class takes a picture walk through the book and discusses what might happen throughout the book. The teacher reads the text aloud to the class focusing on the different parts of the text and story elements. Then the students echo reads the story with the teacher as she reads it aloud. The multiple readings of the text helps children to build fluency, sight word vocabulary, and other elements of literacy.
I work with my children daily with shared readings. On Monday, or the first day of the week, I introduce a new book to my students. We discuss the title, cover, and take a picture walk. We make predicitions and talk about what could happen. As I read the story to my students, I ask for their help sounding out words, finding sight words, working with punctuation, etc. After the first read through, we read through the book again together. I read a page, and then the children echo read the page back to me. We do this for the whole book. After discussing the books, story elements, and other important factors in reading, students read words, sentences, or the story to the class. The book is read for a week and placed in the "Books I can read" section of our reading area. A "book I can read" is read at the end of shared reading everyday by the class, taught by the student of the day. I help them with the text if needed, but most of the time other classmates help out if need be. I only revisit the story elements: characters, setting, problem, solution, and main idea. The rest is left up to the children. I really enjoy this time, as it really helps to improve fluency, sight word vocabulary, and confidence in reading.
Comments (3)
Meredith,
Shared Readings is such an important strategy to use with K-2 students. It is amazing how much children can pick up on through the use of a familiar story. I have noticed that my students enjoy finding conventions within a story much better than a random sentence written on the board. Students love to feel like they are a part of a lesson and they enjoy helping their classmates learn. Shared reading really allows students to build on their reading skills and grammar skills. I love your idea of placing the shared reading books in the "I Can Read" section of your classroom. What a confidence booster for your children and a great way to encourage them to re-visit books they have read.
Posted by Emily Rhoney | March 14, 2010 5:51 PM
Posted on March 14, 2010 17:51
Meredith, I really like your idea for the "books I can read section." I think that my kids would really enjoy being able to be lead readers and choose a book to read for the class. This is an idea I may need to start next year!
Posted by Jackie Jenkins | March 14, 2010 9:22 PM
Posted on March 14, 2010 21:22
Meredith- As you know, we do this in first grade too. My students love this time, especially when they get to echo read the story after me. They especially love to reread the book once we've finished it. This really helps build fluency and confidence for my readers who struggle some. Often, those are the first books they choose!
Posted by Reshawna Greene | March 14, 2010 10:14 PM
Posted on March 14, 2010 22:14