Reading Strategies
Shared Reading
An Instructional Strategy for Teachers Grades K–3
Description: Shared Reading is an interactive reading experience that occurs when students join in or share the reading of a big book or other enlarged text while guided and supported by a teacher or other experienced reader. Students observe an expert reading the text with fluency and expression. The text must be large enough for all the students to see clearly, so they can share in the reading of the text. It is through Shared Reading that the reading process and reading strategies that readers use are demonstrated. In Shared Reading, children participate in reading, learn critical concepts of how print works, get the feel of learning and begin to perceive themselves as readers (Fountas & Pinnell, 1996). Some of the benefits of Shared Reading:
• Allows students to enjoy materials that they may not be able to read on their own.
• Ensures that all students feel successful by providing support to the entire group.
• Students act as though they are reading.
• Helps novice readers learn about the relationship between oral language and printed language.
• Assists students in learning where to look and/or focus their attention.
• Supports students as they gain awareness of symbols and print conventions, while constructing meaning from text read.
• Assists students in making connections between background knowledge and new information.
• Focuses on and helps develop concepts about print and phonemic connections.
• Helps in teaching frequently used vocabulary.
• Encourages prediction in reading.
• Helps students develop a sense of story and increases comprehension.
Setting and Resources: A sense of community is developed when the time is taken to arrange for a small group of students, or when appropriate, the whole class, to gather in an area near a big book, chart/easel, wall story, or text written on the chalkboard, so that all participants can easily see the enlarged text and
An Instructional Strategy for Teachers Grades K–3
Description: Shared Reading is an interactive reading experience that occurs when students join in or share the reading of a big book or other enlarged text while guided and supported by a teacher or other experienced reader. Students observe an expert reading the text with fluency and expression. The text must be large enough for all the students to see clearly, so they can share in the reading of the text. It is through Shared Reading that the reading process and reading strategies that readers use are demonstrated. In Shared Reading, children participate in reading, learn critical concepts of how print works, get the feel of learning and begin to perceive themselves as readers (Fountas & Pinnell, 1996). Some of the benefits of Shared Reading:
• Allows students to enjoy materials that they may not be able to read on their own.
• Ensures that all students feel successful by providing support to the entire group.
• Students act as though they are reading.
• Helps novice readers learn about the relationship between oral language and printed language.
• Assists students in learning where to look and/or focus their attention.
• Supports students as they gain awareness of symbols and print conventions, while constructing meaning from text read.
• Assists students in making connections between background knowledge and new information.
• Focuses on and helps develop concepts about print and phonemic connections.
• Helps in teaching frequently used vocabulary.
• Encourages prediction in reading.
• Helps students develop a sense of story and increases comprehension.
Setting and Resources: A sense of community is developed when the time is taken to arrange for a small group of students, or when appropriate, the whole class, to gather in an area near a big book, chart/easel, wall story, or text written on the chalkboard, so that all participants can easily see the enlarged text and
References: Fisher, B., & Medvic, E.F. (2000). Perspectives on shared reading: Planning and practice. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann Ruddell, R.B. (1999). Teaching children to read and write: Becoming an influential teacher (2nd ed.). Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon. Weaver, C. (1994). Reading Process and Practice. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann