Shared reading is an important tool in improving student comprehension and fluency. It is a whole group instruction that will target several areas of reading. During a shared reading the students will read aloud with the teacher. This is usually done with an enlarged text that the teacher utilizes to guide students through multiple readings of the same text. The first reading of the text is to engage the students. It’s all about getting them to enjoy the text and begin to think about meaning. After the initial reading the teacher may focus their student’s attention to different aspects of the text. This can be used to focus on meaning, structure, vocabulary etc. In this regard a shared reading can be tailored to fit class needs as they arise.

Shared reading falls between a read aloud and guided reading in terms of student involvement. In a read aloud students are not engaged in the reading process to the extent they will be during a shared reading. A guided reading allows students to be even more independent as they are responsible for a bulk of the reading and decoding of text. According to Fountas and Pinnell, shared reading benefits students in a variety of ways.

• Provides enjoyable, successful experiences with print for all students

• Promotes the development of all aspects of the reading process

• Builds language skills and enhances vocabulary

• Provides opportunities to engage in expressive, meaningful, fluent reading

• Builds understanding of various types of texts, formats, and language structures

• Builds a community of readers

Team, Fountas and Pinnell. “What Is Shared Reading?” Fountas & Pinnell Blog, 2020, fpblog.fountasandpinnell.com/what-is-shared-reading.

Shared Reading can be used in a variety of different ways. The focus of a lesson can be driven by the type of text chosen. These can be fiction or non-fiction. Subject matters can range from poetry to scientific journals. Folktales, newspaper articles, biographies and more can shape the focus of your shared reading. The needs of a class can also dictate the where you may want to take your shared reading lessons. With younger students, it may be beneficial to focus a portion of your shared reading on introducing new reading strategies. With older students, it could be a starting point for delving into author meaning or symbolism. Whatever it is that you may want to focus on, the frame work of a shared reading remains the same.

During the course of several days the class will revisit a text and interact with it in different ways. During a shared reading students will sit as one large group. After introducing the text to the class, the teacher may want to read through it to demonstrate the pacing of the story and allow students to become acquainted with the text and enjoy the story. Next students will read along with the teacher. This can be done either with the whole text or selected parts. You may discuss the text with students and encourage them to decipher the meaning of the text or just share their thoughts. You may want to select a part of the reading to focus on in order to reinforce teaching points. This can be done for a variety of reasons depending on what you are working on with your class. As you move on to different teaching points you may want to revisit the text on different days.

Differentiation can be done at multiple points during a shared reading. Since a shared reading lesson can be tailored to the needs of the class, differentiation can begin by focusing the lesson on days 2 and/or 3. If a class is struggling with phrasing and fluency then the teacher can direct the lesson that way. While this works at a whole class level it doesn’t focus as much on individual student needs. During a whole group setting, students with a high proficiency can help model and demonstrate for students at lower proficiencies. The most specific differentiation can be done by introducing the shared reading texts into a small group setting where you can focus more individual attention.

It is important to informally assess students through shared reading lessons in order to assess student progress and guide future instruction. There are a variety of both formal and informal assessments that can be used for shared reading. A useful informal assessment that is often used by teachers during shared reading lessons are anecdotal notes, which allow teacher to document the observations they are having of students during the lesson. As for formal assessments, teachers can use both running records and The Observation Survey of Literacy (Marie Clay). Running records are given to students individually, and they allow for a student’s oral reading to be documented. Running records can be given often to students to monitor individual progress. The Observation Survey of Literacy Instruction is a six part assessment that is also given to students individually. It is a thorough assessment that evaluates early reading skills that are taught by teachers during shared reading. The six parts of this assessment are letter identification, sight words, concepts about print, writing vocabulary, hearing and recording sounds in words, and running records.

Check out our video presentation on shared reading. We will outline a sample 5 day shared reading lesson based on Pete the Cat and his Four Groovy Buttons by James Dean. The structure of this lesson can be applied to any book and tailored to any learning goals.

Websites:

• http://www.readwritethink.org/professional-development/strategy-guides/shared-reading-opportunities-direct-30823.html

• https://literacypages.wordpress.com/2019/04/09/the-basics-of-shared-reading/

• https://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/shared_reading

Books:

• A Guide to the Reading Workshop: Primary Grades (2015) Lucy Calkins

• Guided Reading: Good First Teaching for All Children (1996) Fountas & Pinnell