Shared Reading is a direct instructional component of a comprehensive literacy program. Using enlarged texts enables teachers to explicitly teach reading skills and strategies in whole-group or small-group settings. A safe environment for oral reading is also established as all students read or “chime in” together.
Shared Reading enables teachers to
 Explicitly demonstrates early strategies such as word-by-word matching
 Builds a sense of story and the ability to predict
 Creates a body of familiar texts that children can use for independent reading and as resources for writing and word study
 Provide opportunities for students to read a whole text (or parts of) in a supported low-risk environment.
 Demonstrate a variety of comprehension strategies (e.g. word-solving, fixup strategies, etc)
 Explicitly teach think-alouds
 Observe students reading behaviours and skills and note those requiring further attention in guided reading
 Make the reading process more visible
 Support a less able reader to function as a reader with both peer and teacher support
 Introduce skills and strategies required for the grade level, but possibly beyond the reach of some of the readers
Taken at the beginning of the Reading Block
Whole class (or could be small group)
Short, sharp, snappy! (10 -15 minutes max)
Choose carefully as not all texts are suitable for shared reading. (some more suitable as Guided or Read To)
Consider the following criteria:
 musical, rhythmical, magical text
 rich language to develop vocabulary
 degree of student interest and enjoyment, especially to facilitate personal connections
 Challenge to the students to extend their world
 Accessibility of language and context
 Inclusion of diverse or unique points of view (especially for older grades)
“Shared reading is an important missing piece in many reading programs… [W] hen teachers shift their attention to give more time to shared reading, guided practice is more meaningful and efficient, and teachers don’t have to work so hard in small reading groups. Also, and this is very important, teaching reading becomes much more enjoyable.”
Routman, 2003
“Through developing familiarity with the text, each rereading becomes easier and leaves more cognitive energy for the related aspects of analyzing, synthesizing and extending knowledge .”
Allen 2002

Implementing Shared Reading
Day 1 – Comprehension focus
1.
Teacher models good reading (very important)
2.
Ask Teacher Questions - Why do you think…? (evaluation)
- Do you think…? (reaction)
- How do you know…? (Inference)
3.
Student-Generated Questions – invite questions from students
Put one student into role and have the other students interview or ask questions. (lots of thinking going on)
4.
Make connections – also very important
-
What does this story make you think about?
-
Have you ever…?
-
Can you think of a time when…?
Day 2 – Vocabulary focus
1.
Take interesting words – talk about them and put on charts
2.
Read the book again with children joining in where they can.
Categorize the words onto other charts
Happy Words; Noisy Words; Quiet words; Words that Move; Antonyms;
Synonyms; Homonyms etc
Day 3 – Print Conventions
1.
Take a spread (one double page) and focus on the print conventions in the text. Discuss them – how do they sound? What does your voice do?
2.
Read the text focusing on the print conventions as they read.
Older students focus on reading in chunks.
Day 4 – Spelling in Context
Read text all the way through then take a one page spread and focus on one or two spelling patterns, rhymes, blends, suffixes, prefixes, base words etc
Day 5 – Response focus
Oral Language
– retelling using drama
- creative clusters (start telling the story then change to another group or student who adds to the story).
Written Language - focus on an aspect e.g. a character or setting
The important thing is for the student to make personal connections to the story
Text to Self ; Text to Text or Text to World.
Students do a picture (goes on the wall and eventually into a Big Book for the classroom.
Then do some writing to go with the picture that is published by the teacher.
WOW Words inventor stupendous fantastic amazing whirl twirl gurgle shoogle
Words that twist turn twirl shoogle shake
? ! …
“ ” , ;

Text selected: _________________________________________________________
Purpose /focus for using this text:__________________________________________
When text will be used: __________________________________________________
Day 1: Introduce the Text (Questioning)
Possible questions for understanding:
Day 2: Vocabulary
“WOW” words selected from text:
Day 3: Print Conventions
What print or text features does this lend itself to? p.____
Day 4: Spelling in Context
What are the spelling features I could demonstrate?
Day 5: Extending the Text (Making Connections)
What are some ways students can respond to this text (drama, illustrate a character)?

Text selected: The Amazing Machine
Purpose /focus for using this text: Change of text style and font
When text will be used: Language Arts Science Social Studies
Day 1: Introduce the Text (Questioning)
Possible questions for understanding:
1.
Why do you think Fenella Figgins wanted to make an amazing machine?
(Inference)
2.
Why was Fenella Figgins mad when she saw Theodore’s machine? (Evaluative)
3.
Why do you think Theodore wanted a machine the same as Fenella’s?
(Evaluative)
4.
What might Fenella and Theodore do with their machine? (Inference)
5.
What parts of this story do you think make it fictional?
Day 2: Vocabulary
“WOW” words selected from text : inventor, stupendous, fantastic, amazing,
twist, twirl, gurgle, glug, splutter, clack, clang, twiddle, twang
Antonyms: amazing / pathetic, together / alone
Homonyms: shed / shed, dart / dart
Synonyms: amazing / fantastic, twirl / whirl, spin / twist, shiver / shake
Simile: fast as an arrow, fast as a dart, fast as the speed of sound
Day 3: Print Conventions ( What print or text features does this lend itself to?) p.14 Bold print, font changes p. 20 Ellipses, exclamation marks, quotation marks, periods, apostrophes, commas
Day 4: Spelling in Context ( What are the spelling features I could demonstrate?)
1.
Syllables: stupendous, fantastic, bolted, twist, splutter
2.
Suffix –ed: (popped, tapped) Look at doubling consonant after short vowel and compare with banged and clacked
3.
Look at prefix in- (invinsible)
4.
Discuss the root words
Day 5: Extending the Text (Making Connections)
1.
Discuss the plot. Talk about the problem and the solution?
2.
Talk about the characters. Share something about them. Build a vocabulary to describe character, behaviour, appearance and personality of the characters.
3.
Dramatize the story.
4.
Students could design a fantastic machine of their own. They could write a description of it and explain how it works and what it does. Publish the descriptions and add to

student’s machines.
5.
Describe the setting and build a vocabulary for it.
Discuss the message of the story.