First Grade
Module 1-3
Lesson A: Concepts about Print & Fluency
Content Overview for Lesson
The major goal of Shared Reading is to help children develop a range of
effective strategies for reading and understanding text. Shared reading
includes five interrelated steps (see Teacher Preparation). This lesson will
focus on concepts about print and fluency.
Teacher Preparation
Decide what structures and procedures will be introduced for establishing a
shared reading that will continue throughout the year. Before beginning
shared reading, envision what type of strategies the students will need and
what part of the day is going to be designated for shared reading to occur on
a daily basis. Shared reading should occur daily. Shared reading includes five
interrelated steps listed below in procedures for shared reading.
Procedures for shared reading in the classroom:
1. Re-reading of familiar text
2. Orientation to a new text
3. Reading of the new text
4. Follow-Up discussion and teaching points should be concluded by a
second reading of book or portion of the book.
Literacy extensions
Gather the following materials ahead of time:
 alphabet chart
 familiar poems
 familiar big books such as, Mrs. Wishy- Washy by Joy Cowley
 familiar nursery rhyme charts
 Brown Bear, Brown Bear by Bill Martin
 Pre-made assessment form for each student (see Summative
Assessment).
You will also need:
 A large area (preferably with a rug) where the whole class or group
can sit comfortably together and clearly see the big books, posters,
and the overhead
 An easel to hold the poetry chart or book
 Magnetic letters and magnetic board
 Wipe off board and dry erase markers
 Highlighter tape and/or wiki stix Songs on charts with tapes/CDs
Instructional
Considerations
(Misconceptions/Common
Errors,
Additional Instructional Strategies)
All Big Books are not created equal. Be careful when selecting Big Books for
Shared Reading. Many publishers have enlarged books that are not
appropriate for shared reading lessons. Be aware of the spacing between
words, the size of the letters/words, and the number of words on a page.
Select books with illustrations that complement and extend the text and are
engaging, fun and easily remembered. The text needs to provide a
supportive context that helps young children learn about the reading process.
The text selection is based on the needs of the majority of the class. Texts
should include predictable story lines, repeated phrases, rhythm or rhyme,
and natural spoken language.
During Shared Reading, provide quick, focused activities to help bring the
concepts about print to a conscious level. Every concept would not be
addressed with every student on every day. Select concepts based on
observing students as they interact with text throughout the day.
Always take your lesson focus back to the text, such as, reading the sentence
that a student identified a high frequency word, etc. If the book is short
enough, read entire text after teaching foci for the lesson-“Whole-PartWhole” instruction.
Use different big books to re-teach strategies for instructional needs.
Shared Reading can be used to develop skills and strategies in all of the
essential elements of reading; phonological awareness, oral language, and
phonics: help students discover how print works (concepts about print);
promote fluency; introduce high-frequency words and vocabulary; and
increase comprehension skills.
Students have different needs along the learning continuum. Teachers need
to know how to plan instruction that allows for these differences. Students’
literacy learning attitudes, understanding, and behaviors can be grouped
broadly into three overlapping stages; emergent, early, and transitional, as
teachers provide instruction in Shared Reading. As students progress in their
reading, the shared reading will change over time in order to demonstrate
what students need next in their reading development.
Shared reading should occur daily.
Key Vocabulary and Concepts
Whole-part-whole: The steps in relationship to whole text, skills, and a
return to the whole text for practice and application.
Fluency: The accuracy, phrasing, intonation, and expression with which an
individual speaks, writes, or reads a particular language.
Concepts: about Print The concepts that students need to learn about the
conventions and characteristics of written language such as directional
movement, one-to-one matching of spoken and printed words, the concept of
a letter and a word, book conventions (for example, the book’s title, the
name of the author), and the proper way to hold and open a book.
Conferencing notebook: a notebook with a page dedicated to each student
to record conferencing notes with each student.
Objective for Lesson A
The student will identify concepts of print and use appropriate rate, word
automaticity, phrasing intonation, and expression to read fluently.
Materials Needed
Appropriate Big Books to demonstrate for the students the following concepts
(over a three week period)
 Examples of appropriate texts for Shared Reading:
 Big Books
 Poems on Charts
 Poems on Transparencies
 Nursery Rhyme
 Charts
 Raps
 Favorite Songs
 Finger Plays Wall Stories
 Alphabet Chart
You will also need:
 A large area (preferably with a rug) where the whole class or group
can sit comfortably together and clearly see the big books, posters,
and the overhead
 An easel to hold the poetry chart or book
 Magnetic letters and magnetic board
 Wipe off board and dry erase markers
 Highlighter tape and/or wiki stix
 Songs on charts with tapes/CDs
Teaching Lesson A Introduction to the lesson
Lesson A: Concepts of Print & Fluency
Introduce a Big Book, such as, Brown Bear, Brown Bear by Bill Martin. This
story will probably be familiar to most students.
Rereading of Familiar Text
The first five minutes of Shared Reading the teacher and students “warm up”
by rereading the familiar text, Brown Bear, Brown Bear. This provides an
opportunity for fluent and expressive reading on easy material. These
familiar experiences enable students to sound like readers by practicing
familiar poems and stories which prepares them for reading a new text with
greater fluency.
During rereading students will:
Read the alphabet chart if students are at the level where they still are
developing letter recognition and letter/sound connections.
Reread familiar poems or a big book that the students choose.
Vary the rereading by movement, clapping to the rhythm to emphasize the
syntactic pattern of the text, or forming groups to read dialogue in unison.
Orientation to a New Text (Demonstration and Guided Practice)
Next, introduce a new text, such as, Mrs. Wishy Washy by Joy Cowley.
Guide the students to make predictions from the title, author, and cover
illustrations before the text is read. Read the text to the students and point
or slide a pointer under the words as the book is read.
During the first reading, the students focus mainly on listening and watching
as you point to the text and read.
Ponters:
 read the story with enthusiasm and expression;
 vary the voice to depict different characters and emphasize the
repetitions, rhymes, and colorful language;
 read at a fluent pace with appropriate phrasing;
 demonstrate delight, surprise, curiosity, excitement, and interest in
the language and illustrations in the book;
 allow children to join in as they can.
Guided Practice with Shared Reading of the New Text or Re-Reading
of a Text
Everyone in the class should now read the text aloud together with minimal
interruptions, focusing on fluency, expression and comprehension. During the
reading, ask thought-provoking questions as needed to ensure
understanding.
Follow-Up Discussion and Teaching Points and Second Reading of
Text
After reading, engage the students in an interactive and enjoyable
conversation. This provides an opportunity for the students to deepen their
understanding of the text. Use questions to prompt the students to respond
to the message.
Select teaching points that focus on:
 book orientation (front/back of book),
 one to one matching and/or return sweep,
 fluency
Lead a second reading while simultaneously working on one to one matching,
return sweep, comprehension and word-solving strategies (characters and
setting).
Independent Practice
Students can reread the same big books used for guided practice in
learning centers using pointers and discussing with a partner the front
and back of the book. Each partner can listen to hear whether the
other partner is making his reading sound like talking (fluent reading).
Students can read appropriate leveled books during independent
reading time with teacher noting fluency, one to one matching and/or
return sweep and book orientation during conferencing.
Assessing
the
Lesson
Formative
Assessment
and
Summative
Assessment
Formative Assessment
Using a Rubric that identifies the reader as emerging, early/developing, or
transitional/independent in his use of print concepts, record the behaviors of
students that you notice during Shared Reading, Small Group Instruction and
Independent Reading in a conferencing notebook. Examples of teacher made
rubrics can be found at http://rubistar.4teachers.org.
Concept about a book
Purpose of book
Book orientation (front cover)
Title and author
Letter knowledge (upper & lower)
Knowledge of Phonics
Knowledge of Phonemic awareness
Sight word knowledge
One to One Matching
Fluency
Knows where on the page to begin reading
Problem Solving Strategies
Characters and setting
Summative
Use a pre-made form with the following questions to assess each student.
Write students responses, comments and behaviors on the form.
Use a book and ask the following questions:
1. What is the right way to hold this book?
2. Will you show me the front cover of the book?
3. Will you find the title and point to it?
4. Where does the story begin?
5. Where does the story end?
6. Will you point to the place on the page where someone would begin to
read?
7. Will you move your finger to show me the words that someone would
read next?
8. Will you move your finger to show me where to go after I finish
reading this line?
9. When I get to the end of this page, where will I find the next line?
10.Will you point to a letter on this page?
11.Will you show me a word?
Based on Marie Clay’s Concepts of Print
Extending the Learning
For differentiation and enrichment, provide extensions through literacy
centers:
Students can re-tell the story using props;
Books can also be placed in a listening center so that students can have
more opportunities to hear the text read aloud;
Re-read the book for fluency or to locate parts of the book;
Read for specific high frequency words, rhyming words, and vocabulary and
highlight them in Big Books with highlighter tape or wikki stix;
Reconstruct the events from the story;
Put events in sequential order.
Through Independent Reading:
Students should be reading from their independent reading bags each day to
practice applying these strategies that you have demonstrated. Some
students may read in pairs.
For differentiation and intervention, provide guided practice with small group
instruction. Based on observations and anecdotal notes, form small groups
and provide scaffolding as needed as students practice the strategies that
have been demonstrated. Some students may need 1-1 attention during
reading.