When I turned to Chapter in Routman's book, I was actually excited to read about emphasizing shared reading because I love shared reading. I would pick shared reading over guided reading every single day! Seriously, I would.
Not only did Routman discuss how shared reading is so important, she walks you through how to do shared reading in different settings and with different types of readings. Routman also walks you through multiple lessons and how to ask questions, which I really enjoyed reading.
I think bringing shared reading into my classroom more often will definitely benefit my children, greatly. Do not get me wrong, I think guided reading is good.. sometimes. My kids do not seem to do very well with guided reading because they are sometimes expected to read something above their level, they immediately lose their focus and are over in unicorn land, riding candy canes. Shared reading would give me the opportunity to see what my kids are struggling with. It would build their reading confidence, which allows them to move up on grade levels.
I believe my kids would feel more comfortable with me reading a text for them and allowing the students to join in, when they feel comfortable. It allows for a more comfortable classroom setting. It allows me to make mistakes as I read aloud and show them it is okay to make a mistake, but you must continue to move forward. It allows me to show my students my way to thinking as I read, I can show them how I begin asking questions, and piecing particular parts of the story together.
I have used shared reading in my classroom with two separate novels. Both times we tested on these novels and I allowed my students to take an AR test on the books, they made much higher scores, than if I had allowed them to read independently.
Kyra, I'm glad you've found a teaching strategy that meets the needs of your students so well. It is a great way to engage students who tend to wander off into "unicorn land." :) It provides them with a model of what you look like as a reader and helps them integrate the skills you use into their own reading. During this time, it's important to be open about mistakes you make and strategies you use to comprehend text. Moving from this shared reading into guided reading with more manageable texts will allow students to practice what they've learned in a more independent setting.
ReplyDeleteHi Kyra,
ReplyDeleteLike you, I enjoy shared reading for the benefit it provides students to enjoy reading and the opportunities I have as the teacher to scaffold their reading and to support their comprehension.