Caleb Thrower: December Blog

For December, I read Chapter 9 in Read Essentials which talks about the importance of shared reading. When I have done some shared reading in the past I have found it to be beneficial and enjoyable but the difficulty lies in finding the time and resources to do shared reading properly. I quite enjoyed this chapter because it opened my eyes to some improvements that I can make in future shared reading experiences.

Time and time again in the chapter the author emphasizes the importance of total class participation when doing shared reading. I have found this difficult due to the fact that it can be difficult to find a copy of shared reading books for each student. In recent memory I have had to resort to having two or three students sharing a copy of the book. While this has worked okay in the past, going forward I am going to be diligent in selecting books where there are enough copies for each student in our book closet or by possibly using copies from other schools.

I also loved the check list presented in the chapter on the roles of each party during shared reading. As I look over the check list, I am pleased to reflect on some things I have done right in shared reading such as using appropriate unfamiliar books and having students turn and talk about passages. I also noticed that there are some things that I can start doing to make shared reading a more successful and engaging experience for the students. In the future, I plan to have students participate in more reflecting on the text through oral and written explanations. This also promotes the practice of good habits by students they have seen the teacher demonstrate during the read aloud.

Shared reading is a great time to expose students to new genres and books they may have never heard of or thought of reading in a safe environment. It gives students a chance to see the teacher demonstrate good reading habits and allows them to test drive those habits along with peers throughout the course of the book. After reading this chapter, I am further convinced that if shared reading is done frequently and properly it has a place in an everyday classroom schedule.