As a teacher, do you employ the shared reading technique while teaching? Unless you are a bad teacher, I will go out on a limb and answer yes for you.
Shared reading is a long-standing tradition in early education – both preschoolers and primary classes. Many parents also employ this effective reading style while teaching their kids.
The question is – do you understand why shared reading experiences are ideal for early education?
This article is aimed at shining some light on this age-long learning technique and why every teacher and parent has to adopt shared reading. Read on!
What is Shared Reading?
In simple terms, shared reading is an interactive reading experience. Shared reading is practiced when the students are involved in the reading of a book or other texts. Basically, the teacher leads the class in reading a text and the children read along.
How to Use Shared Reading
Although proven to be a great learning tool, teachers and parents are advised to understand the importance of this learning technique and how best to leverage it for a positive result.
Here is a simple way to use shared reading to boost literary knowledge in children.
- Step 1
Be sure to introduce the book or text up for discussion before reading. Prepare their minds by giving them an insight into what the book is about. This will help stir their interest and keep them curious and hungry to hear more. You can start by telling them the title of the text, as well as the author and a brief summary of what it is about.
Pro tip: Make it more interesting by asking them their thoughts on the text before reading out the story.
- Step 2
Read the complete story aloud. Remember to use appropriate tones and inflections to make it interesting. This will also go a long way to help the children relate better to the story. Additionally, you can stop at different junctures to ask the children their prediction for the next scene or chapter. Whatever you do, be sure to carry them along.
- Step 3
At the end of the first reading, do well to wait for comments, questions, and remarks before proceeding to the next step.
- Step 4
Now, allow the children to read along or pick random children for independent reading.
Why You Should Engage Preschoolers in Shared Reading
Teachers and parents who already use the shared reading technique will agree to the fact that this is the most effective method of teaching children to read and strengthening their vocabulary.
If you are yet confused as to why shared reading is practiced both in schools and home, I have compiled some benefits of shared reading in early education.
- Helps to cultivate the love of reading among children
- Promotes vocabulary development
- Provides good support to struggling readers
- Makes learning fun
- Gives children a sense of fulfillment
- Prepares them for a lifetime of reading
- Enhances easy recognition of words
- Develops children’s imagination and interest
- Promote fluency and eloquence
- Provides easy hacks to figure out tricky words
