1	What is shared reading? Shared Reading is an interactive reading experience that occurs when children join in the reading of a big book or other enlarged text as guided by a teacher or other experienced reader.
2	Shared Reading The book must be suitable for the children to be able to join in or the experience changes to a Read Aloud. It is through Shared Reading that the reading process and reading strategies that readers use are demonstrated. The experience is an enjoyable one shared by the children.
3	Shared Reading Shared Reading provides excellent opportunities to demonstrate concepts about print and features of books and writing. In this risk-free environment, a most important purpose of Shared Reading is that children can learn to perceive themselves as readers.
4	Shared Reading One criterion for book selection is that the book has the possibility of multiple reading for enjoyment.
5	Objective Initially, it will be used to model strategies that good readers use to read a book. In subsequent readings, when the children feel successful at reading the book, more specific skills of varying levels can be addressed (e.g., where to start reading, return sweep, how to use punctuation and to recognize dialogue.)
6	Methodology The children should be gathered in an inviting area close to the book or chart so that they can feel a sense of shared community. The book should be placed on a chart or easel so that it is easily seen by the children. The teacher will use a long thin pointer to guide the reading, pointing to the words as they are read.
7	Modelling It is imperative that the reading be done with phrased fluency, because this is the model of the way that children will read. Often when using a pointer, there is the tendency to read word by word.
8	How is a shared reading session conducted? A shared reading lesson may be conducted in many ways depending on the purpose set by the teacher and also the reading levels of the students. Generally, in a first shared reading, the teacher introduces the story, talking about the title, cover and title page.
9	Methodology Just as any book might be introduced, the teacher leads a picture walk through the book. The story is then read aloud with enjoyment as the teacher points to each word as it is read. Students follow along "with their eyes."
10	Methodology The teacher may pause occasionally to ask students to predict a word or a phrase or to make predictions about what is happening. The teacher and students take turns reading the story and a choral reading may take place. Open-ended questions are asked. Connections to the students’ backgrounds, experiences, and other literature are encouraged.
11	Teacher’s Role Shared Reading provides an excellent opportunity for teachers to model the integrated use of the cueing systems and strategies for reading that can be applied to unfamiliar reading. New concepts and strategies of any type are best introduced in this format before guided practice is given in the small group setting of guided reading.
12	Techniques As a means of addressing specific skills, masking techniques are used to cover up words or parts of words that the teacher wishes the students to predict. This technique allows for a general instructional focus and also offers a means to address individual needs for those children whose assessments indicated the need for more practice.
13	Procedure: Select a text which has a teaching point that meets the needs of specific students. Make sure that all students can see the enlarged text. Discuss with the students the topic to tap their prior knowledge about this topic. State the purpose of the lesson and why the book was selected Invite students to predict the text from the cover, title, and illustrations.
14	The lesson Give a short stimulating introduction. When reading to emergent readers, do a picture walk through the book during the introduction Read the text as naturally as possible with few stops. Focus on meaning. Encourage students to join in as they are able. Model realistic reactions to the text. Encourage students to predict as they read, drawing on their understanding of the text and their knowledge of the structure of language.
15	The lesson Introduce the use of prompts to help the students predict the text and confirm their predictions. (Meaning: Does it make sense? ; Language Structure: Does it sound right?; Visual information: Does it look right?) The students should be lead back to the text to problem solve unknown words. Clear and consistent prompting helps the students to be able to transfer strategies from one text to another.
16	The lesson As the students gain cross-checking skills, more than one prompt can be linked together to assist the reader. Encourage students to talk about the text. Help them notice the text features. Reread the text several times. With each rereading, students will be able to join in, as the text becomes more familiar. Sometimes these additional readings can include clapping, singing, chanting, and dramatic role-playing.
17	Advantages Multiple shared readings will reinforce concepts and provides for closer examination of characters, setting and global understanding. Teachers focus on different skills that encourage children to become independent readers, such as predicting a suitable word, using context and understanding author’s meaning.
18	Mini Lessons Mini-lessons, including story structure and character development, may be included. Teachers may also wish to use Shared Reading as a time to teach letter-sound relationships and key vocabulary. Mini-lessons, such as locating and identifying initial letters, punctuation, and commonly used words, can be taught during a Shared Reading experience.
19	What should be done after a shared reading session? Ideally, teachers should create some method of displaying titles of the shared reading books they have used in their classroom. A "Books We Have Read Together" chart, bookworm, book train or other motivating classroom display can be expanded as the year progresses.
20	What should be done after a shared reading session Children enjoy adding to the list and can refer to the list when they wish to select a familiar book to read. Small copies of the big books should be available to the children for independent or partner reading. The class might also make "book reproductions" or innovations using the same theme or sentence/language pattern of the shared book. These class books provide additional independent reading material for children in the classroom.
21	What should be done after a shared reading session Using a taped version of the story along with copies of the book provide good reading practice at the Read-Along centre.
22	What can you observe that students have learned? The student is able to: Act as a reader and interpret familiar letters and conventions. Make connections between background knowledge and new information.
23	What can you observe that students have learned? Demonstrate awareness and use symbols and conventions as he or she constructs meaning from text read or viewed. Recognize and use prediction strategies to develop meaning in text.
24	Shared Reading