Shared Reading: An Effective Approach To Develop Speech Through Conversation

Shared reading is an important and necessary approach in early childhood education. In shared reading, the teacher and the students read aloud books with engaging stories to the whole class. Usually, the teacher assigns parts of the story or a character to be read by a student, creating an interactive classroom atmosphere during the whole reading activity. Moreover, this reading approach opens an opportunity for the children to improve and expand their reading competencies. The students and the teacher take part in reading, and afterwards, they discuss the story to test comprehension of the texts. 

The shared reading approach sparks meaningful conversations among the children, the teacher, and the whole class. One underrated benefit of shared reading is that it actually develops the child’s self-confidence while speaking aloud along with his/her classmates in a shared reading activity. This reading approach also engages the child in a conversation where they get the chance to develop their speech through constant communication with their peers and teachers. 

“Shared reading enables all children, regardless of their reading levels, to have enjoyable literacy opportunities every day.” – Irene C. Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell

Regardless of the child’s reading level, a shared reading activity creates an opportunity for the child to experience an enjoyable reading with their peers. 

Shared Reading: Guide and Structure 

In order to achieve maximum efficacy of shared reading, the educator should follow a reading process that maximises the benefits that the child gets from this reading approach. 

What does shared reading look like in a classroom setting? How do you apply this reading approach to your own classroom? Follow the guide below to ensure an effective reading activity! 

Shared Reading Structure: 

• Introduction- Start by introducing the book, and the author, talk about the cover, and you can even include a short background of the book: why you chose it, how is it relevant, etc. Your choice of book can make or break your reading activity. So, choose a good book that the child is interested in. Let them pick out the book that they like, or even better, get them a personalised book with THEM as the hero! 
• Model Reading of the Story- Read the story to the students at a pace that they can easily catch up, keeping in mind that comprehension of the story is most important. Focus on telling the story in an enjoyable way, and discuss the story briefly 
• Read the Text Together- After modelling how the reading should be done, the next step is to engage students in the reading activity. Have the student read parts of the story with you 
• Discuss the Text- Start a meaningful conversation with your student, and begin by discussing the book to test comprehension of the story. Invite the students to share their thoughts, and exchange ideas! 
• Teaching Points- Revisit important parts of the story that you can read back to make teaching points on specific topics. This is the time to discuss ideas with the child in a way that they will understand and appreciate
• Repeat Readings- Just like any other skill, reading should be done repeatedly to practice and improve on it. At regular intervals, revisit the text with the child to discuss more ideas and to make additional teaching points on the topic 

Shared reading is an enjoyable reading approach for the students. When done consistently, you will notice a significant improvement in your child’s reading skills, comprehension, and confidence. You will also notice that they begin to develop certain processes that are important for them to read independently. More importantly, the shared reading approach opens an opportunity for you to engage in a conversation with your child, get them to speak, and share ideas with them. Remember, the more often the child engages in a conversation, the sooner they develop their speech.