Teachers have a vested interest in the success of their students. To be successful, a teacher needs to see students being successful as well. This is why shared reading is such a powerful tool for classrooms that have implemented an early reading intervention program.
Shared reading can have an enormous impact on the fluency a child develops. Whether it’s an early reading or a middle school reading intervention program, improving fluency in young readers is an important measure of success. Fluency is a key factor in reading comprehension; the more at ease young students are in the decoding and understanding of words, the easier it will be for them to focus on meaning and clarity. Kids need the proper phonics skills to be fluent, and shared reading is one way to develop both attributes.
Creating Fluent Readers Through Shared Reading
Almost all research-based reading intervention programs incorporate shared reading activities of some kind to help students become more fluent in their reading skills. There are three common characteristics shared by fluent readers no matter what level they are currently reading at:
- They have the ability to read content expressively.
- They can read grade-level text accurately without difficulty.
- Their pacing is in line with the subject matter.
During shared reading activities, teachers can take many steps to both gauge and promote fluency. For example, incorporating word-solving skill activities into the shared reading session is a way to engage students with varying degrees of reading fluency to inspire others in the group. Highlighting keywords in the content or turning them into sight words that can be emphasized visually during the activity is another great tool in any shared reading exercise.
Changing your voice, incorporating emotion into audible lessons, using accents and vocal impressions, and varying the speeds and level of excitement of the words being read can all help improve fluency in early readers. of their own reading. Simply droning on through the materials in a monotone voice with little to no emotion is not going to inspire any classrooms full of eager learners. When the goal is to perk the imagination and increase focus on the materials, a teacher has to employ as many inspirational methods as possible.
As the head of the class, a teacher must inspire those in the classroom – and their audience is not always easy to inspire. When it comes to shared reading techniques, however, a teacher willing to be animated and theatrical can see great results capturing the attention of their students. This can be extremely helpful during shared reading activities. The use of varied tones and expressive delivery in the presentation of reading materials can aid greatly in comprehension. Reading together, practicing echo reading, and having students individually read a line from materials being shared can also help in developing confident, fluent young readers.
Learn how Essential Skills software can help support a well-rounded early reading intervention program in your classroom.