Comprehend the reading

Good afternoon!
Shared reading time offers the opportunity to use new vocabulary in ways that strengthen oral communication and conversation. When people are talking about something together, not only do the folks learn about each other, but they also form a bond as well. Knowledge of the material being discussed is shared and new information can be gathered by anyone paying attention to the talk, which oftentimes results in further discussion and verbal exchange. This is true about any genre of reading from newspapers to novels.

Depending on the text that is being shared, questions are oftentimes a great way to initiate conversation. Why do you think she wore that yellow hat to her friend's house? Are these people really considering the long-range effects of this legislation? What would you have done if the bear started chasing you? When should that meeting take place? The text also gives guidelines for vocabulary, especially if there are words that the reader does not know anything about. With early readers, taking some of the vocabulary from the text before starting to read the words, helps to prepare the reader for possible stumbling blocks. Keeping a dictionary close at hand can certainly be helpful when the vocabulary is a little more complicated.

In the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, talking about the name Goldilocks might be a good place to begin. Defining forest and porridge are also good ideas. Using much expression and different voices will help comprehension to grow, too. Each reader can take a different part like a play to add interest to the reading. Pausing to clarify part of the story will benefit new readers as the story progresses. Papa Bear's bed was too_____. Mama's bed was too______. But Baby Bear's bed was just ______. Be sure to repeat the same passage clues with emphasis so the listener or new reader will hear the patterns. Ask questions at the end of the story to pull it altogether. Did Goldilocks ever see the bears again? Why was she in the forest in the first place? Right and wrong answers are not necessary, just ideas to think about.

More difficult reading can be presented the same way. I still remember reading Hatchet with my middle school son. The vocabulary and the questions were just as important to our shared reading time as any activity that was done with students in my classroom. Time to discuss the content and use the vocabulary was vital to understanding the text. Sharing ideas about the story helped us to connect with the character and his predicament, while drawing us closer through the time we shared. No point in reading, if the understanding and comprehesion are lost. More on fluency in shared reading next time...