Shared reading is a wonderful way for teachers and children to read together. Children make predictions based on the text and the pictures which creates meaning. When introducing a new book to children, the teacher first goes through a picture walk in which the teacher will show the children the pages and asks what they think will happen based on what they see. Next, the teacher will read the book and children are able to predict what is going to happen. After reading the book multiple times the children will be able to recite parts of the story with the teacher.
The large group activity in class this week was just another way to make shared reading effective and enjoyable. Playing stories means the teacher reads the book to the class, and the children act out the book. After the large group activity on The Mitten by Jan Brett, I wanted to think of other ways to involve a large group in playing stories. I was able to find a list of activities on Jan Brett's website, and one in particular is based on The Mitten. This is the activity on Jan Brett's website. The website has printable PDF files of two mittens and each of the animals in the stories. Teachers can print them and cut them out and have children color each of the objects. The two mittens can be taped together to make sure the animals can fit inside. Then, when the book is being read, the children can add each animal one by one into the mitten.
This activity is a great way for children to participate in the shared reading. Although there are only eight animals, each child can take turns being a different animal when the book is read. Children can also hold the mitten while the animals are crawling inside. Shared reading in large groups is an effective way for the teacher to model reading and for children to participate, predict and expand on their literacy skills.
I agree that incorporating the dramatic play aspect into shared reading experiences keeps students engaged and it also allows them to connect with the book on a more personal level. It's so interesting that along with the shared reading children area also taking cues on what shared reading is like and also, like you mentioned, allows the teacher to model reading to the class.
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