Shared Reading during bedtime
Through my wonderful job as a Special Education Teacher I have been lucky enough to be involved in the implementation of Four Blocks Literacy across a whole K-12 school.
As mentioned in my last post, I have a son who has some addtional needs. I'll save most of the details for another post, but he has Autism, which has caused some receptive and expressive language delay.
He is in a mainstream Kindergarten (or Prep) class and is doing fabulously, especially with reading. I feel that a lot of his success with reading has come from reading regularly with his father and I, especially at bedtime. Bedtime reading is my job in our house, as my son loves routine and structure.
Once I learnt about Shared Reading as part of Four
Blocks (see here for more detailed information about Shared Reading) I began to practice at home with my son. Initially I did it to help myself learn to ask questions using the CAR and CROWD models, but then I saw the huge success I was having with my son.
I made sure that when we read, I paused and made comments to him, and asked questions. But I also made sure I waited for his answers and prompted him when he wasnt sure. My questions slowly became more open ended as I practiced. It seems like a simple concept, pausing and talking during reading, but sometimes we can get so caught up with life and rush through bedtime reading.
I cannot recommend enough that parents read regularly with their children, and that teachers promote this as heavily as possible. Using methods from the Shared Reading Block has had immeasurable benefits to my son, and countless others.
