Sharing

Facilitator Notes

How and why do children share during Independent Reading?

Children need to talk about their reading.  Talk is an important motivator to engagement with reading and helps process comprehension.  After reviewing the research on peer talk in reading, Gambrell et. al (2011) conclude: “Clearly, research supports the potential benefits of including some form of social interaction as a component of independent reading.”  Sharing at the end of the Independent Reading time allows for this important social factor.  Sharing can occur in many ways.  In the Sample Lessons in this module, you will see students reading aloud, sharing the strategies they used, and responding to questions from the whole class (Early Meaning Making, Make a Plan, and Focus on Fluency); partner or “buddy” sharing (Focus on Fluency and Find Important Facts); and group sharing (Learn from Nonfiction).  Excerpts from some of these Sample Lessons are shown below in Classroom in Action clips.

Gambrell, L.B., Marinak, B.A., Brooker, H.R., & McCrea-Andrews, H.J. (2011). The Importance of Independent Reading. In S.J. Samuels & A.E. Farstrup (Eds.), What Research Has To Say About Reading Instruction, Fourth Edition (pp. 143-158). Newark, DE: International Reading Association.