# Making the Most of Shared Reading: Practical Tips from Two Experts!

May 19, 2015

Many children (with or without disabilities) love looking at storybooks and sharing special reading time with a parent, educator, or caregiver. But for some kids, shared reading isn’t high on their list of preferred activities—which means they may miss out on the many literacy- and language-enriching benefits of shared storybook reading.

In their book **_Shared Storybook Reading,_** Helen Ezell and Laura Justice identify two key skills children with and without disabilities must bring to the shared-reading table (or armchair) to get the most out of this important activity. Those skills are:

1. **Attending.** To make the most of shared reading and absorb new information from a book, kids need to be able to sustain attention for several minutes at a time.
2. **Conversational turn-taking.** To initiate a question about the story or respond to a question from the book reader, kids need to know how to take turns with a conversational partner.

So how can you help a child you love develop these two key skills? Ezell & Justice offer some tips in **_Shared Storybook Reading,_** which I’ll share here:

To increase a child’s **_attending_** skills…

- **Do an informal assessment** of the child’s current attending behavior. Conduct two separate shared-reading sessions, and observe how long the child can sustain attention.
- **Set a short-term goal.** This can be measured in a few different ways: length of time (“Julie will attend to the story for 5 minutes”) or number of pages read (“Javier will attend through six pages of the book”).
- **Pick a good book:** attractively illustrated, with a limited amount of print, on a topic that might be of special interest to the child.
- **Read the story with enthusiasm and expression.** Point out interesting features of the pictures as you go along.
- **Give the child a specific job to do** while you read: turning the pages, lifting flaps to uncover more pictures or words. Pause so the child can look at the pictures and comment on what she sees.
- **Keep a record**. For each session, write down the child’s attending time (measured in minutes or number of pages) and keep track of progress.
- **Offer praise.** As soon as you reach the short-term goal, praise the child for paying attention: try something like “You did a great job listening to the story!” or “I really liked how you sat so still.” End the session on a positive note: “Let’s stop here and read more tomorrow to see what happens.”
- **Set a new goal.** Add minutes or pages to the desired goal. Keep going until the child is able to attend to the reading of one brief storybook.

To increase a child’s **_turn-taking_** skills…

- **Conduct an informal assessment** of the child’s current turn-taking skills. Do a sample shared-reading session and work in five conversational turn-taking opportunities as you read. Note any turns that the child takes, and how the child communicates.
- **Set a turn-taking goal**. Specify type of interaction you want to focus on—for example, “Mara will take five vocal turns during one reading session.”
- **Follow the five/ten guideline.** During shared reading sessions, offer at least **five** opportunities for the child to take a conversational turn by making a comment or asking a question. Wait at least **ten** seconds each time for the child to respond.
- **Provide prompts.** If the child doesn’t respond after 10 seconds, offer some verbal or nonverbal assistance. If you’re targeting vocal or verbal turn-taking, say the right answer (for example, “choo choo” for a vocal response, “train” for a verbal response) and ask the child to try repeating it. If you’re focusing on nonverbal turn-taking, offer some gentle physical guidance (for example, guiding the child’s finger to point to the train picture).
- **Offer praise** when the child responds in any way. The response doesn’t have to be “perfect”—any response counts as a completed conversational turn.
- **Keep a record**. Write down the number and types of turns the child takes during each shared reading session. Note whether assistance was needed.
- **Set long-term goals.** When you reach your short-term goal, set the bar higher. Your long-term goal may be consistent, independent responding to all turn-taking opportunities using the type of communication that works best for the child (nonverbal, vocal, or verbal).

**Questions for you: What are your favorite books to read with the children in your program? What tips would you give a parent who wants to make storytime more engaging at home?**

## **FREE SHARED READING CALENDAR!**

**[NOTE: This calendar is now out of date, but stay tuned for more resources on language and literacy development!]**

Educators—this calendar is a great resource to share with the families in your program, since a lot of the tips address parents directly and remind them of their critical role in nurturing children’s early literacy skills. Print yours and share it around for a fun and friendly all-year reminder of the importance of shared storytimes!