Sharing Really Is Caring: How To Build Shared Literacy Experiences For Every Student
From the very first turn of the page, a life in literacy begins.
Literacy is a fundamental skill to function and thrive in our society. It gives more than the ability to read, write, and communicate. Literacy and story-telling connect people. They always have. Any time reading is enjoyed with another person, something magical happens.
Too often, as students progress in their education, literacy becomes a solo activity. The days of read-alouds and picture books fade as children adapt to more sophisticated reading. It follows, then, that the magic of shared story-telling fades, too.
But what happens when literacy remains a shared experience? When educators help students develop literacy skills through a joint effort, reading becomes
- holistic,
- meaningful, and
- more enjoyable.
The Top 3 Benefits of Making Reading A Shared Experience
There are many benefits to making literacy a shared experience. Shared literacy experiences instill…
- Reading appreciation
- Metacognitive skills
- Student achievement
Reading as an entire class creates a supportive and positive learning community. This is essential for promoting a love of reading and learning. Apart from the competitive advantage of literacy, when students enjoy reading, they’re more likely to develop soft skills (Ilankumaran). Literature exposes students to different ways of thinking. They gain access to other worlds, to different kinds of people, and to conflicts they might never experience themselves. When students love reading, they’re able to access soft skills like
- empathetic listening,
- analytical thinking, and
- decision-making.
Furthermore, shared literacy experiences allow for a more personalized approach to teaching. When teachers read a text alongside their students, they understand their student’s skill set at a very granular level. As a result, teachers can tailor their lessons to target each student’s individual needs and interests. This helps educators model comprehension strategies through think-alouds. The teacher models their thought processes and internal dialogue explicitly, concretely, and vocally. This benefits students by strengthening their own metacognitive and self-regulating skills (Cartwright 2).
Lastly, shared literacy fosters a sense of community and social connection. A “(s)ense of belonging affects students’ academic engagement and motivation, as well as their emotional wellbeing. The bottom line is this: Students who feel they belong are more likely to succeed” (“Shaping a Positive Learning Environment”).
So, how can educators make literacy a shared experience? Below are some examples of lessons and activities that can help.
4 Ways To Create Shared Literacy Experiences In The Classroom
Reading aloud
Students are never too old to listen to a story. When teachers read aloud to a group of students, they model fluency, intonation, and tone. All foster greater comprehension and engagement. Imagine reading a classic literary work to middle school students. The text is likely packed with sophisticated (and at times, archaic) vocabulary. What once was too challenging and too frustrating is now within reach. Teachers and students can ask questions about the story, predict what might happen next, and discuss the characters and themes. Shared reading not only helps to develop literacy skills but also promotes critical thinking and social skills.
Circle writing
Collaborative writing is another excellent way to make literacy a shared experience. Students work together to create a story, poem, or other written work. Teachers can assign students to write in small groups or as a class, with each student contributing to the final piece. Students deepen their writing skills as they learn from one another. Equally important, the process promotes teamwork, communication, and creativity.
One way to do this is to break students into small groups of 4–6. Provide a topic or theme or allow students to come up with their own. Then set a timer for 2–3 minutes and have all students write. When the time is up, students go around the circle and share what they’ve written. Afterward, students work together to make a complete story using the content from each person’s piece.
Another idea? Create a story chain! Assign a topic or theme. The teacher starts with the first sentence of the story, then passes it on to a student. Each student adds one sentence until the entire class has made a contribution. If there’s no resolution to the story, keep going! Doing this out loud can be a fun way to encourage participation and engagement. From here, make it a writing activity by breaking students into small groups. Continue requiring students to write one sentence at a time before passing the story to a classmate. Over time, build endurance by asking for multiple sentences or blocks of time with a timer.
If they feel comfortable doing so, students can share their stories with the entire class. Students will enjoy getting feedback and everyone will love the creativity and growing community.
Reading tournament
Inspire reading by placing students into teams and having them log their reading time with Glose for Education. Encourage students to read anything of their choice! Make this challenge a shared experience by requiring marginalia within their teams. Marginal annotations encourage students to connect their reading to the world around them, and when students see what their classmates are thinking, it builds a deeper understanding of the shared text. Download our reading tournament lesson plan here to get started.
Tabletop discussion
Build an interactive, but silent, discussion centered around an in-common reading. Separate the desks into smaller tables with a large chart or butcher paper on top. Glue or tape an open-ended question in the center of each table. Students circulate the room to answer each question and add their thoughts to classmates’ responses. No names required! (Bonus: now kids are moving!)
To keep the conversations going, hang the discussion papers where students will see them. Teachers can pull interesting student responses and observations off of each paper to use for future lessons. Students will appreciate the acknowledgment of their thinking, whether done anonymously or not.
Conclusion
When reading is a shared experience, it creates the supportive and engaging learning environment students crave. Shared reading activities like
- collaborative writing,
- read alouds, and
- interactive writing tasks
develop students’ literacy skills and promote social skills, critical thinking, and creativity. Shared literacy experiences encourage a love of reading and stronger literacy skills.
Glose for Education is an online platform that makes reading a social experience. By creating shared spaces to interact with digital texts, readers learn from one another. To learn more about how Glose for Education can support your annotation instruction, click here. And, download this free lesson plan to hold a reading tournament using Glose with your students.
Works Cited
Cartwright, Kelly B. Executive Skills and Reading Comprehension: A Guide for Educators. GUILFORD, 2023.
Ilankumaran, M. & P P, Deepa. (2018). Teaching Literature Enhances Communication Skills — a Study with Special Emphasis on Poetry. International Journal of Engineering and Technology(UAE). 7. 187–191. 10.14419/ijet.v7i3.6.14967.
“Shaping a Positive Learning Environment.” Teaching and Learning Resource Center, https://teaching.resources.osu.edu/teaching-topics/shaping-positive-learning#:~:text=Research%20tells%20us%20students%20learn,majors%2C%20and%20at%20the%20university
