As special educators, we know how valuable it is for students to be read to daily. But, how do we enhance engagement? Furthermore, how do we improve the ability of students with significant disabilities to initiate and respond to text? After all, the Commission on Reading declared shared reading is “the single most important activity for developing the knowledge required for eventual success in reading.” This blog post will discuss two strategies you can implement today in your shared reading lessons. The beauty of the strategies you will learn is that you don’t need to prepare a special lesson plan- all you need is to be mindful of them as you read to your students.
What is shared reading?
Let’s discuss the definition of shared reading before discussing strategies. Shared reading is the interaction between students and adults as they read the same book together. It supports many early literacy skills, like phonological awareness, oral language, and print awareness. The main goal of shared reading is for the student to lead the interaction with the story. Furthermore, shared reading can be implemented in special education during whole-group or small-group instruction. It can take as little as 10 minutes when implemented during the school day.
The two strategies we will learn more about can be easily remembered using acronyms- CAR and CROWD. They are discussed at length in the book “Literacy and Comprehension for All” by Karen A. Erickson and David A. Koppenhaver. This book is an excellent read for special educators and is discussed further in this blog post.
Let’s get started!
Follow the CAR Strategy
The CAR strategy fosters active participation. It stands for Comment and wait, Ask for participation and wait, and Respond by adding a little more. Notice each step tells us to “wait.” Adults must give students time to think and respond, especially students with significant disabilities.
The adult should begin reading part of a story. Then, the adult should comment on the story (C) and wait for the student to reciprocate with a comment or question. If the student responds with a comment or some words, the adult should elaborate (R). If the student doesn’t communicate anything, the adult should prompt the student to do so using open-ended language (ie. “tell me.”) In the event that the student still does not communicate, move on and repeat the strategy.
Let’s look at an example in action:
- Adult reads part of a story: “Over the lake and out past the bay was a green, grassy hill where the rocks came to play.”
- Adult comments/waits (C): “I see the rocks.”
- Adult asks and waits (A): “tell me more”
- Student: “play”
- Adult responds (R): “yes, they’re playing on the hill.”
This structured approach builds a supportive environment, which encourages students to meaningfully contribute to the conversation.
Implement the CROWD Strategy
Once you start rocking the CAR strategy, it’s time to intertwine the CROWD strategy, too. The CROWD includes specific ways the adult can facilitate communication. They are described in detail below. I like using the visual above to remind myself during shared reading lessons.
C – completion. This might be the easiest way for students to respond. The adult should give the student part of a phrase from the story so the student can fill in the rest. “The little engine that _____.”
R– recall. Ask students to recall the events or important details of the story. “What happened first?”
O– open-ended. Ask students an open-ended question. “Tell me what you see.”
W– Wh- questions. Ask students typical WH questions about the story, including who, what, where, and when. What are they doing?
D– distancing. Help students connect to personal experiences and encourage independent thinking. What does this remind you of?
Each of these prompts illicit new vocabulary and oral language, which is what students with significant disabilities need most.
Shared Reading and AAC
Both of these strategies work perfectly with AAC. When the adult comments or prompts a comment, they model on an AAC device or low-tech communication board. Depending on the student’s communication needs, the adult might comment using a core word (go, play, eat, etc.) or a longer phrase.
Check out this resource
Reading Comprehension with Visuals is perfect to use with structured shared reading. Each monthly themed pack contains four simple stories, with one comprehension activity per day of the week. Activities are differentiated and the stories are fun and engaging.
