Now that you are familiar with what shared reading is and why teachers use it, as well as information about procedures and selecting materials, here is a chance for you to apply, practice, and make sense of what you have learned. Here is a shared reading lesson for you to use with a group of children or a group of your peers.

The lesson is organized into the following components: before reading, during reading, and after reading. You can use this plan or create your own, using the format already provided. This lesson plan would be appropriate for an early shared reading experience with your new class of first graders in September and is based on the book Five Little Monkeys illustrated by Eileen Christelow (1989). This enlarged text has one sentence per page, following this pattern from the familiar rhyme: "Five little monkeys jumping on the bed. One fell off and bumped his head." For some first graders this lesson would seem easy, for others it would provide challenge. However, that is one of the major benefits of shared reading experiences: all children can participate and feel successful while enjoying a joint reading experience and the pleasure of the language.

Click here to access the lesson plan.