Tip of the Month - June 2020 - Shared reading with Shared Tar Heel Reader
A great resource to help you actively engage your child or student in shared reading
Shared Reading is an evidence-based intervention that can help improve language, communication, and interaction skills. During shared reading, adults focus on maximizing interaction page-by-page while working toward helping students lead the interaction.
The Tar Heel Shared Reading site was developed as part of a larger project designed to help teachers, families, and others provide high quality shared reading to students with significant cognitive disabilities. There are some excellent training modules and other resources available at http://sharedreader.org.
Tar Heel Shared Reader combines two resources: 1) the library of age and ability appropriate books in Tar Heel Reader, and 2) : a new shared reading interface that supports adults to actively engage students with significant cognitive disabilities to construct meaning from text.
Pre-planned comments suggested for each page here
![](/uploads/f3f6202d3c4daf520173e5adb5b1224e.png)
Suggested words with voice output at bottom of page
The books from the Tar Heel Reader series have been modified to add interactive core vocabulary that goes with each page of the book. The words are customizable and adult can choose which core words they would like to focus on. The suggested core words can be used directly from the screen with voice output, or used as a guide for focus words if your child or student has a core board, PODD book or communication device.
All the planning has been done for you for a huge number of stories.
Free Shared Reading Training Modules
The sharedreading.org team recommend the use of the CAR approach to guide shared reading and more information and some great training videos on this are available here:
https://www.sharedreader.org/follow-the-car-module/
The CAR approach is an acronym for the interaction between adult and child. The adult Comments, Asks for participation from the child and then Responds. The goal is for students to lead the shared reading interaction by making comments and initiations on their own. Download a poster to support the CAR approach here.
How to use shared Tar Heel readers
Go to https://shared.tarheelreader.org and select a book as you do in Tar Heel Reader
You will see a symbol on the top left of the page that lists the pre-planned words. Click on the green speech bubble to open the window below that lets you select the target level, the suggested words to be included, how many symbols you want to appear on the screen, and where you want them to be located.
References: Center for Literacy & Disability Studies/University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Created by Polly Thomas (TalkLink Teacher and Trainer) April 2020
To download this Tip of the Month as a PDF, please click here
A great resource to help you actively engage your child or student in shared reading
Shared Reading is an evidence-based intervention that can help improve language, communication, and interaction skills. During shared reading, adults focus on maximizing interaction page-by-page while working toward helping students lead the interaction.
The Tar Heel Shared Reading site was developed as part of a larger project designed to help teachers, families, and others provide high quality shared reading to students with significant cognitive disabilities. There are some excellent training modules and other resources available at http://sharedreader.org.
Tar Heel Shared Reader combines two resources: 1) the library of age and ability appropriate books in Tar Heel Reader, and 2) : a new shared reading interface that supports adults to actively engage students with significant cognitive disabilities to construct meaning from text.
Pre-planned comments suggested for each page here
![](/uploads/f3f6202d3c4daf520173e5adb5b1224e.png)
Suggested words with voice output at bottom of page
The books from the Tar Heel Reader series have been modified to add interactive core vocabulary that goes with each page of the book. The words are customizable and adult can choose which core words they would like to focus on. The suggested core words can be used directly from the screen with voice output, or used as a guide for focus words if your child or student has a core board, PODD book or communication device.
All the planning has been done for you for a huge number of stories.
Free Shared Reading Training Modules
The sharedreading.org team recommend the use of the CAR approach to guide shared reading and more information and some great training videos on this are available here:
https://www.sharedreader.org/follow-the-car-module/
The CAR approach is an acronym for the interaction between adult and child. The adult Comments, Asks for participation from the child and then Responds. The goal is for students to lead the shared reading interaction by making comments and initiations on their own. Download a poster to support the CAR approach here.
How to use shared Tar Heel readers
Go to https://shared.tarheelreader.org and select a book as you do in Tar Heel Reader
You will see a symbol on the top left of the page that lists the pre-planned words. Click on the green speech bubble to open the window below that lets you select the target level, the suggested words to be included, how many symbols you want to appear on the screen, and where you want them to be located.
References: Center for Literacy & Disability Studies/University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Created by Polly Thomas (TalkLink Teacher and Trainer) April 2020
To download this Tip of the Month as a PDF, please click here