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Supporting the Teaching of Reading

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The Power of Shared Book Reading

Shared book reading is a simple, yet powerful practice of an adult and child reading together. Research shows that shared reading is one of the most effective ways to support children's spoken language and early literacy development.

In the video, you'll see an educator modelling strategies that families/ carers can also use at home when reading with their child or children. Rather than focusing on children “reading the words" themselves, shared book reading is about listening, talking, and noticing the features of a book together. This includes things like identifying the title, author, and illustrator, pointing to words as they are read, and drawing attention to letters and sounds.

The video also demonstrates how reading can be expanded into fun activities that build important skills such as phonological awareness (hearing and playing with sounds in words), alphabet knowledge, and an understanding that print carries meaning. These skills form the foundation of learning to read and write.

Families play a vital role in building these skills at home. Reading with your child (even just a few minutes a day) creates opportunities to talk about the story, connect new words to what your child already knows, and enjoy books together. Most importantly, it makes reading a positive and shared experience.

I encourage you to watch the video and try out some of these simple strategies during your next shared reading time with your child. Visiting the local library over the school holidays or exploring the books your child brings home from school can turn everyday moments into rich opportunities for language and literacy growth. These small, enjoyable routines help nurture your child's skills while making reading a special time together.


Building Strong Foundations in Language and Literacy

At Deception Bay State School, we are committed to fostering strong oral language and literacy skills from Prep through to Year 6. One powerful approach we use is shared book reading, an interactive method where educators guide students through texts while explicitly teaching important emergent literacy skills.

In the above video, an educator demonstrates how reading a book can go far beyond storytelling. Through simple yet effective strategies like pointing to words as they are read, identifying the author and illustrator, clapping out syllables, and discussing letter sounds, students begin to develop crucial skills such as print knowledgephonological awarenessphonemic awareness, and alphabet knowledge.

These foundational skills are not only important in the early years but continue to be built upon throughout primary school. In our Prep classrooms, these same strategies are explicitly taught through the Read It Again! Program, an evidence-based oral language and literacy intervention designed to strengthen vocabulary, narrative skills, and awareness of sound and print. The wonderful Prep team have also put information about Read It Again outside Prep B for more information about this program and how it supports our students' reading, language and literacy skills. 

By embedding these practices across year levels, we create a language-rich environment that supports all learners, whether they're just starting their literacy journey or developing more advanced reading and writing skills. As a Speech-Language Pathologists, we collaborate and work closely with classroom teachers to embed these strategies across the curriculum, ensuring all students build a strong foundation for lifelong learning.

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Last reviewed 20 September 2025
Last updated 20 September 2025