Shared Reading and the SmartBoard

Using a combination of StoryTown online resources and the SmartBoard screen capture tool, I have a routine that I use for my Tuesday shared reading lessons. While we are reading the weekly story together as a class, we are focusing on two outcomes:

1. Recognizing new vocabulary that we have learned that week. (Usually the day before we play our vocabulary game on the smartboard to reinforce the words.)
   
2. Practicing a new skill for that week like identifying main idea, sequence of events or cause and effect.

First, at the beginning of the year I downloaded pdf files of the student practice books and reading transparencies from the StoryTown website.

Next, when it is time for us to read the weekly story together, students have their text books in front of them along with a skill practice page. For example, we were reading a story called The Bunyans and the skill of the week was sequencing plot events. As we were reading, students needed to identify characters, setting and the plot events on their practice page as we worked our way through the story.

I open the practice book pdf file that I have saved on my desktop and project the page on the SmartBoard. Then, using the Smart Capture tool, I capture an image of the part of the page that we are working on, like the first part where we write the characters and setting. Then when we read, we pause to talk about characters and setting and I write them down on the SmartBoard as they work in their practice books. When it comes time for us to do the next task, I quickly capture an image of it from the pdf file and it automatically puts it into a new page on the same notebook file.

Two reasons why the use of the SmartBoard and Screen Capture have been so useful:

1. It is very easy to do. I don't have to set up anything ahead of time. I can do it so quickly and easily that I just do it as the kids are getting their books out or as I am teaching the lesson.
2. Students are looking at exactly the same page at their desks as I have on the SmartBoard. It is a good time for me to model how they write in complete sentences, with caps and punctuation. Also, I am modeling my thinking as I am working on the task.
3. Wait, there's a third... It is save-able. If I do this lesson on Tuesday and I run out of time, I save it and we pick up where we left off. I will also save it and use the chart to review the story and skill before I go into guided reading groups on Wednesday.