ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on large groups of children working with a teacher. Children's participation in both shared reading and shared writing involves them in activities that they could not do alone, but from which they can learn a great deal, with the support of others. In shared reading and writing, children are supported as they take on more and more of the tasks for themselves. In shared reading and writing activities, the teacher can be explicit about the purpose of the writing as well as about the conventions of how meanings are communicated or transferred to the page. While shared reading provides opportunities to investigate existing texts, shared writing offers the opportunity to construct texts collaboratively and, at the same time, a context for teaching about the writing process. For teachers and children new to shared writing, a good starting point might be the retelling of a familiar story, perhaps from the viewpoint of one of the characters.
