ABSTRACT
Excellent teachers at every grade level and in all content areas use frontloading to optimize learning success for all students. Although uncommon in practice, adequate frontloading is as necessary for high school students as it is for our youngest students. In shared writing, the teacher “holds the pen” and does the actual transcription while leading, guiding, accepting, and shaping students’ language and thinking. Shared writing makes it possible to raise expectations, show what’s possible, and provide opportunities for all students to contribute their thoughts and ideas, without fear of failure. Shared reading is ideal for building fluency, automaticity, stamina, reading skills and strategies, and enjoyment for learners of all ages. Shared reading is a terrific technique for improving reading competency, especially for beginning readers, elementary-age students who struggle, and English language learners.
