This year, I began my shared reading instruction by teaching my kindergarteners some traditional songs.  Before school started, I downloaded six different songs, typed up the lyrics, and put them on colorful PowerPoint slides.  On the first day of school and over the next few weeks, I taught the kids those 6 songs with the music and the PowerPoint slides, pointing to the words as we sang.  The kids loved singing songs for shared reading, and they learned the lyrics super quickly!  

Then, last week, I printed out copies of the slides, laminated them, and made them available to my kids for their independent reading time.  They ate them up!  Several of the kids who had been halfheartedly paging through books during independent reading time suddenly transformed into engaged readers, quietly singing the songs to themselves as they pointed to the words.  I’ve never had so many kids “pretend reading” so early in the year.  Success!

I teach bilingual kindergarten, so the songs I chose are in Spanish:  “Los pollitos,” “Cucu cantaba la rana,” “En el agua clara,” “Aserrin aserran,” “Al animo,” and “Que llueva.”  Click here for a free copy of the PowerPoint I created, so you can use the same songs with your kiddos.  I found these songs in a book of traditional Spanish songs, but I really need to look for more songs so the kids don’t get bored.

To follow along with our shared reading and other classroom activities, follow me here on Instagram.  Happy teaching!