Holdaway believed that when children can see the text during shared reading, they are better able to comprehend the role print plays in reading. Those children often entered school lacking both early oral language skills and the joy experienced during shared storybook readings with a parent or adult. He discovered that some children had not had opportunities to experience reading activities such as 'lap' or 'bedtime' stories with family members. He explained that shared reading connects students through shared feelings and experiences with texts. Invented and developed by Holdaway in New Zealand, shared reading supports those children who have had limited experiences with print before entering school. 'Shared reading is a collaborative literacy learning activity based on the research of Don Holdaway that emulates and builds from the child's experience with bedtime stories' (Parkes, B., 2000).

Shared book reading is most commonly used in preschool and primary schools, especially in kindergarten and first-grade classrooms. Along the way, the supportive teacher explicitly models strategies that proficient readers use during reading. It is an opportunity for the students and the teacher to view, read orally, and have conversations using the same text.

Shared reading is an interactive reading experience that takes place when students share the reading of a book with the help and assistance of a teacher.

Mass kindergarten reading level c