M OMMY & M E : R EAD ‘N P LAY ! By: Imani White Professor Jean-Pierre Laurenceau-Medina

I NTRODUCTION /S UMMARY Parents have opportunity to involve their children in their learning Parents have another opportunity to learn and practice English Parents enhance their English reading skills by reading to children Both parents and children learn through a variety of activities

R ATIONALE Some adult learners may not always have the option of having someone watch their children In this way, adult learners will be able to have another opportunity to learn while spending time with their children

R ATIONALE R ESEARCH Reading children’s books is helpful to adult learners learning a new language Simplicity of the texts and bold pictures help adult learners better understand the material, ease their anxiety and help them feel a sense of mastery/accomplishment (letcteachers) In a study about family literacy programs, researchers saw that six months after a parent began participating in an adult literacy program, older children’s reading increased by about 40% (“U.S. Adult Literacy Programs: Making a Difference”)

R ESOURCES Already Available: Multipurpose Room Tables Chairs Needed: One staff member to supervise and coordinate sessions VCU student volunteers Basic art supplies Children’s books Snacks Storage bins

G OAL /O BJECTIVE Goal: increase overall reading skills of adult learners at the Henrico County Adult Education Center Objective: parent read a children’s book to their child to increase reading skills by at least 10%

M ETHODS Establishing a program for the adult learners to read to their child Parents sign up for sessions beforehand Staff member and volunteer members help facilitate the session as well as support parents in reading to their children (i.e. helping with pronunciation and comprehension) Parents interact in an activity with their children with help from the staff/volunteers Adult learners may have the opportunity to take a children’s book home and read it to their children

M ETHODS ( CONTINUED ) Age range of children = 4-5 years old No more than 10 adult learners and 15 children will participate in a session at one time At least 5 VCU student volunteers in total with at least 2 or 3 VCU student volunteers per session Sessions will take place on Friday mornings from 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM; once a week for 10 weeks Guest speaker at each session (i.e. librarian) Ice breakers at beginning of sessions Group activities Each session should have a specific theme (i.e. colors, animals, etc.)

M ETHODS (C ONTINUED ) TimeActivity 9:00 AM – 9:30 AMTeacher planning 9:30 AM – 9:40 AMIcebreaker 1 9:40 AM – 9:50 AMIcebreaker 2 9:50 AM – 10:10 AMGuest speaker 10:10 AM – 10:25 AMSnack time 10:25 AM – 10:50 AMParents read to children 10:50 AM – 11:20 AMGroup activity 11:20 AM – 11:30 AMClean-up

E VALUATION Reading skills test Pre-test and post-test administered to the adult learners who participate Those who participated invited to join focus group to discuss their opinion of the program and possible improvements

BUDGET ResourceCost Hired Staff Member$24 per hour = $600 total Art Supplies and Storage$0; Can be secured from The Art Resource Center (contact information on website) Books$0; Can be provided by libraries, donated from book stores and/or book drives Snacks$0; Each parent will bring a snack(s) with their child to the session Total: $600

P ERSONAL P ERSPECTIVE

S OURCES (2 images) pix-clouds.compix-clouds.com (image) letcteachers. “Using Picture Books with Adult ESL Learners.” Washington English Center. Washington English Center, 12 March Web. 6 April “U.S. Adult Literacy Programs: Making a Difference.” ProLiteracy America. (2003): vii-42. Web. 6 April 2015.