Family Literacy Lilah Bruland Lauren Hightower

Discussion Questions 1. How involved are parents at your school? 2. What activities does your school provide to encourage parent involvement? 3. In what ways do you involve your students’ parents in your classroom?

What Is It? Cairney (1994) The literacy practices which occur within the context of both the family and community Auerbach (1995) Participatory, empowering experience that includes a wide range of literacy practices which are used by family members daily in a way that is appropriate and socially significant to the user Stegelin Addresses the needs of both the adult and child Recognizes the parent as the first and most important teacher Parent’s education, experiences and culture are the foundations of teaching their child

Why Is It Important? Link between parental involvement and a child’s success in school. Children in impoverished environments show improvements when family support is mobilized. Positively related to achievement, children are better behaved, stay in school longer, and like school more.

Political background Goals 2000: Educate America Act established by the Clinton administration Every school will promote partnerships that will increase parental involvement and participation in promoting the social, emotional and academic growth in children

Family Literacy Takes place during daily routines Conversation Writing Being read to Book discussions Having books in the home Print awareness Discussing television and movies

Family & the Adolescent Families continue to play an important role in academic success 70% of struggling readers in high school had not been read to as a child Continue those home literacy practices Discuss school High school is not too late to implement literacy practices Secondary school teachers and administrators need to increase amount of home communication The primary source of reading material are parents and family School reading material is not usually what is modeled in the home Literacy activities mostly unrelated to school

Why Parents Are Not Involved Lack basic literacy skills in native language and English Lack knowledge of how to use the educational system Lack sociocultural knowledge of school expectations Lack social skills Culture and values conflict with the school’s Feel unwelcome at school by staff Unaware that their child’s education is viewed as the responsibility of teacher and family

Role of the School Plan ways to involve parents Author Study Group Overnight Read In Game Night Open House Dads & Doughnuts

Role of the Teacher Make the parents feel welcome Actively involve parents in your classroom Try different strategies Make small gains Include literacy within your classroom that is relevant to your students’ home life Don’t make assumptions

Practitioner Toolkit Created by the National Center for Family Literacy and the Center for Applied English Language Acquisition Provides support and serves as a resource to adult education and family literacy instructors Toolkit is available online with a free online course to enable teachers or volunteers to create a lesson plan that both meets the needs of their English language learners that accommodate cultural differences. Created by Verizon Literacy Campus

Literacy Activities in the Home Read your child’s favorite story to him/her in a comfortable, quiet place. Ask your child to predict what will happen next. Start the day by reading the newspaper. Point out interesting pictures to your child and read the captions together Read a story with your child, such as Is your Mama a Llama? Pick a word from the book and make a rhyme with each consonant in the alphabet Take a “naming walk” indoors and outdoors, naming each item you come to Make a photo album by pasting photos or magazine pictures on construction paper. Write captions or record your child’s story about the pictures

More Literacy Activities to do in the Home Dance the ABC’s Sing the alphabet and move about, clapping and making up dance steps Visit the library together. Each choose a book and compare and contrast it as you both read. Ask your child to help you “cook” today by reading a recipe together or carefully cutting out coupons in the newspaper. With your child, look for things in your home that begin with the first letter of you child’s name and what else starts with that letter? Teach your child a song or nursery rhyme you remember from your childhood. Ask you child about her/his day using open-ended questions: “What did you have for breakfast? Who did you talk to? What was your favorite part of the day? Try a new book. Take a “picture walk” through the book, looking at and talking about the pictures with your child. Play with magnetic letters or big letters cut out from a magazine. Show your child how you can add or take away letters to make new words.

Teacher Parent Communication Monthly newsletter Calendar tfile.cfm&PageID= tfile.cfm&PageID=13803 Weekly “Hot Topic” Suggested Reading List Classroom Book Exchange Classroom Family Night Family Play Informational brochure

Requirements for a Successful Family Literacy Program Children’s Education Promote literacy development and learning of children, and engaging parents in their child’s education environment Parent Time Instruction about their children's literacy development and provides opportunities to explore strategies to support that development Parent and Child Together Daily interaction of parent and child participating in interactive literacy experiences Adult Education Learning experience for parent to gain literacy skills to meet personal goals, be an effective employee, and active community members

Toyota Family Literacy Program 15 cities in more than 50 locations Children ages 2.5 to 6 4 components Early childhood education Parent literacy training Parent time Parent and child together Adults demonstrated greater gains than in adult programs Less likely to dropout Children in family programs had greater gains than child only programs Parents were more supportive of child’s education

Family Literacy Programs in CCSD KLVX Literacy Backpacks K-3 Family Writing Projects K-12 Head Start Public Libraries Individual Schools Boys & Girls Club

Family Literacy Foundation Programs (San Diego) United Through Reading Military families keep in touch through reading aloud on video or DVD Youth Reading Role Models High school students read aloud to preschool children Building Bridges with books Incarcerated parents read aloud on video

Family Literacy Programs in the United States National Center for Family Literacy Access online and has websites and workshops for parents and children to do together Sesame Street online workshops Toyota Family Literacy Program Practitioner Toolkit: Working with Adult English Language Learners Even Start National Family Literacy Day, November 1