Parental Involvement in Reading Development P-3 Vidhya Nageswaran
Welcome Parents! The following presentation aims to provide information and resources you can use to help support your child s s reading development over the coming year As always, your involvement is welcomed. I am sure with your support we can provide our children with effective reading instruction to help motivate them to read and become lifelong learners
What Research Has to Say About Family Involvement? In general the family makes critical contributions to student achievement from pre-school through high school. A home environment that encourages learning is more important to student achievement than income, education level or cultural background (Henderson and Berla) Three kinds of parental involvement at home are consistently associated with higher student achievement: actively organizing and monitoring a child s s time, helping with homework, and discussing school matters (Finn, 1998)
What Research Has to Say? The earlier parent involvement begins in a child s s educational process, the more powerful the effects ("Parent Involvement in Education," Kathleen Cotton and Karen Reed Wikelund, Research You Can Use, Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory) Positive results of parental involvement in their children s s schooling include improved achievement, reduced absenteeism, improved behavior and restored confidence among parents in their children s s schooling ("The Home-School Connection: Selected Partnership Programs in Large Cities," Institute for Responsive Education, Boston)
What Research Has to Say About Reading Over the years, research has demonstrated that if parents read to their children, have books in the home, and hear their children read, children s s reading standards improve (National Literacy Trust) More specifically parents who read to their children before they enter school give their children a boost toward reading success. Talking to children about the books and stories read to them also supports reading achievement ("Developing Engaged Readers in School and Home Communities," Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Rahway, NJ, 1996)
What Research Has to Say? Reading achievement is more dependent on learning activities in the home than is math or science achievement (The College Board, 1994) and the single most important activity for building knowledge required for eventual success in reading is reading aloud to children (Anderson et al., 1985) Research shows that parental involvement is an important factor in a student s s success in reading. The greater amount of parental involvement at home, the greater amount of success in a child s reading ability (Becher, 1985)
Summary of Research Children's success in school can thus be associated with reading to children and listening to them read Indeed, the single most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success in reading is reading aloud to children In addition, parents can also take their children to the library,, help them get a library card, and help them find books on their interests ests and hobbies The availability of reading material in the home, whether owned or borrowed from the library, is directly associated with children's achievement in reading comprehension (Lee & Croninger, 1994)
Strategies for Promoting Family Literacy Parents should include all members of the family Reading based activities should take place on a daily basis between parents and their children and start at an early age. Native language should be encouraged Modeling positive attitudes towards literacy can encourage children to imitate parents language behaviors and serve to reinforce what is taught in school
Strategies for Promoting Family Literacy Visit your public library with your children Encourage your older children to read to your younger children, and allow your children to see that you also enjoy reading Ask your children questions about what they have read, such as: What is happening in the story? What do you think will happen next? What did you like best about the story? Discuss things that happen in school every day. Engage your children in conversation about their favorite subjects and teachers, and any special events that go on Designate a quiet place in your home for reading where your child is comfortable and away from distractions
Reading Activities For Parental Read a bedtime story Involvement Preschool Get alphabet books and make alphabet books Read same books over and over Sing favorite nursery rhymes and songs for giving directions Write messages to your child Give child markers or paper and pencils to scribble away Label child s s possessions Put magnetic letters on the refrigerator
Reading Activities For Parental Involvement Kindergarten Read poetry and verse that rhymes and stop before the end of the line, having child fill in the blank Take a ride with your child and look for cars and road signs Show your child a magazine picture. Have him/her name the different colors in the picture. Ask your child to identify the objects with the color Make a jigsaw puzzle from a poster, book jacket, or picture postcard Listen to short television commercials and jingles with your child. Ask them to repeat them for you Just before going to bed, review things that happened that day. Ask your child what was the best thing that happened, what happened first, second, third
Reading Activities For Parental Involvement Kindergarten Select a letter for the day. See how many times your child can find that letter during the day. Hide the letter, written on cards, in all your child s favorite places and books. Applaud whenever one of the cards is brought to you Make a large pancake or cookie and cut it in the shape of the letter for the day. Then your child may eat the letter Sing and repeat the classic nursery rhymes. Act them out with your child Using a store catalog, have your child find items in the bedroom, kitchen, living room, etc. Have him/her cut and paste the items on sheets of paper labeled for each room Take your child to the grocery store. Point out and name the vegetables, cereals, meats, etc
Reading Activities For Parental Involvement 1 st Grade Make a board game Label things in your children's room as they learn to name them. Have fun while they learn that written words are connected to everyday things Listen to a book on tape and turn the book's pages with your children The next time you cook with your children, read the recipe with them. Give them an opportunity to follow directions to create a gourmet delight. On car trips, make it a game to point out and read license plates, billboards, and interesting road signs
Reading Activities For Parental Involvement 2nd Grade Write a book about something read or imagined Keep a journal Make a book Write a thank-you letters after birthdays Write a wish list for x-mas x Write your own cards Start a scrapbook Create cereal box stories During car journeys create zany sentences using words they see outside
Reading Activities For Parental Involvement 3 rd Grade Create a newspaper of your daily events Interview your parents or grandparents Explore your family letters and albums Write a letter from one character to another Write a letter to an author Join reading competitions at your local library
Reading Activities/ Strategies for Diverse Learners Begin reading to your children at an early age, and as often as possible, in their native language and in English Keep many types of reading materials (books, magazines, newspapers, etc.) in your native language and in English in your home Take your children to places in the community that offer educational and cultural activities. Talk to your children about what they are seeing Tell your children stories about your family, as well as stories and songs you liked to hear when you were a child in your native country
Useful Websites for Parents http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/e nvrnmnt/drugfree/sa2deq03.htm http://www.schwablearning.org/pdfs/ex pert_hall.pdf http://www.child-reading reading- tips.com/parental-involvement involvement-in- reading-skills.htm http://www.executiveparent.com/cgi- bin/softcart.exe/store/language_arts_in dex0001.html?l+scstore+qjjq1705fffd0 1fd+1059624009 http://www.schoolhomelinks.com/comp act.html http://agexted.cas.psu.edu/fcs/dp/readi ngwebsite.html#websites%20for %20CHILDREN
Book Lists for Children The following websites provide a comprehensive book list that parents can use when selecting or suggesting books for their children Preschool-Kindergarten http://www.edu4kids.com/read ing/prek-k.shtml Grades One Two http://www.edu4kids.com/read ing/1-2.shtml Grades Three-Four http://www.edu4kids.com/read ing/3-4.shtml
Technology Resources for http://pbskids.org/lions/ Children http://www2.nypl.org/home/bran ch/kids/index.cfm http://www.syvum.com/online/e nglish.html http://www.magickeys.com/boo ks/ http://www.worldreading.org/
Books & Technology Resources for Children from Diverse Cultures These web sites contain book lists for all elementary grades and links to Multicultural websites http://teacher.scholastic.com/lessonrepro/lessonplans/instructor/m /m ulticultural.htm http://www.soemadison.wisc.edu/ccbc/50mult.htm http://www.mindspring.com/~mlmcc/kidsbooks.htm http://www.willesdenbookshop.co.uk/ http://old.weber.edu/loda/multicul.htm http://old.weber.edu/loda/default.html
Thank you Thank you for taking the time out to view this presentation. If you have any questions please contact me at 732-751 751-2491 ext:5021 Together We Can Make A Difference