Empowering Families: Practical Ways to Involve Parents in Boosting Literacy, Grades Pre-K-5

by Judy Bradbury, Susan E. Busch

Overview

The home–school connection is important to student literacy achievement. However, it can be time-consuming to develop and implement programming that keeps families engaged and involved. Empowering Families makes it easier to accomplish these goals! Chock-full of step-by-step plans for arranging a variety of parent/caregiver meetings and literacy booster events, the book enables educators to get families involved in their children’s learning in ways that are fun and non-intimidating.

By hosting these events at your school, you’ll be empowering families to…

 
• read aloud to their children at home;
• minimize the summer slide;
• encourage male involvement in literacy;
• help their children avoid homework hassles;
• and much, much more!
 

Bonus: The book includes ready-to-use handouts for your events, such as announcement sheets, follow-up evaluations, and tipsheets that describe ways parents can reinforce literacy at home. These handouts are photocopiable and the tipsheets are also available for easy download from our website at www.routledge.com/9781138803114. Spanish versions of the tipsheets are available on our website as well.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781138803091
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	05/01/2015
Pages:	238
Product dimensions:	8.25(w) x 11.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Judy Bradbury has taught reading and writing to students from preschool through high school, as well as graduate-level literacy courses. She presents widely at conferences and offers professional development on topics of literacy.

Susan E. Busch has over 25 years of experience as a reading specialist in New York. Now retired from teaching, she continues to present family literacy workshops and offer consulting to school districts.

Table of Contents

Meet the Authors

Acknowledgements

eResources

1. Empowering Families: Getting Started
2. Tips for Conducting Successful Literacy Booster Meetings and Family Literacy Events

Teacher Workshop

3. The Power of the Home-School Connection

Resource Materials

Literacy Booster Meetings and Family Literacy Events

4. Why Should I Read to My Child? Literacy Booster Meeting Series

Session 1: Why Should I Read to My Child…(and How, When, & Where)? Getting Started and Keeping On

Resource Packet for Parents/Caregivers

5. Why Should I Read to My Child? Literacy Booster Meeting Series

Session 2: Reading Aloud to Older Children & Websites of Interest to Parents, Caregivers, and Kids

Resource Packet for Parents/Caregivers

6. Why Should I Read to My Child? Literacy Booster Meeting Series

Session 3: Reading Together Here, There, Every-which-where!

Resource Packet for Parents/Caregivers

7. Organize It! And Avoid Homework Hassles Literacy Booster Event

Resource Packet for Parents/Caregivers

8. Wrap It Up! Gifts that Entertain AND Support Learning Literacy Booster Event

Resource Packet for Parents/Caregivers

9. A Night Out with the Guys…and the Kids!: Encouraging Male Involvement in Literacy Family Literacy Event

Resource Packet for Parents/Caregivers

10. Celebrating Us! Our Culture and Heritage Family Literacy Event

Teacher Resources

11. School’s Out! Now What? Ideas for Minimizing the "Summer Slide" Literacy Booster Meeting

Resource Packet for Parents/Caregivers

Additional Teacher Resources

12. Take Home TipSheets

Appendix

Literacy Booster Event Attendance Register

Literacy Booster Meeting Notepaper

Literacy Booster Event Evaluation

Editorial Reviews

'There are many useful book lists included, although I must warn you that the book has a US bias; this does not dtreact from the overall value of the book - the valuable principles explained are equally relevant wherever you live. It's a comprehensive look at a vital area of learning which will give the best results when applied throughout the school - and this book makes doing so easy and achievable - and provides great encouragement.'

— Parentsintouch.com, June 2015

"Empowering Families is a wonderful resource for teachers, literacy coaches, and other educators who are interested in developing a supportive literacy community that builds on the strengths and perspectives of the families they serve. This book provides sound advice grounded in the authors’ extensive experiences, a step-by-step guide to implementing a successful family literacy program, and a wealth of ready-to-go resources. Empowering Families should be on the bookshelf of anyone who is working directly in family literacy!"

—Kristen H. Perry, Associate Professor of Literacy Education, Department of Curriculum & Instruction, University of Kentucky

"Finally, a resource that bridges the gap between home and school. This book is full of fabulous strategies that help reinforce learning at home by helping parents feel empowered and knowledgeable about how to help their child be successful academically.This is just what we’ve been looking for!"

—Michelle Shipley, Principal, Painted Stone Elementary

"Parents and carers have a vital role to play in encouraging literacy in their children - it is not just the responsibility of schools. With so many pressures on teachers' time, finding time to develop and implement literacy programmes to keep families engaged and involved can be hard to schedule. That's where this invaluable book comes in, with its step-by-step planning for literacy booster sessions; the book includes ready-to-use handouts for events, such as announcement sheets, follow-up evaluations, and tipsheets that describe ways parents can reinforce literacy at home. It's a comprehensive look at a vital area of learning which will give the best results when applied throughout the school - and this book makes doing so easy and achievable - and provides great encouragement."

—Parents in Touch

From the Publisher