Parent Education Activities
PART III: PARENT EDUCATIONParent Education ActivitiesParent education sessions need to be planned and should follow a similar sequence eachtime. The suggested sequence is listed here and is explained later in this article. Also, seeSample Parent Education Lessons beginning on page III–17 for examples. Engaging parents in a short, motivating, introductory activity Presenting new information Processing the information through activities Helping parents apply the new informationTopics may vary, but the majority of the sessions should center on the language and literacydevelopment of children. It takes careful planning to provide opportunities for parents tolearn about their child’s language and literacy development, as well as opportunities forparents to discuss and gain the skills to support this development. Often, parent educationsessions provide the opportunity to dispel common misconceptions regarding children’slanguage and literacy development.Discussing strategies or activities with parents that support their child’s learning is afundamental goal of parent education. These activities should be appropriate for the age ofthe child and can be done in the parent’s native language. Figure III–3 provides some tipsfrom the Reading Rockets Web site (www.readingrockets.org) to share with parents.Figure III–3: Parent Tips for Developing Language and Literacy in ChildrenInfants: Talk and sing to your baby when you change his diaper, give him a bath, feed him lunch, orjoin him in play. Help increase your baby’s vocabulary by asking “What’s that?” or “Where’s the dog?” whenlooking at and enjoying books together.Toddlers: Read stories before bedtime. It makes a good transition between active play and rest time. Take short trips to new places and talk about what is happening around you.Preschoolers: Encourage preschool children to carry out steps to written recipes or to look at labels. Play picture-card games with your child. Point out words on signs.Primary grade children: Continue to read with your child even if he has already learned to read. Visit the library on a regular basis. Show children that you read books and magazines for information and enjoyment.(Adapted from National Association for the Education of Young Children, 1997.)Parent Education ActivitiesIII–9
PART III: PARENT EDUCATIONThe Learning to Read and Write Overview below (adapted from Neuman, Copple &Bredekamp, 2000) is a broad look at children’s language and literacy development frombirth to approximately age eight, including children with special needs, children fromdiverse cultures and English language learners. Teachers may encourage parents to considerand discuss ways to incorporate the following aspects of literacy development into theirfamily routines:The Power and Pleasure of Literacy. Children’s success with language and literacyrequires opportunities to enjoy and value the power that comes with literacy. A criticalfeature that supports this enjoyment is meaningful interactions with adults through positiveliteracy experiences. When children see parents reading for pleasure, children see reading asa positive activity.The Literate Environment. A literate environment provides opportunities to broaden socialknowledge and language development. It includes use of print in purposeful ways,language-rich experiences with others, a variety and abundance of literacy materials, andrepresentations of varied cultural and linguistic backgrounds.Language Development. Language development involves understanding the role oflanguage skills and word knowledge in meaningful contexts. It is important that childrenexperience a large quantity of discourse and a variety of language. How language is used inhome and educational settings influences children’s literacy learning.Building Knowledge and Comprehension. Through enriching experiences with theirfamilies and in educational settings, children build knowledge that allows them to assimilatenew learning and refine knowledge and concepts.Phonological Awareness. In infancy, children begin to attend to the sounds of speech.Gradually children become more aware of the sounds around them that eventually lead tomaking connections between sounds and letters.Letters and Words. To become proficient readers, children learn that letters of the alphabetform patterns to become words. In becoming skilled readers, they are able to use theirbeginning knowledge of letters and words to increase word recognition and support theirefforts to read and write.Types of Text. When children become familiar with, experience, and distinguish differenttypes of text (such as stories, conversations, poetry, dramatization, and messages) they areable to read and create these forms themselves.Knowledge of Print. Children develop knowledge of print when they observe and interactwith others as they read, write, and use print for many purposes. In addition, children’sawareness of letters, the general shape and length of familiar words, the mechanics ofreading and writing, and features of text increase their knowledge of print and how it works.III–10Parent Education Activities
PART III: PARENT EDUCATIONPlanning Parent Education SessionsIn some family literacy programs, parents attend regularly scheduled group sessionsfacilitated by a parent educator. In other programs, staff members may alternatively leadparent education sessions. Thus, it is important that all staff members be sensitized to thevarious cultural aspects of the families enrolled.Parent education sessions involve various planning steps, beginning with the identificationof a topic about which parents want to learn. Some examples might be learning howchildren’s cognitive abilities develop and grow, learning how to read a book with your child,or even learning how to help a school-age child with homework. Figure III–4 displays atypical parent education lesson format.Figure III–4: Parent Education Lesson Format1. Engaging parents in a short motivating introductory activity2. Presenting new information using a video, an article, a guest speaker, or a children’s book3. Processing the information through activities such as a discussion, writing on the topic, roleplaying, or playing a game4. Helping parents apply the new information in their own livesTypical Parent Education LessonThe following is an example of a typical parent education lesson. This example is based ona program that serves parents and their young children. The teacher knows the parents canread the books she has chosen. For parents who have very low English literacy skills, theactivity could be adapted by encouraging the parents to tell a story, by using picture books,or by providing books in the parent’s native language.1. Engaging parents in a short motivating introductory activity. “Today we will discussstorytelling. How many of you have told a story to your child? Storytelling is one of themost enjoyable activities you can do with your child. Storytelling will promote languagedevelopment by giving your child various opportunities to use and listen to language.Take a few moments to remember your favorite storytelling experience. Would anyonelike to share their story?” (The teacher may want to model by telling a favorite story.)2. Presenting new information using a video, an article, a guest speaker, or a children’sbook. “Now that we have shared a few stories, let’s look at several examples ofchildren’s storytelling books. Please choose one. Now, take a few moments and lookthrough the book.” (Allow time for parents to ask questions about their book choice.This is very important when working with parents who have limited English languageskills.) Distribute the handout, “Checklist for Reading Aloud to Infants and Toddlers.”(See Figure III–5.) Discuss each aspect of the handout with parents to make sure theyunderstand what is expected.Parent Education ActivitiesIII–11
PART III: PARENT EDUCATION3. Processing the information through activities such as discussions, writing on thetopic, role-playing, or playing a game. Model how to read a book to a child, whileparents look at their handouts and check off each bullet. Ask parents to find a partnerand have them take turns practicing reading or telling their book to each other.4. Helping parents apply the new information in their own lives. Have parents check outtheir chosen book to read to their child (or discuss) at home. Ask them to notice whatpart of the reading/storytelling activity goes well and which part of the activity they needto improve. During the next parent education session, ask parents questions about theirexperiences before, during, and after reading the story. Encourage group discussion.Figure III–5: Checklist for Reading Aloud to Infants and ToddlersBefore Reading the Story Make sure everyone is comfortable and can see the book Read the title aloud Show children the cover of the book and talk about itWhile Reading the Story Make eye contact with children Vary your voice to fit the characters and plot Read one-to-one (or for toddlers, in very small groups) Stop sometimes to: oShow the picturesoShare your own reactions to the story and characters through voice or gesturesoEncourage children’s reactions to the storyEncourage children to participate by:oInviting toddlers to join in with rhymes, sounds, and repeated words or phrasesoImitating the children’s vocalizations and/or actions during the storyUnderstand and change plans when children get tired or seem uninterestedAfter Reading the Story Give children opportunities to:oExplore the book and/or propsoTalk about the story (toddlers)Reread the book often with the children(National Center for Family Literacy, 2002, p. 63.)III–12Parent Education Activities
PART III: PARENT EDUCATIONGetting StartedProgram teachers provide the structure for parent education sessions. However, the topicswill be determined by parent interests and program goals. The staff may wish to brainstormand create an outline for the first parent session, including surveying parents to identify theirinterests and concerns. (See the example on page III–4.) The first couple of parenteducation sessions are the best time to include activities that will help parents and staffmembers get acquainted. The third session might include setting goals and discussingguidelines for future parent education sessions.Planning Literacy Development ActivitiesFigure III–6 provides a sample of possible parent education session topics and suggestedactivities incorporating research-based information on children’s language and literacydevelopment. The first column provides research excerpts describing the concept addressed.The second column provides suggested parent education topics, and the third columnprovides suggested activities that parents can practice during parent education sessions andthen practice with their child at home. A guide (in parentheses) following each topic andactivity indicates the age of children for whom the topic is most appropriate. All indicateschildren age 3 through children in the third grade, 3-5 indicates children in preschool, andK-3 indicates children in grades K-3.Figure III–6: Learning to Read and Write Instructional Topics and ActivitiesLearning to Read and WriteOverviewThe Power and Pleasure ofLiteracy There is a strong correlationbetween children being readto by their mother and thechildren’s interest in books(DeBaryshe, 1995). Many researchers suggestenthusiasm about literacyactivities as a route todevelopment of the child’sactive engagement inliteracy tasks (Snow &Tabors, 1996).Parent Education TopicsSuggested Activities Reading and telling storieswith children (All) Model book reading forparents (All) Having fun with language(All) Share rhyming games inEnglish and the homelanguage (3-5, K-3) Creating enjoyable times toread and write withchildren (3-5, K-3) Discovering the benefits ofreading and writing ineveryday activities (3-5,K-3) Illustrate a favorite familystory (3-5, K-3) Model reading andwriting family recipes(K-3)Parent Education ActivitiesIII–13
PART III: PARENT EDUCATIONLearning to Read and WriteOverviewParent EducationTopicsSuggested ActivitiesThe Literate Environment Print-rich environments—whichinclude the presence of such itemsas magnetic refrigerator letters,posters, writing materials,newspapers and books in the home,have been linked to children’slanguage acquisition or anawareness of print (Goodman,1986). Attention to children’s languageand literacy environment during thepreschool years constitutes a crucialprevention effort for young childrenat risk (Snow, Burns, & Griffin,1998). Finding a variety ofliteracy materials forthe home (All) Creating a literacy-richhome environment(All) Promoting homeculture and language(All) Discuss a variety of waysto create a print-richenvironment in the home(All) Provide parentsopportunities to work witha variety of literacymaterials such as menus,bus schedules, and ads(All) Share literacy materialsfrom parents’ nativecountry or in their nativelanguage (All)Language Development Optimal oral language development Having extended,meaningfuloccurs when children haveconversations withnumerous opportunities to usechildren (All)language in interactions with adultsand each other (Neuman, Coppel, & IncorporatingBredekamp 2000).meaningfulconversations into The amount of language childreneveryday activitieshear and interact with during the(All)formative infant, toddler, andpreschool years has a significantimpact on the quality of theirlanguage skills (Hart & Risley,1995). Encouraging children touse words to talk aboutwants and needs (3-5,K-3) Discuss the features ofextended conversationand the benefits ofextended conversations athome (3-5, K-3) Provide opportunities forparents to role playvarious interactions (3-5,K-3) Share ideas about how toencourage children to talkabout their day (All)Building Knowledge andComprehension Through conversations aboutbooks, adults may induce higherlevel thinking by movingexperiences in stories from whatchildren may see in front of themto what they can imagine (Snow,1991). Talk that surrounds reading helpschildren bridge ideas and information from the book to their ownlives (Dickinson & Smith, 1994).III–14Parent Education Activities Having “book talks”with children (All) Planning learningexperiences, andfollowing up on familyoutings to buildchildren’s backgroundknowledge (All) Take turns reading aloudduring parent educationsessions (3-5, K-3) Take turns telling astory; reflect on differentstories and storytellingstyles (3-5, K-3) Plan a family experienceafter reading a book onthe topic (All)
PART III: PARENT EDUCATIONLearning to Read and WriteOverviewParent Education TopicsSuggested Activities Using rhymes, songs andchants with children inEnglish and the homelanguage (3-5, K-3) Demonstrate rhymingsongs in English forparents; ask them toshare rhyming songs intheir home language(3-5, K-3)Phonological Awareness Phonemic awareness instructionhelps children of all ages (NationalReading Panel, 2000). Few children develop phonemicawareness naturally. When teachersplan activities and interact withchildren to draw attention tophonemes, children’s awarenessdevelops (Neuman, Copple, &Bredekamp, 2000; Snow, Burns, &Griffin, 1998). Using books in Englishto promote phonologicalawareness (3-5, K-3) Record parents singing Helping children writewords based only onsounds (K-3)a favorite song in theirnative language andprovide copies forthem to share (3-5,K-3) Letter and word knowledge is aprecursor to a child becoming aproductive reader (Snow, Burns, &Griffin, 1998). Playing andexperimenting withletters and their sounds(3-5) Teachers can facilitate children’salphabetic learning through practicein recognizing, naming, andproducing letters of the alphabet(Neuman, 2001). Making letters with avariety of householdmaterials (3-5) Share ideas on how touse items in thehome—alphabet soupor pasta, cereals, andcartons— to teachletters. (3-5)Letters and WordsTypes of Text When adults read to childrenregularly, children learn todistinguish the language used inbooks from conversational language(Neuman, Copple, & Bredekamp,2000). Children need to have access to anabundance of high-quality booksand magazines on a daily basis(Burns, Griffin, & Snow, 1999). Demonstrate theconcept of letter wallsand labeling (K-3) Exploring differentgenres and how to readthem with children (3-5,K-3) Selecting a variety ofchildren’s readingmaterial (All) Discuss different typesof texts with parents Provide parents theopportunity to interactwith a variety of texts Discuss the process of Exploring the differentforms and functions ofprint (3-5, K-3)choosing appropriatebooks (All)Parent Education ActivitiesIII–15
PART III: PARENT EDUCATIONLearning to Read and WriteOverviewParent Time TopicsSuggested ActivitiesKnowledge of Print Literacy experiences in thehome are related to a child’sunderstanding of the functionsof print and later acquisition ofliteracy (Britto & Brooks-Gunn,2001). Children learn a lot aboutreading from the labels, signs,and other kinds of print they seearound them (McGee, Lomax,& Head, 1988). Exploring the manypurposes for reading(K-3, 3-5) Demonstrate the uses ofprint by creating areading log. (K-3) Learning about theconcepts of print (K-3,3-5) Gather samples of printin the environment andcreate a scrapbookusing these materials.(K-3, 3-5) Helping childrenengage in meaningfulreading and writingexperiences (K-3, 3-5)ConclusionParent education sessions in family literacy programs are a powerful educational opportunityfor parents with limited English language and literacy skills. These sessions offer parents achance to meet and discuss matters of importance to them as new immigrants in thiscountry. Most importantly, parents learn how to support their children’s language andliteracy development as they learn to navigate the American school system.III–16Parent Education Activities
playing, or playing a game 4. Helping parents apply the new information in their own lives Typical Parent Education Lesson The following is an example of a typical parent education lesson. This example is based on a program that serves parents and their young children. The tea
Downtown East Village Calgary Number Per cent Number Per cent Lone-parent families 30 100% Lone-parent families 47,330 100% Female lone -parent 20 67% Female lone -parent 36,955 78% Male lone -parent 10 33% Male lone -parent 10,380 22% Marital status Downtown East Village Calgary
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Continuum Stage 4: Engage in medium-term strategies to build infrastructure, train parents in CQI, and develop Parent Leaders 28 Principles for Financial Support of CQI Team Parent Leaders 29 Policies and Procedures for Financial Support of CQI Team Parent Leaders 30 Parent Leader Reimbursement Form 35 Basic Budget for Financial Support of CQI Team Parent Leaders 37
access the Parent Portal. User Guide - Step-by-step instructions on how to create a Parent Portal account. Password Reset/Account Look-up - A link for parents to request their user ID and/or password through their registered e-mail account. The Parent Portal Access page lists the information required to create a new parent portal account.
Parent Conners ' 10-Item Test . Parent Parent-Child Rating Scale 3.0 Teacher Teacher-Child Rating Scale 2.1 Teacher Social Competence Behavior Evaluation Scale McCabe et a 35 2006 18 30 4.2 3.17 5.42 4 W Mixed Excluded NE Parent Parent-Child Rating Scale 3.0 Teacher Teacher-Child Rating Scale 2.1
new parent company is created and sent to TL 9000 Administrator Approval . The University of Texas at Dallas Institute for Data Analytics TIA QuEST Forum - Parent Company Addition . Figure 3.1 New Company does not have a Parent Company that is existing in Portal . Figure 3.2 Parent Company Help Pop-up .
Student Username/Password If parent comes to school: -Provide student username/password in person to the parent If parent does not come into school: -Use Aeries Communications to send network student username/password once a Parent Portal account has been set up NOTE: Community Support will not be providing username/passwords to .
