1st Edition

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

By Judy Bradbury, Susan E. Busch Copyright 2015
    226 Pages 28 B/W Illustrations
    by Eye On Education

    238 Pages 28 B/W Illustrations
    by Eye On Education

    238 Pages 28 B/W Illustrations
    by Eye On Education

    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.

    Meet the Authors

    Acknowledgements

    eResources

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

    4. The Power of the Home-School Connection
    5. Resource Materials

      Literacy Booster Meetings and Family Literacy Events

    6. Why Should I Read to My Child? Literacy Booster Meeting Series
    7. Session 1: Why Should I Read to My Child…(and How, When, & Where)? Getting Started and Keeping On

      Resource Packet for Parents/Caregivers

    8. Why Should I Read to My Child? Literacy Booster Meeting Series
    9. Session 2: Reading Aloud to Older Children & Websites of Interest to Parents, Caregivers, and Kids

      Resource Packet for Parents/Caregivers

    10. Why Should I Read to My Child? Literacy Booster Meeting Series
    11. Session 3: Reading Together Here, There, Every-which-where!

      Resource Packet for Parents/Caregivers

    12. Organize It! And Avoid Homework Hassles Literacy Booster Event
    13. Resource Packet for Parents/Caregivers

    14. Wrap It Up! Gifts that Entertain AND Support Learning Literacy Booster Event
    15. Resource Packet for Parents/Caregivers

    16. A Night Out with the Guys…and the Kids!: Encouraging Male Involvement in Literacy Family Literacy Event
    17. Resource Packet for Parents/Caregivers

    18. Celebrating Us! Our Culture and Heritage Family Literacy Event
    19. Teacher Resources

    20. School’s Out! Now What? Ideas for Minimizing the "Summer Slide" Literacy Booster Meeting
    21. Resource Packet for Parents/Caregivers

      Additional Teacher Resources

    22. Take Home TipSheets

    Appendix

    Literacy Booster Event Attendance Register

    Literacy Booster Meeting Notepaper

    Literacy Booster Event Evaluation

    Biography

    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.

    '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