1. Welcome, Kindergarten Parents!
Parent Literacy Orientation
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Classroom Teachers:
Kristie Reinsmoen
Krista Plank
Zehra Hafeez
Nat Ayling
Joanne Chang
ESL Support: Ms. Anissa Eglington
CMC: Ms. Pat Hallinan
Literacy TA: Carol Rosario
2. Today’s Itinerary:
• 8:30-8:40 Welcome and introductions
• 8:40- 8:55 First rotation
• 8:55-9:10 Second rotation
• 9:10-9:25 Third rotation
• 9:25-9:30 Concluding words
3. “We absolutely must not attempt to teach our children
formally before they start school. For parents to teach
their own preschool children is the last straw. Teaching
is the flip side of what works. Teaching before school
kills the fun. Preschool children like their parents to be
parents, not teachers. The roles are quite different, and
it’s precisely the laid-back, hang-loose let’s-have-fun,
relaxed-and-comfortable role of a parent that is so
powerful in helping children first to love reading and
then be able to read themselves.”
Mem Fox, Reading Magic
5. Literacy Rotations (15 minutes each):
Literacy Through Play Supporting Literacy at
Home
Reading Baggies
English as a Second
Language
CMC
Ms. Krista, Ms. Nat, and
Ms. Carol
Ms. Joanne and
Ms. Zehra
Ms. Kristie, Ms. Anissa, and
Ms. Pat
Conference Room Lounge Area Guidance Area
1 2 3
When you hear the triangle, please proceed to the next rotation area:
Conference Room Lounge Area Guidance Area Conference Room
6. Parent Literacy Orientation:
How to Support Your Child’s Literacy at Home
Presented by Joanne Chang and Zehra Hafeez
September 18, 2013
7. Read Aloud to Your Child
• Make physical closeness a part of the experience
• Reading aloud should be fun and enjoyable!
• Choose topics that you think will interest your child and that
your child will be able to understand
• You can begin reading aloud starting at birth…or even
before!
• Make up stories as an alternative to reading a book….
8. Teach strategies to figure out words..
• Read title and first page for child.
• Start with a picture walk to set them up for success.
• Encourage child to use the pictures for help.
• Use finger to point across each word.
• Is this word the same as the word on the other page?
• You’re right! That is a carpet. That makes sense, but wait, I see an “r” at the beginning of this word. What
word means the same as carpet but starts with “r”?
• Emphasize that reading should make sense.
15. Have a Family Book Party!
The whole family gathers together with drinks, favorite snacks,
and favorite books, and just reads their own books together in
the same room.
Be a good role model!!
17. Create a “writing center”
Stock it with:
• A variety of paper
• A variety of writing tools (pencils, pens, markers,
crayons, chalk)
• Tape, glue, stapler
18. Make books together
• Have your child illustrate and dictate the story, or have your
child use developmental spelling to write the story. Treasure
these books and read them again and again!
23. - Mem Fox, Reading Magic
“It’s crucial for us to continue to keep in mind…that
we’re not teaching when we’re enriching a read
aloud experience. We’re playing and having a good
time. Pressure on the child is absolutely forbidden.
We won’t be allowing phrases such as, ‘No, no!
That’s wrong! Don’t be so silly!’ to slip from our
careless lips. Tension or anxiety should never
interfere with the reading-learning equation. Losing
the joy means losing the usefulness…All gains are
lost when tension curdles the relationship.”
Editor's Notes
Literacy taught at home should be different from literacy taught at school. It should be fun and relaxed and should feel good for both parent and child. This philosophy can also apply to older children who have started school. Depending on the child, more formal teaching methods can be applied at home as well, but only if it is enjoyable for the child, and only as a supplement to the more informal “teaching” that occurs. We want our children to see that literacy is an integral part of their world and does not only exist in the pages of a workbook.
