Choice Lit Topic: Family Relations
Families come in many forms. A good rapport with parents, siblings, and grandparents can make all the difference in building a classroom and school community. Here are some creative suggestions for reaching out to families through conferences, special events, and volunteer opportunities. Our contributors also share the challenges of communicating with parents, and what they’ve learned when they’ve failed to connect.
Results
An At-Home Summer Reading Camp
Many teachers find ways to earn some extra money throughout the summer. I have friends who teach summer school, coach, tutor, and pick up odd jobs. I have chosen another...
What to Say on Parent Teacher Night
As the school year gets in full swing throughout the country, many teachers and literacy coaches have been talking about and preparing for parent/teacher night or the annual school Open...
Using Video to Build the Home-School Connection
Kelli Demonte reaches high as she teaches in a diverse, urban setting. She is a third-grade teacher looping with students since second grade. Last year she won a grant that...
Conferring with Parents (ROUND-UP)
Parent conferences are a time of preparing, collecting, analyzing, scheduling, and sharing. This fall we asked Choice Literacy contributors to share some of their best tips and reminders for conferring...
A Poetry Cafe Celebration
Every April National Poetry Month is celebrated here in the United States. I love that poetry has its own place in the calendar, a whole month dedicated to increase awareness...
Tuesday Trading Post: Involving the Whole School in a Book Exchange
What's in place in your classroom or school to encourage readers to share their favorite resources every day? Our Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) created a new, schoolwide ritual this year...
Books, Books, Books
It is a sad day when a bookstore closes. I have fond memories of many Friday night dinner "dates" with my husband that ended with a trip to our local...
Spring Reading Interviews (TEMPLATE)
We believe strongly that students should live authentic lives as readers in our classrooms. Following each interview, we want to put the information together for ourselves. We start by asking...
Tips from Literacy Leaders for Closing Out the School Year (ROUND-UP)
Here are some suggestions from Choice Literacy Contributors of the best ways to close out the year, with everything from personal organizing tips to family events. Heather Rader, Instructional Coach...
Letting Go After Holding on Tight: Reflecting on the Last Days of School
Teachers will tell you that the end of the school year means several weeks of never-ending to-do lists, the scary prospect of packing up a room so walls can be...
The Nuts and Bolts of the Family Inquiry Project
In the Family Inquiry Project, we all found that 21st Century learning encompasses so much more than the increased use of technology. Our students expect to be an integral part...
34 Languages
This year they come to me speaking English, Vietnamese, Mandarin, Cantonese, Lao and Chuukese. They come to me from different worlds of experience. Some full of light and sound and...
Literacy Keepsakes to Carry Home at the End of the School Year
Last month we surveyed readers of our weekly newsletter The Big Fresh requesting suggestions for literacy activities for the final days of school. Hundreds of teachers wrote back. This week we...
More Literacy Keepsakes to Carry Home at the End of the School Year
Last year we surveyed readers of our weekly newsletter The Big Fresh requesting suggestions for literacy activities for the final days of school. Hundreds of teachers wrote back. Here are literacy...
Beginning with the End in Mind: Planning Ahead for Closing Activities
All of this week's suggestions for closing out the school year require planning ahead. How far ahead? Often all the way back to the first day of school, and many...
Getting to Know Multilingual Learners at the Start of the Year
As you get ready for the school year, you'll hear this classic and fundamental advice: Get to know your students. What does this mean when it comes to meeting and...
Make it Personal
I'll admit it; one of my favorite movies is You've Got Mail. I've watched it dozens of times because I'm enchanted with the children's bookstore in the film, the "Little...
A Congenial Parent Night
Parent Night . . . most classroom teachers schedule a meeting during the first few weeks of school. The task sounds straightforward -- welcome parents, introduce yourself, and explain all the...
Parent Contributions Beyond Instructional Support
Many parents want to contribute to their child's school. Some parents want to roll their sleeves up and take on a job to complete. Others like to attend school events...
“This Could Be Our Family”: Books for Children with Lesbian and Gay Parents
My daughter Alysa and her other mother snuggled into the recliner, not saying a word. The only sound I could hear was an occasional page turning. I took this as...
Sharing Data with Families at Parent/Teacher Conferences
For many of us who teach, the change of the seasons to spring or fall brings changes outdoors we love -- of flowers newly in bloom, or leaves turning to...
