The Learning Ladder A Reading and Writing Curriculum for Early Care and Education Teachers, Children and Families

Family Projects

Each time you complete one of the projects below you are doing important work. You are helping parents support their child's emergent literacy.

These projects will help families understand how important it is to read and write with children. They will also support the good work that you do every day.

Helping Children to Read and Write

Create a school to home book bag

Materials: A canvas bag, a paperback copy of the book Bedtime for Frances by Russell Hoban, manila paper, a small package of markers or crayons, and a page of written instructions for parents.

Read the book Bedtime for Frances to the children during circle time. After you are finished reading the story, tell the children that you want their help. You want them each to bring a special book bag home so that they can read the story with an adult. Then they need to come back to school with a story about their own bedtime routine. Also ask the children to bring a picture of themselves going to sleep in their bedrooms. Explain that everyone will have a turn to show his or her picture and speak about it. Tell the children that an older brother or sister, aunt or uncle, or other adult could help them with this. It doesn't have to be a parent. Some parents will not be able to read to their children, and you do not want to embarrass them.

You will have to:

1. Type instructions for parents in a word processor. In the instructions, ask them to:
   • Read the story to their children, and look at the pictures in the book.
   • Then, together with their child, talk and write down some of the things that they do together to get the child to bed at night.
   • Lastly, ask parents to have their children draw a picture of themselves getting ready to go to bed.

   Make sure that you save the note on your disk portfolio, or if you use the Learner Web, in your workspace,so you can make changes later if you need to. Share the intructions with your tutor and send it home to the parents from your room.

2. Each day, collect the book bag from the assigned child. During your morning circle time, have the child show the picture he or she drew. Then have the child help you present what his or her parent wrote.
3. At the end of this activity when all of the children have returned their pictures, put together their drawings for a poster in your library area.
   
   This is an activity that you can do once a month during the program year. When they get to present with you in morning circle time it makes each child feel special, like a "star" for the day.

Reading Aloud to Children

Teacher/Parent Activity: Ask families for book suggestions

1. Create a note to parents telling them that your center is going to buy some books and you want their suggestions.
2. Type a note in a word processing program. Ask each family to help your library by writing down the titles of their child's three favorite books on a form that you create. To get a copy of the form, that you can print out click here.
3. Put all these suggestions in a file. When you buy books in the future you can select a few from the parent lists.
4. Make sure that you save the note on your disk portfolio or, if you use the Learner Web, in your workspace, so you can make changes later if you need to.
5. Print it out and share your letter with your tutor.
6. Then send it home to the parents from your room.

Supporting Writing

Teacher/Parent Activity: Send home a note with drawing paper.

1. Type a note in a word processing program. In the note ask the parents to have their child draw a picture of the people in their family.
2. Also ask the parents to help the child identify each person in the picture.
3. Ask each child to bring the drawing in to show the class if they want.
4. Create a bulletin board outside of your classroom. Put a title on it called: "Our Families" and encourage parents and children to find their children's drawing during drop off and pick up.
5. Make sure that you save the note on your disk portfolio or Learner Web workspace, so you can make changes later if you need to.
6. Print it out and share your letter with your tutor and send it home to the parents from your room.

Congratulations! You completed Module 1!

Congratulations! You finished Module 1. Try the next module.

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