Parental involvement in reading

Parental involvement in reading

Contents: Page: Welcome to the LearnEnglish Family workshops 02 How to get started 03 Background research for project co-ordinator 05 Suggested titles 06 Workshop 1: Sharing rhymes without books 07 Workshop 2: Sharing stories without books 13 Workshop 3: Sharing stories with picture books 18 Workshop 4: Making resources: story sacks 22 Workshop 5: Helping your child choose books 25 Workshop 6: Creating a suitable reading environment 28 Next steps 34 Evaluation 37

LearnEnglish Family

Welcome to the LearnEnglish Family Workshops

The earlier parents become involved in their childrens literacy practices, the more profound the results and the longer lasting the effects. Reading for pleasure is fun but will support grades in school and make it easier to deliver the syllabus. This will help your child succeed even more. You encourage your childs progress just by participating. It is the enjoyment of reading that gives a child the best start in life. Congratulations! You are about to start the LearnEnglish Family workshops that will help children and families enjoy reading together. This handbook includes all the materials and resources you need to run the LearnEnglish Family workshops in your school. You will find detailed notes on the ideas behind the workshops as well as helpful examples and handouts to use during your workshops. This handbook also contains suggestions for materials, ideas for evaluating the workshops and the next steps to ensure the programme continues to develop. This programme begins with 6 one-hour workshops that you can have with parents to increase parental involvement in reading. When the workshops are finished you are encouraged to run a school reading event. First things first. Some frequently asked questions Who are these workshops for? Teachers / Head Teachers / parents who are keen on increasing parental involvement in reading and literacy. Who can run the workshops? Head teachers, teachers or parents but it will work best with a small team led by a coordinator. What do you need to start the workshops? You will need this handbook, a room to conduct the workshops in and some basic resources from your library/stationery supplier. Who should be involved from your school or community? Parents, the school Librarian, the Head Teacher, pupils and, if possible, a local bookshop and the local press. Can I get any support from the British Council? Yes. E-mail caspar.mays@britishcouncil.org.my for advice on running the workshops.

Parental involvement in reading

How to start the series of workshops start small and dont be discouraged if initial interest is low keep going word of mouth will create interest in the workshops When Now What Read/explore the handbook. Familiarise yourself with the workshops and the importance of parental involvement. Start talking to your Head Teacher. Describe the workshops and their implications. Look for opportunities in the school calendar to meet parents / hold workshops. Include the Librarian as soon as possible. Ask them if you can use the library to hold the workshops. Watch the DVD Chapters 1-3. Start talking to other parents/teachers about the workshops. Try chatting with people in the schoolyard, asking the school to put information in the school newsletter, putting up a poster on the school notice board, or tell your parent-teacher group about it. For example: I am a parent with a child in/Teacher of Standard 1 and I would like to invite you to join me for some tips and ideas for helping your child enjoy reading. If you are interested in joining you can contact Or try the 5 w approach with a colourful poster: What? A fun and engaging parent/teacher group to increase parent involvement in childrens reading. Why? Because encouraging your child to read at home will help them achieve more at school When? ___ Where? _____ Who? If you are interested please contact. If necessary translate these posters into languages that your parents speak. Make sure your message includes this is for everyone Find/buy/borrow the picture book Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Workshops 3 & 4 are based on this story. You dont need this book. You could adapt the workshops to work with any book but it may be easier to follow the guide step by step. Always get contact information (mobile, e-mail) from any interested parents so you can keep everyone informed. Find out how parents want to be kept informed sms, face-to-face, handouts from school. Think about where you will have your first workshop: the school library is often the best place. When is the best time to have the workshop? Just after children have been dropped off at school or when they have just been picked up? On the weekend? During school events? Ask parents for their opinions but probably the start or end of the school day will work best.

After exploring the handbook

Four or five weeks before your first workshop

LearnEnglish Family

Consider how often will you meet? Once a week or once every two weeks is best. How long will you meet for? It is best to say that workshops will be about one hour long. Get back in touch with all interested parents (use your contact list) and remind them of time/place of your first workshop. Talk to the school again about booking a room, chairs etc. Involve the Librarian and Head Teacher as much as possible. Remind local bookshops and press about the workshops. Advertise again to gain more interest: make another poster and/ or advertise in the school newsletter. Talk to more parents in the schoolyard. Make a to-do list. Do you need to make photocopies? Do you need any resources/equipment? Try to include/plan for coffee and tea with biscuits etc. Often people find it easier to chat when they have food. Remind parents of the time and venue. Familiarise yourself with the workshop notes. Make your own notes and think of how you will present the workshop to the group. Think about how you would like the parents to be seated. Remember you should keep this workshop as relaxed and informal as possible so that parents are comfortable. Prepare all your materials. If possible, get someone to help take care of any children that come along. You can give them activities to do while their parents are in the workshop. Remember to keep this as informal and friendly as possible. For some parents this may be the first time they have joined a group like this. They might be feeling nervous or they might not have enjoyed school or reading themselves. Get an idea of your parents skills/interests during the first session, so that you can base your future activities around them. Include parents who cant read: they have important skills that can increase parental involvement in childrens development. Ask bilingual parents to help translate. Get ideas from other parents. The best way to make these workshops a success is to make them suit the needs and interests of the parents who are coming. Dont worry if you only have one or two parents at your first workshop its perfectly normal! Hopefully they will tell their friends and more will join.

Two weeks before

A few days before

On the day

Parental involvement in reading

For the project co-ordinator: background reading and research on the importance of promoting family engagement with reading. Please do not share this information with parents on the workshops There is significant research suggesting that parental involvement in reading will help a child succeed even more and parents can encourage their childs progress just by participating. Parents can act as a role model for their childs education by coming along to the workshops. Research conducted in 10 Kuala Lumpur primary schools by Lucy Hawkins of the National Literacy Trust in March 2010 explored four strategic areas: building family involvement, supporting the home environment, reading for pleasure and supporting multilingual language development.

Key findings The most effective kinds of family involvement The earlier parents become involved in their childrens literacy, the deeper the results and the longer lasting the effects are. Parents involvement outside of home, such as participation in school events, also impacts on their childrens reading, general knowledge, and mathematics knowledge and skills.

Parental involvement in childrens learning positively affects the childs Benefits of family performance at school. involvement in The impact of parental involvement is the same regardless of ethnic school background, family income, maternal level of education, or childs gender. Parental involvement leads to greater problem-solving skills, greater school enjoyment, better school attendance, fewer behavioural problems at school, and greater social and emotional development. Benefits of love of reading Reading for pleasure Encouraging a love of reading lays the foundation for future literacy development. It is enjoyment of reading which gives a child the best start in life. Reading for pleasure improves reading attainment and writing ability where reading is done both in school and out of school. Reading for pleasure improves breadth of vocabulary, general knowledge, a greater insight into human nature, decision-making, understanding of other cultures and community participation. Learning how to choose a book Providing students with choice and control over their reading materials has been linked to increased educational outcomes, such as greater levels of intrinsic motivation, greater persistence, better performance, more positive affect and higher satisfaction. Giving individuals control over aspects of their learning is also believed to lead to independent thinking, greater personal responsibility for the activity and feelings of autonomy.

LearnEnglish Family

For the project co-ordinator: suggested titles. Here is a list of some excellent childrens books. These books are not necessary for you to run the workshops, but your Librarian might want to order some of them for workshop 6. Title Actual Size Angry Arthur Bear About Town Bedtime for Monsters Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? Cats Ahoy Dear Zoo Eat Your Peas Fergus Crane First Week at Cow School From Head to Toe Handas Surprise Marshall Armstrong Is New to Our School Measle and the Wrathmonk Mrs Pepperpot No Matter What Not Now Bernard Pass the Jam, Jim Pumpkin Soup Revolting Rhymes The Gruffalo The Iron Man The Owl Who Was Afraid of The Dark The Tiger Who Came to Tea The Very Hungry Caterpillar There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly Were Going on a Bear Hunt Where the Wild Things Are Witch Child You Choose
Adapted from World Book Day 2011 www.worldbookday.com

Author Steve Jenkins Satoshi Kitamura Stella Blackstone Ed Vere Bill Martin Jr / Eric Carle Peter Bently Rod Campbell Kes Gray Paul Stewart& Chris Riddell Andy Cutbill Eric Carle Eileen Browne David Makintosh Ian Ogilvy Alf Proysen Debi Gliori David McKee Kaye Umansky Helen Cooper Roald Dahl Julia Donaldson Ted Hughes Jill Tomlinson Judith Kerr Eric Carle Pam Adams Michael Rosen Maurice Sendak Celia Rees Pippa Goodhart

Parental involvement in reading

Workshop 1 Sharing rhymes without books.

LearnEnglish Family

Workshop 1 Sharing rhymes without books This will help you plan and deliver your first LearnEnglish Family workshop. It includes all the materials and resources you need to run the workshop. You will find detailed notes as well as helpful examples and handouts to use. Dont forget to refer to the How to start the series of workshops table on page 3. Remind parents to bring in their favourite photo(s) of their children on the workshop day. This is a good chance to also remind them of time/date/venue etc. Read the LearnEnglish Family: Learning English through sharing rhymes booklet. Review the workshop notes so that you feel comfortable doing the session. Prepare the rhymes on page 12. Make sure you have some ideas about how they can be used in the workshop.

A few days before

To start the workshop: Welcome parents. Thank them for coming. Outline plans for the workshop. Tell them this is the first step in helping your child to read in a fun and engaging way. Ask parents to show their photo(s) to another parent (individual to individual or in small groups). Keep it informal and personal (dont force everyone to speak: some parents may be more comfortable just listening in the early stages). Ask parents to share their feelings about the photo(s). When finished ask them to share the dreams and aspirations that they have for their children. If parents are confident ask for some feedback. Encourage them to talk about another parents thoughts: She said / He wants Keep this clear and simple but highlight how parental involvement in childrens education can be highly influential. Use some quotes from the Introduction but look for simple messages such as: This will help your child succeed even more. You encourage your childs progress just by participating The enjoyment of reading gives a child the best start in life Reading is the basis for all education Reading changes life chances: children who read at home do better at school Reading for pleasure is an even greater influence on success than family status Tell parents this is the first of 6 workshops that will help encourage them to be involved with their childs reading. It will show them simple, practical ideas that everyone can do.

Welcome

Warmer

Feedback

Introduce research and the workshops

Parental involvement in reading

Parents skills audit

Tell parents, You encourage your childs progress just by participating. Tell them you would like to know what skills they have. Can they play an instrument? Can they draw/paint? Are they good with IT / voices / actions? Can they speak another language? Can they provide contacts? Reinforce the idea that everyone has a skill. Handout the skills audit (page 11). Ask parents to fill in with their skills for homework Do not complete the third column: this is for workshop 6. Collect the skills audit at the start of the next workshop and keep in a safe place: you will need these in subsequent workshops.

The workshop Tell the parents: Lets imagine Im the teacher/ parent and you are the pupil/ child. Listen. Say the rhyme aloud to the parents. Twinkle, twinkle little star How I wonder what you are Up above the world so high Like a diamond in the sky Twinkle, twinkle little star How I wonder what you are Repeat the rhyme and add actions for twinkle, twinkle (open and close hands) / up above (waving arm) / how I wonder (shrug shoulders) Encourage parents to join in with actions you might need to repeat the rhyme several times. Encourage parents to speak aloud and follow rhyme NB: an alternative approach to actions could be pictures (star, question mark, night sky, diamond). Pictures can be given to different parents and they hold up their picture when they hear their word. NB: if your parents are shy and not confident, then use rhymes in their first language at the very beginning. Ask some leading questions. What was it like to be involved? Feedback Were the actions fun? Did you enjoy the rhyme? Do you think children will enjoy this? Why? Parent to parent: try a Put parents into pairs. Hand out a rhyme to each pair of parents new rhyme (suggestions on page 12 or you can choose your own).

Demonstration: the main idea here is that the parents are the pupils

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Ask them to become familiar with the rhyme. They need to think of actions, gestures, voices or pictures that could be useful (maybe they could even draw some pictures if you provide stationery). Give them plenty of time and walk around the pairs supporting them with ideas, encouragement. Get parents to meet another pair and teach their rhyme. Remind them of your demonstration at the beginning of the session and that they can copy you. Remember to keep things informal and allow more confident parents to take the lead. Again, less confident parents can participate by listening and following the actions. Ask parents if they know any other rhymes (in any language). Can they demonstrate it? What actions, voices, etc could be added? Remember to do this in pairs so no-one has to show the whole group. Encourage parents to get involved at home with rhymes. Ask them: Where can you find rhymes? (in nursery books / the Internet) Who else can tell rhymes? (everyone knows a rhyme involve other family members) Tell them to find rhymes that have names in them. These names can be changed to your childs name. Or other words can be replaced (children will enjoy experimenting and changing rhymes): Diddle, diddle, dumpling, my son John, Went to bed with his trousers on, One shoe off, and one shoe on, Diddle, diddle, dumpling, my son John. Tell them to use rhymes that fit into daily routines: No milk before bed stay small Finish all your milk grow tall Tell parents: Your homework is to use a rhyme at home. At the beginning of the next workshop you will tell other parents about your experience of telling a rhyme to your child. Also remind parents to complete the skills audit for the next workshop and when and where the next workshop is. Ask parents and their children to complete the questionnaires (pages 38 and 39). You will ask them to complete the same questionnaire at the end of the workshops. You can compare answers to evaluate the success of the programme.

Using a rhyme you know

Take home ideas

Homework

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Materials Parents skills audit. Name: _______________________________ Skill I can play a musical instrument (piano, guitar etc). I can speak another language. I can draw / paint / sew / knit / other. I can sing. I can do voices / animal noises. I can cook. I can make puppets. I can act / dance. I can provide local contacts (press / stores etc). I can use a computer. I can take photos / use a video recorder. I can volunteer my time. I am artistic. I can draw / paint / make things I can I can Details

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LearnEnglish Family

Resources/Rhymes that could be used in the workshop One, two, three, four, five. Once I caught a fish alive, Six, seven, eight, nine ,ten, Then I let it go again. Why did you let it go? Because it bit my finger so. Which finger did it bite? This little finger on the right. Rain, rain go away All the children want to play. Rain, rain go away Come again another day This little piggy went to market, This little piggy stayed at home, This little piggy had roast beef, This little piggy had none. And this little piggy went... Wee wee wee all the way home... The wheels on the bus go round and round. Round and round. Round and round. The wheels on the bus go round and round all day long. (NB: next verses can be made up the babies on the bus / the children on the bus) There were 10 in the bed and the little one said roll over, roll over. They all rolled over and one fell out. There were 9 in the bed. There was 1 in the bed and the little one said alone at last! http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/ parents/articles/learning-english-throughsharing-rhymes

Twinkle, twinkle little star How I wonder what you are. Up above the world so high Like a diamond in the sky. Twinkle, twinkle little star How I wonder what you are.

10 fingers, 10 toes, 2 eyes And a round nose. Diddle, diddle, dumpling, my son John, Went to bed with his trousers on, One shoe off, and one shoe on, Diddle, diddle, dumpling, my son John.

Its raining, its pouring, The old man is snoring. He went to bed, bumped his head And couldnt get up in the morning.

Heads, shoulders, knees and toes Knees and toes. Heads, shoulders, knees and toes Knees and toes. Eyes and ears and mouth and nose. Heads, shoulders, knees and toes Knees and toes. http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/ songs/

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Workshop 2 Sharing stories without books.

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LearnEnglish Family

Workshop 2 Sharing stories without books This will help you plan and deliver your second LearnEnglish Family workshop. It includes all the materials and resources you need to run the workshop. You will find detailed notes as well as helpful examples and handouts to use. Remind parents of time/date/venue etc. Also remind them that they should bring in their completed skills audit from the first workshop. A few days before Prepare your workshop: you will need to familiarise yourself with the story so you can tell it without reading. This does not mean learning by heart: just remember the main points of the story so it can be told. Review the workshop notes so that you feel comfortable doing the session. Preview the DVD Chapter 4 so you are familiar with the content.

To start the workshop

Welcome

Welcome parents. Thank them for coming. Outline plans for the workshop (aims/time etc). Get some feedback on parents who tried rhymes at home. Collect in skills audit from previous workshop. Put parents in pairs and ask them to recall a favourite short story. This could be from their childhood or a story their children like now. However, it must be a story suitable for children. To help them you should give your own example to the group first.

Warmer

Ask confident parents to retell this story to another parent. Remember: to keep confidence high, dont ask anyone to speak to the whole group. Having everyone work in pairs at the same time will create a safe environment for more parents to contribute. If a parent cannot recall a story they can listen to anothers story. Tell parents telling stories is one way of sharing stories in English without reading. It is also a form of parental involvement. Tell parents: We are going to watch a DVD. We will see an example of storytelling without a book. We will see some key techniques that will be covered in the workshop.

Feedback

Case study Watch a story being told (Chapter 4) without a book. Talk to parents after watching about what they saw / how they felt.

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The workshop Jack and the Beanstalk (you will need to familiarise yourself with this story so you can tell it without reading: this does not mean remembering it word for word just the main ideas/events). See page 16 for the story text. Tell the story to the parents as though they are children. The demo must have three stages (before / while / after reading but dont tell this to parents yet). Before-reading: Tell the parents you are going to hear a story about Jack, his mother and their cow. They are poor. Ask, How can they make some money? Elicit ideas / write them on the board if necessary. While reading: It is important here that you demonstrate how to involve children in story-telling. There are some simple techniques that you can demonstrate: 1. asking for predictions 2. asking for feelings 3. getting children to notice any patterns 4. getting children to make noises 5. asking children what they can see, smell, feel 6. by you acting out the story See page 16 for examples to use in the workshop. After-reading: Get parents to imagine that they have magic things in their house. Give them an example: in my house... Ive got a magic kitchen: when I get home my dinner is already cooked. Can they think of and share any other ideas? Give parents the stages handout on page 17. Ask them what they did in the 3 stages. Let them work in pairs or small groups. Walk around and guide parents: offer support, ideas and encouragement. They can fill in the table just simply talk about what happened. When the parents are ready, ask them what they wrote. Tell them this activity: - helps children pick up a second language - gives children a wider world view - is a fun way to learn and encourages discovery

Demonstration

Feedback/review stages

Now its the parents turn. Ask parents to think back to the warmer where they recalled their favourite story. Ask them to complete the Review your own final column in their stages handout by adding ideas to their own story story (from warmer) (if they dont have a story they could use an idea from another parent). and add stages You should walk around and help the parents with ideas and if necessary ask questions to check what they are doing. When parents are ready they practise telling stories in small groups or pairs. Take home ideas/ homework Tell the parents that homework is to go home and tell any of the stories they heard today. Remind them of the date/venue of the next workshop.

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LearnEnglish Family

Materials http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/short-stories/jack-and-the-beanstalk Story text with co-ordinator prompts Once upon a time there was a boy called Jack. He lived with his mother. They were very poor. All they had was a cow. Ask parents: How can they make some money? One morning, Jacks mother told him to take their cow to the market and sell it. On the way Jack met a man. He gave Jack some magic beans for the cow. Jack took the beans and went back home. Ask parents: How do you think Jacks mother will feel? When Jacks mother saw the beans she was very angry. She threw the beans out the window. Ask parents: What happens next? The next morning, Jack looked out of the window. There was a giant beanstalk. He went outside and started to climb the beanstalk. He climbed up to the sky, through the clouds. Ask parents: Where does Jack go? He saw a beautiful castle and went inside. Jack heard a loud voice Fee, fi, fo fum Tell parents to mimic your loud giant voice. Jack ran and hid in a cupboard. An enormous giant came into the room and sat down at a table. Tell parents to mimic your loud stamping feet. Ask parents: How does Jack feel? On the table was a hen and a golden harp. Lay, said the giant and the hen laid a golden egg. Play, said the giant and the harp played a beautiful song. Soon the giant fell asleep. Jack jumped out of the cupboard. He took the hen and the harp. Suddenly, the harp sang Help, master!. The giant woke up and shouted, Fee, fi, fo, fum Tell parents to mimic your loud giant voice. Jack ran and started climbing down the beanstalk. The giant came down after him. Near the bottom of the beanstalk, Jack shouted, Help, mother! Jacks mother chopped the beanstalk down with an axe. The giant fell and crashed to the ground. No one ever saw him again. With the golden eggs and magic harp Jack and his mother lived happily ever after.

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Stages handout You have just listened to a story being told without using a book called Jack and the Beanstalk. Work with another parent. What happened during each stage of the story-telling experience? Stage Activity: Jack and the Beanstalk Activity: your story

Before reading

While reading

After reading Stages handout: answers for project co-ordinator Stage Activity: Jack and the Beanstalk A prediction exercise to engage children with the story. Helping children to expand creativity: it allows give them a good reason to listen: they can check if they were right. Activity: your story Individual answers will be different.

Before reading

While reading

Children were asked many Individual answers will be questions about content, different. predictions, feelings, patterns. Children were involved in the story by making noises and acting out. Individual answers will be Children were asked to different. respond to the story by being imaginative about their own lives.

After reading

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LearnEnglish Family

Workshop 3 Sharing stories with picture books.

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Workshop 3 Sharing stories with picture books This will help you plan and deliver your third LearnEnglish Family workshop. It includes all the materials and resources you need to run the workshop. You will find detailed notes as well as helpful examples and handouts to use. Remind parents of time/date/venue etc. Also remind them that they should bring in a picture book from home (if they have one). Ask parents to invite a friend to increase numbers (if needed). Prepare your workshop: familiarise yourself with your chosen story so you can tell it confidently whilst using the book. Prepare some actions / sounds / gestures and questions to involve the audience (read the workshop plan below for further ideas). Practise telling the story aloud with voices/actions/noises/questions etc. A few days before Choose at least one suitable picture (see materials on page 21 for an example) for the warmer activity below: this picture must: - be from a picture book - have people/animals/characters in it This workshop is based on Goldilocks and the Three Bears but you can choose any other picture book that you know/like/have. Watch the DVD (Chapter 5) to see picture books being used in the classroom. Collect picture books to use at the end of this workshop. To start the workshop Welcome parents. Thank them for coming. Outline plans for the workshop (aims/time etc). Get some feedback from parents who told a story at home (from the previous workshop). This is an activity to help parents involve children in storytelling. Tell parents you are going to learn how to read a picture. Give / show the same picture (from your chosen picture book) to all parents and ask them some simple questions (materials page 21). Explain that these questions allow children to be creative and to experiment. Getting the right answer is not important (there are no sample answers for the co-ordinator). The important thing is to get children thinking about the story. This activity is important to show the value of picture books and how parents can help develop childrens imagination / vocabulary / powers of prediction. If you have time and parents are interested, give them pictures from other picture books and they can practice with each other in a parent/ child role play.

Welcome

Warmer

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The workshop You need to be the teacher and the parents must be the children for this activity. Ask the parents to sit comfortably in a small semi-circle so everyone can see the picture book you are holding. Before reading do read a picture activity with the front cover of the book. Ask parents to answer the questions you prepared before the workshop. Read the whole story, holding the book in front of you so the children can see the words and pictures. While reading aloud: - use different voices (a deep voice for daddy bear) - add actions (eating hot porridge) - add noises (knocking on the front door / the chair breaking) - add questions (What does Goldilocks do next? What does baby bear say? After reading: ask the children to think about these questions (if you are not reading Goldilocks then you will need different questions) - Why were the bears out? - Where were they? - What were they doing? After these questions, introduce the chant on page 21. Sing it to a rhythm you feel comfortable with, add actions/voices and get the children to join in. This part of the workshop allows the parents to understand the 3 key stages to enjoying picture books Hand out the table (key stages) on page 21. Tell the parents to work in pairs and fill in the table (or just simply talk about what happened they do not have to write). Ask them to reflect on their participation as children in the demonstration of Goldilocks. Ask parents to look at the picture book they brought in (or ones you provided for them / or ones from the library). Tell parents to prepare a storytelling for their child using the demonstration as their guide. They should prepare: how to read a picture / actions, noises, gestures, questions / and an after reading activity. Guide and support parents while they are working on their ideas. Tell the parents that homework is to go home and tell a story using a picture book. Remind them of the date of the next workshop.

Demonstration

Feedback/review stages

Review and prepare for homework Take home ideas/ homework

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Materials How to read a picture - What is the relationship between the characters? - What happened before the picture was taken? - What will happen next? - What are the characters talking about? http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/short-stories/goldilocks-and-the-three-bears After reading chant Im Daddy bear My bowl is big My chair is big My bed is big Big, big yeah! Key stages handout Stage Before While After Key stages handout: answers for project co-ordinator Stage Before What did we do? We looked at a picture. Why did we do it? We got interested in the story and to predicted / used our imagination. We were kept busy and engaged. We could notice patterns and enjoy the whole experience. We responded to the story in a creative way. What did we do? Why did we do it? Im Mummy bear My bowl is small Im baby bear .

While

We listened to the story, answered questions and joined in with noises and actions. We imagined were the bears were and we sang a chant.

After

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Workshop 4 Making resources: story sacks.

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Workshop 4 Making resources: story sacks This will help you plan and deliver your fourth LearnEnglish Family workshop. It includes all the ideas you need to run the workshop. You will find detailed notes as well as helpful examples and handouts to use. Remind parents of time/date/venue etc. Also remind them to bring success stories (homework the last workshop). If numbers are low, encourage parents to bring a friend. A few days before Review the parents skills audit note any creative skills. Match their skills with ideas from the story sack checklist on page 24. Prepare arts and crafts materials: paper, glue, colour pencils, scissors etc. To start the workshop Welcome parents. Thank them for coming. Get some feedback from parents who told a story at home with a picture book (from the previous workshop). Tell parents, Today we are going to make a story sack.

Welcome

The workshop Tell parents A story sack is a large cloth bag. Inside the bag is a picture book and activities / materials to encourage children to read at home. Story sacks can be made by parents and teachers. Story sacks can be borrowed from the library for parents and children to read together at home. Hand out the checklist of ideas (page 24): ask parents to read and ask any questions. Now get parents into pairs or small groups. Ask them to think about what kind of materials can be made for Goldilocks and the Three Bears. For example, you could add a non-fiction book about bears (see the third column of the handout). Parents go through the other ideas and make notes in the third column. There are sample answers for you on page 24. Tell parents, You are going to make a story sack for Goldilocks and the Three Bears. This can go into the library and be the first of many. Use the parents skills audit match ideas to parents. Ask parents if they would like to work on this particular idea. Use checklist of ideas to put parents into groups. Divide up parents with activities to create / objects to collect etc. You might have to stop the workshop here and send parents home or out to gather the necessary things. Tell the parents that homework is to make/collect some simple resources for the first story sack. Remind them of the date for the next workshop.

What is a story sack?

What can go into a story sack?

Making the story sack

Take home ideas/ homework

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Materials Checklist of ideas Ideas for story sack contents 1. Picture book Explanation of content If possible this should be an oversized copy of the book. Find out more about people, animals, places in the story. Goldilocks: what could be made/included? Add a book about bears. Children learn about bears: where do they live? Are they all dangerous? What do they eat - porridge?

2. Related non- fiction book(s)

Animal toys for example. Or masks / finger puppets 3. Models of characters / modelling clay could be included. These dont have to be expensive. They could be old 4. Real objects from story clothes for example or props for retelling the story / role play. - colouring in pictures - making masks / puppets - playing a boardgame - draw your favourite character 5. Activities / games - draw a storymap: retell the related to story story with masks/models/ puppets - questions for parents to ask For arts and craft: creative 6. Stationery design. Clear and simple guidelines on 7. Instructions for parents how to use the story sack. We saw an example of this in the 8. Songs / chants last workshop. Sample answers (for the project co-ordinator) 3. Include a doll (Goldilocks) and 3 toy bears (different sizes). Masks could be made or taken from http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/craft-download/goldilocks 4. Bowls (plastic), spoons (plastic), blonde wig, box of porridge/cereal (empty) 5. Children draw their favourite bear. Masks to colour in, bear outlines to colour in, bear house to colour in, Goldilocks to colour in (need to be drawn). Masks could be used to role play the story here is a script that could be used (or write your own) http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/ craft-download/goldilocks Play a boardgame: download this editable version http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/resources/practical_resources_info/1315_resource-story_game_editable_version Parents create a list of questions to be asked while reading. 7. Should be written by parents 8. Use the chant from the previous workshop.

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Workshop 5 Helping your child choose books.

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Workshop 5 Helping your child choose books This will help you plan and deliver your fifth LearnEnglish Family workshop. It includes all the materials and resources you need to run the workshop. You will find detailed notes as well as helpful examples and handouts to use. Remind parents of time/date/venue etc. Remind parents to bring their children to this workshop and to bring their objects for the story sack. Get the Librarian involved. Research a good picture book to use in this workshop (by looking at the workshop notes below). Find some helpers to mind the children. It is important that their children attend this workshop. Make sure the time and venue are appropriate: you need somewhere with access to picture books and suitable for both children and adults. The workshop Welcome parents. Thank them for coming. Outline plans for the workshop (aims/time etc). Tell them today we are going to see that your child is the expert when it comes to choosing books. Letting your child choose will help with motivation for reading. What do your kids like? Get parents in pairs/small groups to tell each other what things their children like (food/songs/programmes/celebrities/sport/ toys/characters anything). This should be an informal chat. Get some feedback after a few minutes by asking: Who has something in common? Use one book as an example here. Choose it carefully before the workshop. It should not have too many pages / too many words but it should have clear pictures. Demonstrate these two methods that show parents how to follow their childs preference and expertise. Method 1: judge a book by its cover Show your chosen book (just the cover) to all the parents and children: The child as the make sure everyone can see it clearly. expert Ask some questions and get the children to answer to their parent: Do you like the pictures? Does it look fun, exciting? Who are the characters? What are they doing? Do you know the writer? Have you read his/her books before? What do you think happens in this story? When finished ask the parents to say if their child appears interested or not. Tell them again, If the child is interested they are more likely to read.

A few days before

Welcome and aims

Warmer

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Method 2: five finger technique Tell parents this is a very simple way to see if a book is too difficult for your child Get the parents and child to sit down looking at you. Choose a random page from the middle of the book that has more than 10 words on it. Copy the sentences onto the board so everyone in the room can see it. Ask children to read to their parents. Every time their child finds a word they cannot read the child should count with a finger. If they find 5 words (and therefore all 5 fingers are up) the book is too difficult and should be waved bye bye. Other ideas: Here are a few other ideas that can help children and parents choose suitable books too. Use these if you think they want more ideas. a) choose a book simply because the author is well-known b) dip in and see: ask your child to look at the books pictures and ask Do you like the pictures? Do you know any other characters like them? Have you got this toy at home? Do you want me to read you a story about ___? What do you think will happen in this story? c) follow any pupil / library recommendations d) use a bookshops recommended reading list e) show them the suggested titles list in this handbook Your turn Find a quiet area and read with your child Homework Tell the parents to sit in parent/child groups (if someones child could not come then pair up). Tell them to use the library stock to choose a book using methods practised earlier. When theyve chosen a book ask the parent to find a quiet corner and read the book to their child using any of the techniques and ideas from the LearnEnglish workshops. Tell the parents to try these methods again with their child before the next workshop, and to be ready to report back to the group with their results.

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Workshop 6 Creating a suitable reading environment.

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Workshop 6 Creating a suitable reading environment This will help you plan and deliver your final LearnEnglish Family workshop. It includes all the materials and resources you need to run the workshop. You will find detailed notes as well as helpful examples and handouts to use. A week before Try to reserve the library as the venue for this workshop and get some extra staff to help you on the day. Remind parents of time/date/venue etc. Also remind them that you will be asking for success stories from the previous workshops homework. Review the parents skills audit that you gave out in workshop 1. The workshop: Welcome parents. Thank them for coming. Outline plans for the workshop (aims/time etc). Tell them, Many schools have limited space and resources but there are many ways that parents and teachers can create a suitable reading place or Todays workshop will look at ways that you can create a special place for reading where children can explore, discover and enjoy books. Tell them, A library should exciting and feel different from the classroom. If you have the facilities, show the DVD (Chapter 4) or pass around the handout (page 31). Warmer: a case study For both alternatives ask parents, What do you notice about the environment where reading / storytelling takes place. Help them to notice: bright, colourful, comfortable place to sit, children on floor not chairs. Now tell the parents that they are going to examine the schools library/reading area. Give them the list of library suggestions (page 3233) and explain how to fill it in. They will need to walk around, asking you and each other questions. The table is in three columns: possible/ already done, difficult and dream. It is important that they use this document to identify where and when the library is doing well and how it can be improved. Parents might like to work alone, in pairs or small groups. Scavenger hunt When finished: lead a group discussion. If, for example, they ticked difficult for there is a lunchtime reading club then discuss: Why? How can it be changed to possible? This is a good time to hand back the parents skills audit. Ask parents to fill in the final column: what can we do as a team to improve the reading environment? For example (linked to point above): a lunchtime reading club may be difficult due to staffing issues but did a parent tick I can volunteer my time on the skills audit? Here is a clear link between a problem and solution. Keep looking for these wherever possible.

A few days before

Welcome

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LearnEnglish Family

Action plan

Finish this workshop by setting up an action plan to run a parent/ teacher reading event (with a long term view of making reading events a regular occurrence in your school). This event should be planned after all workshops are finished and the reading environment has been created. Invite children / parents / teachers / local press to the event. Display the new parental involvement skills you have learnt. The event could include: - parents sharing rhymes with pupils - parents telling stories without books - parents showing other parents how to choose books - parents storytelling with picture books - parents making resources with children after storytelling For more details see the section called Next steps in this handbook page 34. Take notes of parents ideas and e-mail them to all parents before the next meeting. Keep a record of these ideas for later.

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Materials Handout for case study

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Suggestions for creating a suitable reading environment Suggestion / idea There are plenty of picture books. Our reading area is welcoming and easily accessible. The library is open beyond normal school hours. There are interesting displays / signs. The books are promoted with curriculum links. The library is well promoted around the school: with colourful interesting posters. The library celebrates pupils success by displaying their work. The library allows everyone to take books home. The library looks like a fun place to be. We could set up a book swap: pupils bring in and exchange books. We could run a lunchtime reading club. We could invite a local writer / VIP to share their favourite childhood book or read their own book. We could make guess the teachers favourite book display posters. Children read a simple book summary and guess the title/teacher. Correct guesses win a prize. We could paint a corridor wall to look like a bookshelf. Cut strips of colour paper that look like book spines. Children/ teachers/parents write the name of their favourite book on the paper and stick to the wall. We could award reading champions to pupils who use the library frequently: they vote on book of the month and display it on a poster. Reading champions are rewarded by displaying their recommendations or other incentive. Possible / already done. Difficult Dream

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As LearnEnglish Family workshop attendees, we could hold storytelling sessions in the library. This parent could be the schools reading ambassador. We could train pupils as library staff so opening hours can be extended. We could improve the environment by putting up posters, painting the walls etc. We could display pupils work and celebrate success. We could create a comfortable area for reading (cushions on the floor). A reading area could even be outside to emphasise that reading is for pleasure and something that can be done at playtime. We could create a parents area in the library: non-fiction / newspapers etc. Parents could run this mini library within a library. We could organise a reading miles award system. Pupils get 1 mile for each time the family read together. At 25 miles they get a bronze certificate, at 50, silver and at 100, gold. We could make colourful book request boxes and place these at prominent places around the school. Children can put their requests for library stock. We could encourage pupils to design a screensaver about their favourite book/ author: the months winner is uploaded onto the school website We could put all pupil book reviews for a week into a mystery prize box. The winner is the best review: this is displayed in the library (or around the school)

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Next steps

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Introduction This chapter has three sections: 1. Who to contact if you need support. 2. What to do after the workshops. 3. Feedback form (page 36). 1. Who to contact if you need support Contact Caspar Mays on caspar.mays@britishcouncil.org.my or 03 2723 7935 for advice, ideas and support with any part of these workshops. 2. What to do after the workshops This is a simple list of ideas that you might like to try after the workshops have finished. Make an action plan to set up a school / parent reading event. Take a long term view to make this a regular feature on the school calendar (although the event itself may change). Ideas 1. Bedtime stories for all the family: hold it in the evening: children (and parents if culturally acceptable) can wear pyjamas. Children can bring teddy / snuggle etc. Parents who completed the LearnEnglish Family workshops can lead the event. 2. Parent Reading Ambassador: why not cascade what you have learnt on this programme to other parents? You the parent can become the co-ordinator. 3. Set up a breakfast reading club with reading buddies (older pupils). Offer pupils a reading passport: they get a stamp for every book read. Can you give them awards for full passports? 4. Join up with other schools? Can you organise a joint school reading event? 5. Build partnerships with local businesses: Approach local shops to sponsor, promote be involved in any projects/events. 6. Involve local religious communities: reading religious texts is central to many faiths create links to see how these workshops / your planned event / and the religious community can work together. 7. Invite the local media: get some press coverage. 8. Run an extreme reading competition: get pupils and staff to take photos of themselves reading in obscure/unusual places. 9. If you only read one book this year, read this one. A whole school approach where every pupil in the school is encouraged to read one recommended book! 3. Feedback form (on following page) Whatever you do, let us know. We would love to hear your success stories use the form on the next page. Your feedback is very important to us. It will help support the workshops and allow us to stay in touch with you to celebrate your success.

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LearnEnglish Family
FAO: Caspar Mays British Council Ground Floor, West Block Wisma Selangor Dredging 142C Jalan Ampang 50450 Kuala Lumpur T +60 (0)3 2723 7935 F +60 (0)3 2713 6599 www.britishcouncil.org.my caspar.mays@britishcouncil.org.my

LearnEnglish Family

Name of project co-ordinator Contact details: e-mail Contact details: phone / fax School name and address Name of ELO (if in-service) Name of Teacher Training College (if pre-service) Name of Mentor (if ELTDP project in Sabah & Sarawak) When did you run the workshops? How many parents attended? What were the successes of the workshops?

Can you share any anecdotal feedback from parents, teachers and children on the workshops?

Do you have any quotes from your Head Teacher regarding the workshops?

What problems did you encounter / how did you overcome them?

Next steps: what have you got planned for reading events at your school?

If possible please attach any photos, press releases, evaluation summaries and other evidence of your success.

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Evaluation
At the end of the series of workshops it is a good idea to evaluate its success before moving on. Here are two forms to help you manage collecting feedback. Remember that you used these same questionnaires in workshop 1 so you can compare participants answers before and after.

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Child friendly survey Here are some questions about reading (with a little bit about you first). There are no right or wrong answers. Tell us what you really think!

Your first name: Your last name: Circle how old you are: Im 5 6 7 8 9 10

Circle which year you are in: Standard 1 2 3 4 5 6 Are you a boy or a girl? Boy Girl

Put a circle around the smiley face that you agree with. 1. Do you enjoy reading? Yes No

2. How interesting is reading? Interesting

OK

Not interesting

3. How often do you read outside of class? Most days A few times Once a week a week

Hardly ever

4. How good do you think you are at finding books that are not too hard? Good OK Not good

5. How good are you at finding books that are interesting to you? Good OK Not good

6. Do you read with someone at home?

Yes

No

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Introduction (for project co-ordinator only) This parent survey could be useful to see how interested your workshop attendees (parents) are in taking this further into a new event. Some parents may wish to be involved in delivering more training to a new group of parents. Other parents may wish to get involved/plan a school reading event. You can link the results of this survey to ideas on page 35 (what to do after the workshops) and page 32-33 (suggestions for creating a suitable learning environment). Parent Survey Name: ___________________________________ Childs name:______________________________ 1. How important to childrens development is parental involvement? 1 2 3 (not at all important) 4 5 (very important)

2. How important to childrens progress in school is reading for pleasure? 1 2 3 (not at all important) 4 5 (very important)

3. How important is choosing an interesting book for reading motivation? 1 2 3 (not at all important) 4 5 (very important)

4. How well do you think you can support childrens reading for pleasure? 1 2 (not well) 3 4 5 (very well)

5. How confident do you feel in supporting other parents in supporting their childrens literacy? 1 2 (not confident) 3 4 5 (very confident)

6. How confident do you feel in running a school project based on reading? 1 2 (not confident) 3 4 5 (very confident)

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Notes :

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Kuala Lumpur Ground Floor, West Block Wisma Selangor Dredging 142C Jalan Ampang 50450 Kuala Lumpur T +60 (0)3 2723 7900 F +60 (0)3 2713 6599 kualalumpur.education@britishcouncil.org.my Penang Wisma Great Eastern Suite 3A.1 & 3A.2 25 Lebuh Light 10200 Penang T +60 (0)4 263 0330 F +60 (0)4 263 3262 penang.education@britishcouncil.org.my Kuching Room A15 & A16 Chung Hua Middle School No. 1 Jalan Pending 93450 Kuching T +60 (0)82 346 044 F +60 (0)82 342 199 sarawak.education@britishcouncil.org.my Kota Kinabalu Ground Floor 4, Jalan Api-api Off Jalan Gaya 88000 Kota Kinabalu T +60 (0)88 222 059 F +60 (0)88 238 059 sabah.education@britishcouncil.org.my

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