Literacy Today March/April 2019

Welcome to interactive presentation, created with Publuu. Enjoy the reading!

Family &

Community

• Bringing family

literacy practices

into the classroom

• Beyond literacy night:

Making engagement

last

• Real-world learning

through community

partnerships

March/April 2019

Volume 36, Issue 5

LITERACY TODAY

Contents

LITERACY TODAY

Volume 36, Issue 5

March/April 2019

EDITORIAL STAFF

Managing Editor Colleen Patrice Clark

Editors Christina Lambert & Alina O’Donnell

Intern Bailee Formon

ILA LEADERSHIP

Executive Director Marcie Craig Post

2018–2019 BOARD MEMBERS

Bernadette Dwyer, Dublin City University,

President; Kathy N. Headley, Clemson

University, Vice President; Douglas Fisher,

San Diego State University, Immediate Past

President; Juli-Anne Benjamin, Marion P.

Thomas Charter School; Wendy Carss,

University of Waikato; Beverley E. Harris,

Mico University College, University of the

West Indies; Kenneth Kunz, Middlesex Public

Schools; Stephanie Laird, Southeast Polk

Community School District; Susan Paasch,

Sauk Rapids Public School District; Stephen

Peters, Laurens County School District 55; Julia

Reynolds, Allendale Public Schools; Jennifer

Williams, Calliope Global Education Initiatives

ADVERTISING

For information, contact Megan Ferguson at

800.336.7323 x 417 or advertising@reading

.org. Acceptance of advertising does not imply

endorsement.

ABOUT US

Literacy Today is the bimonthly membership

magazine of the International Literacy

Association, a nonprofi t that strives to

empower educators, inspire students, and

encourage teachers with the resources they

need to make literacy accessible for all.

SUBSCRIPTIONS

Literacy Today (ISSN 2411-7862, Print; 2411-

7900, Online) is included in the cost of ILA

membership. To join, visit literacyworldwide

.org. POSTMASTER: Send address changes

to Literacy Today, PO Box 8139, Newark,

DE 19714-8139, USA. CANADIAN GST:

Registration number R-129785523. Publications

Mail Agreement No. 40033039. Return

undeliverable Canadian addresses to PO Box

503, RPO West Beaver Creek, Richmond Hill,

ON, L4B 4R6.

CONTACT US

CUSTOMER SERVICE

800.336.7323

customerservice@reading.org

EDITORIAL

800.336.7323 x 446

literacytoday@reading.org

Write to Literacy Today, PO Box 8139, Newark,

DE 19714-8139, USA.

MAILING LIST RENTALS

ILA rents mailing lists only to groups approved

by the Association. Members can have

their names removed from lists rented by

writing to ILA Customer Service or emailing

customerservice@reading.org.

© International Literacy Association

2

EDITOR’S NOTE

4

LIT BITS

6

ILA UPDATE

LITERACY LEADERSHIP

8

Steps to Bringing Family Literacy Practices Into

the Classroom

10

Fostering Relationships With the Families of Bilingual Learners

12

Family Involvement in Reading: What the Parents and Caregivers Think

FEATURES

16

Family Matt ers: Making Family Engagement a Cornerstone of

Literacy Education

20

Connecting With Community: The Real-World Lessons That Come From

Breaking Down Classroom Walls

24

Activating Families and Communities to Support ILA’s Children’s Rights

to Read Campaign

THE ENGAGING CLASSROOM

26

The Value of Arts Integration With English Learners

28

On Engagement and Empathy: Gett ing to the Heart of Learning

30

Using Self-Directed Inquiry to Spark Interest and Promote

Research Skills

32

Affi rming Individuality and Identity Through Picture Books

and Storytelling

THE ILA NETWORK

34

How Tampa’s Explorers Club Partners With Cultural Venues for Powerful

Pre-K Family Adventures

38

Access to Literacy: An Inalienable Right to Quality Education in Haiti

40

EVENTS

42

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

16

Colleen Patrice Clark

Managing Editor

cclark@reading.org

EDITOR’S

NOTE

love when I come across a great quote as

we’re putting each issue of the magazine

together that encapsulates the issue’s

theme. With this issue, which focuses on

family and community engagement, the

quote that stood out to me comes from

Paul Emerich France, who wrote our cover

story on community partnerships:

“By intentionally forging partnerships

with the community, we grant our

students opportunities to not only fulfill

[the] basic need for human connection

and camaraderie, but also grant them

the opportunity to better their literacy

skills through real-world experiences that

convey the importance, relevance, and

authenticity of learning to read and write.”

That authenticity is key. By engaging

both families and communities, we

can provide the real-world learning

experiences needed to create 21st-century

learners. And how much more real can you

get than learning from and with students’

families, or learning from and with

students’ communities?

When we do this, we bring a wealth of

knowledge about students’ backgrounds,

cultures, interests, and challenges into the

classroom, in addition to knowledge about

the communities they call home. This can

be just what’s needed to create a curriculum

built on relevance and authenticity, one in

which students understand their role in the

community beyond the classroom and see

the impact they can make in the world.

I hope this issue will get you thinking

about new ways to enhance your engagement

practices. And as always, don’t forget

to share what you’re doing by emailing

literacytoday@reading.org or tweeting

@ILAToday. We’d love to hear from you!

Warmly,

BEYOND

SCHOOL WALLS

2

literacyworldwide.org | March/April 2019 | LITERACY TODAY

4

literacyworldwide.org | March/April 2019 | LITERACY TODAY

LIT BITS

World Read Aloud Day Celebrated

shared by @drmollyness

We loved seeing your photos fill

our Twitter feed on February 1 as

we celebrated World Read Aloud

Day! It made us reminisce about

some of our own favorites. Classics

such as Where the Wild Things Are

and The Monster at the End of This

Book were mentioned by quite

a few staff members, as well as

more recent favorites such as The

Wonky Donkey. (I think we have the

uncontrollable laughter of a Scottish

grandma to thank for putting that

one on our radar!) Remember,

every day is a good day to read

aloud. Keep sharing your photos

with us by tagging @ILAToday.

Last Call for

ILA Awards

Nominations

ILA awards recognize excellence

and showcase best practices

in literacy research, instruction,

and advocacy. Each year,

recipients include district and

school administrators, graduate

students, authors, teachers,

technology specialists, and

more—celebrating achievements

across a wide range of

backgrounds, disciplines,

and areas of expertise. Most

applications are due by

March 15, 2019. The full list

of awards and grants can be

found at literacyworldwide.

org/about-us/awards-

grants.

Teachers in underserved

communities often face financial

barriers to professional development

opportunities. That’s why we’re launching an

equity scholarship for ILA 2019. Awardees will

receive free Core Conference registration to ILA

2019, which will be held in New Orleans, LA, Oct.

10–13, and a stipend for related expenses. As

a way to give back to the greater New

Orleans community, only educators

who live within a 100-mile radius of the

convention center are eligible to apply.

The application period

will be open March 12–

April 30. To learn more,

visit ilaconference

.org/scholarship.

New Equity Scholarship

h yea

ear,

istrict and

ors, graduate

eachers,

sts, and

achievements

e of

plines,

ise. Most

e by

e full list

ts can be

orldwide.

rds-

2019, which will be held in N

10–13, and a stipend fo

a way to give b

Orleans com

who live within a

convention cent

Th

will

April 3

visii

.org/

LITERACY TODAY | March/April 2019 | literacyworldwide.org

shared by @ksingle01

shared by ILA Board member @stephengpeters

Leading

ILA Journal

Launches

Podcast

In January, the editors of

Reading Research Quarterly

(RRQ), ILA’s global journal

offering multidisciplinary

scholarship on literacy among

learners of all ages, published

the first episode of their new

podcast, Bridge Research to

Practice: Live With the Author.

The podcast—recorded on

Skype—features authors of

key RRQ pieces, who discuss

their professional background;

how they became interested

in the topic; details about

the study; their advice for

teachers, parents, principals,

and policymakers, based on

study findings; and actionable

next steps.

Editors Robert T. Jiménez

and Amanda Goodwin hope

these podcasts and Skype

videos provide an exciting

bridge between research

and practice, supporting the

journal’s mission to deepen

understandings about both.

Learn more and listen by

visiting bit.ly/RRQpodcast.

You use our Choices reading lists to find

high-quality, student-selected titles to

entice young people to read. Now’s your

chance to be part of the team that helps

shape these popular resources!

We are looking for volunteers across

all three Choices projects—Children’s,

Teachers’, and Young Adults’—for the

upcoming 2019–2022 term, and we

encourage U.S.-based ILA members

to apply. The application deadline is

March 31, 2019. Project details and team

leader application forms can be found at

literacyworldwide.org/choices.

Deadline Approaching for

ILA Choices Team Leader Applications

On International Literacy Day,

September 8, 2018, the Slovenia

Reading Association kicked off the

first National Month of Joint Reading

(NMJR), a national movement to

promote reading culture and improve

literacy. More than 170 partners

and supporters, including NGOs,

associations, schools, universities,

libraries, municipalities, ministries,

publishing houses, media houses, and

more participated by holding read-

alouds, author visits, Readers Theatre,

professional development events, and

symposia. NMJR officially concluded

the first week

of October,

but activities

continued

through the end

of the year.

Slovenia Reading Association

Celebrates National Month of

Joint Reading

In ILA’s biannual What’s Hot in Literacy survey,

we defined family engagement as “working

with families to promote and support children’s

literacy development, including planning and

hosting purposeful events that provide families

with literacy strategies they can use at home to

support their children’s learning.” A whopping

79% of respondents rated this practice as very or

extremely important—and with good reason.

We have decades of research that tells us

why family engagement is critical to the success

of the child. When schools work in tandem with

families, everyone benefits. Teachers and students

see improved outcomes, and parents develop

more trust in those responsible for their child’s

education.

By our own definition, educators bear the

responsibility of engaging families, who in turn

bear the responsibility of working with and

supporting their young learners. But what if we

looked at family engagement from a different

angle? What if we placed some emphasis on

empowering students themselves to lead the

charge?

This is not unlike the practice of student-led

conferences, which allow even the youngest of

learners to present their portfolios directly to their

families. Creating opportunities for students to

take true ownership of their work and asking them

to drive the discussion about their performance

and progress not only demonstrates their

command of the topic, but also shows how much

you value their voice. There’s real power in that.

Successful student-led conferences begin

with implementing strong teacher supports.

Well-defined parameters, clear expectations,

and explicit modeling are all key to achieving the

desired results. When students take over, teachers

step back accordingly, but remain available in

Let Students Lead the Way

ILA UPDATE

case help is requested. Less visibility doesn’t equal

absence.

It’s the same with student-driven family

engagement strategies. Even the oldest learners

will need to understand your framework and what

you expect of them.

Take, for example, read-alouds. Our recent

brief, The Power and Promise of Read-Alouds and

Independent Reading, looks at the importance of

those instructional practices in the school setting.

It reviews the benefits of teacher-led read-alouds,

which include, among others, being one way for

educators to demonstrate how much they value

reading.

This is also why so many family engagement

initiatives focus on parents, guardians, and other

caregivers setting aside regular time to read aloud

to children of all ages. Beyond yielding academic

benefits, reading role models outside of school

impact significantly how children feel about the

act of reading.

When we flip the scenario and task students

with reading aloud to their families, we’re casting

them as reading role models, too. In an age when

traditional family involvement may not be possible,

because of language barriers, work, or other

factors, student-led engagement is a valid (and

valuable) solution. It allows you to meet the needs

of the family in their home environment on their

unique schedule.

This kind of personalization extends to what is

read as well. If we want children to enjoy reading,

we must empower them to select their own

reading materials. It’s on us to give them access to

a wide selection of relevant books and materials

reflecting their culture, community, and personal

identity. For students who do not have multiple

sources of reading materials—or, in some cases,

any—this is most essential.

6

literacyworldwide.org | March/April 2019 | LITERACY TODAY

Allowing students to take self-selected texts

into the home environment not only makes it

possible for children to engage their families in the

reading practice, but also helps get them excited

about it. We know it’s empowering for children to

see themselves on the page. It’s just as affirming

for families to see themselves reflected.

Storytelling is another way for children to

engage their families in the learning process. You

can have students write and illustrate their own

stories that they then take home to share. Better

yet, design an assignment that calls for students to

craft those stories with their families.

Of course, you can always simply ask students

what they’d like to do with their families and build

literacy-oriented activities and goals around their

individual areas of interest. As is the case with

student-selected reading materials, this increases

the likelihood that families will be receptive and

enjoy the process.

Marcie Craig Post

ILA Executive Director

An effective family engagement strategy

built around these tried-and-true, child-directed

practices by no means replaces more traditional

paths. But challenging your own notions of

family engagement and exploring how you can

empower your students to help lead these efforts

can yield surprising results.

Have you tried any of these strategies, or do

you want to recommend some of your own?

Share them with us on Twitter (@ILAToday) or by

sending an email to literacytoday@reading.org.

LITERACY TODAY | March/April 2019 | literacyworldwide.org

LA’s 2018 What’s Hot in Literacy Report highlighted family engagement as an area

that needs more attention. Further, the area of assessment landed among the

top five hot topics. As an instructor in an urban teacher preparation program, I

wondered how we could rethink family engagement.

It led me to this question: What if teachers looked at family literacy practices

with an assessment mind-set?

We know that data should drive instruction. And research strongly

suggests that students’ families play a significant role in shaping their literacy

development. I believe we should bridge these two concepts. By asking teachers to

consider family literacy practices as additional data to drive their instruction, we

can bring family and community assets into our literacy curriculum.

The following are three steps for teachers who want to use family data to drive

literacy instruction and engage families.

Step 1: Learn about families’ practices

First, teachers should assess the literacy practices that exist within each student’s

family. This means gathering information about what families do together and

how literacy is involved. Teachers can seek out community- and family-centered

events to collect data around family literacy practices. Teachers can also send

home surveys to learn more about home literacies.

For example, teachers could identify practices such as telling stories, playing

board games, reading recipes and cooking, and visiting museums or cultural

events as practices that involve literacy. The key is to be intentional in learning

about families and their language, literacy, and cultural practices and to find

creative ways to gain knowledge about them.

For example, when I taught second grade in an urban public school, I

conducted several home visits to learn more about my students, their families, and

their communities. I found that listening to music, particularly pop and hip-hop

songs, was a common practice among many of my students’ families. Students

demonstrated proficiency in literacy, language, and memorization by knowing

every line of songs that came on the radio, and family members would sing along

with their children. I recorded notes of my observations and kept an individual

Steps to bringing family literacy practices into the classroom

CONNECTING

COMMUNITIES

AND CURRICULUM

By Jennifer Albro

Jennifer Albro

(jennifer.j.albro@gmail

.com), an ILA member since

2014, teaches graduate

courses in literacy at Johns

Hopkins University School

of Education in Washington,

DC, in addition to coaching

and mentoring teachers in

the Urban Teachers program.

Albro was a 2015 ILA 30

Under 30 honoree.

LITERACY

LEADERSHIP

By asking teachers to consider family literacy

practices as additional data to drive their

instruction, we can bring family and community

assets into our literacy curriculum.

8

literacyworldwide.org | March/April 2019 | LITERACY TODAY

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48

Made with Publuu - flipbook maker