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,
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CONTACT US
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EDITORIAL
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literacytoday@reading.org
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© 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
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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
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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.
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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.
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