final version lef handbook.pdf

8/14/2019 FINAL VERSION LEF handbook.pdf

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Parental involvement in reading i


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Parental involvement in reading 1

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


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LearnEnglish Family2

Welcome to the LearnEnglish Family Workshops

The earlier parents become involved in their childrens literacy practices, the moreprofound the results and the longer lasting the effects.

Reading for pleasure is fun but will support grades in school and make it easier todeliver the syllabus.

This will help your child succeed even more. You encourage your childs progress justby 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 helpchildren and families enjoy reading together.

This handbook includes all the materials and resources you need to run the LearnEnglishFamily workshops in your school. You will nd detailed notes on the ideas behind theworkshops as well as helpful examples and handouts to use during your workshops. Thishandbook also contains suggestions for materials, ideas for evaluating the workshops and thenext 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 nished you areencouraged to run a school reading event.

First things rst. Some frequently asked questions

Who are these workshops for?Teachers / Head Teachers / parents who are keen on increasing parental involvement inreading and literacy.Who can run the workshops?Head teachers, teachers or parents but it will work best with a small team led by a co-ordinator.

What do you need to start the workshops?You will need this handbook, a room to conduct the workshops in and some basic resourcesfrom 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 andthe local press.Can I get any support from the British Council?Yes. E-mail [email protected] for advice on running the workshops.


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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 What

Now

Read/explore the handbook. Familiarise yourself with the workshops and

the importance of parental involvement.

After exploringthe handbook

Start talking to your Head Teacher. Describe the workshops and theirimplications. Look for opportunities in the school calendar to meetparents / hold workshops.

Include the Librarian as soon as possible. Ask them if you can use thelibrary to hold the workshops.

Watch the DVD Chapters 1-3.

Four or veweeks beforeyour rst

workshop

Start talking to other parents/teachers about the workshops. Try chatting

with people in the schoolyard, asking the school to put information in theschool newsletter, putting up a poster on the school notice board, or tellyour parent-teacher group about it.

For example: I am a parent with a child in/Teacher of Standard 1 andI would like to invite you to join me for some tips and ideas for helpingyour child enjoy reading. If you are interested in joining you cancontact

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 schoolWhen? ___Where? _____Who? If you are interested please contact.If necessary translate these posters into languages that your parentsspeak. 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. Youcould 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 interestedparents so you can keep everyone informed. Find out how parents wantto be kept informed sms, face-to-face, handouts from school.

Think about where you will have your rst workshop: the school library isoften 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? Onthe weekend? During school events? Ask parents for their opinions butprobably the start or end of the school day will work best.


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Consider how often will you meet? Once a week or once every twoweeks is best.How long will you meet for? It is best to say that workshops will be aboutone hour long.

Two weeksbefore

Get back in touch with all interested parents (use your contact list) and

remind them of time/place of your rst workshop.Talk to the school again about booking a room, chairs etc. Involve

the Librarian and Head Teacher as much as possible. Remind localbookshops 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 needany resources/equipment? Try to include/plan for coffee and tea with

biscuits etc. Often people nd it easier to chat when they have food.

A few daysbefore

Remind parents of the time and venue.

Familiarise yourself with the workshop notes. Make your own notes andthink of how you will present the workshop to the group. Think abouthow you would like the parents to be seated. Remember you shouldkeep this workshop as relaxed and informal as possible so that parentsare 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 theworkshop.

On the day

Remember to keep this as informal and friendly as possible. For someparents this may be the rst time they have joined a group like this.They might be feeling nervous or they might not have enjoyed school orreading themselves.

Get an idea of your parents skills/interests during the rst session, sothat you can base your future activities around them. Include parentswho 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 asuccess is to make them suit the needs and interests of the parents whoare coming.

Dont worry if you only have one or two parents at your rst workshop its perfectly normal! Hopefully they will tell their friends and more willjoin.


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For the project co-ordinator: background reading and research on the importance ofpromoting family engagement with reading.

Please do not share this information with parents on the workshops

There is signicant 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 NationalLiteracy Trust in March 2010 explored four strategic areas: building family involvement,supporting the home environment, reading for pleasure and supporting multilinguallanguage development.

Key ndings

The mosteffectivekinds of familyinvolvement

The earlier parents become involved in their childrens literacy, the deeperthe 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, andmathematics knowledge and skills.

Benetsof familyinvolvement in

school

Parental involvement in childrens learning positively affects the childsperformance at school.

The impact of parental involvement is the same regardless of ethnic

background, family income, maternal level of education, or childs gender.Parental involvement leads to greater problem-solving skills, greater schoolenjoyment, better school attendance, fewer behavioural problems atschool, and greater social and emotional development.

Benetsof love ofreading

Encouraging a love of reading lays the foundation for future literacydevelopment.

It is enjoymentof reading which gives a child the best start in life.

Reading forpleasure

Reading for pleasure improves reading attainment and writing ability wherereading is done both in school and out of school.

Reading for pleasure improves breadth of vocabulary, general knowledge, agreater insight into human nature, decision-making, understanding of othercultures and community participation.

Learning howto choose abook

Providing students with choice and control over their reading materials hasbeen linked to increased educational outcomes, such as greater levels ofintrinsic motivation, greater persistence, better performance, more positiveaffect and higher satisfaction.

Giving individuals control over aspects of their learning is also believed tolead to independent thinking, greater personal responsibility for the activity

and feelings of autonomy.


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For the project co-ordinator: suggested titles.

Here is a list of some excellent childrens books. These books are not necessary for you to runthe workshops, but your Librarian might want to order some of them for workshop 6.

Title AuthorActual Size Steve Jenkins

Angry Arthur Satoshi Kitamura

Bear About Town Stella Blackstone

Bedtime for Monsters Ed Vere

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? Bill Martin Jr / Eric Carle

Cats Ahoy Peter Bently

Dear Zoo Rod Campbell

Eat Your Peas Kes Gray

Fergus Crane Paul Stewart& Chris Riddell

First Week at Cow School Andy Cutbill

From Head to Toe Eric Carle

Handas Surprise Eileen Browne

Marshall Armstrong Is New to Our School David Makintosh

Measle and the Wrathmonk Ian Ogilvy

Mrs Pepperpot Alf Proysen

No Matter What Debi Gliori

Not Now Bernard David McKee

Pass the Jam, Jim Kaye Umansky

Pumpkin Soup Helen Cooper

Revolting Rhymes Roald Dahl

The Gruffalo Julia Donaldson

The Iron Man Ted HughesThe Owl Who Was Afraid of The Dark Jill Tomlinson

The Tiger Who Came to Tea Judith Kerr

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Eric Carle

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly Pam Adams

Were Going on a Bear Hunt Michael Rosen

Where the Wild Things Are Maurice Sendak

Witch Child Celia Rees

You Choose Pippa Goodhart

Adapted from World Book Day 2011 www.worldbookday.com


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Workshop 1

Sharing rhymes without books.


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Workshop 1 Sharing rhymes without books

This will help you plan and deliver your rst LearnEnglish Family workshop. It includes all thematerials and resources you need to run the workshop. You will nd detailed notes as well ashelpful examples and handouts to use. Dont forget to refer to the How to start the series ofworkshops table on page 3.

A few days before

Remind parents to bring in their favourite photo(s) of their childrenon the workshop day. This is a good chance to also remind them oftime/date/venue etc.

Read the LearnEnglish Family: Learning English through sharingrhymes booklet.

Review the workshop notes so that you feel comfortable doing thesession.

Prepare the rhymes on page 12. Make sure you have some ideas

about how they can be used in the workshop.

To start the workshop:

Welcome

Welcome parents. Thank them for coming. Outline plans for the

workshop. Tell them this is the rst step in helping your child toread in a fun and engaging way.

Warmer

Ask parents to show their photo(s) to another parent (individual toindividual or in small groups). Keep it informal and personal (dont

force everyone to speak: some parents may be more comfortablejust listening in the early stages). Ask parents to share their feelingsabout the photo(s). When nished ask them to share the dreams andaspirations that they have for their children.

FeedbackIf parents are condent ask for some feedback. Encourage them totalk about another parents thoughts: She said / He wants

Introduce researchand the workshops

Keep this clear and simple but highlight how parental involvement inchildrens education can be highly inuential. 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 inuence on successthan family status

Tell parents this is the rst of 6 workshops that will help encourage

them to be involved with their childs reading. It will show themsimple, practical ideas that everyone can do.


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Parents skills audit

Tell parents, You encourage your childs progress just byparticipating. Tell them you would like to know what skills theyhave. Can they play an instrument? Can they draw/paint? Are theygood with IT / voices / actions? Can they speak another language?

Can they provide contacts? Reinforce the idea that everyone hasa skill. Handout the skills audit (page 11). Ask parents to ll in with

their skills for homework

Do notcomplete the third column: this is for workshop 6.

Collect the skills audit at the start of the next workshop and keep ina safe place: you will need these in subsequent workshops.

The workshop

Demonstration: themain idea here is thatthe parents are thepupils

Tell the parents: Lets imagine Im the teacher/ parent and you arethe pupil/ child. Listen. Say the rhyme aloud to the parents.Twinkle, twinkle little star

How I wonder what you areUp above the world so highLike a diamond in the skyTwinkle, twinkle little star

How I wonder what you areRepeat the rhyme and add actions for twinkle, twinkle (openand close hands) / up above (waving arm) / how I wonder (shrug

shoulders)

Encourage parents to join in with actions you might need to repeatthe 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 todifferent parents and they hold up their picture when they hear their

word.

NB: if your parents are shy and not condent, then use rhymes intheir rst language at the very beginning.

Feedback

Ask some leading questions.

What was it like to be involved?

Were the actions fun?

Did you enjoy the rhyme?

Do you think children will enjoy this? Why?

Parent to parent: try anew rhyme

Put parents into pairs. Hand out a rhyme to each pair of parents(suggestions on page 12 or you can choose your own).


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Ask them to become familiar with the rhyme. They need to think ofactions, gestures, voices or pictures that could be useful (maybethey could even draw some pictures if you provide stationery). Givethem plenty of time and walk around the pairs supporting them with

ideas, encouragement.

Get parents to meet another pair and teach their rhyme. Remindthem of your demonstration at the beginning of the session and thatthey can copy you.

Remember to keep things informal and allow more condentparents to take the lead. Again, less condent parents canparticipate by listening and following the actions.

Using a rhyme youknow

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.

Take home ideas

Encourage parents to get involved at home with rhymes. Ask them:

Where can you nd rhymes? (in nursery books / the Internet)

Who else can tell rhymes? (everyone knows a rhyme involveother family members)

Tell them to nd rhymes that have names in them. These namescan be changed to your childs name. Or other words can bereplaced (children will enjoy experimenting and changing rhymes):Diddle, diddle, dumpling, my son John,Went to bed with his trouserson,

One shoe off, and one shoe on,Diddle, diddle, dumpling, my son John.Tell them to use rhymes that t into daily routines:No milk before bed stay small

Finish all your milk grow tall

Homework

Tell parents: Your homework is to use a rhyme at home.At the beginning of the next workshop you will tell other parentsabout 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 parentsand their children to complete the questionnaires (pages 38 and39). You will ask them to complete the same questionnaire at theend of the workshops. You can compare answers to evaluate thesuccess of the programme.


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Materials

Parents skills audit. Name: _______________________________

Skill Details

I can play a musicalinstrument (piano,guitar etc).

I can speak anotherlanguage.

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 / usea video recorder.

I can volunteer mytime.

I am artistic. I can draw/ paint / make things

I can

I can


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Resources/Rhymes that could be used in the workshop

One, two, three, four, ve.Once I caught a sh alive,

Six, seven, eight, nine ,ten,Then I let it go again.Why did you let it go?Because it bit my nger so.Which nger did it bite?This little nger on the right.

Twinkle, twinkle little star

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

Rain, rain go awayAll the children want to play.Rain, rain go awayCome again another day

10 ngers,10 toes,2 eyesAnd a round nose.

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...

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.

The wheels on the bus go round and round.Round and round. Round and round. Thewheels 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 thebus)

Its raining, its pouring,The old man is snoring.

He went to bed, bumped his headAnd couldnt get up in the morning.

There were 10 in the bed and the little onesaid 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 saidalone at last!

Heads, shoulders, knees and toesKnees and toes.Heads, shoulders, knees and toesKnees and toes.Eyes and ears and mouth and nose.Heads, shoulders, knees and toes

Knees and toes.

http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/parents/articles/learning-english-through-sharing-rhymes

http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/

songs/


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Workshop 2

Sharing stories without books.


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Workshop 2 Sharing stories without books

This will help you plan and deliver your second LearnEnglish Family workshop. It includes allthe materials and resources you need to run the workshop. You will nd detailed notes aswell as helpful examples and handouts to use.

A few days before

Remind parents of time/date/venue etc. Also remind them that theyshould bring in their completed skills audit from the rst workshop.

Prepare your workshop: you will need to familiarise yourself with thestory so you can tell it without reading. This does not mean learning byheart: just remember the main points of the story so it can be told.

Review the workshop notes so that you feel comfortable doing the ses-sion. Preview the DVD Chapter 4 so you are familiar with the content.

To start the workshop

WelcomeWelcome parents. Thank them for coming. Outline plans for the work-shop (aims/time etc). Get some feedback on parents who tried rhymesat home. Collect in skills audit from previous workshop.

Warmer

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. How-ever, it must be a story suitable for children. To help them you shouldgive your own example to the group rst.

Ask condent parents to retell this story to another parent. Remember:to keep condence high, dont ask anyone to speak to the whole group.

Having everyone work in pairs at the same time will create a safe en-vironment for more parents to contribute. If a parent cannot recall astory they can listen to anothers story.

FeedbackTell parents telling stories is one way of sharing stories in English with-out reading. It is also a form of parental involvement.

Case study

Tell parents: We are going to watch a DVD. We will see an example ofstorytelling without a book. We will see some key techniques that willbe covered in the workshop.

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

Demonstration

Jack and the Beanstalk (you will need to familiarise yourself with thisstory so you can tell it without reading: this does not mean remember-ing it word for word just the main ideas/events). See page 16 for thestory text. Tell the story to the parents as though they are children. Thedemo must have three stages (before / while / after reading but donttell this to parents yet).

Before-reading: Tell the parents you are going to hear a storyabout Jack, his mother and their cow. They are poor. Ask, How canthey make some money? Elicit ideas / write them on the board ifnecessary.

While reading: It is important here that you demonstrate how toinvolve children in story-telling. There are some simple techniquesthat you can demonstrate:

1. asking for predictions2. asking for feelings3. getting children to notice any patterns

4. getting children to make noises5. asking children what they can see, smell, feel6. by you acting out the storySee 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 amagic kitchen: when I get home my dinner is already cooked. Can

they think of and share any other ideas?

Feedback/reviewstages

Give parents the stages handout on page 17. Ask them what they didin the 3 stages. Let them work in pairs or small groups. Walk aroundand guide parents: offer support, ideas and encouragement. They canll in the table just simply talk about what happened. When the parentsare 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

Review your ownstory (from warmer)and add stages

Now its the parents turn. Ask parents to think back to the warmerwhere they recalled their favourite story. Ask them to complete thenal column in their stages handout by adding ideas to their own story(if they dont have a story they could use an idea from another parent).You should walk around and help the parents with ideas and if neces-

sary ask questions to check what they are doing. When parents areready 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 storiesthey heard today. Remind them of the date/venue of the next work-shop.


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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 wayJack 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 motherwill 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 out-side and started to climb the beanstalk.

He climbed up to the sky, through the clouds. Ask parents: Where does Jack go? He saw abeautiful castle and went inside.

Jack heard a loud voice Fee, , fo fum Tell parents to mimic your loud giant voice. Jackran and hid in a cupboard.

An enormous giant came into the room and sat down at a table. Tell parents to mimic yourloud stamping feet. Ask parents: How does Jack feel?On the table was a hen and agolden harp.

Lay, said the giant and the hen laid a golden egg. Play, said the giant and the harp played abeautiful song. Soon the giant fell asleep.

Jack jumped out of the cupboard. He took the hen and the harp. Suddenly, the harp sangHelp, master!.

The giant woke up and shouted, Fee, , fo, fum Tell parents to mimic your loud giantvoice. 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 thebeanstalk down with an axe. The giant fell and crashed to the ground. No one ever saw himagain.

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 theBeanstalk. Work with another parent. What happened during each stage of the story-tellingexperience?

Stage Activity: Jack and theBeanstalk

Activity: your story

Before reading

While reading

After reading

Stages handout: answers for project co-ordinator

Stage Activity: Jack and theBeanstalk Activity: your story

Before reading

A prediction exercise toengage children with thestory. Helping children toexpand creativity: it allows

give them a good reason tolisten: they can check if theywere right.

Individual answers will bedifferent.

While reading

Children were asked many

questions about content,predictions, feelings,patterns. Children wereinvolved in the story bymaking noises and acting out.

Individual answers will be

different.

After reading

Children were asked torespond to the story bybeing imaginative about theirown lives.

Individual answers will bedifferent.


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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 thematerials and resources you need to run the workshop. You will nd detailed notes as well ashelpful examples and handouts to use.

A few days before

Remind parents of time/date/venue etc. Also remind them that theyshould bring in a picture book from home (if they have one). Askparents to invite a friend to increase numbers (if needed).

Prepare your workshop: familiarise yourself with your chosen story soyou can tell it condently whilst using the book. Prepare some actions/ sounds / gestures and questions to involve the audience (read theworkshop plan below for further ideas). Practise telling the story aloudwith voices/actions/noises/questions etc.

Choose at least one suitable picture (see materials on page 21 for anexample) 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 canchoose 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.


WelcomeWelcome parents. Thank them for coming. Outline plans for theworkshop (aims/time etc). Get some feedback from parents who told astory at home (from the previous workshop).

Warmer

This is an activity to help parents involve children in storytelling. Tellparents you are going to learn how to read a picture. Give / show thesame picture (from your chosen picture book) to all parents and askthem some simple questions (materials page 21).

Explain that these questions allow children to be creative and toexperiment. Getting the right answer is not important (there are no

sample answers for the co-ordinator). The important thing is to getchildren thinking about the story. This activity is important to show thevalue of picture books and how parents can help develop childrensimagination / vocabulary / powers of prediction.

If you have time and parents are interested, give them pictures fromother picture books and they can practice with each other in a parent/child role play.


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The workshop

Demonstration

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 soeveryone can see the picture book you are holding. Before reading doread 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 childrencan 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 bearsay?

After reading: ask the children to think about these questions (if youare 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 arhythm you feel comfortable with, add actions/voices and get the

children to join in.

Feedback/reviewstages

This part of the workshop allows the parents to understand the 3 keystages to enjoying picture books Hand out the table (key stages) on

page 21. Tell the parents to work in pairs and ll in the table (or justsimply talk about what happened they do not have to write). Ask them

to reect on their participation as children in the demonstration ofGoldilocks.

Review andprepare forhomework

Ask parents to look at the picture book they brought in (or ones youprovided for them / or ones from the library). Tell parents to preparea 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 parentswhile they are working on their ideas.


Tell the parents that homework is to go home and tell a story using apicture book. Remind them of the date of the next workshop.


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Materials

How to read a picture

- What is the relationshipbetween the characters?

- What happened beforethe picture was taken?

- What will happen next?

- What are the characterstalking about?

http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/short-stories/goldilocks-and-the-three-bears

After reading chant

Im Daddy bearMy bowl is bigMy chair is bigMy bed is big

Big, big yeah!

Im Mummy bearMy bowl is small

Im baby bear.

Key stages handout

Stage What did we do? Why did we do it?

Before

While

After

Key stages handout: answers for project co-ordinator

Stage What did we do? Why did we do it?

Before We looked at a picture. We got interested in the storyand to predicted / used ourimagination.

While We listened to the story, an-swered questions and joinedin with noises and actions.

We were kept busy andengaged. We could noticepatterns and enjoy the whole

experience.

After We imagined were the bearswere and we sang a chant.

We responded to the story ina creative way.


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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 theideas you need to run the workshop. You will nd detailed notes as well as helpful examplesand handouts to use.

A few days before

Remind parents of time/date/venue etc. Also remind them to bringsuccess stories (homework the last workshop). If numbers are low,encourage parents to bring a friend.

Review the parents skills audit note any creative skills. Match theirskills with ideas from the story sack checklist on page 24.

Prepare arts and crafts materials: paper, glue, colour pencils, scissorsetc.


WelcomeWelcome parents. Thank them for coming. Get some feedback fromparents who told a story at home with a picture book (from the previousworkshop). Tell parents, Today we are going to make a story sack.

The workshop

What is a story

sack?

Tell parents A story sack is a large cloth bag. Inside the bag is a picturebook and activities / materials to encourage children to read at home.Story sacks can be made by parents and teachers. Story sacks can beborrowed from the library for parents and children to read together athome.

What can go into

a story sack?

Hand out the checklist of ideas (page 24): ask parents to read and askany questions. Now get parents into pairs or small groups. Ask them tothink about what kind of materials can be made for Goldilocks and theThree Bears. For example, you could add a non-ction book about bears(see the third column of the handout). Parents go through the otherideas and make notes in the third column. There are sample answers foryou on page 24.

Making the storysack

Tell parents, You are going to make a story sack for Goldilocks and theThree Bears. This can go into the library and be the rst of many. Usethe parents skills audit match ideas to parents. Ask parents if they wouldlike to work on this particular idea. Use checklist of ideas to put parentsinto groups. Divide up parents with activities to create / objects tocollect etc. You might have to stop the workshop here and send parentshome or out to gather the necessary things.


Tell the parents that homework is to make/collect some simpleresources for the rst story sack. Remind them of the date for the nextworkshop.


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Materials

Checklist of ideas

Ideas for story sackcontents

Explanation of content Goldilocks: what could be

made/included?

1. Picture bookIf possible this should be anoversized copy of the book.

2. Related non- ctionbook(s)

Find out more about people,animals, places in the story.

Add a book about bears.Children learn about bears:where do they live? Are theyall dangerous? What do theyeat - porridge?

3. Models of characters

Animal toys for example.

Or masks / nger puppets

/ modelling clay could beincluded.

4. Real objects from story

These dont have to beexpensive. They could be oldclothes for example or props forretelling the story / role play.

5. Activities / games

related to story

- colouring in pictures- making masks / puppets- playing a boardgame- draw your favourite character

- draw a storymap: retell thestory with masks/models/puppets- questions for parents to ask

6. StationeryFor arts and craft: creativedesign.

7. Instructions for parentsClear and simple guidelines onhow to use the story sack.

8. Songs / chantsWe saw an example of this in thelast workshop.

Sample answers (for the project co-ordinator)

3. Include a doll (Goldilocks) and 3 toy bears (different sizes). Masks could be made or takenfrom http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/craft-download/goldilocks4. 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 houseto 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/goldilocksPlay a boardgame: download this editable version http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/re-sources/practical_resources_info/1315_resource-story_game_editable_version Parents create a list of questions to beasked while reading.7. Should be written by parents8. 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 fth LearnEnglish Family workshop. It includes all thematerials and resources you need to run the workshop. You will nd detailed notes as well ashelpful examples and handouts to use.

A few daysbefore

Remind parents of time/date/venue etc. Remind parents to bring theirchildren 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 theworkshop notes below). Find some helpers to mind the children.

It is important that their children attend this workshop. Make sure the timeand venue are appropriate: you need somewhere with access to picture

books and suitable for both children and adults.

The workshop

Welcome andaims

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 theexpert when it comes to choosing books. Letting your child choose will

help with motivation for reading.

Warmer

What do your kids like? Get parents in pairs/small groups to tell each otherwhat 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 incommon?

The child as theexpert

Use one book as an example here. Choose it carefully before theworkshop. 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 theirchilds preference and expertise.

Method 1: judge a book by its cover

Show your chosen book (just the cover) to all the parents and children:make sure everyone can see it clearly.

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 nished 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.


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Method 2: ve nger technique Tell parents this is a very simple way to see if a book is too difcult 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 than10 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 nds a word

they cannot read the child should count with a nger. If they nd 5words (and therefore all 5 ngers are up) the book is too difcult andshould be waved bye bye.

Other ideas:Here are a few other ideas that can help children and parents choosesuitable 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 askDo 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 recommendationsd) use a bookshops recommended reading liste) show them the suggested titles list in this handbook

Your turn

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 bookusing methods practised earlier.

Find a quietarea and readwith your child

When theyve chosen a book ask the parent to nd a quiet corner andread the book to their child using any of the techniques and ideas fromthe LearnEnglish workshops.

HomeworkTell 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 nal LearnEnglish Family workshop. It includes all thematerials and resources you need to run the workshop. You will nd detailed notes as well ashelpful examples and handouts to use.

A week beforeTry to reserve the library as the venue for this workshop and get someextra staff to help you on the day.

A few days before

Remind parents of time/date/venue etc. Also remind them that you willbe asking for success stories from the previous workshops home-work.

Review the parents skills audit that you gave out in workshop 1.

The workshop:

Welcome

Welcome parents. Thank them for coming. Outline plans for the work-shop (aims/time etc). Tell them, Many schools have limited space andresources but there are many ways that parents and teachers cancreate a suitable reading place or Todays workshop will look at waysthat you can create a special place for reading where children can ex-plore, discover and enjoy books. Tell them, A library should excitingand feel different from the classroom.

Warmer: a case

study

If you have the facilities, show the DVD (Chapter 4) or pass around thehandout (page 31).

For both alternatives ask parents, What do you notice about the envi-ronment where reading / storytelling takes place. Help them to notice:bright, colourful, comfortable place to sit, children on oor not chairs.

Scavenger hunt

Now tell the parents that they are going to examine the schools li-brary/reading area. Give them the list of library suggestions (page 32-33) and explain how to ll it in. They will need to walk around, askingyou and each other questions. The table is in three columns: possible/already done, difcult and dream. It is important that they use thisdocument 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 smallgroups.

When nished: lead a group discussion. If, for example, they tickeddifcult for there is a lunchtime reading club then discuss: Why? Howcan it be changed to possible?

This is a good time to hand back the parents skills audit. Ask parentsto ll in the nal column: what can we do as a team to improve thereading environment?

For example (linked to point above): a lunchtime reading club may bedifcult due to stafng issues but did a parent tick I can volunteer mytime on the skills audit? Here is a clear link between a problem andsolution. Keep looking for these wherever possible.


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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 eventsa regular occurrence in your school). This event should be plannedafter all workshops are nished and the reading environment has beencreated. Invite children / parents / teachers / local press to the event.Display the new parental involvement skills you have learnt. The eventcould 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 handbookpage 34.

Take notes of parents ideas and e-mail them to all parents before thenext 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 / ideaPossible /

already done.Difcult Dream

There are plenty of picture books.

Our reading area is welcoming and easilyaccessible.

The library is open beyond normal schoolhours.

There are interesting displays / signs.

The books are promoted with curriculum

links.

The library is well promoted around theschool: with colourful interesting posters.

The library celebrates pupils success bydisplaying their work.

The library allows everyone to take bookshome.

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 toshare their favourite childhood book orread their own book.

We could make guess the teachersfavourite book display posters. Childrenread a simple book summary and guessthe title/teacher. Correct guesses win aprize.

We could paint a corridor wall to look like

a bookshelf. Cut strips of colour paperthat look like book spines. Children/teachers/parents write the name of theirfavourite book on the paper and stick tothe wall.

We could award reading champions topupils who use the library frequently:

they vote on book of the month anddisplay it on a poster. Reading championsare rewarded by displaying their

recommendations or other incentive.


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As LearnEnglish Family workshopattendees, we could hold storytellingsessions in the library. This parent couldbe the schools reading ambassador.

We could train pupils as library staff so

opening hours can be extended.

We could improve the environment byputting up posters, painting the walls etc.

We could display pupils work andcelebrate success.

We could create a comfortable area forreading (cushions on the oor). A readingarea could even be outside to emphasise

that reading is for pleasure andsomething that can be done at playtime.

We could create a parents area in thelibrary: non-ction / newspapers etc.Parents could run this mini library within alibrary.

We could organise a reading miles award

system. Pupils get 1 mile for each timethe family read together. At 25 miles theyget a bronze certicate, at 50, silver andat 100, gold.

We could make colourful book requestboxes and place these at prominentplaces around the school. Children canput their requests for library stock.

We could encourage pupils to design ascreensaver about their favourite book/

author: the months winner is uploadedonto the school website

We could put all pupil book reviews for aweek into a mystery prize box. The winneris the best review: this is displayed in thelibrary (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 [email protected] 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 nished. Makean 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 culturallyacceptable) can wear pyjamas. Children can bring teddy / snuggle etc. Parents whocompleted the LearnEnglish Family workshops can lead the event.

2. Parent Reading Ambassador: why not cascade what you have learnt on this programme toother 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 canwork 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 everypupil 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 onthe next page. Your feedback is veryimportant to us. It will help support the workshops andallow us to stay in touch with you to celebrate your success.


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LearnEnglish Family FAO: Caspar MaysBritish CouncilGround Floor, West BlockWisma Selangor Dredging142C Jalan Ampang50450 Kuala LumpurT +60 (0)3 2723 7935F +60 (0)3 2713 6599www.britishcouncil.org.my

[email protected]

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 rst). There are no right orwrong answers. Tell us what you really think!

Your rst 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 6Are 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 Hardly evera week

4. How good do you think you are at nding books that are not too hard?

Good OK Not good

5. How good are you at nding 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 deliveringmore training to a new group of parents. Other parents may wish to get involved/plan aschool 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 learningenvironment).

Parent Survey

Name: ___________________________________

Childs name:______________________________

1. How important to childrens development is parental involvement?

1 2 3 4 5

(not at all important) (very important)

2. How important to childrens progress in school is reading for pleasure?

1 2 3 4 5


3. How important is choosing an interesting book for reading motivation?

1 2 3 4 5


4. How well do you think you can support childrens reading for pleasure?

1 2 3 4 5

(not well) (very well)

5. How condent do you feel in supporting other parents in supporting their childrens

literacy?

1 2 3 4 5

(not condent) (very condent)

6. How condent do you feel in running a school project based on reading?

1 2 3 4 5

(not condent) (very condent)


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Notes :


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Kuala LumpurGround Floor, West BlockWisma Selangor Dredging

142C Jalan Ampang50450 Kuala Lumpur

T +60 (0)3 2723 7900F +60 (0)3 2713 6599

[email protected]

PenangWisma Great Eastern

Suite 3A.1 & 3A.225 Lebuh Light

10200 PenangT +60 (0)4 263 0330F +60 (0)4 263 3262

[email protected]

KuchingRoom A15 & A16

Chung Hua Middle School No. 1Jalan Pending

93450 KuchingT +60 (0)82 346 044F +60 (0)82 342 199

[email protected]

Kota KinabaluGround Floor

4, Jalan Api-apiOff Jalan Gaya

88000 Kota KinabaluT +60 (0)88 222 059F +60 (0)88 238 059

[email protected]

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