National Family Literacy Day

Sunday, 11/1/2009

November 1st is National Family Literacy Day. Sponsored by the National Center for Family Literacy (NCFL), this day is an opportunity for educators to look at ways to engage the entire family in literacy. The NCFL believes that children and parents learn best when they are learning together. As the NCFL states on its website: “Time and again, family literacy proves to break down other barriers to success, such as poverty, unemployment, poor health and inadequate housing. When parents struggle with literacy and basic life skills, their children have fewer chances for success. Family literacy reverses this destructive cycle by giving families the tools they need to thrive today, and most importantly, by helping them educate generations of tomorrow.”

As such, the NCFL has put together an amazingly in depth collection of resources. Beyond the basic activities sheets and lesson plans, these resources outline an entire strategy and approach to educating the whole family. Dozens of PDFs outline specific, step-by-step guidelines to foster family literacy in a productive way. A summary of all of the resources is listed below:

• Volunteers in Literacy: An 8-part guide to maximizing classroom and community volunteers to create a truly effective classroom literacy program.
• Summer Fun Learning Program: A comprehensive 5-week unit plan for children. Combining drama, dance, poetry, dramatic and story reading, and music, the activities are fun for the summer months, but have critical reading and analysis embedded into each activity. Parents are encouraged to participate weekly in the program’s events.
• Technology in the Classroom: This very detailed program offers a comprehensive guide to selecting software and implementing technology-based programs for children, parents of students, parents and students together and adult education
• Family Financials: A 3-part unit plan to help adults manage money and take control of their finances
• Early Childhood and K-12: Research, strategies and data to help teachers more effectively cultivate reading amongst each specific age demographic.
• Your Parents: This several-part kit helps teachers develop strong, engaged relationships with the parents of their students to help facilitate whole-family learning.

The NCFL also offers professional development for teachers. Schedules and offerings can be found on their website.

For parents, the NCFL also offers specialized resources to help parents learn with their children. Check out the NCFL website for their tips for reading to children.

While the official Family Literacy Day is upon us, use the resources and the day to inspire you to create a whole new program for the classroom!

Posted by » walden
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Category » Books,Education,Family,