Reading Support At Home - A key to Success
Parental involvement has been touted as one of the contributing factors to high student achievement, and Allen County schools in the USA have taken notice.
Districts nationwide have begun offering literacy programmes geared toward parents – especially at the primary level where a scheme of sharing the work has been introduced. Parents are invited into the school to see and hear how the subject is being taught, allowing them to provide really effective support at home.
“If we don’t share with parents how we teach reading and writing today, parents revert back to the way they were taught and it’s very different and can conflict with what we’re trying to teach”, said Northwest Allen County Schools Assistant Superintendent Gloria Shamanoff.
Highland Terrace also offers a “Building Bridges with Books” programme, which gives parents a way to take part in their child’s reading experiences. The programme has children read a book, then discuss characters, themes and other elements with a parent, who fills out a “Reader’s Log.” After completing a set number of logs, the student receives a reward.
Kindergarten parents Dax and Abrielle Thomas wrote, “When we read with our children … we are empowering their minds. We become teachers of all subjects being read and listeners to all ideas being shared. To us, it is a priceless freedom we can reveal to them.”
Mike Sinacola, whose son Nicolas is a second-grader at the school, said, “This programme has changed his attitude. Nick, like every other typical boy, didn’t care to read that much.” Sinacola said he and his wife, Christine, became active in Nicolas’ academics and saw changes in their son’s attitude. “Having parent support at home is an important role,” he said.
The Indiana Department of Education released a brochure on parental involvement, reminding parents that involvement in their child’s education makes a difference. A 2001 study by Westat and Policy Studies Associate for the U.S. Department of Education showed student achievement improved as parents took active roles in their child’s education.
Cedar Canyon parent Jennifer Lew volunteers in her son’s first-grade class once a week and helps students with reading and writing skills. “A couple kids have trouble with reading, and I’ve seen them improve,” she said.
Lew began volunteering to be involved in the classroom in the Northwest Allen County school, but soon learned that by seeing first-hand what her son Logan was learning in school, she was better able to help him with school work at home. “It does make a difference,” she said. Logan isn’t the only one benefiting from Lew’s presence in school. First-grader Christian Olney said, “She helps me a lot when I get frustrated when I mess up.” The 7 1/2 -year-old was quick to add, “It’s not like she’s giving me all the answers. She just helps me a little.”
Sometimes that’s all students need, said first-grade teacher Brenda Weber – a little help. “I would like to think it makes a big impact,” said Weber, who has six parent volunteers who come in Monday through Friday for an hour a day. “Parents are the first teacher,” she said.
Cedar Canyon does not yet have a literacy program for parents, but Reading Recovery teacher Jennifer Ashley said, “A lot of parents call, asking what they can do to help their child at home.” On the first day of school, she spoke with kindergarten parents about ways to work with their children on reading. “It’s key because if a child does not have the confidence to read and succeed, it affects all aspects (of his or her education),” Ashley said.
“Often times parents think they’re doing enough to help by having their child read at home, but there’s so much more you can do to help your child become a better reader,” such as explaining cause and effect, reading for detail, etc., Smith said. “We want to help parents be better teachers for their children.”
How to Nurture early readers the Indiana Youth Institute offers parents these tips:
- Read daily to your child
- Take your children to the public library and help them obtain their own library cards.
- Reread books and pause during your reading to allow your child to finish sentences.
- Have older children read to younger siblings.
- Play games that involve reading.
- Read aloud to them even if they can read alone.
Sourced from http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/fortwayne/news/local/16471940.htm 17th Jan 2007
