ReadWriteThink: November 1, 2009: Celebrate National Family Literacy Day!

November 1, 2009

		National Family Literacy Day, celebrated across the U.S., focuses on special activities and events that showcase the importance of family literacy programs. First held in 1994, the annual event is officially celebrated on November 1st, but many events are held throughout the month of November. Schools, libraries, and other literacy organizations participate through read-a-thons, celebrity appearances, book drives, and more. image © 2009 National Center for Family Literacy

Celebrate National Family Literacy Day!

CLASSROOM ACTIVITY

Kick off National Family Literacy Day by inviting parents, grandparents, and other family members to your classroom for a family–school reading day.

Invite students’ family members to read a favorite story from their childhood, or their child’s favorite bedtime story. (Grandparents can share both their child’s and their grandchild’s favorites!)
Provide a collection of books for families to share during a group reading session. Invite families to get comfortable by bringing a cushion, beanbag chair, or pillow.
Introduce families to some of the Tool Tip Sheets provided by ReadWriteThink. Encourage them to use these engaging tools at home to enhance their reading and writing experiences.
Provide each family with a certificate of participation or a bookmark at the end of the event. Ask a local bookstore for a donation, or print certificates and bookmarks from your computer.
At the close of your event, be sure to remind parents about other National Family Literacy Day events in your community.

Remember that family literacy is something that should be encouraged all year round. Invite students and their families to brainstorm ways they can keep their family engaged in reading on a regular basis!

Lesson Plans

Creating Family Timelines: Graphing Family Memories and Significant Events
In this lesson plan, students interview family members to gather family stories and event information, using questions from a brainstormed list. They then create a timeline and graphically display their information.

Involving Students and Families in Ongoing Reflection and Assessment
This lesson for grades K–2 creates a partnership with families by structuring student reflection and family response through student self-assessment.

Persuasive Writing: What Can Writing in Family Message Journals Do for Students?
This ReadWriteThink lesson has students in grades K–2 use daily family journals to discover the power of writing.

Exploring and Sharing Family Stories
Explore family memories in this ReadWriteThink lesson intended for middle school but adaptable for younger students.

Web Links

National Center for Family Literacy
This site provides resources for parents and teachers, including podcasts, interactive games and free courses to foster powerful school-parent-child partnerships and improve literacy outcomes for children and adults.

Thinkfinity Literacy Network
This site provides information about literacy challenges in the U.S. and free online courses for adult and family literacy educators, as well as resources for families.

National Institute for Literacy
The NIFL supports programs and services designed to improve the quality of literacy programs nationwide, across all generations.

Parent Resources
The International Reading Association offers a series of brochures with literacy tips intended for parents. Some of the topics covered include reading with young children, watching television together, surfing the Web, the importance of nutrition, and more. Brochures are available for download in both English and Spanish.

Texts

DeBruin-Parecki, Andrea and Barbara Krol-Sinclair, eds. 2003. Family Literacy: From Theory to Practice. International Reading Association.
This text provides both theoretical perspectives and specific promotion strategies.

Hydrick, Janie. 1996. Parent’s Guide to Literacy for the 21st Century: Pre-K–Grade 5. NCTE.
This text uses everyday language and classroom examples to explain some of the key concepts and terms in literacy education.

Anderson, Nancy A. 2007. What Should I Read Aloud? A Guide to 200 Best-Selling Picture Books. International Reading Association.
This book describes over 200 best-selling picture books, arranged by suggested age level and then by topic. The book also offers tips on reading aloud to young children, as well as suggestions of multicultural, non-fiction, and other texts.