In order to be a good reader, your child must be able to do two things at the same time: (1) decode the words on the page and (2) understand what the words mean. Early reading instruction focuses on teaching a child how to read single words. But being good at reading single words is not the only skill your child needs. Once your child has become…

A program to help a child develop a powerful vocabulary and become a better reader is described. A starter kit containing specific kinds of books and a notebook is used. Kit suggestions for students in junior high school, grades three or four, and grades five or six are offered. (MT)

This information sheet (the third in a new government series published for teachers, parents, and others interested in current education themes) offers a brief overview of Reading Recovery, an early intervention program to help low-achieving 6-year-olds learn to read. The information sheet discusses what Reading Recovery is, what its components…

This booklet describes the creation of a community education course to provide the one-to-one teacher-student ratio for adults and children who require it to learn to read and spell proficiently. The booklet begins with a discussion of arguments against establishing such a class, including: (1) parents cannot teach their own children; (2) teachers…

A list of questions has been compiled to help teachers work with parents on common reading problems of students. (DF)

These handouts describe: Working Together for Safer Communities (a PTA program to provide parents with ideas and resources for talking to their children about potential risks, avoiding danger, and responding to threat); tips for parents on helping children be safe; and the Our Children Newsletter, which contains excerpts from the October 2002 Our…

This "funbook" presents reading and writing activities to help children prepare for reading and writing. Activities introduce the alphabet, and assist children to print letters of the alphabet and engage in other readiness tasks. The margins of many of the pages present instructions for "reading partners." The booklet includes…

Noting that all parents want the best school experience for their children, this booklet, in Spanish, gives parents some ideas about what to expect at different ages and stages of reading development, suggestions for what parents can do at home, and a list of favorite books parents can find in most libraries for parents and children to read.…

Because reading levels of hearing-impaired students computed on reading tests developed for hearing students may vary considerably depending on the test used, this article summarizes the research in this area and suggest ways parents can evaluate their child's rate of progress in reading in ways other than using reading levels. (Author/DB)

Noting that all parents want the best school experience for their children, this booklet gives parents some ideas about what to expect at different ages and stages of reading development, suggestions for what parents can do at home, and a list of favorite books parents can find in most libraries for parents and children to read. Sections of the…

The 15 adapted fairy tales presented in this book were prepared for use in practicing oral reading by a parent and a child, a teacher and a child, or two children, one of whom reads slightly better than the other. The stories in the book are arranged in dialogue format for two readers. The high interest/low readability stories in the book are…

Discusses what school professionals, parents, and PTAs can do to help middle and high school students comprehend and think critically about what they read, as well as encourage them to read outside of school. For example, teachers can create cooperative groups to study portions of text, parents can model reading at home, and PTAs can organize book…

Presented in both Spanish and English, this guide for a parent involvement meeting is designed to help teachers and parents explore specific strategies to motivate children to become better readers and learners. The guide contains material necessary to conduct a 1- or 1.5-hour session on motivational techniques that parents can use at home with…

This paper presents an outline for a three-part workshop for parents who want to help their children become better readers. The paper provides lists of materials, the overheads, and the handouts for each of the three parts of the workshop. The parts of the workshop described in the paper discuss: (1) word recognition and questioning strategies;…

Intended to challenge readers of all ages to celebrate the wonder of words arranged on the printed page, this book contains descriptions of activities that have been highly successful in drawing children into literacy and keeping them there. The 64 activities presented in the book can be performed in the home, at school, in the library, around…