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Parents and Reading

NELRC Parents and Reading Chairperson: Pat Candler

The Northeast Louisiana Reading Council encourages parents to promote literacy in their families. The NELRC has sent $75 to five parishes in the northeast region to provide doorprizes for Family Involvement activities at the school with the parents that encourage literacy. The following parish Membership Directors have received $75 to purchase doorprizes for their parish schools: Franklin, Morehouse, Ouachita, Richland, and West Carroll. These parishes were selected to their increase in membership and promotion of literacy in their parishes during the 2003-04 school year. Some funding sources for Family Involvement came from Wal-Mart Literacy Grants.

See PARENTS AS READING PARTNERS (PARP) below for ideas for involving parents and reading.

The following are sources of information that may be useful to educators or parents for selecting free and paid materials to promote literacy:
______________________________________________________________

One of the most reliable is the U.S. Department of Ed. 1-800-USA-LEARN,
and you can always surf the net for the web page: 
www.nclb.gov/parents/reading,
etc.  Another good site for parenting information is www.pbs.org,
Washington
Learning Systems:  www.walearning.com.  Free parenting materials can be
found
from Glazebrook and Assoc., 4325 North Kenmore Chicago, IL 
60613--voice mail:
773-525-5977.  You can go to www.askjeeves.com or just www.ask, and a
wealth
of free web pages, addresses, printable handouts, etc. will come up. 
Hope
this helps--if you need particular titles of things we order, call me
at
Donna S. Medlin
Ouachita Parish Media Center
______________________________________________________________

The DOE website has many good resources for parents.
http://www.ed.gov/parents/landing.jhtml?src=pn

Barbara Tierney
Professional Relations Associate
International Reading Association
444 N. Capitol Street, NW
Suite 630
Washington, DC 20001

202-624-8800
Fax: 202-624-8826
E-mail: btierney@reading.org
______________________________________________________________

The best place to get free parent materials is the U.S. Department
of
Education website!  There are lots of wonderful publications under the
Helping
Your Child Learn Series that you will definitely want to request.
Usually you
can order up to 50 copies of each publication for your parent center. 
Start
there!  You will love what you find.
    The state of Louisiana also has free materials on the education
website.
Janet Fisher
Ouachita Parish Parental Involvement Coordinator


Parents As Reading Partners
(PARP) 
PARP is a joint, united endeavor amid parents, staff, community, and libraries to build a reading partnership/relationship between the home and the school. PARP is designed to foster the love of reading in children and it fervently encourages parents and other adults in the parental role to read with their children for at least 15 minutes a day. PARP is usually held in March of every year. It may vary in length--as little as two weeks or as long as six weeks or more. The time frame is entirely up to the committee/school. The PARP program must have a theme. A variety of rewards can be given to students who consistently read each day during this period. 
Learning to read is the most important activity in a child's education. Research reveals that children who read at home are better equipped to succeed in school. PARP invites parents/guardians to persuade their children to read, emphasizing the fact that reading can be fun as well as educational. Moreover, the daily communication shared through PARP will help to make the family stronger.  Reading to our children further helps to enhancement the outstanding reading programs presently used in our schools.  Children turn to their parents as role models and are more likely to follow the example of a reading parent. 

PARP ACTIVITIES
Happy Reading! 
A series of age-appropriate, themed events and activities should be planned at each school to encourage reading at home. Every activity should involve the parents. Teachers should provide activity summary guide to parents. Some PARP activities (school/home) that students might participate in include:

ANNUAL PLAY-Play should be based around theme.
AUTHOR VISITS-Authors visit and read/talk about book.
BOOK BUDDIES - Bring in your favorite book and read and share with the other students.
BOOK COVER PROJECT- Students make special covers for their favorite books.

BOOK DONATION- All students are asked to bring in a new or “likenew” book, appropriate for ages 2-17, for donation. Ask parents to participate in this act of kindness by having their child bring in a new or “like-new” book by designated date. Have a drop-off bin in the main lobby. For an added personal touch, have your child fill out a “dedication” sticker and adhere it to the inside front cover of the book your child is donating.
BOOK FAIR- Held in the Library Media Center allows parents and students to purchase personal copies of favorite books.
BOOK REVIEW- Write Book Review. 
BOOK SWAP- Find a gently used or new book to bring in for the Book Swap.
BOOKMARK- Design a bookmark using the PARP theme.
BOOKS AND BREAKFAST- Invite parents to share a short morning visit to eat and read.
BRAINTEASER GAMES- Learning is fun! During their physical education period, the children can play games such as Red Rover and answering all kinds of brainteasers.
BUDDY READING- Read with buddy/partner at home/school for 15 minutes.
CLASSR00M READERS- Parents, grandparents, and others are invited to come into the classrooms to read to students. These times should be scheduled through the classroom teacher.
CROSSWORD PUZZLE – Can be an at-home activity.

DESIGN A BOOKMARK- Students are asked to design a bookmark with Reading theme. All entries can be laminated and the winners rewarded. 

DRESS UP DAY- Dress as favorite character.
DROP EVERYTHING AND READ (DEAR)- Have DEAR days on which the entire school drops everything several times throughout the day and reads for 10 “Uninterrupted” minutes. 
FAMILY GAME NIGHT- Turn off the TV and play a reading game.
FAMILY READING NIGHT-Literacy Night
FAMILY SUSTAINED SILENT READING- “Sustained silent reading time" when the whole family reads silently for 15 minutes. Don't answer the phone during this 15-minute period.
FRIDAY GIVE AWAYS- Give away rewards and incentives.
GUEST READER DAY- During this annual event guests from all walks of life are invited to visit individual classrooms and read to the students. The guest reader explains to the students the importance of reading in their chosen profession.
KICK-OFF CLASSROOM VISITATION- Classroom visits throughout the day.
MAKE A-WORD – Fun family activity. Make smaller words from a word in the theme.

MOST ENTERTAINING BOOK- Children can write and draw a book review describing their favorite book. Book reviews can be put on display in school.

MY FAVORITE VACATION- Each child can write and draw about their favorite vacation in the USA. Vacation stories will be displayed on the PARP bulletin board.
MYSTERY READERS- Read about anything "unknown".
”NO TV CHALLENGE”- Students and family members are asked to pledge not to watch TV for an entire week (or at least 5 days) so time can be spent on activities such as reading, playing games, or even conversation. Must sign a pledge and return it to school by designated date.
PAJAMA READING PARTY-Huge reading party in the gym.
PARENT-CHILD READING CONTRACT AND WEEKLY LOGS-Make contract and parent/student keep reading log.
PARP BOUTIQUE - Redeem PARP Gift Certificates at boutique/school store.

PARP KICK-OFF ASSEMBLY PROGRAM- Children will attend assembly program.
PARP READ-IN-Provides students and their parents wonderful opportunities to get into the habit of reading together.
PARP SONG- Write and sing PARP song based on theme.
PARP WEBSITE- Children can visit your PARP website and answer questions about reading during library time.
POEM IN POCKET- Write a poem on a piece of paper to keep their pocket to read in school.
POSTER CONTEST-Students make a 12"X 18"poster that illustrates the PARP theme. The student's first and last name and teacher's name should be on the back of the poster. All entries should be hung in the hallway. Awards can be announced at the closing program.
PRE-PARP PROGRAM- Children meet a special book character at lunch and receive a special gift to bring home. 

PRINCIPAL’S CHALLENGE- Principal should perform 3 challenges.

RAP- Write a rap and perform. 
READ A TEE-SHIRT DAY- Everyone is outfitted with their favorite message shirts, with a slogan
READ ACROSS AMERICA DAY- Celebrate Read Across America by reading in a big way.
READ AND BRING RIDDLE (HOUR)- Write down your favorite riddle.
READING/DICTIONARY SCAVENGER HUNT- Use any dictionary to find a word beginning with each letter of the alphabet. Students try to find words that they don’t use every day. They should ask parents to help them  pronounce each word, and read the definition. Students write the words on the line next to each letter below.
A ________________________
B ________________________
C ________________________
D ________________________
E ________________________
F ________________________
G ________________________
H ________________________
I ________________________
J ________________________
K ________________________
L ________________________
M ________________________
N ________________________
O ________________________
P ________________________
Q ________________________
R ________________________
S ________________________
T ________________________
U ________________________
V ________________________
W ________________________
X ________________________
Y ________________________
Z ________________________


SCATTEGORIES GAME- The children can entertain their brains by playing Scattegories during lunch.
SCHOOLWIDE GRAPHING OF READING PROGRESS-Chart progress of reading goal.
THEME-COLOR PICTURE- Each day, for every 15 minutes or more that the child reads, each student is asked to color and bring in picture from the PARP package to display on our bulletin board. Coloring pages help decorate the school during PARP week!

TRIVIA GAME– The children will play a trivia themed game with principal during lunch.

WEAR YOUR GRADE COLOR- Wear clothes that match the color assigned to your grade: Kindergarten - Red 1st Grade – Orange
2ND Grade –Yellow 3rd Grade – Green  4th Grade –Blue  5th Grade - Purple
WEBSITE VISITS FOR PARENTS- Parents should visit various websites for reading information and facts. Ex. http://www.ic.sunysb.edu/Stu/jrescini/ezine.html
WORD SEARCH PUZZLES-Can be an at-home activity.




  PARP Volunteer Form
I would like to volunteer to do PARP committee work. (Copying papers, counting and recording, seeking donations, computer work, filling out certificates, hanging posters, cutting out things, etc.)

NAME_______________________________PHONE____________________
DATE(S) AND TIME(S)AVAILABLE__________________________________
E-MAIL













Please complete and return to your child’s teacher.

MY PARP  READING LOG
Name        Week of
Weekend Title ________________________________ Pages ____________Summary or Reflections Parent Signature Reading Minutes
Monday Title _________________ Pages ____________Summary or Reflections Parent Signature Reading Minutes
Tuesday Title _________________ Pages ____________Summary or Reflections Parent Signature Reading Minutes
Wednesday  Title ________________ Pages ____________Summary or Reflections   Parent Signature Reading Minutes
Thursday Title _________________ Pages ____________Summary or Reflections Parent Signature Reading Minutes
Adapted from by Laura Candler (Teaching Resources at http://home.att.net/~teaching)

Dear Parents,
In addition to the 15 minutes of daily reading, you and your child will have the opportunity to participate in other PARP activities. These activities are listed below with a brief description of each. You may participate in any or all of these activities.
Activity Agenda
Activity Description
Ex.
Classroom Readers Parents and others in parental role are invited to come into the classroom to read to students during PARP.














PARP Reading Record
Dear Parents: Please complete, sign and return the reading record form to your child’s teacher. The form is due _______ (date).


Print Child’s Name Child’s Teacher’s Name
Week of
Monday Check one or more. Child read to parent. Parent read to child. We both read together. Check only one. We did not read today. We read at least 15 minutes. We read over 30 minutes.
Book Title Number of Pages
Parent’s Signature
Tuesday Check one or more. Child read to parent. Parent read to child. We both read together. Check only one. We did not read today. We read at least 15 minutes. We read over 30 minutes.
Book Title   Number of Pages
Parent’s Signature
Wednesday Check one or more. Child read to parent. Parent read to child. We both read together. Check only one. We did not read today. We read at least 15 minutes. We read over 30 minutes.
Book Title Number of Pages
Parent’s Signature
Thursday Check one or more. Child read to parent. Parent read to child. We both read together. Check only one. We did not read today. We read at least 15 minutes. We read over 30 minutes.
Book Title Number of Pages
Parent’s Signature
Friday Check one or more. Child read to parent. Parent read to child. We both read together. Check only one. We did not read today. We read at least 15 minutes. We read over 30 minutes.
Book Title Number of Pages
Parent’s Signature
PARP PRINCIPAL’S CHALLENGE
Dear Parents,
Principal ______________________ has agreed to perform 3 challenges for our school as a reward for being such good readers. Please write your ideas in the spaces below and return to your teacher.

1.
2.
3.





PARP 2005 March 21-April 1 (Write THEME here)

ACTIVITY SUMMARY GUIDE
Date Name of Activity

Summary/Explanation


Date Name of Activity

Summary/Explanation


Date Name of Activity

Summary/Explanation


Date Name of Activity

Summary/Explanation


Date Name of Activity

Summary/Explanation



Sample:
3/21 PARP Kickoff - Assembly Program

Children will attend assembly program by the PTA.



Last Updated 4/18/09 2:55 am by Site Administrator

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