Building effective partnership with parents of young children with language delays has strong face value and is supported by multiple areas of research; however, building and maintaining partnerships to optimize child outcomes in practice can be difficult. This article provides a guide to teachers and speech-language pathologists who work with…

This is a companion to the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) practice guide, "Foundational Skills to Support Reading for Understanding in Kindergarten through 3rd Grade" (ED566956). This guide is organized according to the four recommendations and how-to steps from the WWC practice guide. The activities follow the typical developmental…

Recent efforts to motivate parents' involvement in their child's literacy development involve informing parents about how to incorporate literacy development into daily routines. Teacher leadership and communication are critical--the more teachers encourage and assist parents and caregivers in supporting their child's literacy development, the…

Briefly outlines three classroom activities to (1) promote classification skills, (2) encourage cultural awareness, and (3) provide summer activities for parents and children to do together. (CI)

Discusses strategies by which high school teachers can take advantage of the assistance parents can provide, including reading articles with their children, mini-projects, and home labs. (MKR)

This book demonstrates how to specifically pair a fiction and nonfiction book of the same theme and package them with copies of question and activity sheets to provide students with take-home learning packets for independent learning and family use. For each grade level in K-3, 15 topic areas are explored through two books with a common theme.…

Presents a new approach to spelling instruction, "cued spelling," that gives children greater control over their own learning. Describes the procedure designed for two individuals working together, whether parent and child or two children. (SR)

Discusses concerns of parents who volunteer in the classroom. Provides steps teachers and other program staff can take to enhance the volunteer experience, including explaining the program's classroom volunteer policies and procedures, allowing parents to observe, accepting each parent's unique abilities and desires, and expressing appreciation to…

Designed for use in the home, this booklet describes how someone can be taught how the alphabet works; that is, by decoding the ABC's into spoken language. Among the steps to decoding discussed in this booklet are these: (1) teaching the sounds of individual letters; (2) teaching the different sounds of the vowels; (3) sounding out little words;…

Presents a science activity on making paper airplanes in which the basic laws of physics are introduced. Provides procedures to make paper airplanes with illustrations. (Author/KHR)

Elementary teachers from four schools nationwide describe how they partner with parent volunteers to enhance education through special projects, yearly events, and schoolwide programs. The activities address self-esteem, family-centered science, geography, and parent learning. (SM)

Two activities help elementary teachers prove to their students' parents that spelling is a priority. Show Growth with Samples and Glean Useful Information from Student Drafts let teachers get to know students independently as spellers and communicate that knowledge to parents. A tear-out sheet for parents explains how to help children become…

Presents three fun summer spelling activities for elementary school students and their parents. A kindergarten activity teaches children how sounds and letters make words. A second- through sixth-grade activity teaches the spelling of new words through games. A first- through second-grade activity reinforces correct spelling of high frequency…

Written to be used as a manual for a tutor and not a workbook or primer, this expanded version of a phonics book is designed to help parents teach their children to read and for those who wish to help older children and adults to read. Sections include: (1) "Introduction"; (2) "What Went Wrong? (an essay); (3) "HOW to Teach Someone to Read by…

The author asserts that "Children benefit when teachers and parents reinforce the same concepts and ideas. For this to happen, teachers and parents must have some knowledge of what happens in the classroom and what happens at home that support reading acquisition." In this article, the author describes several strategies that teachers can share…