Today, just about all schools set measurable goals in their school improvement plans to increase student success in reading and literacy. Family reading nights contribute to these goals by engaging students, parents, teachers, and others in activities that encourage youngsters to value, share, and enjoy reading, writing, and other language arts skills.
A new NNPS book, Family Reading Night, offers clear and practical ideas and guidelines for conducting these successful events. The chapters address ten reading themes – one for each month of the school year, ranging from “Books We Love” at the start of the school year to “Summer Reading.” The book outlines materials and activities for each theme, including:
Each chapter also includes ideas for classroom and home connections and explorations in the community for teachers to use with all students and families, including those who could not attend the Family Reading Night. Guidelines are discussed for an Action Team for Partnerships to maximize attendance, plan for dinner, assess the need for interpreters for families who speak languages other than English, and other helpful hints. The appendix provides sample invitations, sign in, and evaluation forms.
NNPS Schools Get Creative
Family reading nights are popular activities in many schools in NNPS. For example, Reading Rumpus at the Webster Stanley Elementary School in Oshkosh, Wisconsin featured a live “monster,” an NFL quarterback encouraging reading, games, puppetry, and a read-aloud of Where the Wild Things Are.
Hill Field Elementary in Clearfield, Utah sponsored Literacy Night with Dr. Seuss. Over 300 people enjoyed a visit by a real Dr. Seuss and his friends – Cat in the Hat, Grinch, Thing One, and Thing Two. Parents gained information about the components of the school’s literacy program: independent reading, reading aloud, fluency, and comprehension, and how to help students build these skills at home.
Fathers Reading Every Day (FRED), at Roosevelt Elementary School in Saint Paul, Minnesota, included dinner, story telling, guest readers, books to take home, and good fellowship. Dads, father figures, and some moms were encouraged to read with their child at home and gained strategies for reading aloud and for listening to their child read.
Other creative schools conducted a reading breakfast (Breakfast and a Book at Whittier Elementary in Pasco, Washington), reading at the beach (Birdneck Celebrates Christmas in July at Birdneck Elementary in Virginia Beach), and reading bingo (White Elephant Bingo at Elmwood Elementary in Naperville, Illinois).
See these and other family reading activities for the elementary and middle grades in the 2007 and prior collections of Promising Partnership Practices on the NNPS website, www.partnershipschools.org in the section Success Stories.
Why Family Nights?
When schools strengthen parents’ knowledge of and interest in reading and language arts, more students see that their families think reading, writing, spelling, grammar, speaking, and listening are important skills to master. By engaging community partners in reading activities, students learn that other adults enjoy reading and sharing stories. Students’ positive attitudes about reading may improve their motivation to learn and succeed in class and on tests.
Of course, the best way to increase students’ reading and literacy achievement is to have high-quality instruction by every teacher for every student at every grade level. Family involvement, including well-designed family reading nights, supports excellent teaching and provides extra time for students to sharpen their reading skills. With high-quality teaching and family support, more students will achieve the literacy goals in any school improvement plan.
Marsha D. Greenfeld
mgreenfeld@csos.jhu.edu