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Brown Bear Book Club: Family Literacy Nights
Brown Bear Book Club was created in January 2002. After
watching my son's Kindergarten Teacher, Kathy Griffin, use the night to
build literacy in her students, I decided to try! The Brown Bear Book Club
nights are designed to give parents and children a positive literacy
experience.
Meetings are one hour, one evening a month. While parents
are encouraged to focus on their Kindergarten child, siblings are welcome
to the meetings. Each night includes time for parents to read with their
child, a whole group story time, a fun literacy activity, a make-and-take
activity, and a snack. Basic Schedule for the Brown
Bear Book Club 6:00-6:10: Family Read
Together Time (we have books ready for the "early birds") 6:10-6:30: Call children to
the carpet, music/ movement greeting song, read big book 6:30-6:40: Discuss
important concepts (based on theme) with families 6:40-7:00: Make and Take
activity (Journal, environmental print book, pointer), Snack, Draw for
door prize (book or related item) Topics for Brown Bear Book Club
(with Make and Take Activity) Print Concepts/ Print Awareness
(Reading Pointers) Environmental Print
(Environmental Print Books and Props) Integrating Mathematics (Math
Games) Developmental Writing (Creating a
Class Book) Getting Ready for First Grade
(Meet the teachers) Tips for Family
Literacy Nights
Set up an initial
meeting or contact with parents to find out which day of the week is
best for them. Choose a day that the majority would prefer OR alternate
days each month.
Get help! Ask a
family member, friend, teacher, teenager, or responsible person to help
with the night. The helper can be in charge of getting snacks ready,
passing out materials, and directing late comers to the sign in sheet.
Send out a sign up
sheet. Include a last day for sign up. Also include a spot for the
parents to write in the total number of people in attendance. You will
want to know approximately how many people will be attending. This is
VERY helpful when gathering materials and buying the snacks. Even
though not all of the families that sign up will actually come, it is
better to be over prepared than under prepared!
Send home a
reminder note. Either send a note in the child’s backpack or pin a cute
die cut reminding parents of the fun night!
Set out baskets/
tubs of books throughout the room for family reading time. This will be
easier to manage then to have the students getting books from the
reading center. Ask a volunteer to pick up the book baskets/ tubs while
you start “group time”.
Plan fun activities
that you might not be able to do without parent help. You have an
excellent adult to child ratio so take advantage of it!
Relate to parents
how your activities are linked to literacy. Sure, making play dough
looks like fun, but what are the children learning? Be sure to let the
parents know the importance of what you are doing. As they begin to
realize that these things are helping children are learning to read and
write, parents will start doing these types of activities at home!
Free stuff attracts
many people (including kids!). Give out door prizes. Buy or obtain
donations of quality children’s literature. (Scholastic Book Orders are
an inexpensive way to get quality children’s literature.) Be creative!
Give away fun pencils at a meeting on developmental writing. A teacher
created game could be a prize at a meeting on linking math and
literature.
Invite the students
that attended the family literacy night to share their experiences with
the whole class the next day. Sharing the fact that you can bring your
family to school and do fun things (especially the snack!) will foster
excitement in the other children. They will start asking when the next
night is and what they need to do to get their families to come!
Thank the parents
for attending! Let them know that you appreciate their support in their
child’s learning. Give a certificate of appreciation at the year’s last
meeting.
Family Involvement Resources
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