Sample Parent Education Lessons

These sample lessons are based on the concepts presented in the Learning to Read and Write Overview. Each lesson can be adapted to the educational needs of the parents in the program. The activities are geared towards working with parents to support their child's language and literacy development overall. It is important to review each lesson to determine if it is age appropriate for the children in the program and to make changes accordingly. Each lesson is designed to take approximately one hour. However, each can be adapted to the time frame required. Suggestions for adapting the lessons for use with ELL parents are provided in the samples that follow.

Sample III-1: The Power and Pleasure of Literacy (3-5, K-3)

  1. Engaging parents in a short, motivating, introductory activity. "Yesterday we discussed storytelling and the benefits this activity has for your child's language development. Remember that the more language a child hears the more opportunity he/she has to hear new vocabulary. You can find other opportunities to use language, too. For instance, a picture can give you lots of ideas. You could talk about pictures in magazines or family photos. As an example, let's talk about what you think about this picture. (Show a picture from a book or calendar — anything that is a conversation starter. You could also prepare for this activity by asking parents to bring in a family picture. Allow a few minutes for discussion.) Also, don't forget to use the language you are most comfortable using during these interactions. The most important thing is to talk a lot with your child."
  2. Presenting new information. "Now that we have shared a few stories let's look at the parts of children's books. Take a few moments and look through one of the books on your table. Notice that on the title page we will find the name of the author and under that the name of the illustrator. Today we will discuss book illustration. Illustration refers to a picture or drawing in a book. Look at the book you chose and take note of the illustrations. With your partner, discuss the things you see in the illustrations in your book. Then compare the illustrations in your book with those in your partner's book. These are some things to consider:
    • Discuss what the book may be about by looking only at the illustrations on the front and back pages of the book.
    • Notice how the rest of the illustrations add to the experience of understanding the story.
    • Ask questions about the illustrations.
    • Point out the shapes and colors within the illustrations.
  3. Processing the information through activities. "Yesterday you practiced storytelling with your child. Today you will illustrate that story. Take a few minutes to think about that story and write down a few of the main ideas. Now, using the materials on your tables (paper, colors, markers, etc...) begin to illustrate each idea. Make sure to draw one picture per page just in case you need to add more illustrations later. Staple the pages together and create a book."
  4. Helping parents apply the new information. "Now that you have finished, take turns and practice re-telling your story using your illustrations with a partner. You now have a wordless book you can share with your child. Remember to schedule time to read to your child daily." (Remind parents they do not need to know English to share a wordless book with their child.)