Instructional Materials for Parents: Supporting Literacy Learning at Home
As teachers and future literacy leaders, we whole-heartedly believe that positive home literacy environment (HLE) factors can go a long way to providing a child with strong foundational literacy skills. Parents play a significant role in a student's attitude toward learning and their overall academic success. When parents become involved in their children's academics and help provide a positive learning environment for their children they are more likely to be successful. It is important for parents to set expectations and believe in their children because it can motivate students to learn and strive for success (Mo & Singh, 2008). In light of this, we have compiled a list of 10 instructional materials parents can easily obtain and use to support their child literacy learning at home.
Name: Overdrive (app)
Hyperlink: overdrive.com
Description: OverDrive is a free app where you can borrow ebooks and digital audiobooks from your local public library. You can stream books with Wi-Fi or mobile data, or download them for offline use and read anytime, anywhere. Parents are able to set maturity settings to restrict content for their children. The OverDrive app is available for Android, iOS (Apple), Chromebook, Kindle Fire, Windows and Mac. Children can check out up to 15 digital books at a time, and can place an additional 15 holds on digital titles. Since digital books return themselves after the loan period, there is no danger of accruing fines.
Cost: The libby app is free to install from your device's app store, and all the digital content from your library is free to borrow with a valid library card. There are no subscription costs, no in-app purchases, and no late fees (books are automatically returned on their due dates).
How it can be used by parents to support literacy learning:
This free app is a great way for parents to ensure their child is reading on a daily basis. Parents can easily set up this free app on a variety of devices for their children- including setting audience filters to their child’s account to ensure only age appropriate content is accessible to the child. Busy parents who can’t always find the time to run to the library (or have children that frequently seem to lose their library books) will appreciate having access to such a wide variety of digital and audio texts at their fingertips. Parents can choose to either use this app alongside their child or have their child use it independently.
Hyperlink: http://www.readwritethink.org/parent-afterschool-resources/
http://www.readwritethink.org/files/callouts/P-AS%20flyer.pdf (informational flyer about website for parents)
Description: Readwritethink.org is a free website that is sponsored by the International Literacy Association and the National Council of Teachers of English and provides free resources for grades K-12 for both teachers and parents. For the purposes of this blog we will be looking at the resources aimed at parents. Resources for parents include book suggestions, activities for rainy days, podcasts, fun writing prompts, and tips/how-to’s for parents. All resources are made to be used outside of the school setting. The website has recently been working on making their resources available as free apps to be used on mobile devices.
Cost: free
How it can be used by parents to support literacy learning:
The resources for parents are divided by grade level, making it easy for parents to decide which activities would best fit their child's needs. No matter what area of literacy a child needs practice on, chances are this website will have something for them. There are resources that are helpful for learning sight words, expanding vocabulary, creative writing, book recommendations, concepts of print, phonemic awareness, and many more. Types of resources available include: podcasts, printable games/worksheets, online games, interactive graphic organizers, story starters, and apps. Parents will also appreciate the ability for children to save their work on select interactive activities. There is also an option to email parents and other family members a copy of completed projects; this way parents can keep track of what their child is doing online, making sure they are staying focused and not straying to other websites or non-educational games.
Name: Start With a Book (website)
Hyperlink: startwithabook.org
Hyperlink: https://www.pbs.org/parents
Description: PBS Parents offers a wide variety of educational activities, videos, and games for children ages 2-8. Kids love seeing their favorite characters from PBS television shows and parents appreciate having literacy readiness and reading skills made into enjoyable and engaging play.
Hyperlink: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/subwords/id1205201517
Description: Subwords is a word game that encourages kids to sift through various fragments to spell out words. It offers 28 categories, allowing kids to choose from a variety of topics (ie vegetables, animals, fruit, the solar system, European countries, and even car brands). The categories offer various levels of difficulty by allowing kids to engage with familiar vocabulary and more complex or topic-specific words. Kids can choose to play in classic mode, where they use all the fragments to spell out words, or under timed mode, where they play against the clock. When players get stuck or do not know which words to look for, pressing the light bulb in the corner spells out a clue. The more kids play, the more stars they'll collect, revealing more categories. There are two available levels: standard and kids.
Cost: $1.99
How it can be used by parents to support literacy learning:
#6
Name: Storyline Online
Hyperlink: https://storylineonline.net/
Description: Storyline Online streams free videos featuring celebrated actors reading children’s books alongside creatively produced illustrations. Storyline Online is available 24 hours a day for children, parents, and caregivers. Each book is selected aiming to strengthen comprehension, verbal, and written skills for learners.
Cost: Free
How it can be used by parents to support literacy learning:
Listening to reading can help readers in many ways. Listening to read alouds offers students opportunities to read a variety of books, including books that may be above their reading level. They are also important for students to hear new vocabulary and how good readers read with expression. Listening to reading using the StorylineOnline website can encourage engagement and allow students to strengthen their comprehension with the use of modern day technology. Parents can use this free website to encourage their children to read more. Storyline Online also provides activity guides that can be used with each story for extra practice. This is also a great resource for reluctant readers, since they may be more likely to want to listen to a book rather than reading a text by themselves.
#7
Name: Florida Center For Reading Research
Hyperlink: https://www.fcrr.org/student-center-activities
Description: The Florida Center for Reading Research is an interdisciplinary research center at Florida State University. Through rigorous and robust research, innovation, and engagement, FCRR advances the science of reading to improve learning and achievement from birth through adulthood.
Cost: Free
How it can be used by parents to support literacy learning:
FCRR provides literacy activities created for teachers that are also parent friendly. These free activities can be used at home for students ranging from pre-k to fifth grade. If students are struggling with specific components of reading this website can be used to practice skills necessary for reading fluently. Pre-k to First grade student center activities include alphabet knowledge, phonological awareness, language vocabulary, phonics, fluency, and comprehension. Second grade to Fifth grade activities include practice in phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and advanced phonics. These activities can be used for extra practice to fill gaps in literacy and support reading development for students who struggle with reading.
#8
Name: Projects At Home
Hyperlink: https://eleducation.org/resources/collections/projects-at-home
Description: Free online hub that provides cross curricular projects for parents and students can create at home. This free resource includes a variety of engaging projects students and parents can participate in. The projects also provide practice in many different literary skills.
Cost: Free
How it can be used by parents to support literacy learning:
Parents can use this resource to support literacy learning in many ways. The projects are designed to be aligned with content standards in different subject areas such as reading, science, writing, and art for example. Eleducation encourages student choice and gears projects toward student interests. Students can get extra practice with different literary skills depending on the activity they chose. The website also allows access to other examples of student work to inspire and provide students with something to reference. Seeing examples will help students with understanding what is expected. When students are finished with each project they can write about their project and share it with other students on the website.
#9
Name: Reading Partners
Hyperlink: https://readingpartners.org/take-action/resources-for-families/resource-library/
Description: Reading Partners is a national education nonprofit dedicated to improving students' reading skills.
Cost: Free
How it can be used by parents to support literacy learning:
Parents can use the resource guide page to download or print resources that can be used when reading with their children. The worksheets are great to use after reading a story together to recall what was learned, or to discuss the text. This website also provides parents with tips and resources to use when teaching reading. These informational sheets provided for parents can help them understand different information about reading in general, and how to support literacy in their child’s life. Parents can also sign up for free activities, games, and resources on their phone that are reliable and evidence-based.
#10
Name: Write About This
Hyperlink: https://www.writeaboutapp.com/
Description: The app is designed to help elementary-age students, teachers, and parents by providing a fun and safe way to browse, create and respond to visual writing prompts.There are 125 categorized images, and 375 text voice prompts included.
Cost: There is a free version of this app. They also offer two other versions that cost more because those versions offer more features. Full Version: $3.99, Android: $2.99
How it can be used by parents to support literacy learning:
Parents can use this app with their children to provide them with extra writing practice. The app offers students many ways to respond to the visuals, and the ability to customize photo prompts. This will help parents and children get started with writing activities with ease at home. Parents can help children express their thoughts in many different ways including recording their responses instead of writing them. Teachers can also collaborate with parents by assigning writing tasks for extra practice. Writing and reading skills are linked and contribute to overall academic success.
Mo, Yun, & Singh, Kusum. (2008). Parents' Relationships and Involvement: Effects on
Students' School Engagement and Performance. RMLE Online : Research in Middle Level Education, 31(10), 1-11.
#1
Hyperlink: overdrive.com
Description: OverDrive is a free app where you can borrow ebooks and digital audiobooks from your local public library. You can stream books with Wi-Fi or mobile data, or download them for offline use and read anytime, anywhere. Parents are able to set maturity settings to restrict content for their children. The OverDrive app is available for Android, iOS (Apple), Chromebook, Kindle Fire, Windows and Mac. Children can check out up to 15 digital books at a time, and can place an additional 15 holds on digital titles. Since digital books return themselves after the loan period, there is no danger of accruing fines.
Cost: The libby app is free to install from your device's app store, and all the digital content from your library is free to borrow with a valid library card. There are no subscription costs, no in-app purchases, and no late fees (books are automatically returned on their due dates).
How it can be used by parents to support literacy learning:
This free app is a great way for parents to ensure their child is reading on a daily basis. Parents can easily set up this free app on a variety of devices for their children- including setting audience filters to their child’s account to ensure only age appropriate content is accessible to the child. Busy parents who can’t always find the time to run to the library (or have children that frequently seem to lose their library books) will appreciate having access to such a wide variety of digital and audio texts at their fingertips. Parents can choose to either use this app alongside their child or have their child use it independently.
#2
Hyperlink: http://www.readwritethink.org/parent-afterschool-resources/
http://www.readwritethink.org/files/callouts/P-AS%20flyer.pdf (informational flyer about website for parents)
Description: Readwritethink.org is a free website that is sponsored by the International Literacy Association and the National Council of Teachers of English and provides free resources for grades K-12 for both teachers and parents. For the purposes of this blog we will be looking at the resources aimed at parents. Resources for parents include book suggestions, activities for rainy days, podcasts, fun writing prompts, and tips/how-to’s for parents. All resources are made to be used outside of the school setting. The website has recently been working on making their resources available as free apps to be used on mobile devices.
Cost: free
How it can be used by parents to support literacy learning:
The resources for parents are divided by grade level, making it easy for parents to decide which activities would best fit their child's needs. No matter what area of literacy a child needs practice on, chances are this website will have something for them. There are resources that are helpful for learning sight words, expanding vocabulary, creative writing, book recommendations, concepts of print, phonemic awareness, and many more. Types of resources available include: podcasts, printable games/worksheets, online games, interactive graphic organizers, story starters, and apps. Parents will also appreciate the ability for children to save their work on select interactive activities. There is also an option to email parents and other family members a copy of completed projects; this way parents can keep track of what their child is doing online, making sure they are staying focused and not straying to other websites or non-educational games.
#3
Name: Start With a Book (website)
Hyperlink: startwithabook.org
https://www.startwithabook.org/content/pdfs/Start%20with%20a%20Book%20flyer_2013.pdf (informational flyer for parents)
Description: This website, sponsered by Readingrockets.com, contains a vast library of free resources for parents to use such as: book suggestions, practical tips for parents to support their childs literacy learning, adventure themed reading activity packs, themed book lists, author interviews, nonfiction resources, summer reading suggestions and more. Although aimed at summer learning- this website has resources that can be used year round.
How it can be used by parents to support literacy learning:
With this website, parents have access to many highly engaging activities to help motivate the reader in their life, whether they are relucant readers or are simply curious readers that can't get enough! Books are conveniently categorized by theme so parents can easily locate books that will interest their child. This website is particulary great for use in the summer months, as parents can sign up to recieve new tips and activity ideas each week that their child is out of school. Description: This website, sponsered by Readingrockets.com, contains a vast library of free resources for parents to use such as: book suggestions, practical tips for parents to support their childs literacy learning, adventure themed reading activity packs, themed book lists, author interviews, nonfiction resources, summer reading suggestions and more. Although aimed at summer learning- this website has resources that can be used year round.
How it can be used by parents to support literacy learning:
#4
Name: PBS Kids for Parents (website)
Hyperlink: https://www.pbs.org/parents
Description: PBS Parents offers a wide variety of educational activities, videos, and games for children ages 2-8. Kids love seeing their favorite characters from PBS television shows and parents appreciate having literacy readiness and reading skills made into enjoyable and engaging play.
Cost: free
How it can be used by parents to support literacy learning:
This is a great website for parents of younger children who enjoy using technology, especially for those who are virtually attending school during the pandemic. The website is set up in a very user-friendly way, parents can easily search by age and topic to quickly find tips, activity ideas, articles, and more. For parents who have time to be more hands-on with their child, the website offers recipes, learning activities, crafts, experiments, and literacy related tips. For parents who need more support and have less opportunity for 1:1 time with their child, the website provides on-line games, printables, read-alouds, and more.
#5
Name: Subwords (app)
How it can be used by parents to support literacy learning:
This is a great website for parents of younger children who enjoy using technology, especially for those who are virtually attending school during the pandemic. The website is set up in a very user-friendly way, parents can easily search by age and topic to quickly find tips, activity ideas, articles, and more. For parents who have time to be more hands-on with their child, the website offers recipes, learning activities, crafts, experiments, and literacy related tips. For parents who need more support and have less opportunity for 1:1 time with their child, the website provides on-line games, printables, read-alouds, and more.
#5
Name: Subwords (app)
Hyperlink: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/subwords/id1205201517
Description: Subwords is a word game that encourages kids to sift through various fragments to spell out words. It offers 28 categories, allowing kids to choose from a variety of topics (ie vegetables, animals, fruit, the solar system, European countries, and even car brands). The categories offer various levels of difficulty by allowing kids to engage with familiar vocabulary and more complex or topic-specific words. Kids can choose to play in classic mode, where they use all the fragments to spell out words, or under timed mode, where they play against the clock. When players get stuck or do not know which words to look for, pressing the light bulb in the corner spells out a clue. The more kids play, the more stars they'll collect, revealing more categories. There are two available levels: standard and kids.
Cost: $1.99
How it can be used by parents to support literacy learning:
Getting children to practice vocabulary at home can be challenging- especially during the summer months or long holiday breaks. Parents can use this affordable app to expose their children to new vocabulary in a high engaging format. The game format of this app will make children feel like they are playing a game, rather than studying vocabulary. Children will be motivated to keep playing the game in order to unlock subsequent levels. Obviously, a vocabulary game cannot and should not take the place of reading, but this can serve as an alternative when reading cannot happen for whatever reason. Parents can also take unfamiliar words from the game and use those words to spark a discussion with their child, help their child look the word up in a dictionary, find a visual representation of the word, etc.
#6
Name: Storyline Online
Hyperlink: https://storylineonline.net/
Description: Storyline Online streams free videos featuring celebrated actors reading children’s books alongside creatively produced illustrations. Storyline Online is available 24 hours a day for children, parents, and caregivers. Each book is selected aiming to strengthen comprehension, verbal, and written skills for learners.
Cost: Free
How it can be used by parents to support literacy learning:
Listening to reading can help readers in many ways. Listening to read alouds offers students opportunities to read a variety of books, including books that may be above their reading level. They are also important for students to hear new vocabulary and how good readers read with expression. Listening to reading using the StorylineOnline website can encourage engagement and allow students to strengthen their comprehension with the use of modern day technology. Parents can use this free website to encourage their children to read more. Storyline Online also provides activity guides that can be used with each story for extra practice. This is also a great resource for reluctant readers, since they may be more likely to want to listen to a book rather than reading a text by themselves.
#7
Name: Florida Center For Reading Research
Hyperlink: https://www.fcrr.org/student-center-activities
Description: The Florida Center for Reading Research is an interdisciplinary research center at Florida State University. Through rigorous and robust research, innovation, and engagement, FCRR advances the science of reading to improve learning and achievement from birth through adulthood.
Cost: Free
How it can be used by parents to support literacy learning:
FCRR provides literacy activities created for teachers that are also parent friendly. These free activities can be used at home for students ranging from pre-k to fifth grade. If students are struggling with specific components of reading this website can be used to practice skills necessary for reading fluently. Pre-k to First grade student center activities include alphabet knowledge, phonological awareness, language vocabulary, phonics, fluency, and comprehension. Second grade to Fifth grade activities include practice in phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and advanced phonics. These activities can be used for extra practice to fill gaps in literacy and support reading development for students who struggle with reading.
#8
Name: Projects At Home
Hyperlink: https://eleducation.org/resources/collections/projects-at-home
Description: Free online hub that provides cross curricular projects for parents and students can create at home. This free resource includes a variety of engaging projects students and parents can participate in. The projects also provide practice in many different literary skills.
Cost: Free
How it can be used by parents to support literacy learning:
Parents can use this resource to support literacy learning in many ways. The projects are designed to be aligned with content standards in different subject areas such as reading, science, writing, and art for example. Eleducation encourages student choice and gears projects toward student interests. Students can get extra practice with different literary skills depending on the activity they chose. The website also allows access to other examples of student work to inspire and provide students with something to reference. Seeing examples will help students with understanding what is expected. When students are finished with each project they can write about their project and share it with other students on the website.
#9
Name: Reading Partners
Hyperlink: https://readingpartners.org/take-action/resources-for-families/resource-library/
Description: Reading Partners is a national education nonprofit dedicated to improving students' reading skills.
Cost: Free
How it can be used by parents to support literacy learning:
Parents can use the resource guide page to download or print resources that can be used when reading with their children. The worksheets are great to use after reading a story together to recall what was learned, or to discuss the text. This website also provides parents with tips and resources to use when teaching reading. These informational sheets provided for parents can help them understand different information about reading in general, and how to support literacy in their child’s life. Parents can also sign up for free activities, games, and resources on their phone that are reliable and evidence-based.
#10
Name: Write About This
Hyperlink: https://www.writeaboutapp.com/
Description: The app is designed to help elementary-age students, teachers, and parents by providing a fun and safe way to browse, create and respond to visual writing prompts.There are 125 categorized images, and 375 text voice prompts included.
Cost: There is a free version of this app. They also offer two other versions that cost more because those versions offer more features. Full Version: $3.99, Android: $2.99
How it can be used by parents to support literacy learning:
Parents can use this app with their children to provide them with extra writing practice. The app offers students many ways to respond to the visuals, and the ability to customize photo prompts. This will help parents and children get started with writing activities with ease at home. Parents can help children express their thoughts in many different ways including recording their responses instead of writing them. Teachers can also collaborate with parents by assigning writing tasks for extra practice. Writing and reading skills are linked and contribute to overall academic success.
Citations
Mo, Yun, & Singh, Kusum. (2008). Parents' Relationships and Involvement: Effects on
Students' School Engagement and Performance. RMLE Online : Research in Middle Level Education, 31(10), 1-11.
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