Facilitator’s Guide

Family Reading NightScholastic Book Fairs

Learn to Make Reading

a Habit at Home

Dear Facilitator:

Thank you for your partnership and for hosting the Read and Rise Family Reading Night. Our goal is to facilitate an interactive approach to partnering with parents and other adult family members to inspire the love of reading in children.

We know that all families want the best for their children, and research shows that family engagement has a positive impact on children’s reading achievement. The Read and Rise Family Reading Night empowers families to support children’s literacy development with a focus on reading in their everyday lives.

During this fun and interactive program, families have an opportunity to explore how learning to read and write begins and is supported at home – and how families are children’s first and most important teachers and role models.

As a facilitator, you will play an important role in guiding parents and family members as they realize how much knowledge they have to offer and new practical strategies to use with their children. You will also have the opportunity to learn from the families as they share their wisdom, knowledge, experience, and stories with you.

In this facilitator’s guide, you will find:

A comprehensive Read and Rise program overview.

Helpful tips for planning your program.

A list of program materials and resources.

A step-by-step outline and talking points to help you conduct a successful program.

We appreciate your commitment and hope you enjoy facilitating the program. Together, we can help ensure that all children have an opportunity to become strong readers and learners.

Best regards,

The Scholastic Book Fairs Read and Rise Team

This guide is divided into two parts to help you run a successful event:

Read and Rise: Program Overview

Read and Rise: Your Step-by-Step Guide to a Successful Event

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Read and Rise is a national Scholastic initiative designed to bring families, schools, and communities together to support children’s literacy development.

The initiative’s overall goals:

Develop skills, attitudes, and behaviors that support strong early literacy and reading development.

Highlight the positive role and influence of cultures and traditions on literacy.

Better prepare children for reading and learning.

Six underlying principles guide this program:

Foster understanding about the family’s role in supporting language and literacy development.

Transition families from incidental to intentional and frequent use of literacy development activities, emphasizing family strengths, culture, language, and traditions.

Provide structured, but informal, family gatherings as learning opportunities for parents and adult family members.

Collaborate with schools and trusted community organizations and institutions to provide engagement programs and resources.

Use engaging, culturally competent informational resources that present information in accessible ways using a variety of formats.

Empower families to use their knowledge and skills proactively to make the home-to-school connection.

Read and Rise Family Reading Night is an engaging, research-based program that reinforces the practical, everyday ways all families can ensure their children become strong readers and learners. The program is designed to engage participants in a meaningful discussion about children’s literacy development and how they can contribute to it through practical, daily activities. Allow 60–90 minutes to run your program, which consists of two parts: the Family Literacy Workshop and the build-a-book make-and-take activity.

About Read and Rise®

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Read and Rise Family Reading Night

Part A: Family Literacy Workshop (30 minutes)

During this interactive session, parents and family members talk about how to create literacy-rich home environments, promote the love of books and reading, and use everyday activities to build children’s literacy skills. The Family Literacy Workshop features facilitated discussion and high-quality, research-based informational resources for families to use at home.

At-home resources provided as part of the Family Literacy Workshop include:

The Read and Rise Family Guide.

A family-friendly Web site that features stories, games, and other fun literacy-building activities: www.readandrisemag.net.

Part B: Build-a-book Activity (30–60 minutes)

As part of Read and Rise Family Reading Night, families apply their knowledge, creativity, and storytelling skills during the build-a-book make-and-take activity. This activity allows families to work together to create their own original books, while reinforcing the language and literacy skills reviewed during the Family Literacy Workshop.

The information shared during the Family Literacy Workshop, followed by the build-a-book activity, provides an effective and comprehensive family engagement experience.

Note: The recommended time frame for the total Read and Rise Family Reading Night is 60–90 minutes (30 minutes for the Family Literacy Workshop and 30–60 minutes for the build-a-book activity). However, schools may choose to allow more time as appropriate, particularly if dinner or refreshments are served.

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Program FormatPart A: Family Literacy Workshop (30 minutes)

Step I . Welcome (5 minutes)

This simple icebreaker is a time to share stories, makes families feel welcome, and builds a sense of community. The welcome also introduces the main messages of the session.

Step II . Presentation (25 minutes)

This time is spent engaging families in a structured, information-rich conversation focused on the role that families play in fostering literacy, the basics of reading development, and family-centered, literacy-building practices.

Note: The Family Literacy Workshop portion of the event (Part A) is a time for parents and adult caregivers to learn and share information. During this time, children will be engaged in an activity in their classroom or other location. Each child will join their families for Part B: Build-a-book Activity.

Part B: Build-a-book Activity (30–60 minutes)

Step III. Application The build-a-book activity is a fun, easy, and rewarding hands-on experience where families apply the information they gained from the Family Literacy Workshop. Using blank books and simple craft materials, adults and children work together to create their own storybooks.

Step IV. Wrap-up Participants receive a Read and Rise reading certificate (if applicable). Families reflect on their experience and make a reading pledge together.

Note: The reading pledge can be found on the inside back cover of the Read and Rise Family Guide.

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Create a Learning Environment Each family member who attends the Read and Rise Family Reading Night will discover new ways to help their child learn and grow. The success of the program depends on the involvement of the attendees, and the Read and Rise Program Overview will give you plenty of information and supporting materials to help you create a meaningful learning environment. Here are some things to consider when running your program.

Welcome families and encourage them to get to know one another. It helps to break the ice and encourage discussion.

Encourage participation. Make sure participants feel respected and comfortable enough to share their thoughts, ideas, experiences, concerns, and questions with you and the group.

Listen actively to each participant and provide sufficient time and encouragement for them to express themselves. If it becomes necessary to curtail conversation in order to move through the session agenda, let participants know that you value their participation and contributions and that you will be happy to continue the discussion at the end of the program.

Show the group that you are open to new ideas. This will be modeled throughout the program as you solicit positive input and share ideas with each other.

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1 Carothers, Suzanne C., Read and Rise: A Workshop Series for Parents and Caregivers, Scholastic Inc. New York, NY 2003.

Use Positive LanguageIn her parent workshop guide, Read and Rise: A Workshop Series for Parents and Caregivers, Suzanne C. Carothers, Ph.D., notes that a facilitator’s language is one of the key ways that modeling is done.1

Dr. Carothers stresses that, when guiding workshop sessions, facilitators should use language that:

Inquires rather than judges;Say: “That’s so interesting; I’d like to hear about . . .” (in an inviting tone) Avoid saying: “I don’t understand what you are saying.” (in an abrasive tone)

Extends invitations to say more rather than closes doors;Say: “That adds to what I was saying. Tell us more about . . .” Avoid saying: “That’s not what I meant.”

Asks rather than assumes;Say: “Have you noticed any differences in how your two children relate to reading?” Avoid saying: “So your older child and younger child have different interests in reading.”

Compliments rather than exhorts;Say: “That was a wonderful example of many things you balance as a parent in addition to trying to find time to read with your five-year-old.”Avoid saying: “You should still spend more time reading to your child.”

Supports rather than abandons;Say: “I hear you saying . . .”Avoid saying: “Let’s go on to the next comment.”

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6 WEEKS BEFORE YOUR PROGRAM

Kick off your planning with a short video. ❑Visit www.scholastic.com/bookfairs/printables/readandrise.asp to watch a Read and Rise program in action and familiarize yourself with the flow of the program before you begin planning your own.

Choose a space. ❑ Identify a warm and inviting location to conduct the Family Reading Night. A relaxed, comfortable environment is best.

Plan refreshments. ❑ Whether you decide to offer dinner or light snacks and beverages, we recommend serving food at your event to increase attendance.

Reach out to your community! ❑ Ask local businesses to donate refreshments for your program, or ask them to make a donation for Read and Rise reading certificates for your students to purchase books, courtesy of their company. Make sure to acknowledge their generosity by adding their business name or logo to the certificates before distributing to students.

Choose a convenient date and time to ❑hold your event. Whether you host the program right after school or in the evening, the best time of day to host the program depends on the needs of your school and community. Try to find a time that will allow the greatest number of families to participate.

Tip: If you are hosting your event during Book Fair week, partner with your Book Fair chairperson to coordinate the details of your event as far in advance as possible. The Family Reading Night can also be scheduled in conjunction with other school activities, like parent-teacher conferences or open house, to increase attendance.

4 WEEKS BEFORE YOUR PROGRAM Invite families to the event. ❑ Customize the Family Reading Night Invitation (found in your Facilitator’s Kit and on the Web site), copy, and send home to families.

Invite the school community. ❑Include your school principal, district superintendent, and Title 1 staff at your Read and Rise Family Reading Night.

Hang the Read and Rise Event ❑Poster in a prominent location. Fill out your event information and post this in a high-traffic area at school.

Recruit teachers, volunteers, and ❑childcare help. Plan on having one staff member or volunteer for every 25 families invited. Arrange for teachers to be available in their classrooms to help facilitate the program or support with student activities.

Reserve alternative spaces. ❑ Arrange to have locations available for children to gather during the Family Literacy Workshop portion of the program (Part A), which is for adult family members only. Children will rejoin their family members for Part B: Build-a-book Activity.

Brainstorm activity ideas with ❑volunteers. Meet with teachers and volunteers to select educational activities to engage the children during the Family Literacy Workshop.

Tip: Partner with classroom teachers to run the build-a-book activity by grade level. It’s a good way to include specific, age-appropriate, curriculum-related themes. It is also a great opportunity to build the relationship between teachers and family members in a fun, informal setting.

Step-by-Step Program Planning

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1–2 WEEKS BEFORE YOUR PROGRAM Confirm attendance for your program. ❑Customize and print a reading ❑certificate for each student attending (if applicable). Check with your district to determine if this element of the program was purchased for your school’s program. You can also use the reading certificates if a sponsor has donated money for you to distribute certificates to each child. Make sure to acknowledge their donation at your event.

Note: Read and Rise reading certificates are distributed as an incentive for families to shop the Read and Rise Book Fair following the Family Reading Night. The reading certificates are used to help students buy books to build their home libraries.

Prepare presentation materials: ❑ Read through the Facilitator’s Outline, which begins on page 8, and copy the suggested tips and ideas onto a large easel pad or dry-erase board in advance. If you are expecting a large group, use a program (like PowerPoint) that allows you to project the information onto a large screen. These tips and ideas are identified by this icon:

DAY OF YOUR PROGRAM

Set up your room: ❑ Chairs and tables should be arranged to encourage the group to interact with each other, such as in a semicircle or circle. Make sure there are enough chairs for each person attending.

Set out the materials you will need ❑for the program. Here is a checklist of materials you will need for your Family Reading Night:

Read and Rise Family Guide �(one per family attending)

Klutz Build-a-Book � ® kits

Age-appropriate scissors (collect �as many as possible; borrow from classes)

“I’m an Author Now” certificates �(copy and distribute to kids when they create their books – 1 per student attending; found at www.scholastic.com/bookfairs/printables/readandrise.asp)

Read and Rise reading certificates, if �applicable (one per student attending the program)

A large easel pad or dry-erase board �to display key talking points, tips, and ideas during the Family Literacy Workshop

Tip: If you are planning to project your information onto a screen, arrange to have the proper A/V equipment on hand early to conduct a test run and ensure everything is working properly before your participants arrive.

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Read and Rise Family Reading NightFacilitator’s OutlineThis section of the guide features the elements of Read and Rise Family Reading Night with step-by-step information and talking points to conduct the session.

2. Icebreaker activityAsk the participants to introduce themselves (following your example) by sharing their names and a brief lesson or value they learned from their families. Depending on time and the size of the group, you can have families share with the whole group or in small groups.

Talking points: We all have different, but valuable, lessons and stories we’ve learned from our families. What we have in common is our love and concern for our children. We all want the best for them and, because of that, it is important that we pass on our family stories and traditions.

Part A: Family Literacy Workshop

GoalsFamilies will:

Receive information about the basics of reading development.

Be empowered to share their ideas and experiences about how they can support their children’s reading development at home.

Step I . Welcome

1. Facilitator greetingBegin the event by welcoming the families. Introduce yourself and briefly talk about your role as their guide for the Read and Rise Family Reading Night.

Talking points: Welcome to the Scholastic Book Fairs Read and Rise Family Reading Night. Thank you for showing your commitment to your children’s learning by coming out to this event.

Today we will work together to explore how learning to read begins at home and how families play a critical part in instilling the love of reading in children.

I would like to begin by sharing a brief story about my family and how a very important value was passed along to me. [Share a story about a value you learned from a family member that demonstrates the important role of parents as a child’s first teacher. Try to connect this with the theme of reading, literacy, or education.]

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3. Story/Book discussion: Family storytelling experiencesDistribute the Read and Rise Family Guide and tell families that you are going to read them a story. Read aloud the short story on page 15, “Sobremesa: After the Meal.” Afterwards, ask participants to share their thoughts and reactions with the person sitting next to them. As participants are talking, circle around the room and listen to what participants are sharing.

After the participants have finished sharing with each other, ask if anyone would like to share with the whole group. Then wrap up the discussion and move into the power of storytelling overview.

Talking points: Storytelling is a powerful tool that anyone can use at any time or in any place.

Storytelling is fun and provokes interesting conversations, while helping to develop important listening and comprehension skills. This is a wonderful activity that families can integrate into their daily lives during a meal, at bedtime, etc.

We’ll now move on to talk about the basic skills children need for reading and explore how storytelling supports the development of these important skills.

Copy this information onto a large easel pad or dry-erase board in advance.

Did you like the story? Why or why not?

What are some of the things the children learned in “Sobremesa”?

What are some ways you pass down family stories to your children?

Each night, after dinner, Miguel’s family eats dessert and talks about their day. Tonight is very special. His uncle and aunt are visiting from South America.

Miguel’s sister, Adrianna, puts a plate of fruit on the table. It is filled with sliced bananas, passion fruit, blackberries, and apples. Miguel dosen’t want fruit. He is waiting for his favorite dessert. His aunt makes the best Dulce de Leche on the planet.

SobremesaA F T E R T H E M E A L

Ages 5-6

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Copy this information onto a large easel pad or dry-erase board in advance.

Draw this image on chart paper so participants can follow along as you begin to talk about early literacy skills.

OralLanguage

Letter Knowledge

PhonologicalAwareness

Concepts of Print

Step I I . Presentation

1. Support early literacy development at homeShare this information with families.

Talking points: Literacy is being able to read and write and it is the ability to communicate your thoughts and ideas clearly, as well as understand the thoughts and ideas of others.

Reading well is a basic literacy skill children need for school and for life.

Preparing children for reading and learning begins at home and is one of the most important things parents and caregivers can do for them.

Talking, reading, singing, sharing stories, and other simple everyday activities help to prepare children for reading and learning.

Starting at birth, children need to be exposed to sounds and speech in order to acquire basic early literacy skills so they can read and write well later on. Let’s review these skills…

Continue by saying:

Children who hear a lot of talking and are encouraged to make “talking sounds” and speak from an early age are more likely to develop good oral language skills and become good readers.

[Ask the group:] What kinds of things do you do with your child to reinforce this skill? (E.g., talk constantly to your child, share family stories.)

Words are made of sounds that have parts called syllables. Some words may rhyme or sound the same as another word. Noticing and understanding these things about the sounds of spoken language is called phonological awareness.

[Ask the group:] What kinds of things do you do with your child to reinforce this skill? (E.g., sing songs, say rhymes together.)

Knowing the names and shapes of letters of the alphabet is called letter knowledge. Children who go to kindergarten already knowing this will have an easier time learning to read.

[Ask the group:] What kinds of things do you do with your child to reinforce this skill? (E.g., point out letters in the environment and at home.)

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Talking points: Simple, everyday activities can help develop children’s skills in each of the areas we reviewed.

Talk constantly with your child: Ask questions that allow your child to discuss what she’s doing, feeling, and thinking. This helps build vocabulary skills and supports oral language development.

Sing songs and share rhymes: Help your child become familiar with the sounds of language (phonological awareness).

Point out print: Letters are all around us in our homes and communities. You can help your child recognize the letters of the alphabet by helping him spell his name and pointing out letters in words that surround him in everyday objects (e.g., magazines, signs, labels, etc.).

Read together: Set aside regular and frequent times to read aloud with your child. This will help with concepts of print and also expose your child to vocabulary and the simple pleasure of reading. Be a reading role model and let your child see you reading too!

Create a home library: Help your child choose books that she is interested in at your public library or Book Fair. Set aside time each week for a trip to the free public library.

Share stories: Share family stories and let your child retell them. This helps to build vocabulary, increase comprehension skills, spark your child’s imagination, and preserve family history and heritage.

Continue by saying:

Now we are going to share a fun activity that allows you to put what you’ve discussed to practice. It’s time to build a book!

[Children will now rejoin their family members for Part B: Build-a-book Activity.]

Copy this information onto a large easel pad or dry-erase board in advance.

Talk constantly with your child.

Sing songs and share rhymes.

Point out print.

Read together.

Create a home library.

Share stories.

Holding a book, turning pages, and reading from left to right are important aspects of knowing how to read and write. These actions are called concepts of print. Different types of printed material (e.g., newspapers, recipes, advertisements), as well as the meaning that is derived from print, are also considered concepts of print.

[Ask the group:] What kinds of things do you do with your child to reinforce this skill? (E.g., allow your child to see you reading printed materials such as newspapers, magazines, books, etc.)

Understanding what is read is called comprehension.

[Remind families that there are other ways families can promote literacy and reading at any age.]

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Part B: Build-a-book Activity

Goals:Families will:

Explore and practice the reading development concepts shared during the Family Literacy Workshop.

Build their confidence as reading role models by engaging in a fun, hands-on activity with their child.

Be acknowledged for their commitment to their child’s literacy development.

Teachers and staff can guide the build-a-book activity to connect directly with classroom curriculum if desired. For example, if students are learning about the solar system, they can create books about the planets and stars.

Step III . Application

1. Introduce the activityUse the talking points below to introduce this fun, literacy-building activity once children have rejoined their family members. (If families are going to join their children in classrooms, or another location, give the overview before dispersing.)

Talking points: A fun way to support the reading development skills we’ve been talking about (oral language, letter knowledge, phonological awareness, concepts of print) is to engage with your child in creating a book.

We are going to use this build-a-book activity to do just that. Whether you create a family story, a funny rhyme, or a song, you are reinforcing the skills we discussed. Let your creativity and imagination run free!

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2. Review kit contents and start buildingOpen up a kit and review the contents. Refer to the information on the inside of the kit for theme ideas and examples of the different kinds of books the families can build together.

Offer a few additional ideas such as family stories, songs, rhymes, and alphabet books.

Distribute a build-a-book kit to each family/child and begin the activity.

Note: Remember to provide age-appropriate scissors.

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Thank you again for your passion, organization, and efforts to host a Read and Rise Family Reading Night at your school.

If you have any questions, please call 1-877-348-8222 or visit www.scholastic.com/bookfairs/readandrise.

Step IV. Wrap-up

1. Share build-a-book storiesInvite families to share reflections on the Family Reading Night. (Bring all families back together into one location if you dispersed into smaller groups.)

Invite children to share their build-a-book stories with the group.

Distribute “I’m an Author Now” certificates to each child (found on the Read and Rise Web site).

2. Resources and thanksRefer families to page 40 of the Read and Rise Family Guide, “Make Reading a Habit at Home,” and review the tips and suggestions.

Ask each family to make a daily reading pledge in their Family Guide (located on the inside back cover) and sign their pledge together.

Thank families for taking time out of their busy schedules to participate in the event and for their ongoing commitment to their child’s literacy development.

If applicable, distribute the reading certificates and invite families to visit the Book Fair following this wrap-up.

Talking points: [If you are distributing the reading certificates]

This reading certificate acknowledges your commitment to your children’s reading development and can be used at the Scholastic Book Fair for the purchase of books to build your children’s home libraries.

www.scholastic.com/bookfairs

Read and Rise Facilitator’s Kit

To help you plan and facilitate the event, your kit includes:

This Read and Rise Family Reading Night Facilitator’s Guide, which takes program facilitators through the step-by-step process for conducting the sessions.

One copy of the Read and Rise Family Guide, which provides families research-based information on children’s literacy and reading development and offers practical everyday ways adult family members can help their children build strong literacy and reading skills.

A Read and Rise Event Poster to promote your event at school.

Read and Rise Family Reading Night Invitation (to copy and distribute)

Read and Rise Web site

This site offers free resources and customizable, downloadable reproducibles: www.scholastic.com/bookfairs/printables/readandrise.asp

A reading log is just one of the great tools that families can use when reading at home.

Note: If you would like to incorporate any of our additional tools or resources into your event, make sure to make copies for all attendees in advance.

Read and Rise Family Reading NightFacilitator Resources

All reproducible materials available in the Facilitator’s Kit are also available at www.scholastic.com/bookfairs/printables/readandrise.asp

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