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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted on: Thursday, December 23, 2004

WHAT WORKS
Parents practice reading with kids

By Treena Shapiro
Advertiser Education Writer

When Maunawili Elementary School missed the No Child Left Behind Act targets a couple of years ago, principal Arlyne Yonemoto received many calls from parents who wanted to know what they could do to help.

READING STRATEGIES

Before reading

Preview, browse


Think about topic: "This is about ..."


Predict: "I think ..."


Set a purpose for reading


During reading

Check predictions


Make new predictions


Visualize


Check understanding


Reread


Summarize


Take notes


Ask questions


Adjust reading rate


After reading

Evaluate


Summarize


Compare

The school seized on the parents' interest. Using $12,000 from the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation and a $3,000 Good Idea Grant from the Public Schools of Hawai'i Foundation, teachers at every grade level have been creating "parent toolkits" to give parents something manageable they can do at home.

As pressure builds to meet the state's academic standards, more schools are turning to parents as partners in their children's learning.

"All schools need the parents," Yonemoto said. "Unless they take a hand and pull, I believe with this rigorous curriculum that we have to deliver for kids, the kids will fail."

Recently, about 20 parents of sixth-graders gathered in the library for the unveiling of their toolkit, which was based on the teachers' own book club.

The sixth-grade teachers, all dressed in black, decorated the library and provided refreshments using the popular "A Series of Unfortunate Events" books by Lemony Snicket as the theme.

"We wanted to do something that was reflective of what we did in our classroom," said Ronnie Tiffany-Kinder, one of the five sixth-grade teachers. "We wanted to support what we were already doing."

The session started with a lesson about the state standards for reading and what skills a child needs to demonstrate to prove they have been met.

Teachers then walked parents through the scoring of reading responses and had them practice scoring their own.

Then it was on to the toolkit, which contained a bookmark with reading strategies, a magnet with homework helpers and a "Recipe for Success" book, which contained recipes and a guide through the rubrics for scoring reading responses and writing.

Most importantly, it contained two copies of the first book in "A Series of Unfortunate Events," one for the parent to read and one for the child.

The books were provided "with the idea the families would read the same book to inspire reading and so that parents can see what kinds of books their kids are reading," Tiffany-Kinder said.

Parents were also given written homework — the same reading responses their children are expected to turn in every other week. The responses will be due when parents report back in February.

Linda Smith, who still reads with her son Riley, said she picked up some good advice on how to help him. As for having to do homework, she said, "I'm looking forward to it."

Ron Riggs, who has a daughter in the sixth grade and a son in the fifth, said his daughter generally reads independently. Since he doesn't have much time to read, he said his wife, Joan, was more likely to complete the homework.

It turns out Joan has already read the book — and others in the series. She had been hard-pressed to find books her daughter was interested in until she happened upon Lemony Snicket.

However, she said, "I don't mind doing it (again). I think it's interesting to look deeper beyond the surface."

As an English as a second language teacher at Maunawili, Yvonne Murphy is familiar with educational standards, but she said she attended the workshop because "as a parent, I don't know every standard."

The workshop presented information about the standards in a way that helped Murphy understand how to evaluate her daughter's work, as well as a better understanding of what teachers are looking for.

"I hope that all the families will know what reading looks like in the sixth grade and what is required of their children," Tiffany-Kinder said. "(I hope it will) also nurture the love of reading."

Reach Treena Shapiro at tshapiro@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8014.