Issue: June 2010

Families Matter: Combining Literacy Reflections – Part IV

By Richard Clift | Published: June 28, 2010

By Charlene Klassen Endrizzi, Westminster College, PA “Books are sometimes windows, offering views of the world that may be real or imagined, familiar or strange… A window can also be a mirror. Literature transforms human experience and reflects it back to us, and in that reflection we can see our own lives and experiences as [...]

Posted in Books & Resources, Debates & Trends, Student Connections | Tagged | 5 Comments

Families Matter: Reaching Out to Reluctant Parents –- Part III

By Richard Clift | Published: June 21, 2010

By Charlene Klassen Endrizzi, Westminster College, PA Although celebrating student success comes naturally to teachers, tackling student struggles and facing tensions takes a unique kind of willpower. My first two posts considered the usefulness of journals where students dialogue with family members about family stories. One teacher, Anne, noted, “When families participated through regular correspondence, [...]

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Families Matter: Expanding Our Community of Readers –- Part II

By Richard Clift | Published: June 14, 2010

By Charlene Klassen Endrizzi, Westminster College, PA This week, we journey inside a third grade classroom to explore how Anne, a Westminster College graduate student, started using Family Message Journals in spring. Her goal focused on developing more dynamic home-school partnerships with students’ families. She first sent home monthly newsletters and home surveys to share [...]

Posted in Books & Resources, Student Connections | Tagged | 13 Comments

Families Matter: Family Stories and School Literacy — Part I

By Richard Clift | Published: June 7, 2010

By Charlene Klassen Endrizzi, Westminster College, PA Their story, yours, mine — it’s what we carry with us on this trip we take, and we owe it to each other to respect our stories and learn from them. – William Carlos Williams “Reading is life!” Laura began as she outlined her view of reading for [...]

Posted in Debates & Trends, Student Connections | Tagged | 22 Comments