Parent power can help fuel
children's love for reading

After a parent's long and tiresome day at the office or running errands, the restful confines of the couch or the recliner might look pretty appealing. However, it is in these precious moments when your eager kindergarten student with a book in her hand needs you the most.

So pause before you plunge into the cushions, because many educators say devoting just a few minutes with a book will capture the attentive ear of your child and shape their reading skills for a lifetime.

In Pasadena ISD, many elementary teachers develop reading lessons that require parental involvement. Campus administrators and staff also hold many reading programs during the year to encourage parents to become involved. The results of increased parental participation are showing as the district earned recognized status from the Texas Education Agency for the third consecutive year and reading scores on the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills test jumped to 87.8 percent districtwide.

"Parents play a vital role in their child's success in reading, as well as all other subjects," said Joyce Eversole, associate superintendent for curriculum and instruction. "Our teachers make it a point to incorporate creative and fun reading activities into their curriculum where students require parental involvement. The students benefit so much from it, and it also creates a special bond between the parent and child."

Frazier Elementary School kindergarten teacher Pam McDonald has some special ingredients when it comes to promoting parental reading involvement. All it takes is a small brown bear ready for a weekend sleepover, a couple of books and a pack of blueberry muffin mix.

Every Friday, students in McDonald's class anxiously wait to see who will take home "Blueberry Bear" for the weekend. During the school year, every student will take the bear home and follow specific instructions that involve reading and parental assistance. The bear comes in a book bag with a note saying that he loves it when people read to him. Included in the bag are the books "Blueberries for Sal," which the parent reads to the child and "Brown Bear, Brown Bear," a book that the student reads to their parents.

During Blueberry Bear's stay, another lesson requires students and parents to cook up some fun by making blueberry muffins. With a packet of muffin mix in the bear's book bag, the students and parents are required to read the directions, mix the proper ingredients and bake the muffins.

When Sunday night comes around, the students, with help from their parents, write down how they spent their weekend with Blueberry Bear and can even include pictures or drawings.

McDonald said the Blueberry Bear activity has made her students excited about reading and the enthusiasm also has rubbed off on the parents.

"It is a fun activity and it is something the students look forward to every week," she said. "The activities with Blueberry Bear emphasize a high level of parental involvement, and many times, the whole family becomes involved."

Kruse Elementary School third grade teacher Laura Pena also sends many reading assignments home that stress parent involvement.

"Any teacher's biggest obstacle is trying to get the students to read anything outside of the classroom, because sometimes other things outside of school might capture their attention," she said. "That is why I send many extra projects home that involve reading. And it's not just something that involves just reading a book, it may involve doing a fun activity such as students reading a recipe with their parents and then cooking something. Also, I will have them read something about sports, current events in the newspaper or things that interest them and have them tell me about it in class the next day.

"The purpose of these take-home assignments is two-fold," Pena added. "It shows students that fun in reading can continue at home and can be used in their everyday life. Secondly, it gets the parents involved in their child's education. When you combine those things, it adds up to student success."

To further promote fun and learning, McMasters Elementary and the Challenger School are using the Lightspan Achieve Now program, where students learn reading and other skills through a video game that students must play with their parents. As part of the program, parents must check out a PlayStation and software, take it home and play the educational games with their children.

"The Lightspan Achieve Now program fits well with our goal to emphasize family involvement within our district," Eversole said. "It provides focused instruction to improve student achievement and helps get our families more involved."

Angela Murphy, instructional specialist for pre-kindergarten/kindergarten, said many schools in the district send home "book bags," which include books for students and parents to read together.

"The students whose parents take time to read to them at home usually are more advanced by the time they enter grade school," she said. "The reinforcement by the parents of what is being taught in the classroom really benefits the students."

To further involve parents in reading, many elementary schools hold "Book Breakfasts" for different grade levels during the year. The parents are invited to the catered breakfast at the school and receive a book for their child to read at home. A teacher or principal will read a book aloud during the breakfast, while the students and their parents are encouraged to follow along.

"The book breakfasts have been really successful," said Patrice Hinson, principal at Genoa Elementary School. "It gives us a chance to see many of these parents and create a good relationship with them. It is very beneficial toward their child's education."

While the schools continue to strengthen the bond between student acheivement and parental involvement, Murphy says the earlier parents begin reading to their children will make it easier for them to master reading concepts in elementary school.

"It's never too early or too late to begin reading to your child," she said. "Even as an infant, your child will pick up on certain sounds and rhythms, and this will make it easier for them to learn how to read.

"It is so easy to help your child in reading, just devoting 15 minutes to reading with them every evening will add up and go a long way toward reading success."


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