Partnering with parents to close emergent literacy gaps in our - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Partnering with parents to close emergent literacy gaps in our youngest learners Early Literacy Initiative Round Rock, Texas Presented by: Round Rock ISD Margo Vogelpohl Director, Title I and Prekindergarten Programs Kathryn Burch
Early Literacy Initiative
Round Rock ISD Round Rock, Texas
Partnering with parents to close emergent literacy gaps in our youngest learners
Presented by: Margo Vogelpohl Director, Title I and Prekindergarten Programs Kathryn Burch Coordinator, Title I Parent Programs
Round Rock ISD Round Rock, Texas
Total Number of Students: 47,021 (as of November 25, 2014)
The percentage of children entering Kindergarten unprepared for school, most lacking in literacy and language skills. A child raised in poverty experiences 30 million fewer words by the age
affluent peers.
What story do these numbers tell?
Average number of words per day a child learns between the ages of 12 months and 18 years if they are in a vocabulary rich environment.
The percentage
that is developed by age 3. Two-thirds of American children living in poverty have no books in their home.
Early Literacy Initiative
Round Rock ISD Round Rock, Texas
Target audience 0-4 year olds Focused on six early literacy concepts Funded by a $5,000 community grant (HEB) Curriculum developed week to week
Early Literacy Class Location Number of Classes Held Total Families Fall Semester Average Number of Families Spring Semester Average Number
Unduplicated Families Served Anderson Mill 6 classes 4.8 13 classes 4.8 15 Family Resource Center 6 classes 4.3 14 classes 3.6 12
Offered in two centralized locations (east and west) Families from six Title I campuses were invited Classes met weekly for one hour (one morning/one evening) Classes were on-going throughout the school year
Lidia joined our Parent ESL classes and brought Leo along. Leo became an active participant in the classes along with the parents! Leo is now a rock star Prekindergartener! Lidia actively serves on our District Parent Advisory Committee.
“My baby has learned so much since we started the classes. She now knows her alphabet, and socially it has been a blessing for her. We couldn’t be happier. Thank you so much!”
Elizabeth started in the very first Early Literacy Cohort at the age of 2 with her mother, Lorena. Lorena has gone on to continue her education to become a medical interpreter. Grandmother Gloria now brings Elizabeth to the “Readers Today . . . Leaders Tomorrow!” class. Gloria has also started attending ESL classes on campus.
Angel is now learning both literacy and English in PreK. In January he won the IB Scholar Award at his school! Gloria is actively pursuing her GED through prep classes
Amanda and Kasandra joined our very first Early Literacy class. They attended classes for
Kassandra is now an active prekindergarten learner and her mother, Amanda, began attending GED classes on the campus. Amanda introduced the classes to her cousin, Gloria and nephew, Angel.
PARENTS - A SECOND SET OF LEARNERS!
Collaboration with the Round Rock ISD Parent Programs Team Early Literacy Classes offered for four weeks following district Kinder Round Up in the spring on every Title I Elementary Campus. All incoming Prekindergarten and Kindergarten students were invited. Parent Community Specialists were provided with lesson plans, resources and training necessary to teach the classes. Lessons focused on four early literacy skills:
Sequencing Vocabulary Development Visual Discrimination Making Connections
Lessons were designed using four books:
A Cow That Went Oink A Porcupine Named Fluffy Chrysanthemum Froggy Goes to School
★ Welcome/Celebrations
Parents share a celebration and/or journal entry from reading with their children during the previous week.
★ Opening Song/Rhyme
Teacher has the opportunity to greet every student and family while encouraging vocabulary development, socialization and fluency.
★ Action Rhyme
Students get their wiggles out and develop oral language.
★ Quieting Rhyme
Students are engaged in vocabulary and are prepared for the story of the day.
★ Story Time/Snack
Teacher reads aloud a story focused on a specific early literacy skill, modeling instructional practices for parents.
★ Parent Practice/Parent Learning
Parents select a book to read to their children and practice the targeted skill modeled during story time.
★ Make and Take
Families create a literacy skill product to use for practice at home, extend the learning and add to their home libraries.
★ Closing Rhyme
Teacher provides closure to the lesson and reinforces the skill of the day.
Campus # Unduplicated children Week 1 # of children Week 2 # of children Week 3 # of children Week 4 # of children Average # of children
Anderson Mill 10 3 7 5 4 4.8 Berkman 8 7 4 5 4 5.0 Bluebonnet 13 14 5 5 9 8.3 Caldwell Heights 11 11 8 7 6 8.3 Callison 9 6 7 4 7 6.0 Forest North 9 6 4 4 4 4.5 Gattis 10 8 9 4 4 6.3 Robertson 5 4 1 2 2 2.3 Union Hill 16 16 11 9 7 10.8 Voigt 6 6 5 6 6 5.8 Wells Branch 6 4 4 1 1 2.5
Totals 103 85 65 52 54 6.0
Round Rock ISD Round Rock, Texas
Readers Today . . . Leaders Tomorrow!
where we are now A dual learning approach was developed where parents and children are both learners. A new title was created, Readers Today . . . Leaders Tomorrow! Part-time prekindergarten teacher hired 10 hours per week to develop curriculum and teach at four Title I host campuses. Classes are held on all elementary Title I campuses in collaboration with the Parent Programs Team under the Parent University umbrella
Classes are taught in both English and Spanish. Classes are offered in the community through a partnership with the public library. The initiative is funded by Title I ($15,000).
Round Rock ISD Round Rock, Texas
Gateway class for increased parent literacy and engagement:
Continued expansion of curriculum resources Increase the number of classes offered in both English and Spanish on elementary Title I campuses and in the community Develop assessment tools to monitor the effectiveness of the early literacy classes:
Readers Today . . . Leaders Tomorrow!
where we go from here
Early Literacy Initiative
Round Rock ISD Round Rock, Texas
Thank you for helping us rewrite the story of Early Literacy! Margo Vogelpohl margo_vogelpohl@roundrockisd.org Kathryn Burch kathryn_burch@roundrockisd.org The number of Round Rock ISD families that have attended Early Literacy classes and now share the magic of reading together!