Early Literacy part of the Education Reform Network

Family Literacy

• BookPALS
  This Storyline Online website features professional actors from the Screen Actors Guild making favorite children's books come alive through their reading. Books are selected by BookPALS National Program Director Ellen Nathan, a former teacher and librarian, and each of the books on this site has an accompanying lesson plan and activity guide.
• Early Literacy Outreach Project
  This literacy site supports staff and parents who care for and teach children birth to age 6. It is filled with information, resources, learning opportunities, articles and more.
• Family and Intergenerational Literacy in Multilingual Communities
  This article presents research that has informed family and intergenerational literacy work, policy initiatives that affect family literacy work, goals of family and intergenerational literacy programs, program design, and curricula for family literacy programs. The article concludes with promising directions for the future.
• Family Literacy: An Annotated Bibliography: August 2000
  For those who seek to broaden their understanding of family literacy, this on-line annotated bibliography features sections on conceptual issues, program studies, practices, program descriptions, and curriculum and instruction. Sections on research, assessment, and program evaluation are also included.
• Games
  This site of interactive activities includes making words, vocabulary, concept of word, phonics, alphabet knowledge, phonemic awareness, and others.
• GET READY TO READ
  THIS WEBSITE has helpful information for both concerned parents and eager teachers.It has preschool teaching ideas,reading and learning activities and programs for early learners. This site contains a 20-question research-based screening tool for use with young children.
• Go to Paivi�s Library
  This site features stories that focus on different sounds. Categories include broad o, consonant blends, consonant digraphs, long and short vowels, silent letters and tricky endings, and others.
• National Center for Family Literacy
  Links in this website provide information about the literacy challenge in America, how family literacy programs work, and how parents can help their children learn. A link to a map of the United States provides descriptions of and location information for family literacy programs in various states.
• NCLE Fact Sheet:Family Literacy and Adult English Language Learners
  This on-line fact sheet presents trends and issues in family literacy along with ideas for best practice. References listed are both on-line and in text format.
• Oral Communication
  For this final class project, students in the Nevada Reading Excellence Act Master�s Cohort developed a brochure to assist parents in understanding the importance of oral communication with their children. According to research, storytelling ability in kindergarten children predicts comprehension and vocabulary success in fourth graders.
• Parent Pamphlets for Emergent, Beginning, Transitional and Intermediate Readers
  For this final class project, three students in the Nevada Reading Excellence Act Master�s Cohort developed a series of pamphlets describing readers at four levels. �The purpose of the pamphlets is to allow classroom teachers to use them as tools for parent-teacher conferences.
• Power for Kids: For Parents and Teachers
  This is an engaging website.It has literacy ideas and programs such as short story and letter activities.Parents can use this activities for their children at home easily.
• Reading is Fundamental
  This website provides ideas for parents to encourage reading at home. Topics include motivating kids to read, choosing good books, reading aloud, literacy-rich homes, and school connections.
• School-Home Links Reading Kit
  The School-Home Links Reading Kit offers four hundred activities for strengthening children's reading and writing skills (one kit for each grade level, kindergarten through 3rd grade). These kits, part of the "Compact for Reading," not only help improve children's reading skills, but also provide guidance on creating and maintaining school-family partnerships.
• Songs
  This site features video and audio clips of songs to reinforce early literacy acquisition and phonics concepts.
• Starting Out Right: A Guide to Promoting Children's Reading Success
  Starting Out Right: A Guide to Promoting Children's Reading Success is designed to help parents figure out what language and literacy experiences to look for in preschools and child care; what to look for in early reading instruction (K-3); what to ask school boards, principals, elected officials, and others who make decisions regarding early reading instruction; and whether their child is making progress in reading related skills and early reading. (Multiple Agencies) Activities for students are described in Becoming Real Readers, Kindergarten Through Grade Three.
• Stories
  This Web site is for parents or teachers and their kids to surf together. It contains both printable versions of stories as well as stories to read on line.
• Take Me To Your Readers
  This website was developed as part of Vanderbilt University�s �Young Children's Literacy Project.� The project is in its tenth year of research on the development of children's reading and writing skills - funded under a 1999-2003 grant from the IERI consortium of the National Science Foundation; the Department of Education; and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. The project developed and tested new print and technology-supported tools to improve the reading skills of children in grades K - 2, targeting word-recognition skills and the development of literacy habits.
• The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy
  This website contains information on applying for family literacy grants from this foundation. Also included are Lessons Learned from grant recipients which may assist design and implementation of other grants.
• The Even Start Family Literacy Programs Statute, as of December 31, 2000
  Sections of the on-line statute include a statement of purpose, authorized programs, state programs, use of funds, program elements, and eligible participants. Subgrant, evaluation, and research issues are also addressed.
• Things to Print
  This site includes practice with short vowel sounds, word blending, alphabet skills, listening skills, word finding, and other activities to support early literacy development.
• Where Children Love to Learn and Learn to Grow
  This site is created for helping teachers and parents. There are lessons plans and units, presented by grade level.