Jean Phifer

OWP

Book Report 3

Parent's Guide to Literacy For the 21st Century-Pre-K through Grade 5

by Janie Hydrick

My thoughts as I read this book were: "If every parent could be given this book and then if every parent would read it, what a help this would be to teachers, parents, and students."

This is a very informative book presented in a very simple and easy to use format, not just for parents, but educators as well. It includes most things a parent needs to know about literacy instruction in the classroom and what they can do outside of the classroom to help their child.

The book is divided into five sections. "Each section includes:

-an introduction to the concepts included in that section and an explanation of why those concepts were clustered together.

-a definition of each concept.

-a vignette to illustrate what each concept might look like in a school or home setting

-activities for home that support each concept."

The five sections are:

Basics: basic skills, cooperative learning, authentic assessment, multiage grouping, multiculturalism

Language: oral language, dramatic play, grammar and usage, language acquisition, bilingual education, ESL

Reading: emergent literacy, environmental print, trade books, pattern books and predictable books, literature-based reading programs, response to literature, media literacy

Writing: writing workshop, freewriting, process writing, invented spelling, poetry

Across the Disciplines: literature across disciplines, integrated language arts, thematic units, family literacy

I would like to have several copies of this book available in my classroom to loan to parents. This is also a great title to refer parents to who would like to purchase their own copy.