4 – school ready 8 - parents advocate for self and child
K - Parents will know the basics of how to talk to their child’s teacher and some warning signs of learning disabilities (LD).
K - They will also know about some resources regarding LD.
S - Communication skills will have improved. S – Parents will have questions about parent/teacher meetings and are prepared for the interview.
A - Parents are more confident being an advocate for their child within the school system and other agencies.

A. PARENT LEARNING

Opening Activity

• Welcome
  
• Who are You? Provide adults with a large piece of paper. They are to write their name in the middle of the paper. In each of the four corners, they are to write answers to any of the following questions. Who chose your name? Why was this name chosen? Does this name commemorate a family member or friend? What expectations does your family associate with this name? What qualities or words do you associate with this name? What do you dislike about your name?

Review

• Learning Styles and Media Literacy
• Parent as a Role Model – Key message #3

Introduce Topics
The Reading Blues, How to talk to your Child’s Teacher, Learning Disabilities

The Reading Blues
Sometimes a child goes through a period when she doesn’t want to read. There are specific danger times. The first danger time is in about grade four (9 or 10 years of age). One in every three school age children loses interest in reading. It is more likely to strike boys than girls. One reason is that at this time, children have the literacy skills to read on their own and their parents stop reading with them. The next danger time is grade nine.

There could be many reasons why your child doesn’t want to read. Maybe the books are too difficult or too easy. Ensure that your child is finding the available books interesting. Try non-fiction books or magazines specifically written for children. Try comic books. Try other types of reading like the game on the back of the cereal box. Make sure you are not putting too much pressure on the child to read. Remember to read together for enjoyment.