3.3.1.2 Lire et écrire à la maison

Background: The program model Lire et écrire a la maison emerged from an action-research project that
was funded by the FCAR-CQRS-CSIM-MEQ⁹ under the auspices of a program to support research in the
prevention of academic failure in underprivileged environments. The authors of this model teach at the
Université Laval and are interested in reading and writing skills, as well as prevention of learning
difficulties.

Definition of family literacy: A program that helps parents become aware of the daily activities they can
do with their children around letters and words to encourage the emergence of reading and writing skills.

Duration: Eight one hour and a half workshops and one visit to a local library for the same length of time,
which represents approximately 13.5 hours in total. Workshops are held once a week from September to
the end of October or the beginning of November. The last workshop is held in January, once the children
have learned to read (synthesis, evaluation and celebration). The visit to the local library can take place
anytime during the course ofthe program.

Target group: Parents of school-age children (grade 1), with the direct participation of adults and the
direct participation of children.

Goals

• to give parents tools so that they can better support their child in acquiring reading and writing
  skills at the beginning of grade 1, and
  
• to help parents find concrete and effective means of getting their child interested in reading
  and writing and in aiming for academic success.

Topics

i) books and academic success,

ii) keeping on reading to your child even in grade 1,

iii) playing with letters,

iv) reading and writing in daily life,

v) listening to your child read,

vi) writing games,

vii) listening to your child read as he develops his skills, and

viii) synthesis, evaluation and celebration.

⁹ FCAR: Fonds pour la formation de chercheurs et l'aide a la recherche; CQRS: Conseil québecois de la recherche sociale; CSIM: Conseil scolaire de l'Île de Montreal; MEQ: Ministere de l'Education du Quebec.