At the beginning of each school year I extend an invitation through a letter to all my students’ families. I ask them to sign up for a 15- to 30-minute class visit to share a talent, hobby or anything else interesting about someone in their family. I call each of these a “Family Spotlight.”
I like to highlight the value of family and how each one is unique. We talk about having parents or other family members as guardians. We also talk about having one—or more than one—mom or dad figure, living with other relatives and extended family members, and having small or large families.
I read aloud from Family by Isabell Monk. As a class, we talk about the talents of the family members in the story. We also discuss how getting together is always a big and special event. Students learn that the individuality of our families is something to be proud of—something that deserves a special showcase.
I model the activity near the beginning of the school year to spark ideas and excitement among the students. They then encourage their families to sign up. I also send frequent reminders and suggest weeks that are open for Family Spotlights throughout the school year.
Families are very creative and often come up with their own spotlights. When they sign up, I contact them to get an idea about the activity or demonstration that they are going to share. I also offer to help get things ready.
Family Spotlights provide students with a host of experiences: seeing living hermit crabs, understanding traditional Vietnamese dragons, dancing, fishing, listening to bilingual read-alouds of Dr. Seuss family favorites, watching home videos, looking at old photographs and playing "Lotería" (a Mexican board game) while they enjoy homemade “chocolate caliente.”
At the end of each Family Spotlight, I print pictures to display outside our walls and write a caption to accompany the photos.
Family Spotlights bring families together, and they support the literacy and content curriculum. They also support our school community and empower families to feel welcome and respected at school.
Rosa
Kennedy
La Vista
West Elementary
La Vista,
Neb.
Explore more strategies for encouraging family participation, especially when there are cultural differences.
Click here for content related standards.
Do you have your own teaching ideas to share? Now is your chance to contribute to Teaching Tolerance’s Activity Exchange. Click here for guidelines.
