Kelsey Mercadante

October, November, December Engagement Opportunity

Rationale
October
Daily of Weekly Exit Pass
Davis and Yang talked about daily or weekly exit passes that will
keep parents informed about classroom material, while also having the
opportunity of having an engaging conversation with their children
(Davis & Yang, 2005). As a teacher, I will give students an exit pass
each day or each week, depending on our schedule, starting the first
week of October. Every student will fill out the exit pass before leaving
for the day. Each exit pass I give the students will be on a bright
colored half sheet of paper to add some color to our day. There will be
list of conversation prompts on the exit pass. Each child will choose
one prompt to complete by writing on the provided space. The child
will then take the sheet home and share their response with his or her
parents. If I wanted to share or communicate something else to the
childs parents I would attach a note to the exit pass (Davis & Yang,
2005).
I chose to do an exit pass because I feel that it is a great way to
informally assess students while also engaging parents. As students
complete the exit slips I will walk around and see what the students are
writing in the spaces. I will keep a student-monitoring sheet with me
and write any notes about the students and their responses. The exit
passes will allow me to formatively assess the students learning. Some
of the prompts on the exit pass would be, My favorite part of the day
was One thing I learned today was One thing I liked today was
Today I was proud that I(Davis and Yang, 2005, p. 83). I plan to give
students the exit passes daily, at the end of the day, or weekly, at the
end of the week. Whether I give the students an exit pass daily, or
weekly will depend on our daily schedules and the types of families I
have from year to year. When planning the exit passes, I will have to
consider a variety of things, such as if daily exit passes would be
realistic for parents. Every parent may not have the time to have a
conversation with his or her child every night; therefore, I think a
weekly exit pass would work better for all families. If I have any
families that do not speak or understand English, I may have to have
an interpreter help me type up the exit pass questions in a different
language, so the parents can engage in a conversation with their child.
I will inform families about the exit pass when I send the first exit
pass home. When I send the first exit pass home, I will attach a letter
describing the exit pass and encouraging parents to engage in
conversation with their child. The exit passes will strengthen the homeschool partner relationship because it notifies parents what their child

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is doing, and if they are learning the material well, or if they may need
more help. Sending home an attached note with the exit pass is also a
great way to keep in touch with parents (Davis & Yang, 2005).
The exit passes that I send home along with the personal notes I
attach to them will serve as a personal touch that parents will prefer
over any formal letters that have a professional vibe to them.
According to Jane Lindle, Parents reported a personal touch as the
most enhancing factor in school relations (1989, p. 13). When I attach
personal notes to exit passes, I plan to write personal comments about
each student that communicates to parents that I really know their
child and how unique they are. I plan to give positive examples of what
and how their child is doing in school so parents do not have to worry
about their child (What Parents Want Teachers To Know, 2005).
Math Centers Night
One night during the third week of October I am going to plan a
math centers night where each family in my class will be invited to
come to school and learn about math centers. Parents will learn about
the content of the math centers, the role of math centers, and how
they are differentiated by choice or readiness for each individual child.
I chose to have a math centers night because it will share
information about classroom practices to parents. In todays
education environment, where teaching of social and academic skills is
often very different from what parents experienced when they were in
school, its perhaps more important than ever for teachers to help
parents understand their classroom practices (Davis & Yang, 2005, p.
119). It is important for parents not only to know what their children
are doing but why and how. When the parents learn about math
practices that are implemented in my classroom and how they are
benefiting their children, then they will be more supportive of their
childrens learning (Davis & Yang, 2005).
I will notify parents of the math centers night in the weekly
newsletter two or three weeks in advance so they can save the date of
the event. In the newsletter I will explain how there will be more
information to come about the event. A week before the math centers
night, I will send out an invitation to each parent, where I will explain
what the night will involve and encourage parents to attend. In the
invitation, I will tell parents that some light refreshments (food and
drinks) will be provided. This will welcome all families, since food will
puts everyone at ease (Robertson, n.d.). A few days before the event, I
will remind parents by sending a note home. I could also call parents to
remind them.
The math centers night will consist of me explaining math
centers to parents. I will post objectives and directions on each center.
I would discuss and demonstrate the procedures of a typical math

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center day. I would explain how math centers are there to reinforce a
certain skill taught and how they are usually hands-on to actively
engage students. I would also explain to parents that students are in
groups according to readiness/academic levels. I would explain how
centers are either differentiated by readiness level or choice to fit the
needs of each student. I would explain what differentiated means. I
would comment on how each one of their children are very unique and
special, and how math centers supports their individual needs (What
Parents Want Teachers To Know, 2005). I would provide examples and
walk parents through the centers so they fully understand the
practices we have in my classroom. I would leave extra time at the end
of the math centers night for any questions parents may have about
math centers.
During the math center night, I will have to consider questions
that parents may ask me. Before the event, I will brainstorm potential
questions parents may ask and make sure I know how to answer the
questions. I will also have to consider the diverse families in my class.
If I have any families who speak another language, I may have to
translate my math game night invitation so they can understand it. If a
family attends who does not know English, then I may have to have an
interpreter come to math center night so the parents can understand
what I am saying throughout the night (Robertson, n.d.).
I will make sure to schedule the math centers night during a time
when most families will be able to attend (after 5 p.m.) If a family
cannot attend the event due to work or another reason, I will videotape
the event. Before the night begins, I will place a video camera in the
back of the classroom to video tape me throughout the night as I
speak. I will email the video to any parent who cannot make the event.
The video will allow each parent to learn about math centers (Davis &
Yang, 2005). My hope is for every parent to learn a lot when they
attend the math centers night. I hope that parents will become more
supportive, and help their child succeed!
November
Mystery Readers
Every Friday, starting the first week in November, I will have a
mystery reader come to my classroom to read to the students. I chose
this because all students, no matter what age in elementary school,
love to be read to. Students love good books! Students also love it
when their close family members, friends, or relatives come into the
classroom during the school day. Mystery readers will allow for
students to sometimes have someone they know to come read a book
to their class. The students will have no idea who will be coming in
each Friday to be our surprise reader. I will give out five clues during

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the week, and we will see on Friday, if anyone guessed the Mystery
Reader. This will allow for reading to be exciting and suspenseful.
I will initially inform parents about Mystery Readers during back
to school night in September. In October, I will send out a letter to
parents explaining Mystery Readers. With the letter, I will send out a
list of dates that are available. I will ask parents to indicate at least
three dates (if possible) that will work for them so that I can
accommodate the most people. I will tell parents to either email me
their preferred dates or send their top three choices in a top secret
envelop to school with their child. Once I receive responses from
parents, I will get back to each parent as soon as I can to confirm the
dates. I will remind parents that they are a mystery to the class and to
please not tell their child when they will be coming. As always, I will tell
parents to contact me if they have any questions. At the end of the
letter, I will explain how I will give students clues throughout the week
about the mystery reader. I will provide a sample set of clues that a
Mystery Reader might write: My favorite book when I was in first grade
was... My family has one dog as a pet I will tell parents when it
begins (first Friday of November) and what purpose it serves (it allows
students to be excited about literature; reading is fun!) Lastly, in the
letter, I will strongly encourage each parent to come read to the class. I
will tell parents how coming into the classroom means a lot to their
child and how they are welcome to come into the classroom at any
time (Davis & Yang, 2005).
I chose to have Mystery Readers come into the classroom each
week because it invites parents into the classroom. Inviting parents
into the classroom provides a lot of benefits including helping parents
better understand how their child is being taught, and enriching
childrens learning (Davis & Yang, 2005). Parents presence can add
energy and inspiration. They can share their ideas, interests, family
traditions, and cultures in person, thereby deepening childrens
understanding of their classmates and broadening their perspectives
on their community and the world (Davis & Yang, 2005, p. 99). I will
encourage parents to stay for a while before or after they read to the
class, so they can spend time with students and see some of our
classroom practices.
When I have Mystery Readers, I will have to consider the various
work schedules of parents. In my letter that I write to parents, I will tell
them a specific time that we will plan for Mystery Readers each Friday;
however, if their work schedule only allows for them to come in
another time during the day, we can be flexible and change the time
we will have Mystery Readers on that specific Friday. If I have families
that do not speak or understand English, then I will have to translate
my Mystery Readers letter for them. I will let those specific families
know that they are welcome to come into the classroom and read a
story from their own language. I will inform them that I can have the

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ESL teacher of our school come into the classroom and help the
students understand the story that is being read (Robertson, n.d.). I
would encourage them to bring in a book with pictures so students can
visualize what is being read, which will assist them in understanding
the story in another language. Having an ESL students parent come
into the classroom and share a book from his/her language will mean a
lot to the child. The child will feel very special, unique, and proud of
his/her culture. This will also mean a lot to the parents of another
language. They will feel valued, included, and appreciated (What
Parents Want Teachers To Know, 2015). This would be a great learning
experience for the entire class!
Family Literacy Nights
On the second or third week in November, I will plan to have a
series of three family literacy nights. I will talk to the other teachers in
my grade level to see if they would like to host family literacy nights
with me. The literacy nights will show parents how their children are
being taught reading and writing at school and to give parents fun
ideas for how to help their children with these subjects at home. The
literacy nights will consist of three nights during the second and third
week of November. I would schedule the literacy nights to begin
around 6 or 6:30 p.m. As families arrive, I would have them engage
with simple word games including identifying patterns in words and
filling in missing letters of words. Each night would begin with talking
about literacy-based board games (a literacy version of tic-tac-toe, a
take off of Chutes and Ladders, a take off of Bingo, and a take off of
Monopoly). Then, we would talk about writing by showing pictures as
writing prompts. The students would pic a picture and tell their parents
something about the picture. Depending on ability level, either the
student will write with the help of a parent, or the student will dictate
words for their parent to write. As parents work with their children, the
teachers would circulate and model ways of helping their child when
they have trouble writing. When, everyone is finished, some students
can come up to a microphone and share what they wrote. The end of
the night would consist of story time. Teachers will model how to read
to a child by demonstrating intonation, and facial expressions. The last
event of the night would be a book raffle/give-away. Each family had a
chance to win a book if they attended the literacy night that night
(Davis & Yang, 2005).
As I create the literacy games, it is important to consider the
materials used for the games. Use simple, easy to make games, so
parents can easily use things around their home to play these literacy
games with their child (Davis & Yang, 2005). By allowing children at
this family event, it will encourage more families to attend this event,
since they will not have to find childcare (Robertson, n.d.).

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I will notify parents of family literacy night in the weekly
newsletter three weeks in advance so they can save the date of the
event. In the newsletter I will explain how there will be more
information to come about the event. Two weeks before the first family
literacy night, I will send out an invitation to each parent, where I will
explain what the night will involve and encourage parents to attend. In
the invitation, I will tell parents that some light refreshments (food and
drinks) will be provided. This will welcome all families, since food will
puts everyone at ease (Robertson, n.d.). I will tell parents that it will be
a safe, relaxed atmosphere where everyone will learn how to include
fun literacy games in their homes (Davis & Yang, 2005). The relaxed,
fun environment at the literacy nights will strengthen parent and
teacher relationships. Teachers will have a chance to be personable
with parents and everyone will get a chance to feel more comfortable
around each other also, which will support the childrens learning
(Lindle, 1989). A few days before the event, I will remind parents by
sending a note home. I could also call parents to remind them.
To engage diverse families who may not speak or understand
English, I will have an interpreter(s) come to the event so the families
can more easily engage with the games throughout the night. I will
also try to see if the school will provide transportation to the events,
since it is three nights (Robertson, n.d.)
The family literacy nights will engage families in a fun and
educational night that will benefit everyone! The literacy nights will
strongly encourage fun, literacy activities and games to do at home,
which will strengthen learning and parent support at home.
December
Family Art Project
On the first or second week of December, the family art project
will be due. Each family will be invited to participate in a family art
project where they will decorate a piece of paper according their
familys holiday traditions.
On the fourth or last week of November, I will send home a letter
to each family explaining the family art project. I will send home a
large piece of paper to each family along with the letter. The letter will
explain that each family will decorate the provided paper according to
the holiday traditions their family celebrates. I will make sure to say
that all holidays and traditions are welcome! Tell families to use
anything around the house to help them decorate their piece of paper
such as, pictures, decorations, and any other type of supplies/material,
as long as it signifies their holiday traditions they celebrate. In the
letter, tell families to make sure their child participates in this project
with you. Inform families that the art project will be due the first or

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second week of December. In the letter, invite families to come into the
classroom to share traditions and how it relates to their culture. As the
due date of the project approaches, I will remind parents by sending
friendly reminders home, and calling parents to remind them. I will also
include reminders in the weekly newsletter. I will encourage each
family to participate by including each family who participates in a
raffle. The family who is chosen as a winner of the raffle will win a prize
(a book, and a special holiday gift).
I chose to invite families to participate in a family art project
because it encourages parents to engage with their child with their
cultural holiday traditions that they celebrate together. This project will
bring parents and children together as they complete this project
together. I also chose this project to have another reason to invite
parents into the classroom. Inviting parents into the classroom
provides a lot of benefits including helping parents better understand
how their child is being taught, and enriching childrens learning (Davis
& Yang, 2005). Parents presence can add energy and inspiration.
They can share their ideas, interests, family traditions, and cultures in
person, thereby deepening childrens understanding of their
classmates and broadening their perspectives on their community and
the world (Davis & Yang, 2005, p. 99). I will encourage parents to stay
for a while before or after they come share their holiday traditions with
the class, so they can spend time with students and see some of our
classroom practices.
This family art project is a great way to include all diverse
families. Each family will feel valued, and appreciated as they share
their unique holiday traditions (What Parents Want Teachers To Know,
2015). To accommodate all families, I will translate the letter to
families who cannot understand English. If families who are speakers of
other languages come in to share their art project, the students can
help share their parents share their traditions. To accommodate all
families with various work schedules, I will be very flexible when
allowing parents to come in and share their traditions. I will allow
parents to come in whenever they can, as long as they let me know
(Robertson, n.d.) This family art project will allow students to learn
about other holidays, cultures, and traditions, which will cover some
SOLs. This project is a great example of involving families when having
students learn important content. This project will strengthen the
parent and teacher relationship as well as the home and school
connection.
Weekend Family Message Journals
I will begin implementing weekend family message journals on
the first or second week of December. Every week the students will
write a short letter to their parents about something they did in school

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that week. The letters will be written in notebooks so the letters can
last the entire year. Each Friday, the students will take their journals
home. Over the weekend, their parents will read what their child wrote
and then write a short letter back in the same notebook. The students
will bring back their journal on Mondays and they will take turns
sharing their parents letters with the class during the week (Davis &
Yang, 2005).
I chose do implement weekend family message journals in my
classroom because the childrens letters will help initiate conversations
about what is happening at school. The journaling will also stimulate
conversation between parents and teachers. Through this journaling,
parents will better understand the curriculum as well as classroom
practices. As a teacher, this process could provide me with family
priorities and interests, which could allow me to better educate
students. The journaling will also give the students practice writing for
a real-life purpose. The writing will be meaningful to the students,
which will allow them to be very engaged with the material. Also,
reading their parents responses aloud will have them practice their
oral reading skills. In addition, their letters throughout the year will
provide tangible documentation of the childrens growth (Davis & Yang,
2005).
When introducing this activity to children I will have to carefully
explain what they are going to do. I will have to model letter writing
and then explain the activity to parents. When explaining this activity
to parents I will send home a letter a week before I send home the
journal with the students. I would also send the parents a reminder
letter when I send the journal home with the students. I would stress
the importance of parents writing back to the children every week. In
the letter, I would give parents some suggestions on how they can
respond, and how to format the letter like the child did. I would suggest
to parents to have their child practice reading it aloud. It would be
important to tell parents that the children may be sharing their
responses with the class. Lastly, I would provide children and families
with a letter-writing checklist of things to remember when completing
the journal activity. As a teacher, I will have to make time for students
writing their letter each week. I will also have to have time for them to
share their responses. Morning Meeting would be a great time for
students to share their letters (Davis & Yang, 2005).
I will have to consider what to do if families do not participate in
this process. If families do not participate I will plan on calling the
parent or having a small conference to ask the family why they are not
participating in the journaling. If there are any issues with the
journaling according to the family, I will do my best to resolve the issue
and encourage the family to participate with their child. I will also have
to consider diverse families who may not know how to read English. If I
have families who cannot read English, then I could have the child

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write in their own language to their parent. The parent could write back
in his or her own language. Then, the child could translate their
parents letter into English as they orally share the letter with the class.
It is important to engage diverse families as much as you can as a
teacher, to help the students be successful in school (Robertson, n.d.).

References
Davis, C. & Yang, A. (2005). Parents and teachers working together.
Turners Falls, MA: Northeast Foundation for Children.
Lindle, J. (1989). What do parents want from teachers and principals.
Educational Leadership, 12-14. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
Robertson, K. (2007). Tips for successful parent-teacher conferences
with bilingual families. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
What parents want teachers to know. (2015). Retrieved October 10,
2015.