Every Family Has
A Story
Gloria Canada, Ed. D.
Circles of Purpose, Inc.
www.circlesofpurpose.com
gcanadabrett@gmail.com
210-274-7950
Home is Where You Hang Your Heart
Once Upon a Time…
The Beginning…
A Growing Family…
Family Traditions…
The Start of a New Family…
The Next
Generation…
The
Traditions
Continue..
Keeping the Stories Alive
For Generations…
Every Family has a Story
What’s Yours?
Families and Literacy
Journal of Educational Controversy – ISSN 1935-7699
Passive Parent/Child
Communication by age 3
• Average vocabulary of 500
words
Purposeful Parent/Child
Communication by age 3
• Average vocabulary of 1000
words
• May hear 10 million words
• Negative feedback
• May hear over 30 million
• Affirmative feedback
Implications
Harvard Family Research Project – Family Involvement Research Digests – Jan. 2007
Family engagement has greater impact than:
• Income level of family
• Education level of the mother
Reaching Out is Key
Care
Empathize
Guide
Nurture
Motivate
Communicate
Encourage
Adapt
Commit
Advocate
Family Books Do Wonderful Things!
• 1. Gets family members talking
• 2. Brings back memories – funny, sad, scary,
serious, emotional
• 3. Teaches lessons
• 4. Creates connections among all
generations
• 5. Increases appreciation of literacy
• 6. Provides a project for the whole family to
work on together
Sample Pages
Circles of Purpose
Circles of Purpose
EVERY FAMILY HAS A STORY
EVERY FAMILY HAS A STORY
NAME:
NAME:
What jobs were you expected to do around
the house when you were growing up?
Which jobs did you like and which ones did
you hate?
What jobs were you expected to do
around the house when you were
growing up? Which jobs did you like and
which ones did you hate?
(Illustration here)
(Illustration here)
P-9
C-9
Sample Pages
Circles of Purpose
Circles of Purpose
EVERY FAMILY HAS A STORY
EVERY FAMILY HAS A STORY
NAME:
NAME:
Who is your best friend? What do you
like about them?
Who is your best friend? What do you
like about them?
(Illustration here)
P- 6
(Illustration here)
C- 6
Be Creative!
• What are you afraid of?
• What makes you laugh out loud?
• Name one nice thing about each person in
your family.
• If you were an animal, what would you
want to be? Why/
• Tell about the most thoughtful thing you
have ever done for somebody else.
More Story Ideas!
Birthday Family Books
Happy Birthday!
• A page is written and
illustrated from each
family member for the
“birthday person”,
compiled and given as a
gift.
Thanksgiving Book
or “Gratitude Book”
Example: Each family
member writes about one
thing they are thankful.
Example: Family members
also write a page for each
person in their family.
These pages name what
they are thankful for about
each relative.
Winter
Holidays
Write about:
Traditions
Food
Decorations
Preparations
Family
Family Trips
POSSIBLE QUESTIONS:
What was the occasion?
Where did you go?
What was the weather like?
Was there an emergency?
Was the trip for fun?
What relatives do you have that you
visit out of town?
What did you pack in your
suitcase?
Did you try a new food?
Lesson Plan
1. Read book about families to your group
2. Discussion about how all families are different
3. Show example of a “Every Family Has a Story” book already
completed (Your own family can create one to use as an example)
4. Distribute parent and child pages
5. Distribute pencils, colored pencils, markers
6. As families are working, take a picture of each family.
(This can be developed overnight and given to the families the next meeting date.
The picture will be on the front cover of their book.)
7. After pages are finished, attach pages with staples, brads or binder
machine Optional – Place clear plastic page over the front cover
8. Sit in circle and ask for volunteers to share stories from pages in
their book!
Materials Needed
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Cover sheet
Clear plastic cover (optional)
Colored paper to divide family members’ sections
Card stock (for back of book)
Pages with questions (parent & child pages)
Pencils
Colored pencils or markers
Camera (to take a picture of each family)
Tape or glue (to attach picture to each person’s “chapter”)
Staples or brads or binder machine (to attach all sections together to
form the book)
Optional:
Magazines (to cut out pictures)
Glitter, ribbons, buttons, ect. (to decorate the front cover)
Let’s Begin!
1. Write your name on every page before
you begin.
2. Answer the questions on each page.
If a family member is too young to write, they can draw a picture to
answer the question and tell an older family member what to write.
3. Go back & illustrate each page.
4. Every family member signs the “Author’s Page”.
5. Separate each family member’s “chapter” with a colored
piece of paper.
6. Combine all “chapters” together.
7. Attach cover – decorated with a family picture and the
back.
Circles of Purpose
The Family Circle is the
Gloria Canada, Ed. D.
210-274-7950
www.circlesofpurpose.com
gcanadabrett@gmail.com
of the story.