Session 7: Tools for Working with Parents in the CKLA
Program
Sequence of Sessions
Overarching Objectives of this July 2013 Network Team Institute
1. Participants will be able to accurately identify the instructional and support materials (e.g., cards, posters) required for Skills strand
implementation and will demonstrate use of support materials in ways that coincide with instructional lessons/pacing.
2. Participants will be able to articulate the assessment procedures and tools available in the CKLA Skills strand and will apply this knowledge to
case studies, demonstrating initial placements consistent with the guidance given in CKLA and use of CKLA ongoing assessments to support a
flexible grouping approach.
3. Participants will be able to demonstrate how CKLA Skills strand materials can be used to support a differentiated approach to Tier 1
instruction and will be able to describe how CKLA Skills materials could be incorporated into a multi-tiered approach to K–2 ELA instruction.
4. Participants will be able to identify the student learning goals that will be covered grade by grade (K–2) in the first 60 days of instruction, and
the lesson types that will support this learning.
High-Level Purpose of this Session
During this session participants will review an “Overview of CKLA” PowerPoint that has been created for use in parent meetings. Participants will
have an opportunity to ask questions about the presentation, and role play—answering common questions about the curriculum so they will be
prepared to answer parent questions. Participants will also become familiar with tools within CKLA for home-school connections.
Related Learning Experiences
1. This training is the second in a series of trainings on the use of CKLA–NY. It provides background knowledge that will be relevant to upcoming
trainings on implementing additional lessons from the Skills strand to occur at a future date.
Session Outcomes
What do we want participants to be able to do as a result of this session?
In this session:
Participants will become familiar with the key points that they should discuss
with parents at a back-to school night to support information-sharing and
messaging to parents about CKLA.
2. Participants will gain experience, through role-play, in answering common
questions that may occur from parents.
1.
How will we know that they are able to do this?
3.
Participants will become familiar with the tools within CKLA for home-school
connection, including parent letters and take-home materials.
Session Overview
Section
Time
Section 1:
Supporting
Parent
Understanding
of CKLA
30
Minutes
Overview
Prepared Resources
Facilitator
Preparation
Handouts for Parents”
1. Basic Code Lesson Checklist (studentcodesheets.pdf)
2. Sample L&L Parent Letter (SampleL&LLetter.pdf)
3. Sample Skills Parent Letter (SampleSkillsLetter.pdf)
For presenter reference:
4. ParentFAQ (ParentFAQ.pdf)
Session Roadmap
Section 1: Supporting Parent
Understanding of CKLA
Time: 30 minutes
[30 minutes] In this section, you will…
1. Become familiar with the key points that they
should discuss with parents at a back-to-school
night to support information-sharing and
messaging to parents about CKLA.
2. Gain experience, through role play, in answering
common questions that may occur from parents.
3. Become familiar with the tools within CKLA for
home-school connection, including parent letters
and take-home materials.
Materials used include:
1. NTI_July2013_Session7_WorkingWithParents_PPT
2. NTI_July2013_Session7_WorkingWithParents_Materials.zip
Time
Handouts:
1. Basic Code Lesson Checklist (studentcodesheets.pdf)
2. Sample L&L Parent Letter (SampleL&LLetter.pdf)
3. Sample Skills Parent Letter (SampleSkillsLetter.pdf)
4. ParentFAQ (ParentFAQ.pdf)
Slide #/ Pic of Slide Script/ Activity directions: (Please Note: Here
we provide key ideas per slide. A full script is
provided within the power point slides in the
“Notes” view).
GROUP
Slide 4
NOTE: This instructor guide and the slides documented
below are intended to be used with an audience of parents.
Through review of this presentation and a debriefing
activity, NTI/Pilot participants will meet the objectives
above.
Key Points:
1. Reading is more than just sounding out words.
2. In addition to sounding out, or “decoding” the reader
has to comprehend the language of the text.
3. Thus reading is comprised of both “decoding” skills and
language “comprehension.
Slide 5
Key Points:
1. CKLA is comprised of two strands to address these two
“keys” of reading.
2. The Skills strand addresses the first key, decoding.
3. The Listening & Learning strand addresses the second
key, language comprehension.
Slide 6
Key Point:
1. The Skills strand addresses:
a. Phonics
b. Grammar
c. Spelling
d. Handwriting
e. The writing process
f. And of course, reading
Slide 7
Key Point:
1. The Listening & Learning Strand uses read-alouds,
paired with discussion, vocabulary work, and extension
activities to build children’s knowledge and language
skills.
Slide 8
Key Point:
1. Let’s take a closer look at the skills strand.
Slide 9
Key Point:
1. Can you guess the significance of the number 270 with
regard to reading instruction?
Slide 10
Key Points:
1. There are 270+ pieces of “code” that make up written
English language.
2. These include various letters, sounds, spellings, and
rules of directionality and grammar.
Slide 11
Key Points:
Key aspects of the skills strand are:
1. A focus on sounds, or phonemes.
2. That it teaches the most common or least ambiguous
spellings first.
3. That reading and writing taught in tandem.
4. That students read and write only what they have been
taught.
5. That there are 100% decodable readers.
6. That the program is explicit, leaving nothing out to
leave no one behind.
Slide 12
Key Points:
1. The relationships between sounds and spellings in the
English language are complex.
2. There are not one-to-one correspondences between
spellings and sounds.
3. Some sounds have more than one spelling – consider
wait and state.
4. Some spellings make more than one sound – consider
cough and through.
Slide 13
Key Pints:
1. CKLA teaches the “basic code” in Kindergarten.
2. This is the most frequent or least ambiguous spelling
for each sound.
3. Teaching the most frequent spelling for sounds allows
children to read more words faster – they will
encounter these spelling more often in reading.
4. Focusing on the least ambiguous spelling avoids
confusion for the youngest readers until they gain
more experience.
5. Pass out copy of student code charts for parents.
Slide 14
Key Points:
1. Every relationship (between a sound and spelling) is
made to be explicit and is introduced gradually to help
children achieve mastery in some spelling patterns
before others are introduced explicitly.
2. The sound becomes the anchor of instruction and this
is what is meant by a ‘sound-first’ approach.
3. The instructional language when discussing sounds
and spellings is very precise and helps children keep
the idea of sounds and spellings as distinct but related
things.
4. At this point Instructor may wish to engage parents in
some opportunities to practice in a way that mimics
CKLA skills instruction. Perhaps,
• Pronouncing sounds with a hand mirror
• Oral blending and segmenting,
• Chaining
• Or walk parents through one sound lesson,
demonstrating where it occurs in the workbook
practice and readers as well.
Slide 15
Key Point:
1. Participants consider the way that the least ambiguous,
most frequent spelling pattern creates many words
children can read and minimizes confusion by
examining the readers.
Slide 16
Key Points:
1. Students will read a variety of texts that represent
increasing complexity, rich content, diverse characters,
and continuing story lines.
Slide 17
Key Points:
1. Because we know what spellings have been taught, the
readers focus on those spellings.
2. Children get many opportunities to practice reading
words without the distraction of spellings that have not
yet been taught.
3. This helps to build the automaticity that is required for
reliable, fluent reading.
Slide 18
Key Points:
1. Copies of stories will accompany a parent letter from
each unit.
2. In the classroom, we focus on these stories, but your
child should engage in a volume of reading outside of
the classroom when possible.
3. Help your child choose books that are challenging, but
not too difficult for him or her to read.
Note: You may wish to add more guidelines here for parents
regarding book selection and independent reading.
Slide 19
Key Points:
1. Spelling patterns are taught as each sound is addressed
in the program.
2. The program also includes grammar and handwriting
lessons.
Slide 20
Key Point:
1. CKLA includes writing across a variety of genres using
a 3-stage process of planning, drafting, and editing.
Slide 21
Key Point:
1. Let’s take a closer look at the Listening & Learning
strand.
Slide 22
Key Points:
1. Children’s listening comprehension outpaces their
reading comprehension until about age 13.
2. This makes read-alouds a great vehicle for teaching
students many things.
Slide 23
Key Points:
1. CKLA read-alouds include topics that build knowledge
both within grades and across grades.
2. The arrows represent connections that demonstrate a
building of knowledge.
3. Can you identify any other possible connections in
these topics?
Slide 24
Key Points:
1. The topics in CKLA build coherently.
2. King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella sent Columbus on
his voyage so Kings and Queens are taught before
Columbus.
3. Columbus encountered Native Americans, so Native
Americans are taught before Columbus.
4. Native Americans hunted and farmed, so farming is
taught before Native Americans; likewise, plants are
taught before farms and so on…
Slide 25
Key Points:
1. Rich topics bring with them rich language and
vocabulary.
2. Staying on topic allows time for students to learn the
language associated with the topic and engrain the
relationships between the words associated with the
topic.
Slide 26
Key Points:
1. The Listening & Learning strand includes both fiction
and nonfiction reading.
2. The stories are read aloud, but students do not see the
words.
3. In this way, the demands of sounding out the words on
the page are removed so students can focus on
listening and comprehension.
4. Images for the stories are displayed or projected.
Slide 27
Key Points:
1. Each lesson includes a read-aloud, structured as
follows:
a. A 10 minute introduction
b. A 10-15 minute read aloud on the domain topic
c. A 15 minute discussion that incudes
comprehension questions and a little bit of
explicit vocabulary instruction. While most
vocabulary is learned implicitly – through
exposure, explicit vocabulary instruction will
especially help ELLs
2. Each unit also includes a related extension activity
giving students the opportunity to use newly learned
concepts and language.
3. Instructor may wish to do a model Listening & Learning
reading at this point.
Slide 28
Key Point:
1. You can prepare to support learning at home:
a. Create a special area that supports learning.
b. Include tools to support learning (paper,
pencils, markers, etc.).
c. Consider educational gifts that support
learning.
Slide 29
Key Point:
1. You can reinforce the learning that takes place in the
CKLA program in the following ways:
a. Follow guidance in take home letters.
b. Have your child read to you.
c. Complete practice activities sent home by
teacher.
d. Attend field trips and events centered around
the people and places in the stories.
e. Read to your child from the domain trade book
list.
f. Read to your child from What Your—Grader
Needs to Know. These books cover the same
topics as CKLA Listening & Learning.
Debrief with NTI/Pilot participants:


Review the Parent FAQ document.
Using the provided protocol, create answers to the
following 3 “parent” questions based on knowledge
gained in sessions 1 through 6:
1. What if I feel my child is performing above
grade level?
2. How will my child’s progress be assessed?
3. How can I help my child at home?
Use the following icons in the script to indicate different learning modes.
Video
Reflect on a
prompt
Active learning
Turnkey Materials Provided
See handouts for lesson type checklists (blank for use during activity; completed to be reflected on after the activity).
Additional Suggested Resources
Turn and talk